It is said that everybody has a tale to tell, and maybe you have an exciting idea but have never reached the point of putting pen to paper. Creating your own story often features on bucket lists.
You can take it a step further by actually adding your own illustrations. After all, who knows the characters and what they should look like, better than yourself? So, how should you actually start?
Planning your story
Unless you genuinely have a full plot figured out for an epic novel, you may wish to start with a smaller challenge, perhaps just a short story of 4000 words. As an added incentive, you may want to search for competitions for budding writers. Knowing that you have to meet a deadline can give you that extra impetus.
The most straightforward stories are those for children, and you can really let your imagination run riot! The illustrations for such a story should be bold and colorful, appropriate for the age of the child you are writing for. Start with a basic outline, which should typically include the characters, the title, headings for chapters, and the ending.
Next to the characters’ names, you could add a simple sketch, the beginnings of your illustrations.
Getting ideas
If you are really stuck for a plot, there are plenty of tools on the internet that generate ideas. You simply complete a few boxes, such as the adjectives you want to use, the emotions, and the places to be featured. Before you know it, your story is halfway to being written!
With this activity ticked off your bucket list, you may find it leads to a whole new career, and it is surprisingly easy to self-publish your own stories. Look out J K Rowling, there’s a new kid on the block!
