How To Write A Story

Everyone has a story to tell. There are many factors that can inspire a good story. You need to make sure you are always keeping your audience intrigued and then you know you have a good story. Here are a few tips to release the writer in you.

It’s not hard and everyone can do it just give it a try. A fact: Inspirations and role models help make your story even better.

Pick your story ideas based on what you know (even if you just have a little bit). If you know your starting subject, it’s easier to write about and to branch details from it. Aside from facts and experiences, don’t be afraid to dig into what you know emotionally. Grief, love, joy, how to overcome obstacles, fear, these are all things we ‘know’ and are the universal human experiences at the heart of great stories.

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

‘Place bold text here 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. Try to take a surfing lesson. Spend time observing people and imagining what the world looks like from their point of view. Practice empathy and accumulate experiences that make the facts you read about have context and meaning.

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. Sometimes this is called a theme and some examples involve love, what it is to be human, how to be a friend, the power of overcoming fear, etc.

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. Ask “What If?” and ask it about everything that interests you.

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. Even if it doesn’t seem to make sense at the time or fit into a current work. Trust yourself. Decide on the following: 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: selling their house, finding a place to sit at lunch, pop quiz, getting fired, bad love break). Keep bringing on the action.
• The darkest moment: this is the moment where it looks like your character is not going to achieve their goal or learn their lesson. It happens sometimes after failing to overcome the biggest hurdle (see below) or when first realizing what the hurdle is.
• 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. Remember: Your ending is always in your beginning. (Examples: two families are better than one, a true friend forever, A on a test, illusions shattered)

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 and be honest with yourself when you say it. You need someone to really tell you how good your story is, or isn’t. Everything can be improved. 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. Look for patterns in feedback. Don’t change your vision of the story out for someone else’s ideas, but at the same time, don’t be afraid to listen. If you let five people read your story and all five stumble at the same point, there’s a good chance you need to change that point.

Don’t feel you can’t write a story! If you don’t believe in yourself how can you write the story!!