## Introduction: Feeling Overwhelmed? Start Here

You have a story burning in your heart. Characters whispering in your mind. A world begging to be written.

But every time you sit down to start, the whole thing feels **too big, too complicated, too overwhelming**.

Where do you even begin?

The writing advice out there pulls you in a million directions: character arcs, plot structures, world-building, dialogue techniques, pacing, tension, themes...

**STOP.**

Before you drown in all of that, you need just **three things**. Three simple pillars that will hold up your entire story.

I call it the **WWW Rule**: **Who, What, and Why**.

That's it. Master these three elements, and you have a foundation strong enough to build any story—from a cozy contemporary romance to an epic space opera.

Let's break it down.

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## The WWW Rule Explained

The WWW Rule is the simplest framework for beginning writers (and a useful touchstone for experienced ones). It answers the three most fundamental questions about your story:

### **WHO** = Characters

Who is this story about? Who will take this journey?

### **WHAT** = Plot

What happens in this story? What journey do the characters take?

### **WHY** = Theme

Why are you writing this story? Why does it matter to you? What big ideas do you want to explore?

**That's it.** These are the three pillars of storytelling. And it's really all you need to think about at the beginning.

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## Why Only Three Things?

Because **starting is the hardest part**.

If you try to figure out every detail before you begin—every character backstory, every plot twist, every thematic nuance—you'll never start. You'll be stuck in eternal preparation mode.

The WWW Rule gives you **just enough** to:

- Orient yourself in your story

- Start drafting (if you're a discovery writer/pantser)

- Build a more detailed outline (if you're a plotter)

**It's okay if you don't have a clear vision for each element right away.** Ideas develop and evolve as you continue on your writing journey. Some things won't fully reveal themselves until you're deep into the draft.

For now, just make a **rough sketch**.

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## The Most Important Questions to Ask Yourself

If I could only give you a handful of questions to kickstart any story, these would be them:

### For the WHY (Theme):

- **Why do you want to write this story?**

- **Why does it matter to you?**

- **What are the big ideas you want to share through this story?**

### For the WHO (Characters):

- **Who do you want to tell a story about?**

- **What inner conflicts is your character dealing with?**

- **What are their desires, fears, and misbeliefs?**

- **How have their past experiences shaped them into the person they are today?**

### For the WHAT (Plot):

- **What journey are you going to take your characters on?**

- **How will they be forced outside their comfort zone?**

- **How will they ultimately change as a result of their journey?**

**Just answering these questions**—yes, there are more than three here, but they all serve the three pillars—**will help you solidify the who, what, and why.**

And that's really all your story is. It can literally be that simple.

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## Real Example: *The Otherworld*

Let me show you how this works with a real novel. I'll use my book *The Otherworld* as an example of how the WWW Rule can take you from vague concept to solid story foundation.

### Step 1: Gathering Story Ingredients (Before WWW)

Before I even structured the story, I made a list of **must-have ingredients**—things that excited me and that I knew I wanted to include:

**Main Story Ingredients:**

- Cozy contemporary romance

- Lots of family drama

- A love triangle (yes, because I personally like them when done well)

- '90s nostalgia

- She lives in a lighthouse; he's a bush pilot

- Moody, rainy Pacific Northwest vibes

- Buried family secrets

- Happily ever after ending

**Romance Ingredients:**

- Stranded together

- Meet-cute: one saves the other's life

- Forbidden love

- Age gap

- Love triangle featuring brothers

- Dark secret to be revealed

**Character Ingredients:**

- Main female character: lived in lighthouse on remote island her whole life

- Father: super protective lightkeeper, only person she's ever known

- Love interest: bush pilot who crashes plane near lighthouse

- His younger brother: searching for him, meets the girl through a cell phone washed up on beach

**That was it.** A messy, exciting list of ingredients with no clear plan for how they'd fit together.

But I had my grocery list. Now I could start cooking.

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### Step 2: Applying the WWW Rule

Using these ingredients, I answered the three core questions:

#### **THE WHAT (Plot):**

*Growing up in a lighthouse on a remote island, Orca Monroe has lived isolated from the world—until one day when she finds a cell phone washed up on the beach. That's how she meets Jack Stevenson, a young man whose older brother Adam has gone missing after crashing his seaplane off the coast.*

*While her father is away, Orca searches her island for the missing pilot. When she finds him, she nurses him back to health. Stranded together on the island for several days, Orca and Adam begin to fall for each other.*

*But with a 10-year age gap between them and her father's determination to keep Orca protected from outsiders, Adam knows they can never be together. Resigned to give Orca up, Adam returns to the mainland.*

*But Jack refuses to leave her trapped at the lighthouse. Blind to the fact that his brother is in love with her, Jack offers to show Orca the world she's always dreamed of.*

*But when she leaves her island for the first time, Orca begins to realize that the mainland may hold more dark secrets than she ever imagined—and the two brothers she helped bring back together may be the very people she tears apart.*

**That's the WHAT.** The irresistible premise. The journey.

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#### **THE WHY (Theme):**

After reflecting on the story, here are the main themes:

- **You never know how much your small, seemingly insignificant decisions impact others and the world around you**

- **Sometimes love means letting go and letting the person you love come back to you on their own**

- **Forgiveness is the only way to truly set yourself free**

These themes emerged naturally from the story ingredients. They're what the story is *really* about beneath the surface.

**That's the WHY.** The big ideas. The meaning.

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#### **THE WHO (Characters):**

Here are the rough character sketches I started with:

**Orca:**

A free-spirited young woman who has spent her whole life isolated from the outside world. She's sheltered and innocent, but much stronger than she believes herself to be. An old soul—kind but strong, gentle but courageous. She wears her heart on her sleeve. A romantic with sand in her hair, seashells in her pockets, and a cute dog that never leaves her side.

