How to Write a Good Story
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Everyone has a story to tell. There are many factors that can inspire a good story. Here are a few tips to release the writer in you. Its not hard and everyone can do it--just give it a try.
Steps
- Pick your story ideas based on what you know (even if just a little bit; see number 2). If you know your starting subject, it's easier to write about and to branch details from it.
- Research subjects that you are familiar with but not expert in. For example, most people know what surfing is--they've at least seen it on TV--but they don't know how to do it. So, if you have a surfer character in your story, research surfing. Learn about the moves and techniques. If you have the opportunity, interview a surfer about the experience.
- Decide what audience you envision for your work. Maybe you're writing for teens, or maybe for people who are familiar with a particular place. You might even be writing for yourself alone. Having a clear audience in mind will help you frame your ideas. Write down the reason that you are telling this story. Make sure that is what you are expressing with the story.
- Get inspirations in your everyday life. For example if you want to write a children's book, observe children. See how they act, see the world through their eyes, and then write about something that fascinates them. Listen to the news: maybe your brain can conjure up a story just waiting to be written. Everyday life can be an inspiration.
- Carry a notepad with you all the time. If you're on the bus, at work, or anywhere, and something piques your interest, write it down so you won't forget. Decide on the following:
- The story arch- plan when to throw bumps and hurdles in your character's path.
- Beginning- introduce the problem. What does your character want...or not want? What is in her way? what troubles him? (Examples: divorce, being the new kid at school, making the grade, a place in life). Or start out with something that brings the reader 'into' the book: something that makes the reader read further. (Examples: a coming event, a national spelling bee, an exciting street happening).
- Middle- add bumps along the way that make the character rise to the challenge. (Examples: house for sale, finding a place to sit at lunch, pop quiz, getting fired, bad love break). Keep bringing on the action.
- The biggest hurdle- this is the moment of the greatest conflict. it is the point in the story when your character has to deal with or overcome the big problem that you set up at the beginning or middle of the story. (Examples: dad gets remarried, new friends ditches you, big test, someone important to you dies)
- End- the conflict is solved. Your character either gets what s/he wants or doesn't. Whatever the case is, your character has changed or learned. (Examples: two families are better than one, a true friend forever, A on a test, illusions shattered)
- The story arch- plan when to throw bumps and hurdles in your character's path.
- Read through your story and edit!
- Find someone else to read your story and give you feedback. Tell him/her not to be afraid to be honest. You need someone to really tell you how good your story is, or isn't. Don't get offended, and don't give up if you get bad feedback. You need it to go beyond your own creative limits, and constructive criticism is a great help towards that. Ask your reader to be very honest and accurate.
Tips
- Write down your dreams and hopes. You might make a story out of one or more of them. A good way to capture dreams is to set your alarm clock about an hour earlier than when you usually wake up, and always have a notebook within hands' reach so that the first thing you can do is write the dream down. Dreams evaporate from conscious memory very quickly, so get it down at once!
- Read a thousand books before writing one. Embark on a brave, focused journey to read authors who intrigue you from all over the world.
- Think long and hard about your characters (who they are, what they're like, what they want, what they're afraid of), setting (time period, location), and conflict (person versus person, person versus society, person versus fate). They make the story interesting.
- Know what you want your main characters to be like. Don't give a nerdy kid a cool phrase if you know s/he wouldn't say it. Know your characters like you know yourself. Live inside your character's head for a day.
- If you are easily influenced by other people's writing, don't read too much. Stick to books you are familiar with and study how the author develops characters, the plot, and the goals over time.
- Edit, edit, edit. Check punctuation, spelling, grammar, and sentence sense, of course--but don't ignore the big questions. Are your character's actions and responses plausible? Have you taken a short cut on the plot, making it mundane or superficial?
- Look to improve your wording. Find the exact word you're looking for: is the character upset or agitated? Research and think about the connotations of words.
- Minimize those little dialog tags: 'Andrew said' or 'Molly whispered.' Without them, how could you tell who was talking?--by giving each character a unique voice. Employ slurred words, an accent, an authoritative tone, a submissive tone, or very clipped speech.
- People don't generally talk in full sentences. They give one word answers. So occasionally use lazy words such as "Yeah, uhhh, mmhmm," etc.
- If you don't know where to take the story next:
- Try writing whatever comes into your head. Eventually you'll be back on a roll with some good ideas, and you can use them to edit/replace what you just wrote.
- Take a break. Go out for a walk; listen to some inspiring music; ride the bus somewhere unusual. After a while go back and try writing again. Soon it will come to you.
- Maybe you've painted yourself into a corner. Is the plot really going the way you want it to? Is the scene you're writing necessary? Get to the action (it's there, happening in your head) a different way.
- Get your mind up and running. Play word poker: grow a collection of single words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) that appeal to you. Write each on a small piece of paper. When You've got a lot of them, put them in a box and pick five out. Make a cohesive sentence or two using these words. Soon your ideas will coalesce.
- Try writing whatever comes into your head. Eventually you'll be back on a roll with some good ideas, and you can use them to edit/replace what you just wrote.
Warnings
- Try not to drag the story on. Give just enough detail to encourage both understanding and interest.
- Describing scenery at length can be a dead end (unless the book has a geographical bent).
- It's natural and easy to use close descriptions of people you know well, like your family. Either disguise the characters enough to avoid offending your family or know that you'll be on their bad side for a while.
- Writers block is very common, you will get frustrated but do not give up.
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