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This should be a conversation, so please comment, contribute, ask questions, and give answers.
Creating interest is all about getting your readers to read the next word, the next sentence, and turn the page. To do that, you have to do something compelling. It can be almost anything, but in general, it’s a problem and a promise that pull us through. The longer your story, the more problems and promises you will need. My mother used to tell me that the trick to storytelling is to give us a hero, set the dogs on him, and run him up a tree, throw rocks at him until we are all convinced, he will fall, and then let him save himself with things we learned along the way.
No story is complete without a problem. Life is mostly mundane, droll, but we tell stories about the events, and human nature loves trouble.
You need to create context, whether that is worldbuilding that puts us on the floating mountains of a faraway planet or the morning before a big interview with the law firm downtown. In as many words as necessary, but not a single word more, bring your reader into the story’s setting.
You will need at least one character to care about, someone your reader can root for or against. It’s easier to tell stories about people we love, but it’s possible to tell compelling stories about the trolls too. There’s a formula out there somewhere that helps you get an idea for how long a story will be based on how many characters you put in it, but what I’d say is give them enough room to breathe. The more named characters, the longer you story will need to be – and note, every named character needs to have their own set of needs/wants/objectives to keep them from being flat.
The third leg of your three-legged stool is plot. You will need to give us a destination. We are here. We need to get there. This could be as simple as our boss sends us across the street to get coffee for the big meeting or as complex as the impending doom of our planet depends on whether or not we can deliver a crystal to the tree of life in the heart of the forest. The story comes when we present a long and winding path that puts the end in doubt.
And last, this is something my son told me that resonates. You have to commit. If you try to please everyone, you will please no one. Choose your story, commit to it, and tell it to the best of your abilities.
As I stated at the beginning, this is a conversation starter to support your efforts for the 8 January 2021 writing prompt. Our goal is to write a story that captures our reader’s interest. It doesn’t have to be long, or even complete, the goal is to practice. I look forward to seeing what you post.
Creating interest is all about getting your readers to read the next word, the next sentence, and turn the page. To do that, you have to do something compelling. It can be almost anything, but in general, it’s a problem and a promise that pull us through. The longer your story, the more problems and promises you will need. My mother used to tell me that the trick to storytelling is to give us a hero, set the dogs on him, and run him up a tree, throw rocks at him until we are all convinced, he will fall, and then let him save himself with things we learned along the way.
No story is complete without a problem. Life is mostly mundane, droll, but we tell stories about the events, and human nature loves trouble.
You need to create context, whether that is worldbuilding that puts us on the floating mountains of a faraway planet or the morning before a big interview with the law firm downtown. In as many words as necessary, but not a single word more, bring your reader into the story’s setting.
You will need at least one character to care about, someone your reader can root for or against. It’s easier to tell stories about people we love, but it’s possible to tell compelling stories about the trolls too. There’s a formula out there somewhere that helps you get an idea for how long a story will be based on how many characters you put in it, but what I’d say is give them enough room to breathe. The more named characters, the longer you story will need to be – and note, every named character needs to have their own set of needs/wants/objectives to keep them from being flat.
The third leg of your three-legged stool is plot. You will need to give us a destination. We are here. We need to get there. This could be as simple as our boss sends us across the street to get coffee for the big meeting or as complex as the impending doom of our planet depends on whether or not we can deliver a crystal to the tree of life in the heart of the forest. The story comes when we present a long and winding path that puts the end in doubt.
And last, this is something my son told me that resonates. You have to commit. If you try to please everyone, you will please no one. Choose your story, commit to it, and tell it to the best of your abilities.
As I stated at the beginning, this is a conversation starter to support your efforts for the 8 January 2021 writing prompt. Our goal is to write a story that captures our reader’s interest. It doesn’t have to be long, or even complete, the goal is to practice. I look forward to seeing what you post.
