Penny Dolan - 21 Story Tips

TWENTY-ONE STORY TIPS

from PENNY DOLAN

Writers watch out for good ideas, but not every idea works out into a story. Sometimes you need to blend two or three ideas together.
Remember, you can use ideas from books you've read, or stories you know, but, plasticine-like, reshape the ideas to make them your own.
Some ideas will make shorter stories, and some will take a long time to write, so think! How much time have you actually got for your story?
Writing takes lots of thinking, both before you write and while you write, and when you are reading or rereading your work. Thinking is as important as writing.
Before you work, and as you work, choose ideas that will help your story along, not ones that make your story awkward to write. An idea might be madly exciting, but it might not help your particular story.
Have as few characters as you possibly can. Never say anyone is a baddy or a goody. Put clues into the character description: how do they look and speak and gesture, what do they wear and own and do?
Don't use characters from TV or movies. Borrow the skill or the look you like, and create a similar character, but one that is your own idea.
Don't use friends or people you know in your fiction stories. It's hard to shape a plot if you are trying to fit them into the story. Create imaginary characters, but base their actions on real life observation.
Stories are often about a main character trying to do something, and the things that get in their way. What does your character want?
Don't use names start with the same letter, or seem similar: Matt &Mike & Mark. The reader will find it hard to follow who is doing what.
Try to start the story at the last possible moment, i.e.. at the beginning of the interesting action - not at "what we had for breakfast".
Have as few settings as you can, and try and keep the story action mostly within one place. You can change the weather or the time of day, of course, to add to the excitement.
Brainstorm "action scenes" that would work in your story, but then choose the best three - the ones you can "visualise" most clearly. Put them in order, so that the most exciting one is the last big scene.
You may have to work out a quick picture map of what event happens where and when in the story. Then you concentrate of the description.
Write MOST about the most important part of the story, i.e. the last big "action". Think of it as a series of video freeze-frames, and describe each one, building up the scene and tension for the reader.
A story has two endings: an end to the action, and an end for the main character. What does your character think about or reflect on when they get to the end of all that has happened to them?
Sometimes, as you get near the end of a story, you may find you need some thing or some happening earlier on to make the plot work. Go back and plant the idea in. Writers often go back and rewrite pieces.
Include the senses to make your writing memorable. Use touch & texture, hearing & sounds, taste, scents & smells, exact visual observations, and also think about the emotions behind your characters & writing.
Put speech in sparingly and carefully. Any spoken words or conversations have to help tell the story, not slow it right down.
Use vocabulary that suits your story and setting. Use exact and interesting words and phrases, adding them as you read through your story. Similes, or metaphors, or alliteration can make your work more individual and intriguing to read.
As you reread your writing, LISTEN to the sounds of the words and sentences. Do any of the words "clunk"? Does the pace fit the action? Is there any important moment you've not written fully? Do the paragraphs show the changes and the scenes within the story?

FINALLY, there's many more tips I could add. Real writers often go over and over their work to make a story as perfect as possible. But, when you have finished, don't forget to tell yourself "WELL DONE!"

WRITING IS LIKE PAINTING A PICTURE,
WRITING IS LIKE MAKING A WORK OF ART.
YOU ARE CREATING SOMETHING THAT DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE,
AND YOUR VERY OWN VOICE IS NOW SPEAKING ON THE PAGE! CONGRATULATIONS!