7 valuable tips to a good story.

1. Read a variety of stories, of different genres

You can’t write a story without knowing what a story is. You have probably heard the quote, “ everyone you ever met, knows something you don’t” there is a secret behind all famous authors books, and to know that we need to learn from their works. The phrases they use, the quotes and specific words they use to create suspense, mystery or comedy. Don’t be ashamed to learn from others.

2. Make a draft/ Get your ideas together

Get your ideas together, you can’t write a story without knowing what it is. Make an outline. Try to get inspiration, you can make a sequel to a book you love, you can use writing prompts from the internet or you can simply get inspiration from others. Try to make it something out of the ordinary, who would want to read about something normal and average. Take a few days to think about it, you might need to make a few choices, from the options you have. After all, you need a proper base before you can start building a huge tower.

3. Start writing/ don’t think twice

Once you’ve decided what you’re going to write about, make sure you write it. Most people procrastinate before they even start writing. That is because they think twice, the more you think about something you don’t want to do, the more complicated you’re making it. Keep your mind plain and simple, if you don’t want to do it change it. But I’d suggest to write it down fast before you start to think twice.

4. Get to know your character/ be the character

You can’t write a character you don’t know about. If you’re writing a story make sure you are linking the personalities to someone you know or have heard of, it make writing about him/her a lot easier. Try to give the character a few problems and struggles, after all no one is perfect. It will help the readers relate and increase the story’s tension as the conflicts build up.

5. Add emotions

All good stories have emotions that leave a huge impact in the reader. In famous books like, Harry potter and Fault in our stars, the author has created emotions, such as the death of one of the main characters, or the breaking of a once tight bond. The more saddening or emotional the book is, the more impact it makes on the readers so that they would want to read more.

6. Give a satisfying ending

If you’re writing a story that includes emotions, a satisfying ending is a must! If the author decides that one of the main characters has to die, a satisfying ending is a must, if you don’t it will just leave the reader frustrated and he or she would be impacted strongly and probably not recommend it to anyone. If you add a satisfying ending, the reader too would be satisfied with the story and that would lessen the impact created on him or her.

7. Edit your work

Edit your story, or ask others to. You never know where you’ve made mistakes or where you were in too much of a rush, editing your story is like re-checking your work and fixing the mistakes you’ve made, it is usually better to get other people to edit it, because sometimes you get caught up in the story, you don’t know what parts to keep or remove.

8. Get feedback

Get feedback! Before you publish or hand in your story, you must get different views on your piece. Many people have different opinions that vary, the more feedback you get, the more chances you have of making good stories that fit in with the opinions of all.

Disclaimer: I am no professional writer, I just take up the hobby and practice it during my free time. These are the tips that worked well for me, and have definitely improved my writing skills.