How to Write an Impactful Story?
Miraikan In Odaiba, Tokyo
May 24, 2019
Guangdong Science Center
May 24, 2019
Knowing how to write a good story is a powerful skill. The human mind is drawn to stories.
But writing is never easy. Writing a great and unforgettable story is even harder. Let's start exploring this topic today!
1. Where to Find Story Writing Ideas
Every novelist or short story writer has heard the question many times: “Where do you get your ideas?” The answer is always the same: from everywhere. Many aspiring writers believe they need to wait for a sudden flash of inspiration, but generating ideas is more of a process than an epiphany.
- From a moment
- An old ancient tale
- A stranger appearing on social media
- A song, a few words, or a photo that touches your heart
- Everyday life
Pay Attention
Pay attention to what’s going on around you. Those snippets of conversation you overheard at dinner, the car you witnessed going the wrong way down the freeway during rush hour, the elderly man trudging down a dark alley calling the name Maryanne repeatedly, all could spark a story. Although some of the events you describe may be extraordinary, they don’t have to be. They just have to be interesting.
Jot things down.
Make a habit of noticing what’s going on around you, from the exciting to the mundane, by writing things down as they catch your attention. Use your phone’s note-taking app to capture moments. If you’re old school, keep a small notebook or some index cards. The act of writing things down will remind you to focus and be in the moment. The best writers are keen observers.
Ask “What if?”
Events aren’t stories. But events can germinate stories when the writer plants the seeds by asking questions. One of the primary questions to get a story started is “what if?” What if the car you witnessed heading the wrong way down the freeway at rush hour was driven by a pregnant woman in labor who needed the fastest route to the hospital? What if the man calling out in the dark alley was a widower whose deceased wife was named Maryanne?
2. Develop Your Protagonist
Stories are about protagonists, and if you don’t have a good protagonist, you won’t have a good story. The essential ingredient for every protagonist is that they must make decisions. Victor Frankl said, “A human being is a deciding being.” Your protagonist must make a decision to get herself into whatever mess she gets into in your story, and likewise, she must come to a crisis point and decide to get herself out of the mess.
To further develop your protagonist, use other character archetypes like the villain, the protagonist’s opposite, or the fool, a sidekick character that reveals the protagonist’s softer side.
3. Create Suspense and Drama
To create suspense, set up a dramatic question. A dramatic question is something like, “Is he going to make it?” or, “Is she going to get the man of her dreams?” By putting your protagonist’s fate in doubt, you make the reader ask, What happens next?
Note: To do this well, you need to carefully restrict the flow of information to the reader. Nothing destroys drama like over-sharing.
4. Show, Don’t Tell
Honestly, the saying “show, don’t tell” is overused. However, when placed next to the step above, it becomes very effective.
When something interesting happens in your story that changes the fate of your character, don’t tell us about it. Show the scene! Your readers have a right to see the best parts of the story play out in front of them. Show the interesting parts of your story, and tell the rest.
5. Write Good Dialogue
Good dialogue comes from two things: intimate knowledge of your characters and lots of rewriting.
Each character must have a unique voice, and to make sure your characters all sound different, read each character’s dialogue and ask yourself, “Does this sound like my character?” If your answer is no, then you have some rewriting to do.
Also, with your speaker tags, try not to use anything but “he said” and “she said.” Speaker tags like “he exclaimed,” “she announced,” and “he spoke vehemently” are distracting and unnecessary. The occasional “he asked” is fine, though.
6. Write About Death
Think about the last five novels you read. In how many of them did a character die? Good stories often involve death. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Charlotte’s Web, The Lord of the Rings, and more all had main characters who died. Death is the universal theme because every person who lives will one day die. Tap the power of death in your storytelling.
7. Know the Rules, Then Break Them
Good writers know all the rules and follow them. Great writers know all the rules and break them. However, the best writers don’t break the rules arbitrarily. They break them because their stories require a whole new set of rules. Respect the rules, but remember that you don’t serve the rules. You serve your stories.
8. Share Your Work
You write better when you know someone will soon be reading what you’ve written. If you write in the dark, no one will know if you aren’t giving your writing everything you have. But when you share your writing, you face the possibility of failure. This will force you to write the best story you possibly can. Entering a writing contest is one of the best ways to make you become a pro.
4 Comments
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Thank you! Glad that some of the points can help you!
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Thank you, Mickey! We are so glad that this topic help you to learn more or understand more! 🙂