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Greetings. It is I, the one who you don't know and don't care about, and today I shall be telling you all how create a decent story. The reason I said "decent" instead of "great" or something like that is because all I can do is give you tips but it is still up to you to put these tips and stuff together to create a better-than-decent story.
The Introduction
The first thing you want to do is create a good introduction. But first we must know what a good introduction is. A good introduction has to draw the reader in and get them immersed in the story. If you don't do this then it is easier for the reader to simply throw your story out of a window and pick a new thing. So what can you do to draw a reader in?
One thing I tend to do a lot is start a story with speech preferably when something bad is happening.
"They're coming..." he whispered.
Using this or something like this you can get the reader to start off in the middle of a bad situation which then the reader can see how it started and how it will end for the character.
"They're coming..." he whispered. Dust bounced off the floor as a cloud approached the small party of men and women.
Something you may have noticed I did then is something that doesn't have a proper name so let's call it "show, not tell". Instead of saying "The Mongol horde approached the small party," I described them approaching rather than simply saying they were coming. Of course the speech of the character says someone or something is coming but nowhere until later in the story would you see that this "cloud of dust" is a Mongol horde. This is an example so you really shouldn't copy out my introduction unless you are desperate for an introduction and you don't care if my introduction is based in Hungary during 1285 and your story is set in Canada in 1932.
Another way to start an introduction is with description.
The grass seemed short and trimmed despite being overgrown. Trees dotted the landscape with thin stone walls running down the hills.
From this you can tell that the story is set in a rural area with hills and valleys, possibly in Northern England, Pakistan or other areas with natural hills and valleys. It is important that you give clues as to where the story is set without just saying.
Tell me which one you prefer:
I'm in Pakistan. There are mountains and valleys surrounding me.
The peaks of mountains stuck out from the green of the gently sloping valleys. The pale snow that sat on top of the mountains looked as if it came from a fairy tale.
You need to paint a picture in your readers' head. Don't tell them what to imagine, make them imagine what you want them to imagine.
I think that's all for the introduction...
Characters
This is really important. The characters are the things that make your story interesting. It doesn't matter if your story is set in space or your mother's back-garden; the characters are the things that make the story interesting. So what makes a good character?
A good character has to have flaws! This is the most common mistake in character designing. It's boring for a reader to read about someone who has no flaws.
The bomb ticked in what seemed to be years. Luckily Lucy spent 3 years learning about bombs and knew how to disarm them so she did just that and everybody lived happily ever after, or so they thought... A man with big muscles burst through the wall!
"Lucy, get here or I'll beat up your friends!" he yelled!
"Nah, mate," she replied with a smug smile on her face. The man filled with anger and threw a punch. Luckily Lucy spent her childhood learning taekwondo and flipped the man over her shoulder before hitting him on the throat causing him to cough and splutter.
"Well done, Lucy!" her friends called. Suddenly a thief who could run 50mph grabbed her make-up! Luckily Lucy could run 120mph and easily caught the thief and they all lived happily ever after. The End.
If you was reading about a character such as Lucy would you really be interested? She is always ready for anything and can beat everything and anything that gets in her way. It would be much more exciting if she wasn't the best at everything.
Another requirement for characters is emotions. A character without emotions is not a character at all but a living wall. This is something a lot of people forget about. You need to describe how characters feel or if you're writing in first-person then how the character you're writing as feels. Don't forget about "Show, not tell".
Plot
The plot is something that brings the characters to places. An exciting plot is something that most books have but keep in mind that exciting characters are more important that exciting plots.
Exciting Characters > Exciting Plots
To plan out a plot there is a simple way which is pretty much the backbone of every plot.
It starts off in the exposition. This is where characters and settings are introduced to the reader.
Next is the rising action.This is where the problem first appears.
After that is the Climax. This is when the tension is at its highest.
Next is the falling action. This is when the tension begins to ease and things work out in the story.
Finally is the resolution. This is when everything gets worked out and the story ends.
