Tips for Writing a Story
From Adviceopedia
Here are some important tips for writing a story. Whether you're writing a short story, novel, or screenplay; whether it's for fun or a part of your career; there are certain pieces of advice that every writer can benefit from.
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How to Prepare
- Ideas are everywhere so pay attention to what's going on around you.
- Listen to people's conversations, read newspapers and magazines, see movies, and be a keen observer of the world.
- Collect stories and anecdotes from everyone you meet. People have all sorts of unusual, strange, and fascinating stories that you can interpret and use for your own purposes.
- Listen to how people talk in order to learn how to write great dialogue.
Practice
- The only way to become a good writer is to write, and write often. Keep a diary, journal, or notebook with you at all times.
- Write down interesting words, phrases or ideas that come into your head. Be sure to write regularly, preferably on a daily basis.
- Always keep your story idea in the back of your head and jot things down as you think of them. You can be sure that if you don't write down an idea right away you'll forget it.
Know Your Characters
Ultimately it's the characters that drive the story, so get to know them. Who are they? Where do they come from? What do they look like? What are their likes and dislikes? With fictional characters, it's very helpful to write a profile that includes all of this information as well as other things like their race or ethnicity, career, hopes and fears, and anything else you can think of. Write up a profile for your main and secondary characters. Even if the information won't be brought up in the story, knowing your characters' backstory will help you to know how they'll react in certain situations. You'll know what they would say, do, or think, making them much easier to write about.
Don't Use Clichés
Clichés don't belong in professional writing. Many of the ones that we use in everyday conversation don't make sense to audiences in different geographical areas. When translated literally they often don't make sense. They also tend to be tired and overused and don't really add anything worthwhile to a story. They can also date a story, making it less relevant for later readers.
Show Don't Tell
This phrase has been drilled into the head of every writer and it should never be forgotten. It's vital that readers get drawn into the story, and feel like they are there, experiencing the events themselves. The best way to do this is to use metaphoric language, vivid visual descriptions, and dialogue.
Write What You Read
Everyone says that you should write what you know, and while this is certainly true, it's also a good idea to write the type of story you like to read. Do you enjoy reading detective novels? If so, you already know what goes into making a good one. If you don't, you'll have serious challenges trying to write one.
Be Authentic
Always do research and be authentic in your storytelling. Descriptions of places, events, and situations need to be correct. When a reader discovers that an author has made a mistake or described something incorrectly, it takes him or her out of the story. It can be very jarring and affect the way the reader interprets the rest of the piece.
Other Tips for Writing a Story
- Don't use exclamation points.
- If a word or sentence doesn't advance the story get rid of it.
- Try not to start a story with dialogue.
- Hook your readers from the first sentence.
- Use figurative language such as similes and metaphors.
- Use surprise and irony.
- Details are important, so be specific.
- Avoid overused words.
- Use active rather than passive language.
Even accomplished writers can occasionally forget some of these things, so before you start writing, remember to follow these tips for writing a story. They will help ensure that your story is well written and interesting to read.
