📝 The Argument: The Engine of Your Story

If you have a great idea in mind but don't know how to make it grow, don't worry! 🎉 This is where the plot comes into play , a key tool to give your story weight, direction and fluidity .

💡 What is an argument for?

We all have great ideas 💭, but an idea alone isn't enough. You need something more solid to develop a story that will captivate readers.

🔹 The plot is a more developed version of your main idea.
🔹 It gives you a firm foundation on which to build your plot. 🏗️
🔹 It helps your story from becoming directionless or losing interest.

📌 Example:
👉 You have the idea: " An astronaut is stranded on an unknown planet. " 🌍
👉 Now turn it into a plot: " After an accident on an exploration mission, an astronaut must survive alone on a hostile planet while trying to send a rescue signal. "

Boom! 🎇 Now your story has more weight and direction.

🔄 The Argument Is Not Static: Let It Breathe!

The best thing about an argument is that it isn't set in stone . 🪨❌ You can modify it as you write, depending on what motivates you or what the story asks of you.

📌 Evolution example:
📝 Your opening argument:
" A scientist discovers that Earth is doomed and leads a mission to save humanity. "

🔄 Change in development:
" The scientist discovers that Earth is not doomed... but the mission is already underway and there is no way to stop it! " 🚀💥

Sometimes the characters and the story itself will surprise you and change the course of your plot . Let them guide you! 🧭

🚨 Common Mistake: Starting to Write Without a Plot

When you're a new writer, it's easy to fall into the trap of jumping into writing without having developed a solid argument. 🤯 It's not impossible, but you run the risk of:

❌ The story loses steam halfway through.
❌ The characters have no clear purpose.
❌ Ideas run out too quickly.

🛠️ The plot is your lifeline. Not only does it give you direction, but it also helps you keep the pace and not get stuck in the middle of the story.

📌 Tip: Before writing, ask yourself:
🔹 What does my story want to tell?
🔹 What is the main conflict?
🔹 How does it begin and how does it end?

🎯 You Write for an Audience, But Not for Everyone

📢 Attention, writers: Not everyone will like what you write. And that's okay! It's part of the job. 🖋️✨

💥 Trolls have always existed , but the Internet has given them more visibility. Don't let unfounded criticism discourage you. Write for your audience, not for everyone.

📌 Golden Rule: Write for one person only. It can be someone you know or just for yourself . But approach your writing as if you were speaking directly to that person.

💡 Example:

Is your story for hard Sci-Fi fans? 🔬👨‍🚀 Great! You don't need to be liked by someone who only reads romance novels.
Is your style sarcastic and light-hearted? 😏 Perfect! Write for those who enjoy that tone.

✍️ Once your story leaves your mind and hits the paper, it will take on a life of its own and find its way to the right audience. 🚀📖

💡 The Central Idea: The Spark That Ignites Your Story

Many writing courses confuse ideas with arguments . 🤔 But don't worry! Here I will teach you how to differentiate between them and build solid arguments starting from a simple idea.

✅ Ideas are the starting point.
✅ The argument is the structure that makes them grow.

Today we are going to transform ideas into powerful arguments with two effective methods. Get your imagination ready! 🚀🔥

🎯 First Method: Expanding a Simple Idea

The first thing is to start with a simple idea . It can be a basic concept that caught your attention in a movie, a book or even a chat with friends.

📌 Examples of simple ideas:
💀 A ghost story in a cemetery. (Idea 1)
⚔️ An armed confrontation between enemy factions. (Idea 2)
🗺️ A challenge to win a treasure map. (Idea 3)

Great! Now it's time to give them depth by adding elements that define the genre of the story. 🎭

🔮 Example 1: Variations on Idea 1 - Ghost Story 👻

(1.1) A ghost story in a cemetery. (HORROR)
(1.2) A cemetery on a newly discovered planet, with remains of an alien civilization. (SCIENCE FICTION 👽)
(1.3) A diabolical possession unleashes the return of an ancient forgotten deity. (FANTASTIC HORROR)

🔫 Example 2: Variations of Idea 2 - Armed Confrontations ⚔️

(2.1) Two enemy factions face off in a war. (WAR)
(2.2) Humans colonize a planet, but the natives struggle to defend it. (SCIENCE FICTION 🌍🚀)
(2.3) A wounded soldier is rescued by a local woman, leading to an impossible romance. (ROMANCE 💕)

🗺️ Example 3: Variations of Idea 3 - Treasure Maps and Adventures 🏴‍☠️

(3.1) An adventurer risks his life to win a map in a deadly duel. (ADVENTURES)
(3.2) An explorer steals a hidden map in a church that leads to a sacred jewel. (FANTASY ✨)
(3.3) A climber lost in a storm finds a map to a legendary city. (ADVENTURES)

📢 See how a single concept can branch into several different stories?

