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I've recently been interested in writing a story on here, but I really don't know where to begin. I have the theme of the story figured out and the rough outline of how I want the story to progress, but that's about it. I'd really like any help I can get from you guys about starting a story and finding the necessary help on making sure it's fully fleshed out.

An outline is an excellent place to start. Make sure to write it out. I've tried keeping outlines in my head and the story will still get away from me. If you come to a part that you don't know how to write. Sit down and write it anyway. Keep going after you've written that first page, and if it feels awkward later, you can change it or put another page in front of it. You can lay down the story concept either here or in the discord if you want to get input on that.

Thank you for the response to my questions! Also, do you think it would be more beneficial for me to focus more on the outline of the story as a whole? Or should I focus more on the details of the story, like the character, setting, and tone of the story?

You're going to need to do both at some time. Just don't put the carriage before the horses.

Also, where can I find an invite for the discord? Sorry if this is a monumentally stupid question.

Edit: Not 10 seconds after posting this I found the discord forum... please excuse my stupidity lol.

I had to ask a couple of people to find out myself. No worries.

I really appreciate the help. Because I'd be lost if I was to try and write something entirely by myself with no help.

There are a lot of articles in the Help & Info tab on creating story games and writing basics. Look under "storywriting" for topics like writing your first story, character creation, beating writers block, etc.

If the actual story is what you are having trouble with, I recommend putting your plan down on paper, and then just starting to write. Your plan could just be a list of the main plot points you want to hit in order, and then write from one to the next. filling in the details should be the fun part.

Are you thinking like a short story in the forum? or a story game CYOA?

T-Rex, can you sum up the plot idea in a paragraph or so? There's the simplest place to start, just think of it like a blurb or a book jacket. It's hard to give advice without more of an idea of what exactly you're trying to do.

"The story begins with the reader's character (Alex) preparing to fight against an ancient warrior, constructed out of metal plating and metallic coils, that is defending the ruins of the ancient civilization. Due to the lack of unharmed historical relics the current society have dubbed the ancient civilization as the Ancient Ones. Fifty years ago, a team of explorers unearthed a letter that changed your life. Penned before the collapse of the civilization of the Ancient Ones, it had been preserved in nearly as pristine condition as the day it was written. The letter explains how they were facing an insurmountable adversary, knowing that their extermination was unavoidable, plans were put into action to create an isolated region with the hope of training a warrior powerful enough to defeat their adversary before all known creation is destroyed."
This is some of my thoughts I was able to write down today, which ended up sounding like a blurb, sorry if it's all over the place. Basically my story would be about this ancient civilization that was destroyed by a mysterious enemy that possessed unimaginable power. The events that take place during the story are of the main character stumbling across some ruins while on an expedition. The ruins contain training grounds originally intended for a last ditch effort to save the Ancient Ones from being exterminated. I planned for the story to be about Alex trying to survive and also completing the different trials.

That sounds good as a first draft. I am curious however as to who Alex is and what he's doing messing around with ancient civilization stuff. Also, are the trials just skill challenges and stuff or is there some physical enhancement/modification aspect to them?

The trials would mostly be testing the will/character of Alex, to determine whether he's worthy of the power he'll be given. I plan on having the final trial be a battle between Alex and a construct the Ancient Ones left behind.

Sounds interesting to me! What is the letter about though? Plans on how to defeat the ancient enemy?

Either way it sounds like a cool fantasy, post-apocalyptic adventure! Mizal probably will give 10 times better advise than me, but I think you have the hardest part done. That being you know what the story is about and where you want it to go. I would make an outline that describes

• The world - how you want it to be and feel at the start 
• Alex at the start and what he is doing "before" the story (why he is doing it too)
• The Challenges he is going to eventually face
• How Alex changes
• How the world changes
• How things end up
• If it is a CYOA game you want to know the general choices people can make to plan the different story paths

After that I have had success starting to write between two points. For example you can start with the world you described above, and then design the first trial. After that you just need to fill in the blank of how Alex got from exploring the ruins, to the first trial. Then you can break the story up into segments. For me that is easier to write.

The letter described how the Ancient Ones built these training areas in the hopes of creating a generation of "super soldiers", unfortunately their civilization was destroyed before any soldiers could be trained.
I'd also like to say that all of this is a very rough idea for the story and I may end up altering some parts of the plot.

I see, so he can use the letter to find the training areas and take the trials there? I think I understand where you are going! I’ll look for something to come out eventually!

Also it is your story, you can edit the plot, plan, or draft as much as you want.

I've decided to backtrack a little on the beginning of the story. Now the story begins with Alex's early life in the city he lives in. My original starting point didn't have enough background info to properly build the world of the story and didn't allow the reader to mold Alex's character/morality.

This sounds like taking on a lot of extra work for yourself, and unless you mean to write the branches from the POVs of all these different versions of the character, or have it otherwise effect how the main plot unfolds, I'm not sure it's worth it.

I ended up deciding to do this because the original starting point didn't allow me to write about the setting of the story in a way I was comfortable with. Maybe once I've written more stories and acquire more experience I'll be more comfortable with what I write. But as of right now I felt that the new start gives me more freedom to develop the story, so it won't end up feeling lifeless and bland. And the different versions of the characters represent the morality choices you can choose, they're not completely different paths that tell entirely different stories, just different approaches to the story's main conflict.

Might be useful to have a read over one of those Lovecraft stories that begin with a diary/journal entry. The stuff about the 'Ancient Ones', and their eschatological anxieties, does play into the cosmic-vastness shenanigans. Could get some inspiration. I'd mainly be looking for fun, creative ways to describe the ruins. Interesting characters aren't really Lovecraft's strong suit.

An example off the top of my head is The Green Meadow. And obligatory Call of Cthulu.

Thank you so much for the links!

I really appreciate the help that everyone's been giving me about writing, without it I'd be stumbling around in the dark wondering what I'm doing wrong. Because at the end of the day I'm doing all of this because it's something I enjoy doing, and I'd hate to ever see writing as a chore.