Hopefully you can imagine this as a mountain.
However not every story has a perfect mountain, just like real life. There will be bumbs and sudden spikes all over there. Think of professional stories such as Harry Pot-head or The Midget. These aren't a perfect mountain. In The Midget, the midget falls into a dark place and meets Gollum but that isn't the main climax of the story. It is just a smaller climax to make the plot more exciting because if that wasn't there then nobody would want to read about 300 pages about a midget travelling with bearded midgets and an old man up to a dragon to kill it and be happy ever after. Nein, the smaller climaxes and stuff make the whole thing more interesting.
Another thing for you to remember is that the plot should not control the characters but the characters control the plot. What do I mean by this? Well in many stories a character does something to make the plot work but in reality the characters do things that change the plot. Imagine your life. Are you following a story or are you making a story? Hopefully you are making a story because that was the answer I was looking for and if you chose "following a story" then, no offence, your life isn't a very good life. I don't even think that's possible. Speaking of making a story, shouldn't you be making a story? Ba-dum-tshhh. I know that was a terrible joke if you can even call it a joke...
Setting
The setting is another important feature in a book. It is when and where your story is set. I briefly went over this in the introduction but there is more to tell. First let's go over what we've already talked about; show, not tell. To describe a setting, don't say where you are. Actually describe the setting.
Bright red bricks covered in muck and soot was the only thing in sight. Small gardens sat in front of the houses with factories spitting thick black smoke into the air looming over them.
From this some may guess it is set in Manchester, England. I, and many others, would think this is better than "I'm in Manchester,". Something you may have noticed is I used personification. Personification is when you give a non-human human traits or abilities.
The water danced upon the sandy shores of Afghanistan.
Saying that water danced is personification since water cannot actually dance. Also saying Afghanistan has sandy shores is a joke because it's a landlocked country.
One other thing I am going to mention about the setting is this; don't randomly change the setting! I have read many books and stories where the setting can completely change but is in the same place as it was before. It may be from forgetting where they were set or it may be because of a lack of attention that the author has/had when writing it.
The thick trees surrounded me. Snakes could be heard hissing as they got closer.
"Najda," I whispered. She looked towards me revealing her perfect brown eyes. "When I tell you to, run," I finished. She nodded causing her blonde hair to dance beautifully. She was a hardy woman who, if not for the looks, could be mistaken for a man. She had a deep voice and was nowhere near being feminine. That was something I adored about her. "Run!" I shouted suddenly as a polar bear ripped through the snow under the tents. She began to sprint flicking the cold, white ground onto my thick fur-coat.
Now only is this terrible writing because the terrible description and plot but the setting changes from a thick rainforest to a frozen tundra. This could confuse the readers and make them lose interest in your story so don't do it unless you want to do it.
Grammar
Grammar is important. Learn more by clicking on this piece of text.
Style
An important part of writing is the style of the writing. It's what makes every writer unique. There is no way to "create a style" since you are born with this style and you may be able to use other people's style but how you'd normally write is your style. Why is this important, I definitely here you despite possibly living 1979.4 miles away (the furthest away you could possibly be unless you're in space)? Let me tell you. If you begin a style in the beginning so it's like a Charlie and Lola book then write later like The Midget then it could potentially cause confusion since the reader(s) would be being told the story in different ways. You start a story with a style, you finish a story with the same style.
Schaeffer was very angry! Nardo had just jumped off a cliff! Oh no! I wonder what could save him? As he fell, his eyes began to water from the cold and dry air. He began to choke from the lack of oxygen he could catch as he dropped. The sharp and deadly rocks waited for his body to snap and his blood to gush into the cracks and gaps. They were hungry for it...
You can see there that the style changes from a very child-friendly style writing to a more descriptive and mature style of writing.
Another way style can change is with tenses.
There are 2 main writing tenses: past and present. The third one is future but this is only useful if in speech or talking about (you guessed it) the future. If a story is written in past tense then it must stay in past tense unless it makes sense to make it present. If a story is in present tense then keep it unless you're talking about something that happened.
