Developing a story can be as simple as turning an image, conversation or real-life experience into a full-blown idea. Or it can be a more structured process, one that takes the form of an outline or a storyboard. In either case, it’s an essential step before drafting.
During this phase, you should collect whatever ideas are sprouting up — potential character names, bits of world history or backstory, scenelets, scraps of dialog, etc. Over time, writers figure out what sort of things stimulate these seeds to grow and develop more fully into a story. For example, some writers like to go for walks, or clean their houses, while others make Pinterest boards, or read books on narrative design.
Then, once you’ve figured out a bit about the characters and their goals, you should start to plot their journeys. This will help you identify the internal and external obstacles they’ll face as they try to achieve their goal. Defining the inner obstacles can also give you a clue about the story’s theme.
Lastly, you’ll want to develop any relevant subplots that contribute to the main conflict. These can add complexity to the story and help keep readers engaged while tension builds among your key players. Oftentimes, the most interesting subplots revolve around relationships between supporting characters. For example, the arc between Legolas and Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings is a great way to build character tension while Frodo and Sauron battle it out on the front lines.