How to start a new book

Here are some questions I ask myself when I have an idea for a new book:

Questions I ask myself about plot
  • What are some things my character would do in search of their goal?
  • What are some bad things that could happen? How could I make them worse? How could I make some of them naturally arise from something the character does?
  • Can I have a ticking clock/deadline?
  • How can I raise the stakes (for example, if the killer’s not caught, more people will die, or it’s the character’s girlfriend who will die)?
  • Could I make things worse by adding a force of nature, an illness, an injury?
  • Is there a character I could hurt or kill off early on so the reader is more fearful for the rest?
  • Is there a talismanic object that can be mentioned along the way and then play an important part in the climatic scene?

Questions I ask myself about character
  • What is the character’s strength and how does it get them into trouble (because a strength can also be a weakness, esp. If taken to extremes)?
  • What special skills does the character have that could be useful later?
  • What is the character’s external goal(find the killer, get the lead in the play) and internal goal (find love, health from the past) goals? Otherwise known as wants and needs I usually give a character what they need. I might give what they want.
  • What are they afraid of (heights, dogs, love)? How can I use that?
  • ​Do they have a secret?
  • What are 10 thing that would arouse the most emotion in the character? How could each of those be turned into a scene?
  • How will my main character grow by the end of the book?