Past
Past is used the most since when telling stories, you tell what happened, not what is happening.
I went to the shop and bought milk.
That sentence above is past tense since it is saying what happened.
Present
The present is used less commonly since it is rare that people write about what is happening to them whilst they write. It is normally found in first-person stories.
I am kicking people's faces in because I think it is funny.
This is present since it says what I am doing right now.
Future
The future is to talk about the future.
I shall go to Africa, find an elephant and slap it silly!
This is in the future since it is talking about what I will do, not what I am doing or not what I did.
Mixing
You can mix tenses together if it makes sense to do so.
She was looking at me in a strange way. I was going to beat her up if she didn't stop.
You can see that these two tenses fit together well. Future fits with both tenses very easy but only if the story is not being written in future tense. That would be very strange.
The future and present is more difficult.
I can see Wolfrick's gun. It looks like my dad's. Shame he had to shoot himself several times in the chest whilst I watched from the cupboard.
You can see this works since the past tense is like a memory (anecdote) so it would be something that happened.
The final part of style to worry about is perspective.
There are two perspectives: first-person and third-person. You may have noticed that I am a first-person-er since I prefer to write in first-person.
First-Person
To write in first person you write as if you're the character.
I can show you the world; shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me, Princess, when did you last let your heart decide?
This is written from the point of view of a character making it first-person.
Third-Person
Third-person is when the story is being told by a narrator.
Conrado grabbed Princess Busch by the hand, pulling her on his flying rug. After bursting through the clouds he began to sing.
This is in third-person since the story-teller is not a character in the story.
You
You need to be ready to create a better-than-decent story. You need to be aware and awake while writing your story. You need to have a healthy mind (debatable) while writing your story. Try to get extra sleep to be more refreshed. Try to eat healthy food and stay active to maintain a lively mind.
There are probably other things I could add to this but right now I'm brain-dead so...
When you make a decent story put the link in this and I will criticize your work unless it's perfect then congratulations.
The Introduction
The first thing you want to do is create a good introduction. But first we must know what a good introduction is. A good introduction has to draw the reader in and get them immersed in the story. If you don't do this then it is easier for the reader to simply throw your story out of a window and pick a new thing. So what can you do to draw a reader in?
One thing I tend to do a lot is start a story with speech preferably when something bad is happening.
"They're coming..." he whispered.
Using this or something like this you can get the reader to start off in the middle of a bad situation which then the reader can see how it started and how it will end for the character.
"They're coming..." he whispered. Dust bounced off the floor as a cloud approached the small party of men and women.
Something you may have noticed I did then is something that doesn't have a proper name so let's call it "show, not tell". Instead of saying "The Mongol horde approached the small party," I described them approaching rather than simply saying they were coming. Of course the speech of the character says someone or something is coming but nowhere until later in the story would you see that this "cloud of dust" is a Mongol horde. This is an example so you really shouldn't copy out my introduction unless you are desperate for an introduction and you don't care if my introduction is based in Hungary during 1285 and your story is set in Canada in 1932.
Another way to start an introduction is with description.
The grass seemed short and trimmed despite being overgrown. Trees dotted the landscape with thin stone walls running down the hills.
From this you can tell that the story is set in a rural area with hills and valleys, possibly in Northern England, Pakistan or other areas with natural hills and valleys. It is important that you give clues as to where the story is set without just saying.
Tell me which one you prefer:
I'm in Pakistan. There are mountains and valleys surrounding me.
The peaks of mountains stuck out from the green of the gently sloping valleys. The pale snow that sat on top of the mountains looked as if it came from a fairy tale.
You need to paint a picture in your readers' head. Don't tell them what to imagine, make them imagine what you want them to imagine.
I think that's all for the introduction...
Characters
This is really important. The characters are the things that make your story interesting. It doesn't matter if your story is set in space or your mother's back-garden; the characters are the things that make the story interesting. So what makes a good character?
