How a story grows (Patreon)

Often, when I get a story idea, there's a particular scene that pops into my head. Everything else just kind of forms around that, explaining how and why it happened, as well as when happens after. For Broken Knife, I actually have three of those.

The first one was in the first chapter (which is handy when you're writing a book) and it was the fruit falling from the little tree, down into the mountain. Where did it go? Why was it there? How could it even grow in such a desolate place? As the answers grew, Li and the nest of dragons emerged.

The second scene is one we're going to come to very soon. Kaz is finally going to learn some things he needs to know about the mountain, kobolds, and the first real hint about why he's different from the others. That will happen when he finds Li, so look forward to it!

The third one is far in the future, when Lianhua gets some answers. They may or may not be the answers she wants, but she and Kaz will get there eventually. I can't tell you about it, obviously, but everything in the story leads up to it.

Over time, the "what next?" has led to potential additional stories. What happens when Kaz leaves the mountain? Should he go with Lianhua, or strike out on his own? The scenes from that are definitely forming, and I have a rough outline of what that would look like (there are at least two 'books' I can imagine before things start to get old.)

Also, I always have an end in mind. I'm not one of those authors who can just keep shoving in filler and stretch things out. My characters have a happy (yes, I do like happy endings) place they're heading for, and when they reach it, the story is over. That, too, actually has a scene, so I guess TBK has four, though I just think of the last one as 'The End'.

There are always more stories, and more moments when I think, "What if?" "What happens then?" I had someone ask me where the stories came from, because her boyfriend was also a writer, and he always had madness spilling from his brain. My answer? "They're just there," and she rolled her eyes and said, "That's what he always says, too."