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Apr 28, 2022 · 1. Understand that a story is more than a scene or an anecdote. Does the story you want to tell have a beginning, a middle and an end? Does it have tension? Does it show some sort of...
- Premise: A premise sets up the location, characters, and circumstances your readers need to understand before you launch into the story’s plot. A premise includes physical location, like an elementary school or hospital, as well as the basic expository information that readers need to understand at the beginning of your story.
- Plot: The plot is the sequence of events that make up the action of your story. Understanding the elements of plot is vital for any writer. A plot progresses chronologically from an inciting incident and rising action to a climax that spills over into falling action followed by resolution.
- Character: Plot cannot exist in a vacuum; it requires different characters who participate in and advance the story. Character development is one of the most important literary elements.
- Prose: The sentence structure and word choices you implement in your writing are also key elements of your story. Deciding whether to write in the vernacular of a first-person narrator or in the more neutral voice of a third-person omniscient narrator is an important decision that will affect your prose.
What makes a good story? What makes a good short story? What makes a good novel? 12 essential elements of a good story. 3 Traps that can drag down a good story. Write your very best story possible. Reading a great story can feel a little bit like falling in love.
- The Pitch. Personally, I like to start with a great story pitch well before I start plotting my book. If you can sum up your story in just one line, then it will be a lot easier to sell to agents and editors in the future.
- The Hook. A great hook is what makes people keep reading beyond the first line. Not every story needs to begin with a kick-ass sentence, but you only have one chance to make a good first impression so it helps to pull your readers in by page one.
- Strong Voice. Ensuring your novel has a strong voice doesn’t mean that it necessarily has to be written in the first person, as this can be achieved in third person too.
- Memorable Characters. Talking of characters, your main character needs to be a hero the reader is rooting for. They may be (should be) flawed, realistic, and hopeful, have a goal, face challenges, and their interaction with every other single character in the novel should be for a reason.
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- Give your story strong dramatic content. ‘Man has bacon and eggs for breakfast’ is not a story idea that is going to have readers clawing for a copy of your book.
- Vary rhythm and structure in your prose. Writing instructors often advise creative writing classes to write shorter, punchier sentences. Short sentences are great for increasing pace and help to make scenes that have tense subject matter tenser in mood.
- Create believable, memorable characters. Why do we find some characters more memorable than others? Because they have one or more of the following: Unique voices, personas and expressions.
- Make the important story sections effective. Each part of a story needs to be effective to make it good. Great openings create fascinating introductions to authors’ worlds, characters and plot scenarios.
Life. " It's a Good Life " is a short story by American writer Jerome Bixby, written in 1953. In 1970, the Science Fiction Writers of America selected it for The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, as one of the 20 best short stories in science fiction published prior to the Nebula Award. The story was first published in Star Science ...
Feb 23, 2024 · “Good” is subjective. What one reader might enjoy is not what another reader will take from it. One reader might only consider books with beautiful prose and perfect line craft good, whereas another might not care at all about the quality of individual lines as long as the story entertains them.
