There isn’t a right or wrong way to write a story. If you have an idea, you can approach it any way you want, but it might be helpful to have direction. Here are a few tips that might be helpful as you explore the inner workings of fiction! But before I being, I don’t know everything about writing. I'm still learning because there is always something new to discover in the world of writing. I’m just providing some tips that have helped me become a better writer. I hope they help you on your writing journey :) Point of viewSo you have an idea, what now? Firstly, wait to name your piece. Whether it’s a short story, novel, or poem it’s best to wait until draft one is complete. But for now—don’t worry, I’ll come back to titles—you need to figure out your point of view (POV). During this stage, you will want to know who tells your story. Here is a quick breakdown of the four POV’s: First Person POV: Your main character tells the story from their perspective, and mostly uses “I” to describe themselves and the world around them. The reader will see everything through this character’s eyes. Stick with one character if you’re working on a short story because having multiple first-person perspectives in a short piece can get confusing. But, if you’re working with a longer piece you can have more than one character’s first-person perspective. Second Person POV: This perspective is difficult because it relies on the word “you.” That’s why it’s not used often because the character or narrator directly address the reader. I wrote The Realm of Stories in the second-person POV, and it was challenging but I wanted to dive into that challenge. If you’re interested in this POV style I would suggest reading Italo Calvino’s work. The two books I read that helped me are Invisible Cities and If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler. Third Person POV: You describe characters from the outside with words like, “he, she, they, him, her, them, etc.” Think of a camera recording the characters actions and emotions—it doesn’t have an internal perspective, but it has that external view point. This can make showing vs. telling hard, but those key details will bring your character to life! There are two sub-types in third-person POV: 1) Limited - You mostly focus on the main character’s story. You objectively write what happens and you don’t cross over to other characters. It works well for short stories and longer pieces. 2) Third Person Omniscient - You have full access to all characters and can switch between them when you want. This POV works better with a longer piece as it might get muddled in a short story, but hey, it’s your story! Go with what works for you. charactersAll right, you have your idea and your POV, now it’s time to figure out who your characters are. When working with a short story it’s important not to overload the piece with too many characters. You want all of your them to be distinct and memorable, but whose story do you want to tell? What motivates them? What do they want? Does something or someone stand in their way of obtaining their goal? Understanding the answers to these questions will help you plan events and interactions within your piece. And, it will create tension which will prompt the reader to keep going. SettingOkay, we’re entering a fun topic! Actually, all of this is fun, but setting makes your story pop because it’s meant to transport you reader into the world your characters inhabit. The world in your story can be completely fictional, or it can come from real life. It’s up to you and the story you’re writing. But the most important part about your setting are those concrete details that bring the image to life. You can add details throughout your first draft, but when it comes to different drafting and editing stages these details may change—for the better! And again, you want that detail to make the setting pop. Some writers wait until later drafts to include their setting. They want to focus on story, plot, character, dialogue, and prose before adding those concrete details. Why? It’s like placing the cherry on top of a loaded ice-cream sundae! TitleAll right, now that you’ve finished draft one, it’s time to give this baby a title. As you read your piece over, the title may be within the text, or it may be inspired by the content. Warning: You don’t want to hit your reader over the head with your title. Instead, the title should hint at or subtly underscore the main idea. Finding the right title for your story (or poem) is challenging, but pay attention to themes, motifs, images, character, and setting. You may find your title within them. And, you can always use a place-holder title for the time being. Sometimes it takes a couple of drafts to pick out the right words that highlight your piece. EditingNow it’s editing and drafting time. Step away for a bit, get some feedback from people you trust, and go crazy for the next draft! Writing is drafting…and editing…and rewriting. And, it’s also creating. It’s a long and in-depth process, but it’s completely rewarding when you have a finished piece. And that process can go on, and on, and on, and on, and on. (Believe me, I know!) But at some point, you need to stop and say, “This is as far as I can take it.” It will be hard, but that’s okay. We don’t always want to let go of our written babies, but they deserve to be shared with the world. Happy Writing! ~ Mady
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In the end, we'll all become stories. ~ Margaret Atwood
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