A good character has to have flaws! This is the most common mistake in character designing. It's boring for a reader to read about someone who has no flaws.
The bomb ticked in what seemed to be years. Luckily Lucy spent 3 years learning about bombs and knew how to disarm them so she did just that and everybody lived happily ever after, or so they thought... A man with big muscles burst through the wall!
"Lucy, get here or I'll beat up your friends!" he yelled!
"Nah, mate," she replied with a smug smile on her face. The man filled with anger and threw a punch. Luckily Lucy spent her childhood learning taekwondo and flipped the man over her shoulder before hitting him on the throat causing him to cough and splutter.
"Well done, Lucy!" her friends called. Suddenly a thief who could run 50mph grabbed her make-up! Luckily Lucy could run 120mph and easily caught the thief and they all lived happily ever after. The End.
If you was reading about a character such as Lucy would you really be interested? She is always ready for anything and can beat everything and anything that gets in her way. It would be much more exciting if she wasn't the best at everything.
Another requirement for characters is emotions. A character without emotions is not a character at all but a living wall. This is something a lot of people forget about. You need to describe how characters feel or if you're writing in first-person then how the character you're writing as feels. Don't forget about "Show, not tell".
Plot
The plot is something that brings the characters to places. An exciting plot is something that most books have but keep in mind that exciting characters are more important that exciting plots.
Exciting Characters > Exciting Plots
To plan out a plot there is a simple way which is pretty much the backbone of every plot.
It starts off in the exposition. This is where characters and settings are introduced to the reader.
Next is the rising action.This is where the problem first appears.
After that is the Climax. This is when the tension is at its highest.
Next is the falling action. This is when the tension begins to ease and things work out in the story.
Finally is the resolution. This is when everything gets worked out and the story ends.
Hopefully you can imagine this as a mountain.
However not every story has a perfect mountain, just like real life. There will be bumbs and sudden spikes all over there. Think of professional stories such as Harry Pot-head or The Midget. These aren't a perfect mountain. In The Midget, the midget falls into a dark place and meets Gollum but that isn't the main climax of the story. It is just a smaller climax to make the plot more exciting because if that wasn't there then nobody would want to read about 300 pages about a midget travelling with bearded midgets and an old man up to a dragon to kill it and be happy ever after. Nein, the smaller climaxes and stuff make the whole thing more interesting.
Another thing for you to remember is that the plot should not control the characters but the characters control the plot. What do I mean by this? Well in many stories a character does something to make the plot work but in reality the characters do things that change the plot. Imagine your life. Are you following a story or are you making a story? Hopefully you are making a story because that was the answer I was looking for and if you chose "following a story" then, no offence, your life isn't a very good life. I don't even think that's possible. Speaking of making a story, shouldn't you be making a story? Ba-dum-tshhh. I know that was a terrible joke if you can even call it a joke...
Setting
The setting is another important feature in a book. It is when and where your story is set. I briefly went over this in the introduction but there is more to tell. First let's go over what we've already talked about; show, not tell. To describe a setting, don't say where you are. Actually describe the setting.
Bright red bricks covered in muck and soot was the only thing in sight. Small gardens sat in front of the houses with factories spitting thick black smoke into the air looming over them.
From this some may guess it is set in Manchester, England. I, and many others, would think this is better than "I'm in Manchester,". Something you may have noticed is I used personification. Personification is when you give a non-human human traits or abilities.
The water danced upon the sandy shores of Afghanistan.
Saying that water danced is personification since water cannot actually dance. Also saying Afghanistan has sandy shores is a joke because it's a landlocked country.
One other thing I am going to mention about the setting is this; don't randomly change the setting! I have read many books and stories where the setting can completely change but is in the same place as it was before. It may be from forgetting where they were set or it may be because of a lack of attention that the author has/had when writing it.
The thick trees surrounded me. Snakes could be heard hissing as they got closer.
