How to Write a Successful Story

There are so many writers out there- many of us do not get the recognition that we deserve and it can be a struggle to get an idea off the ground. So what if you have great ideas, but don’t know where to start? Should you just give up and go back to your day job? No! There is a budding writer in all of us- you just need to know how to start and how to get it looking good on paper to impress those publishers out there. So how do you do it? Here are a few helpful tips to get you started on writing the next best seller!

Ideas

The first place to start, and the most important is with the idea. It is difficult to come up with an original idea that nobody has ever tried before, so don’t worry if your story seems similar to somebody else’s- you just need to make it your own. But don’t just settle on one idea, use everyday events and people to give you inspiration and get scribbling- write down as many ideas as you can to give you the best chance at success…Remember, J K Rowling invented the famous Harry Potter whilst riding home on a train!

Outline

If you are having trouble getting your story to come together on paper, then you need to create an outline. Some writers can play it by ear and simply write, not knowing what is going to happen and how the story is going to end, but if you are just starting out, then an outline is very important. Start off with the characters- you don’t have to write a background story for every single character you might include- just focus on the main characters of the story so that you can get a feel for them, so you know how they will react in any situation that you put them in. Once you have your characters- begin to plot your story. Start with a beginning- how is the story going to open? It has to be intriguing, interesting and gripping- the beginning of the story is the most important for impressing future readers, such as publishers and agents. Then write a middle- include what is going to happen to the characters, how this affects them etc. Don’t go into too much detail, remember this is just an outline to get you started. Once you have a beginning and a middle, now you must focus on an end- tie up any loose ends, put a twist in the tail if you can, leave the ending open for a possible sequel- but make it as gripping as possible.

Style

Many people have difficulty with the actual writing of a story- not the idea, but how it is to be written and viewed. Publishers like any unsolicited manuscripts to be typed on white paper, double spaced and usually in an easy to read font. Don’t make the lettering too small, or nobody will want to read it.

Example

Here is an example of an opening paragraph of a story, use this to help you to get your layout right.

She sat on the edge of her bed and stared down at her hands in horror, she had never seen so much blood before. It was caked underneath her fingernails, drying on her skin and creating a horrible brown smear that she didn’t think she would ever be able to wash off. “What have I done?” She whimpered to herself. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she thought of her parents, and how dissapointed they would be in her. They never believed that she could make it in the big city on her own, and now she had just proved them right. She was a failure, a mess… a murderer.

Speech/Quotes/Dialogue

Some people find it difficult to seperate the dialogue with the running story. But this is important if you want to create a good story with a professional finish. Take a look at some of your favourite novels- look at their writing style and how they separate the dialogue from the descriptions and the thoughts of the characters. But don’t steal their style- use other stories as a guideline to create your own unique writing style.

Hopefully this has been helpful to you, and you now feel that you are ready to start on that best seller of yours- remember, confidence is key. Any one can write a story- but not everybody can write a good one.

Good luck!