How do you write a story?

The other week I started writing a piece of fan fiction featuring one of my favorite JPop idols (quite an understatement–considering I am planning on naming my first born after said idol). More than giving my brain much needed work-out. After all, I don’t sweat as much doing what I do with my current responsibilities.

I’ve always wanted to write. When I was young, I joined “The Young Writers” where I honed my writing skills while competing against other schools. When I was in college, I wrote a mini-novel (one notebook thick) where I transformed one of my friends to a serial killer and had him promptly kill the whole barkada (yes…that’s how my mind works). I showed my friends my mini-novel, much to their immense delight. I don’t know if it’s because they find the mini-novel good (they said it was) or because of the weight of the story.

When I left University and entered the chaotic corporate world, I pretty much forgot any remaining literary talent that I had–I used to write poems, make funny, caustic essays and pretty much put my dreams of writing my own novel at the back of mind. I filled my mind with marketing plans, press releases and communication campaigns.

By cultivating the career woman in me, I pretty much kissed the (budding) writer inside goodbye.

That is until a good friend encouraged me to give creative writing another go. While I had reservations with what I can do, I figured that I won’t lose anything in the process. So here I am stuck with a prologue and excited to explore what would happen to my characters. It doesn’t help at all that the guy character is based on a real person and there is a danger that I would incite mass hatred should I depict the character as less than ideal. (Of course, I know he’s not perfect…)

Nonetheless, I remain excited on writing the first chapter. I pretty much have ideas in my head, and barring work here at the office, I intend to move forward and see to the end how these two characters would interact.

Sometimes, I ask myself “How do you write a story?” And since I didn’t study Journalism in University and never had any formal schooling in creative writing — I figured that writing a story entails a structure, good grasp of the language you are using and most especially–heart. I think it is the combination of all three that makes a story worth reading.

I know my first foray might not be perfect but I am very willing to learn. After all, I (think) I have a lifetime to come up with the perfect plot.