Writing isn’t easy, and writing a good story is even harder. Here are ten secrets about how to write a story, and more importantly, how to writing a story that’s good. Free Guide: Want to become a writer? Get our free 10-step guide to becoming a writer.
Everything I Know About How to Write a Story
The following ten steps are a distillation of everything I’ve learned about writing a good story.
- Hope it makes writing your story a little easier, but more than that, I hope it challenges you to step deeper into your own exploration of writing a story.
Show, Don’t Tell
When something interesting happens in your story that changes the fate of your character, don’t tell us about it.
Write About Death
Good stories often involve death.
Share Your Work
You write better when you know someone will soon be reading your work
- One of the best ways to write a story and share your writing is to enter a writing contest
- The theme will inspire a new creation, the deadlines will keep you accountable, and the prizes will encourage you to submit
Develop Your Protagonist
The essential ingredient for every protagonist is that they must make decisions.
- 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.
How to Write a Good Story
The trick to writing a good story? Practice
- When you finish the story you’re writing, celebrate
- Then, start your next one
- There’s no shortcut besides this: keep writing
- What are your best tips on how to write a story?
Create Suspense and Drama
Set up a dramatic question.
Write good dialogue
Each character must have a unique voice
Practice
Write the first draft of your story in one sitting using these tips.
Write In One Sitting
Don’t worry too much about plotting or outlining beforehand. You can do that once you know you have a story to tell in the first place.
- Your first draft is a discovery process. You are like an archeologist digging an ancient city out of the clay. You might have a few clues about where your city is buried beforehand, but you don’t know what it will look like until it’s unearthed.
Edit Like a Pro
The first draft is your chance to explore your story and figure out what it’s about. Don’t share it with anyone!
- Your second draft is meant for major structural changes and for clarifying the plot and characters of your novel or the key ideas of your non-fiction book. The third draft is for deep polishing.
Know the Rules, Then Break Them
Great writers know all the rules and break them. They break them because their stories require a whole new set of rules.
