Developing a Scenario For Your C/A Fic

By Dannyblue

There is no one way to develop a fic. I myself have used so many different methods, I’ve lost track. Which method works for you often depends on what type of writer you are, or even what mood you’re in that day. Finding the methods that work best for you is a matter of trial and error.

This method is a pretty good one. It works with short stories, and long ones. If you are a plotter (you like to plot your stories out before you start writing) this scenario will give you a good foundation on which to build that plot. If you are a pantser (you don’t plot your stories, preferring to “write by the seat of your pants”) the scenario will at least give you some idea what your story's structure will be, and where the whole thing is going. In fact, for shorter fics, the scenario is all the plotting you really need to do. Developing a scenario will also give you ideas for your story you might not have thought of before.

So, how do you develop a scenario?

(Note: This essay contains spoilers for my story Once Upon a Time. You might like to read it first. It’s relatively short, and will make the essay easier to follow.)

1. Start with a situation that has dramatic potential. “Dramatic potential” doesn’t mean your story can’t be a slapstick comedy. It just means the situation you have in mind has the ‘potential’ to turn out to be a good, interesting story. One you yourself would like to read. My story "Once Upon a Time" started with this situation: “Season 2 BtVS. While alone at the Bronze, Cordelia comes face-to-face with Angelus.”

Write as much or as little about your situation as you want…or as you know at the time.

2. What is the issue in the story? You want your situation to center on a conflict, struggle, problem, dilemma, etc. In "Once Upon a Time", the issue is obvious. Cordelia is trapped, all alone at the Bronze (except for the other patrons who have no idea what’s going on) with a brutal killer. None of the other Scoobs are there and, since they are over an hour late, Cordy figures they won’t be. (Probably off stopping a virgin sacrifice or something.)

Issues can be internal or external, physical or emotional. In my story "Time Trip", the external issue was finding a way to get AtS season 2 Angel and Cordy back to their own time. The internal issues were the BtVS season 2 Scoobs’ reactions to how different future Angel and Cordy were.

3. What action will the characters take in regards to the situation? What choices do they have? What could they do? What should they do? What might they do?

In "Once Upon a Time", Cordy’s options are limited. She could try to leave the Bronze, but there’s nothing to keep Angelus from following her outside…where there are no witnesses to keep him from brutally killing her. She could try to fight him…which would be insane. She could close her eyes and wish really hard for the Scoobs to appear. (Hey, in Sunnydale, you never know what will work.) In the end, all she can really do is sit there, try to deal with Angelus’s special brand of emotional torture, and try not to let him get to her.

4. What will the outcome or resolution of the situation be? How do you think your story will end? In paragraph or point form, figure out a basic landing pad for your story.

When I was first developing the idea for "Once Upon a Time", I had some vague idea that, after tormenting her for a while, Angelus would get bored and leave Cordelia to go off to do something more fun. (Which would involve blood and torture.) The story would end with Cordy left sitting in the Bronze, shaking with fear. But that’s not the conclusion the story ended up having. And that’s a good thing to keep in mind. You can always change the ending for your story. Even if you’re almost finished writing your fic, and you’re just one chapter away from the ending you had in mind, if a better ending pops into your head, go with it.

So, why bother coming up with an ending now, when you might just change it later on? Well, having a destination in mind will keep your story from wandering off in directions that lead nowhere. It will also help keep your story from becoming a “work in progress” that never gets finished. I have a few WIPs under my belt, much to my shame. And one reason they are WIPs is that I had no idea where they were going when I started them. I had a great idea for the opening chapter or scene (like Cordy going blind from a vision some time in season 1) but no clue what would happen after that great opening, or how the situation would work out.

Say it with me now. “Coming up with an ending for my fic before I start writing it is a good thing.”

5. What complications could make things more difficult for the character? This step is optional. For some stories, especially vignettes and POV-pieces, you won’t need any complications. But, for longer stories, a few complications can add some spice, and make things interesting. In “Once Upon a Time”, Cordy has survived an encounter with Angelus. He’s gone of to find fun somewhere else, and that was how it was going to end. Then, I thought, “What if Cordy saw Angelus select his next victim?” The fact that the vamp has set his sights on someone else would mean Cordy herself is safe. But could she deal with the guilt of watching Angelus leave the Bronze with another girl knowing he was going to kill her? But trying to save the girl would mean putting herself back in danger. That’s certainly a complication.

Another complication I came up with is that Cordy has gone home after her ordeal. She’s in her driveway, steps away from the safety of her own home, when there’s a knock on her window. She realizes Angelus has followed her home! Instead of being safe, she’s right back in the situation she was in at the Bronze, only worse because there’re no witnesses around to prevent Angelus from doing…whatever.

For a while, I couldn’t decide which of these complications to use, so I decided to use them both.

For a longer, multi-part fic, you want lots of complications, maybe one per chapter, if possible. In a story where Angel is trying to find a way to let Oblivious!Cordy know how he feels about her, Buffy showing up would definitely be a complication. Or maybe Cordy’s disapproving parents hit the scene, with notions of their own of who Cordy should be with. (Someone rich, obviously.) Or if your story has Cordy and Angel on their first date, moments away from their first kiss, a sudden demon attack would sure complicate things.

6. Make a list of candybar scenes. Holly Lisle (a writing pro) came up with this analogy. A "candybar" scene is a scene where something happens, or someone does, says, or discovers something, that your fingers are just itching to write. The desire to write this stuff is what makes you want to write in the first place. Writing these scenes is fun, exciting. And the anticipation of the “candybar” scene you’re writing next will help get you through the somewhat boring, expositiony scene you’re writing now. They are like candybars. You know that after you eat your broccoli, or do your chores, you’ll get a nice, chocolaty treat.

Now, what is or isn't a candybar scene is completely in the eye of the beholder (or fanfic writer). A scene I might look forward to writing might not be a scene you'd look forward to writing, and vice-versa. That's okay. All that matters with candybars is that you are itching to write them.

In a PWP, the candybar you're looking forward to writing is probably a steamy sex scene. (If it weren't, you probably wouldn't be writing a PWP). In a sweet romance, it might be the moment when Angel tells Cordy he loves her. In an action/adventure, it might be a big fight or chase scene. In a time travel fic, it might be that moment when the Scoobs of the past meet the Cordy and Angel (and possibly Wesley or Spike) of the Future.

"Once Upon a Time", had a lot of candybars, plenty of treats I couldn't wait to write. The moment Cordy realizes Angelus is there. Their conversation. (I wanted it to be snarky, and funny, and a little creepy.) Cordy’s rant to Angelus at the end about “making as many people as possible pay”. Even the ‘weapon’ Cordy uses in the confrontation in the alley. (I loved the idea of Cordelia Chase carrying an expensive perfume mister filled with holy water. It just seemed fitting somehow.) In fact, virtually the whole story was a candybar, which is why I had so much fun writing it, and why it got done so quickly.

Which raises another good point. Writing candybar scenes is fun. And, the more candybar scenes you have in your fic, the more fun it will be to write. You won’t put off writing that next scene if it’s a candybar scene. You won’t write for ten minutes, get bored, then wander away from the computer not to return for 3 weeks, if you are having fun writing. In fact, your excitement and enjoyment will become a part of the story, and the readers will pick up on it. Really, I’ve gotten some of my best feedback from stories and chapters I really had fun writing.

Now, some candybars will pop into your head all on their own. (When I wrote "Time Trip", there were some scenes I just knew I had to put in there.) Others will come to you through brainstorming. Sit down and freewrite a list of scenes. Some won’t strike you as all that interesting. But others will definitely be candybar material.

And there you have it. One way to develop your fic. Writing a scenario will give you plenty of material for your story, and will definitely help you flesh out your idea. Whether you then start working on a plot outline, or start writing by the seat of your pants, having the scenario worked out will come in handy. It’s also fun. And, really, that’s what writing fanfiction should be all about.