Exercise for the Day, August 4: A Writer's Scaffolding

I eschew a distinction between “art” and “craft” in fiction because they aren’t terms in disagreement — the craft of writing fiction supports the art. 

—Jeff VanderMeer

This quote is from Jeff VanderMeer on the Art and Science of Structuring a Novel in Electric Literature. Here's a passage from it:

What do I mean by “a writer’s scaffolding”? I mean something in addition to what seem the basics of what I need to start writing after having first thought about a story for a long time. Those basics are pretty…basic. Knowing where the story starts; a character I’ve come to know well; a sense of where the character is going (either figuratively or literally); a charged image connected to the character; and an ending, even if that ending changes before I reach it.

Set the timer for ten minutes and ask yourself if you know the answers to these basic questions for your story.

What is a "charged image connected to the character" for you? Set the timer for five minutes and put down as much as you know about this image.