Contrary to what I stated on the "Begin here" page, writing is no picknick. There are a whole lotta decisions you have to make when you´re a writer.

It begins long before you set your pen to your paper, or your fingertips to your keyboard. It begins in your daily routine. And the question to rule all others, is this:

Will you write or not?

Until you have decided to write or not to write, you will not write. Not because I say so, but because you have to make an effort to change your course.

Let´s say that you decide to write, and you actually do something about it. In fact, you start to write. Well, then more decisions await you:

What kind of commitment are you prepared to make?
What type(s) of stories will you write?
What media will you aim for?
What audience will you aim for?

But that´s not all. All your writing life is about decisions. Think about it. Plots, characters, themes, arenas, feedback, writing partners, fees, genres, etc; it all has to be decided. And the choices will be tough, the alternatives will seem too few or too many, and you will have to look hard to see any difference in quality in the different alternatives.

So if you have a problem making decisions, you should seriously consider switching careers, to somewhere where your decisions won´t have such longlasting consequenses. Be a politician or something.

I bet you will continue writing. Then, you should at least know that some of those decisions won´t be easy, and you won´t get any help.

Not even from me.

I won´t give you answers here. I won´t tell you what to decide, because that has to come from inside you, as well as from your current situation. What I will do is tell you some of the usual situations where you will have to decide, so that you will have a headstart when the situation comes up.

Let´s go.

Planning before you write?

Both sides have valid points. No side is wrong. And every writer is somewhere in between those extremities on some sliding scale.

So how do you know what you should do? As I said before, I won´t tell you. But here are some hints...

... if you prefer the persons inside the story before what happens in the story, you should probably just start the story and let the end come you you.

... if you´re an organised person, you will most likely feel at home with mapping out the story before writing it.

... if you have problems finishing your stories, try creating the end before you start the story, to have something good to aim for.

... if your stories feel forced or stiff, try improvising what will happen.

... if you´re writing a mystery or some other plot-heavy genre, you´ll benefit from seeing the entire story, and placing out red herrings and real clues.

But remember, you can always combine the two methods.

Character or plot?

Combining these alternatives would seem to be a good idea, and in fact the only viable course, since plot and character cannot live without each other. You will probable lean a bit more toward one than the other. That´s good. This will give your stories their personal touch.

But you will probably need to work on one more than the other, since theother will flow more easily when you´re writing. Working on something that´s difficult isn´t fun, but it will be worth it. Check out the columns section here at Hannibal and immerse yourself in the part you´re having problem with.

Industrial or artistic?

Each side has their drawbacks and you may already know about them. But if you´re serious about getting into big business, you should not only accept the streamlined products, the constant notes and rewrites, the endless meetings, the destroyed visions etc, but actually love it - and not for its potential. Hollywood won´t change because you want it to.

And if you´re serious about wanting independence, you should not only accept the low-low budgets, the sponsors backing out, the cheesy equipment, the no-name actors, the difficulties promoting your work, etc, but actually love it - and not for what it represents. It is harder than you think.

Realism or imagination?

That doesn´t mean that your stories shouldn´t include a little bit of both. I think they should. But you will want to concentrate on one style. Later you can go deeper and determine what genre your story is, but the style should be clear from the start.

Inspiration or individualism?

This is actually a decision I can help you with.

Read. A lot. And watch films. Follow TV shows. Study magazines. No harm ever came from reading a book. (Not counting terrible curse books like in "The Mummy" and in "Charmed".) And the more different books and films and TV shows, the better. If you steal, you should at least know what to steal. Besides, if you steal from several sources, you will more likely seem educated, than lacking inspiration.

Please note that I´m not saying that you shouldn´t create your own ideas. But if you don´t read and watch a lot, you´re bound to dream up stories that have already been written to death. Plus, you´re missing out on the inspiration that other writers will provide.

So, how individual can you get?

In fact, you will most likely not want to get too unique. Of course, you should have your own voice. It will come after you have written many, many pages. And you should have your own blend of realism and imagination, and your own types of character. But you will also need to connect with other persons, your readers. That connection will not happen if you´re too original - throwing out all notions of logic, all continuity, all genre conventions, etc. And it will show, if you´re only doing it to create a commotion.

Luck or talent?

Happy or unhappy ending?

I´m not arguing for always tacking on happy-happy endings. I´m arguing against being against happy endings à priori. Some stories deserve their happy endings.

Plus, of course, good happy endings come in all shapes and forms...

... the bittersweet ending, where the hero wins something and loses something else, or...
... the surprise ending, where the plot twists and turns up to the last second, which leaves no room for the mushy happy ending, or...
... the "despite hell" ending, where the hero manages to be happy in a very bad situation, or...
... the sequel-preparation ending, where everyone are happy, but something tragic is lurking in the shadows, or...
... the parody ending, where you get to make fun of all the hurrah-ing, and applause, and still let the audience know you´re an aware writer, or...
... the small problem ending, where the hero after saving the earth is thrown back into the ordinary world of taking out the trash.

The point is, don´t choose one type of ending, because you´re not satisfied with the way it has been done in the past. That´s never a good argument.

Male or female protagonist?

First of all, I think that genre is a much bigger factor than the sex of the protagonist. At least I pick what I watch and read based on what type of story it is, and not on what sex the main character has.

Secondly, this theory is based on earlier data. It´s not necessarily a road map for the future. All we can say is that it used to be that way. But movies also used to be black and white.

Thirdly, this theory is sometimes backed up by some variation of the argument that "women aren´t violent. Women that play cool action heroes become less feminine". This argument is based on the thesis that men are born killing machines, and I know of no such men either.

So, instead, you should decide the sex of your protagonist based on the story, the arena, your vision and other story concerns, and not on old habits.

Make no mistake, you will have to decide. And these are just a few of the situations that you will encounter. The most important one, however, I have saved for last.

It´s in deciding that you will be most like your characters. Stories are based on decisions - will the hero take the villain´s offer to surrender? Will the heroine marry Tom or Bill, or neither? So is life. So is writing. So is your writing life. And every person, whether fictional or real, is judged based on their decisions.

So make your decisions count.

Character or plot?

Industrial or artistic?

Realism or imagination?

Inspiration or individualism?

Luck or talent?

Happy or unhappy ending?

Male or female protagonist?