**Adam Stevenson:**

The older, wiser, more sensible of the two brothers. A deep thinker and truth seeker who tends to put others' needs before his own. Hardworking and caring, self-critical and perfectionistic. A problem solver constantly torn between logic and emotion.

**Jack:**

Adventurous and fun-loving, fiery and short-tempered. Afraid of missing out and restless for more of everything. When he falls in love, he falls head over heels. When he falls for Orca, he has no clue he's about to get caught in an impossible conflict with his brother and the girl of his dreams.

**That's the WHO.** Brief character sketches that give me a starting point.

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## Why This Works (Even When It's Vague)

Look at those character descriptions. They're **not detailed**. I don't know their entire backstories. I don't know every fear and desire. I don't have their full character arcs mapped out.

**And that's okay.**

Because I have:

- A sense of who they are on the surface

- A basic understanding of their personalities

- Enough to start imagining them in scenes

**The details will come** as I:

- Dive deeper into character development (which we'll cover in future posts)

- Start writing and discover them through the process

- Revise and refine

The same is true for plot and theme. My initial "WHAT" doesn't tell you the whole story—just enough to get me excited and oriented. My themes aren't fully developed philosophical treatises—just core ideas I care about.

**And that's the beauty of the WWW Rule: It's a starting point, not the destination.**

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## For Discovery Writers (Pantsers)

If you're a discovery writer who prefers to figure things out as you draft, the WWW Rule might be **all you need** to start writing.

You have:

- Characters you're excited about (WHO)

- A basic premise or situation (WHAT)

- An idea of what the story means to you (WHY)

**Start drafting.** Let the story unfold. Refine things in revision.

Many successful novels have been written this way.

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## For Planners (Plotters)

If you're a planner who needs more structure before drafting, the WWW Rule is your **foundation** to build on.

From here, you can:

- Develop detailed character profiles

- Outline your three-act structure

- Map out specific plot beats

- Dive deep into thematic layers

But you'll do all of that **with clarity** about your core story, because you've already answered the three fundamental questions.

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## Common Mistakes to Avoid

### Mistake #1: Trying to Perfect Each Element Before Moving Forward

**The trap:** "I can't figure out the plot until I know everything about my characters. But I can't develop my characters until I know the theme. But I can't identify the theme until I know the plot..."

**The solution:** Make rough sketches of all three simultaneously. They inform each other, but none needs to be perfect before you can work on the others.

### Mistake #2: Overthinking the "Why"

**The trap:** "What's my theme? What's the deep meaning? What profound truth am I exploring? I don't know, so I can't start."

**The solution:** Start with what excites you personally. Why do YOU want to write this story? That's enough. The deeper thematic layers will reveal themselves as you write.

### Mistake #3: Making It Too Complicated

**The trap:** Adding more pillars—world-building, subplot, antagonist, supporting cast, magic system, etc.

**The solution:** Those things are important, but they're details that emerge from the three pillars. Start simple. Build from there.

### Mistake #4: Comparing Your Beginning to Someone Else's Finished Product

**The trap:** "Published authors seem to have it all figured out from the start. My sketches feel so rough and incomplete."

**The solution:** Every published novel started as rough sketches. Even bestselling authors begin with vague ideas that develop over time. You're seeing their polished final draft, not their messy beginning.

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## Your Action Steps

Ready to apply the WWW Rule to your story?

### Step 1: Brain Dump Your Ingredients

Before structuring anything, list what excites you:

- Story elements you want to include

- Character types you want to write about

- Settings that inspire you

- Tropes you love

- Moods and vibes you want to capture

**Don't censor yourself.** Don't worry about how it all fits together yet. Just gather ingredients.

### Step 2: Answer the Three Core Question Sets

Grab a notebook or open a document and answer:

**WHY (Theme):**

- Why do I want to write this story?

- What matters to me about this idea?

- What big ideas excite me?

**WHO (Characters):**

- Who is this story about?

- What inner conflicts might they have?

- What are their basic desires and fears?

**WHAT (Plot):**

- What journey will they go on?

- How will they be forced out of their comfort zone?

- How might they change?

**Don't overthink it.** Your first answers are probably good enough to start with.

### Step 3: Write It Down in Simple Language

Summarize your WWW in plain language:

**WHO:** [One paragraph describing your main character(s)]

**WHAT:** [One paragraph describing your basic premise/plot]

**WHY:** [A few bullet points about themes or big ideas]

**That's your foundation.**

### Step 4: Decide Your Next Step

Based on your writing style:

**If you're a pantser:** Start drafting. You have enough.

**If you're a plotter:** Use this foundation to build more detailed character profiles and plot outlines (which we'll cover in upcoming posts).

**If you're not sure:** Try drafting a scene or two. See how it feels. You can always add more planning if you need it.

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## Remember: Simple Is Powerful

The WWW Rule works because it's **simple**.

In a craft full of complicated advice—plot structures, character arcs, story beats, thematic layers—it's easy to get paralyzed by all the things you think you should know.

But really? You need three things:

- **Characters** you care about

- **A journey** for them to take

- **A reason** why it matters

Get those three things down, even roughly, and you have a story.

Everything else? Details you'll figure out along the way.

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**Coming up next:** *The Story Ingredients Method: How to Brainstorm Your Novel Like Grocery Shopping* - where we'll dive deeper into gathering and organizing story elements that excite YOU (not what the market wants or what's trendy).