🎭 You can merge genres or combine elements from different stories. The possibilities are endless! 🌟

🚀 Second Method: Varying Known Stories

Another technique is to take a classic story and change the setting, characters, or conflict. 🔄

📌 Original example (classic western 🤠):
💨 A stagecoach travels between two cities. Among the passengers, a beautiful woman. They pick up a cowboy without a horse and, during an Indian attack, he becomes the hero and gets the girl. (ROMANTIC ADVENTURE)

📌 Sci-Fi Version 🚀:
🛰️ A spaceship is carrying colonists to a distant planet. On their way, they pick up a group of soldiers from a military outpost. After being diverted by a stellar explosion, they end up in enemy territory and must fight for their survival. (SCIENCE FICTION)

📌 Sci-Fi + Romance Version ❤️:
💏 The lieutenant of the soldiers falls in love with the colony's commander. (SCIENCE FICTION + ROMANCE)

🎭 This is how you transform a familiar story into something completely new and original.

🌟 Your Central Idea Is Ready!

You now have two methods to generate a solid central idea and start building your argument:

1️⃣ Expanding a simple idea with genre elements.
2️⃣ Taking a well-known story and creatively reinventing it.

📢 Remember: The key is to add layers until your story has a unique identity . 🎨✨

🛠️ Ready to put it into practice? Start with an idea and play with the possibilities! 🚀📖

🤖✨ How AI Can Help You Create the Central Idea and Build a Great Argument

Is AI the future of creativity? I don't think so, but it is a tool that will help you in the lowest moments of your creativity. Often you won't use it, but other times it will make up for your tiredness or exhaustion. 🚀🎨 Artificial Intelligence is not only useful for automating boring tasks, it can also be a powerful tool for writers looking for inspiration.

If you've ever found yourself staring at a blank screen 😵‍💫, not knowing where to start, AI can give your creativity a boost and help you build an amazing story.

🧠💡 1. Generating Central Ideas with AI

Sometimes ideas come out of nowhere… but other times, we need a little nudge. This is where AI shines. 🌟

🎯 How to use it:
1️⃣ Give them a keyword or concept : “Time travel,” “Robot apocalypse,” “An astronaut afraid of the dark.”
2️⃣ Ask for variations : “Give me 10 different ideas based on this concept.”
3️⃣ Have them refine it : “Merge this idea with the horror genre and add an unexpected twist.”

🛠️ Practical example with AI:

🎤 You: "Give me an idea for a science fiction story with an unexpected twist."
🤖 AI: "An astronaut awakens from cryogenic sleep on an alien planet... only to discover that humanity has gone extinct and he is now the last living human."

🔥 BOOM! Now you have a core idea ready to expand.

🏗️📖 2. Building an Argument from the Idea

Once you have a central idea, AI can help you develop it into a solid argument.

🎯 How to use it:
1️⃣ Ask AI to structure the story into a beginning, middle, and end.
2️⃣ Ask questions to expand on the conflicts: "What could be the protagonist's biggest obstacle?"
3️⃣ Use AI as an editor : "Evaluate this idea from a narrative point of view and tell me how to make it more appealing."

🛠️ Practical example with AI:

🎤 You: "Develop an argument for my idea of an astronaut stranded on an alien planet."
🤖 AI:
Introduction : An astronaut wakes up on an unknown planet after an accident with his ship. 🚀
Plot : He discovers that he is not alone... there are advanced AIs that could help him, but they do not trust humans. 🤖
Outcome : He must convince them that he is not a threat, or he will perish in a world that is not his own. 🌌

💡 Tip: You can ask him to give you different versions of the ending! Happy ending, tragic ending, open ending?

🧩🔍 3. Refining and Exploring Variations with AI

If you have an idea but aren't sure if it's strong enough, AI can help you explore alternatives.

🎯 How to use it:
1️⃣ Ask for different approaches : "Give me three ways to tell this story in different genres."
2️⃣ Have them suggest characters : "Create three characters that fit this story with interesting conflicts."
3️⃣ Play with unexpected twists : "Give me a surprising plot twist for this story."

🛠️ Practical example with AI:

🎤 You: "Give me an unexpected twist for my stranded astronaut story."
🤖 AI: "The astronaut discovers that the planet is Earth... but in the future, after humanity was destroyed." 😱🌎

🔥A single change can make your story much more impactful!

🤝 4. AI as your trusted co-writer

Don't be afraid to use AI as a creative tool , but remember that you are always in control . 💪📖

🔹 Use it to generate ideas, but put your own spin on it.
🔹 Make it challenge and question you, like an editor would.
🔹 Ask it to act as different types of readers : “Evaluate this story as if you were a science fiction editor.”

📢 Bottom line: AI can be a great ally for you to break creative blocks, explore new ideas, and develop solid arguments. 🎬✨

🚀 Put it to the test! What idea do you want to turn into a story today? 😃

Thank you for reading . This free, ad-free, hand-made publication is made possible by the support of readers like you. If you are truly interested in writing and want to help keep it going, keep reading, buy my books, hire my services as an editor, proofreader, or private tutor, or best of all, become a paid subscriber to my services. 🚀

Are you going through some tough times? Ok, that's fine. I can understand. In that case you can ( at least ) send a thank you note or recommend me to your friends, right ? 😃

Do you have questions? Do you want to expand on these topics?

If you are interested in expanding on these topics, I recommend that you read my articles for writers. There you will find many interesting topics that will help you become a 21st century writer. Here are my notes for writers (use the google translate button - for no-spanish writers-) 🌌✍️

Do you have any questions? You can ask me -in english too- through a google form. Use the "Tu Consulta" button, please: