Creative Writing: Planning

In this post, I will talk about the planning process for the creative writing project we have, which is creating a chapbook. Here are some of the questions and topics that I will answer.

• What is your final idea?

To begin with, the final idea of the chapbook I had in mind is a narrative book based on the birth of creative talent, and a change of perspective on friends and family.

• How many pages will it be?
• What format will it take?
• Will you add images?

I predict that this book will be over 20 pages with the story being told in a prose form with some images. I will be using some of my own images, but also use images from other sources.

• What form are you using and how will this affect layout? 

I will be using a prose form, as such I believe that the layout of this book will be mostly left-aligned texts with some images on top of it on some pages.

• How much time will it take?

This book will be completed within a week, which is the 13th of February.

• Have you considered cover/contents page/back cover?

In terms of design, I will create it using either photoshop or canva.

• Who would you get to proofread your work?

I will get my friends to proofread my work, including some criticism on what I can fix. 

• Who is the target market?

The target market for this book is more for teenagers or adults. I will do a target market research post.

• What do you imagine the final book will look like?

A 20 page chapbook, with a story of adolescence about passion, change, family, and friends.

Moving to the next step is to plan out the story. As I limit the book to be around 30 pages long, I will divide the story into a four-act structure, with each chapter or act presenting a particular time in the character's life.

The story will be named "Aprilio in Three Aprils," about the character April, short for Aprilio and his experience. The chapters will be divided to four, with each of them taking place in the month of April. His experiences will include his character growth, mainly his discovery of writing, and his realization of how meaningful his friends and family are.

The first chapter will serve as an exposition to Aprilio's life in what he considers to be "daily life." It presents his routine, his friends, his family, his home, and his worries of being left behind by his friends and not having a future goal and a sense of purpose.

The second chapter will jump to April of next year, in which a pandemic happened. By this time, he found a passion in writing, but became distanced with his friends and family. Although feeling alone, he hides this by growing a mindset of "I don't need them and they don't care" about his friends, only focusing on writing. We will then see April's weird relationship with his class in which none of his classmates knew him much, and interactions are reliant through online. This chapter will present how society and his life changed and behave because of the pandemic.

The third chapter will jump to April of next year again, when pandemic slowed down and offline classes began. By this time, April decided to study in America, studying hard and being accepted. However, he started to realize that he enjoys his classmates and class. Later on, trying to escape the awkwardness of meeting his old friends again, they finally reconciled and started to hang out again. He also realized that he will miss his family, so he tried to become good to them.

The fourth chapter, like previously, jumps to April of the very next year, in which April is already studying in America. This chapter will serve as an epilogue, in which the chapter talks about his relationship with his friends and family now, how his life is there, and what the four years had meant to April.