"Najda," I whispered. She looked towards me revealing her perfect brown eyes. "When I tell you to, run," I finished. She nodded causing her blonde hair to dance beautifully. She was a hardy woman who, if not for the looks, could be mistaken for a man. She had a deep voice and was nowhere near being feminine. That was something I adored about her. "Run!" I shouted suddenly as a polar bear ripped through the snow under the tents. She began to sprint flicking the cold, white ground onto my thick fur-coat.
Now only is this terrible writing because the terrible description and plot but the setting changes from a thick rainforest to a frozen tundra. This could confuse the readers and make them lose interest in your story so don't do it unless you want to do it.
Grammar
Grammar is important. Learn more by clicking on this piece of text.
Style
An important part of writing is the style of the writing. It's what makes every writer unique. There is no way to "create a style" since you are born with this style and you may be able to use other people's style but how you'd normally write is your style. Why is this important, I definitely here you despite possibly living 1979.4 miles away (the furthest away you could possibly be unless you're in space)? Let me tell you. If you begin a style in the beginning so it's like a Charlie and Lola book then write later like The Midget then it could potentially cause confusion since the reader(s) would be being told the story in different ways. You start a story with a style, you finish a story with the same style.
Schaeffer was very angry! Nardo had just jumped off a cliff! Oh no! I wonder what could save him? As he fell, his eyes began to water from the cold and dry air. He began to choke from the lack of oxygen he could catch as he dropped. The sharp and deadly rocks waited for his body to snap and his blood to gush into the cracks and gaps. They were hungry for it...
You can see there that the style changes from a very child-friendly style writing to a more descriptive and mature style of writing.
Another way style can change is with tenses.
There are 2 main writing tenses: past and present. The third one is future but this is only useful if in speech or talking about (you guessed it) the future. If a story is written in past tense then it must stay in past tense unless it makes sense to make it present. If a story is in present tense then keep it unless you're talking about something that happened.
Past
Past is used the most since when telling stories, you tell what happened, not what is happening.
I went to the shop and bought milk.
That sentence above is past tense since it is saying what happened.
Present
The present is used less commonly since it is rare that people write about what is happening to them whilst they write. It is normally found in first-person stories.
I am kicking people's faces in because I think it is funny.
This is present since it says what I am doing right now.
Future
The future is to talk about the future.
I shall go to Africa, find an elephant and slap it silly!
This is in the future since it is talking about what I will do, not what I am doing or not what I did.
Mixing
You can mix tenses together if it makes sense to do so.
She was looking at me in a strange way. I was going to beat her up if she didn't stop.
You can see that these two tenses fit together well. Future fits with both tenses very easy but only if the story is not being written in future tense. That would be very strange.
The future and present is more difficult.
I can see Wolfrick's gun. It looks like my dad's. Shame he had to shoot himself several times in the chest whilst I watched from the cupboard.
You can see this works since the past tense is like a memory (anecdote) so it would be something that happened.
The final part of style to worry about is perspective.
There are two perspectives: first-person and third-person. You may have noticed that I am a first-person-er since I prefer to write in first-person.
First-Person
To write in first person you write as if you're the character.
I can show you the world; shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me, Princess, when did you last let your heart decide?
This is written from the point of view of a character making it first-person.
Third-Person
Third-person is when the story is being told by a narrator.
Conrado grabbed Princess Busch by the hand, pulling her on his flying rug. After bursting through the clouds he began to sing.
This is in third-person since the story-teller is not a character in the story.
You
You need to be ready to create a better-than-decent story. You need to be aware and awake while writing your story. You need to have a healthy mind (debatable) while writing your story. Try to get extra sleep to be more refreshed. Try to eat healthy food and stay active to maintain a lively mind.
There are probably other things I could add to this but right now I'm brain-dead so...
When you make a decent story put the link in this and I will criticize your work unless it's perfect then congratulations.
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I am working on a comic book series, and your article helped me to control and organise my thoughts.
I also really like your similes and the way you are writing, this blog looks like a decent story too! I mean it could draw my attention, and it wasn't boring! :)
Keep up the good work!