Helpful Tips in Fiction Writing
Here are some tips on how you can improve your fiction writing skills.
- Begin your story with tension
You don’t always have to begin a story with lots of action. Instead, lay the groundwork for the action by beginning your story with tension, for instance your protagonist being unable to save the life of a loved one. From tension, a good progression would be to slowly build the suspense until the story reaches the climax.
- Build on what your characters desire most
Most popular stories are hinged on characters who want something. For example, Jason Bourne wants to know his true identity. Harry Potter wants to defeat the one responsible for the death of his parents. The characters of John Grisham want to win difficult legal cases. In order to create a worthwhile story, you have to create characters that have compelling individualities, people who have strong wants and desires.
- End every chapter of your book on a hanging note
You can keep your readers on their toes, wanting to read more by leaving them with an unanswered question at the end of each chapter. This leaves the writer with the task of providing an answer for the previous question and creating a new one as the story builds towards the climax. Fiction thrives and becomes successful on the inquisitiveness of readers. A writer needs to continually spark the interest of the reader and one of the most effective ways is to place a hook or cliff-hanger towards the end of each chapter. If you do not create questions, there is no incentive for a reader to continue reading on to the next chapter.
- Create hurdles for your characters, difficult obstacles
Make these obstacles as difficult as they can be to add suspense and tension to your fiction. The trick is that your protagonist should be able to conquer these impediments regardless of their level of difficulty. Fiction becomes more interesting when the main characters are faced with difficult odds and they are still able to pull through in the end.
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