The Architecture of Writing
There’s a lot of templates and questionnaires out there for writing, it’s a very saturated environment. What template do I fill out and what questions are the really important ones to answer? While those are all really good questions, understanding why you do it in the first place gives you clarity in those choices. There is a structure behind the medium that the audience doesn’t see, and won’t see, when you go through all the planning and outlining you have to do for your sake. The gratification will come when the story is finished.
Just like an architecture blueprint, everything is laid out so the building will stand, they’re not concerned with the paint and the furniture, that’s the designer’s job. What I’m getting at is that a writer is many things before, after and during the writing process.
At the beginning of the creation of your story, you need to be an architect. Make your building stand, making your story stand before worrying about paint.
That means outlining, figuring out what goes where before you decide what color everything is. Find out what your supports are going to be, what themes you are writing first, all the other stuff comes later.
I think that is why Aristotle in his Poetics argues for plot superiority with character as a second. I’m not sure if I quite agree with this, but he frames his argument…
