8 Pro Tips To Improve Story Writing
Learn 8 pro tips to improve your story writing and create more engaging, well-structured narratives.
Most stories sound good in our heads, but they look dumb when we write them down.
That’s because of the lack of story writing skills.
With a good story writing skill, you can make even a simple idea sound great.
It allows you to convert your imaginary words into reality.
It also helps you in every stage of writing, like whether you are aiming to improve your writing skills or want to add more clarity to your words.
Do not worry if you are not good at it.
As it is not something you are born with, you can get it in the right way through the right practice.
And what should be the right practice?
So, keep reading this blog to get to know the right practice of writing a story.
Difference between good and bad writing?
It is a common observation that when a friend teaches you something, you understand better.
That’s because your friend uses simple words and examples you are more familiar with.
Good writing is like talking to your friend. It's clear, and you understand it right away.
Let’s take an example for better understanding:
“She walked through the market and saw lots of colors and heard music.”
The above sentence is simple and describes the scene perfectly.
Bad writing is hard to understand. It's like when someone talks and you can't follow what they're saying.
A bad version of the above sentence will be:
"Market walking, colors, music sound."
This is confusing and doesn't tell a clear story.
In good writing, you can imagine what's happening. It's fun to read and keeps you interested.
But bad writing is hard to follow and makes you lose interest.
So, good writing feels smooth and easy, while bad writing feels hard to understand.
Follow these pro tips to get better at writing stories
Writing better stories is not a big challenge, but knowing the right techniques and professional tips is crucial at the beginner's level.
I am writing some tips below that will help you to write your own story:
1. Finalize the plot of your story
If you are thinking about a story, think about who the main character of the story is and what he/she is doing in the story. What event is the whole story based on?
Ask yourself these questions and write them on paper.
For example:
You should be able to write, “I'm writing about a boy who goes on a magical adventure.”
So, now you know that the main character is a boy, and the event is his journey, which is not going to be normal (magical).
2. Create interesting characters
Create characters that have an interesting trait, like bravery, humor, or determination.
But do not exaggerate it, they should be relatable to the readers.
Now you have to come up with an idea of the world your characters are in.
The surroundings, atmosphere, and culture. Define all of these with your words.
For example:
The boy is going on a magical journey, so describe the magic in his surroundings, like the writers did in Alice in Wonderland.
Have you read it?
It will engage your audience more, and they will be able to imagine the scenery.
If they can feel it, they will not stop until the end of the story.
3. Use words that complement the picture
Once you have your characters and their world, it's time to make them interesting.
The choice of your words will matter a lot here.
They should be clear and relevant enough to make your readers imagine every movement of your character.
For example:
Instead of saying, “He was sick,” you could say, “He looked dull with pale skin and red eyes.”
The readers can now imagine his condition.
When a reader can imagine your ideas, they will not only engage with your writing but also remember it.
Just like Joseph Campbell said, “People forget facts, but they remember stories.”
4. Describe scenes thoroughly
You have to create the scene with your words only.
So, define the flow of the scene, including expressions, movements, and emotions.
Normally people don’t tell us what they feel, we guess it by observing their expressions and body language.
They will get it by themselves.
For example:
Instead of telling the reader, “He walked through the beautiful valley.”
Show it through your words: “As he entered the valley, a breeze of fresh air struck him.
He was mesmerized by the beauty of the valley.
There were flowers everywhere and he could hear the dim sounds of the cascade that waters them.”
You saw what I did there!
I just described the valley, you can imagine that the valley was beautiful. That’s what I was talking about.
5. Include suspense to keep readers engaged
Now that your readers are engaged with your story, you have to keep them this way. It will happen only if they don’t know what’s coming next.
They will want to know what is going to happen next, so they will keep reading.
This happens when the flow of your story is not predictable.
When readers can predict the outcome, it is not very exciting for them to read it.
For example:
Instead of revealing everything at once, you could write, “As she turned the corner, a shadow loomed, but she couldn't tell who or what it was.”
Now the reader wants to know what it was.
This way, they will continue, and if they do, they will keep thinking about finishing it.
Try to make your writing consistent with the standard type of storytelling you're following.
It will help you create your writing style, and your readers will know by just reading a passage of your content.
6. Proofread and refine your story
It is completely normal to find a new mistake whenever you read your work.
So read it as many times as you can.
The best practice is to sleep on it or engage yourself in some other work.
Come back with a fresh mind and review your work.
Read it as a proofreader, not a writer, try to be in your readers’ shoes to feel what they are going to feel reading it.
Now think about what needs to be improved and revised!
For example:
You might read a sentence like, “The girl was really happy,” and change it to, “A wide, bright smile spread across the girl's face.”
Reviewing and refining your work is crucial in story writing.
It's all about polishing your story so that every part of it shines and captures your reader's imagination.
It may sound difficult, but believe me! Practice does make a man perfect.
Moreover, there is an online story maker online tool that helps you in creating stories based on prompts, keywords, or story subjects.
It uses NLP algorithms and writes stories that are easy to understand.
Following this action also gives you various ideas for writing stories in your own words and helps improve your story writing.
7. Point out mistakes
Let’s say you are reading an article, and found a grammatical mistake in it.
What will be your opinion about the writer? Obviously, not a good one.
It is very important that your content is free from any grammatical, spelling, or punctuation mistakes.
You can use online tools for grammar checking that points out these mistakes for you.
For example:
You might find a sentence like, “She was walked to their house,” and correct it to, “She walked to their house.”
These mistakes distract readers and damage your reputation as a writer.
So, keep an eye on these minor mistakes.
8. Change your story if needed
If you think that the flow of your story is not making sense or it is sounding dull, you may update it with the use of some good vocabulary.
Do not think that it will make you late, take as much time as you want, but you should be proud of the final draft.
For example:
Read your story from cover to cover. Try to read each sentence in a single breath.
If the sentence is long enough to finish in a single breath, break it!
Similarly, if any word disrupts the flow of your reading as if it is hard to pronounce or not commonly used, change it!
The main purpose to improve your story writing is that the reader must enjoy and read text fluently.
Final thoughts
So what did we learn from this article? If I say in a single line, what is good writing and how to do it.
First of all, you have to make your thoughts clear.
Clear as much that can be written on a paper.
Then you have to create the surroundings and side characters.
All of these things should be relatable to one another and should take the story further.
Proofreading is another important part of story writing which is going to help you improve each time you read your content.
The key is to take your time and move gradually.
Do not stick to your ideas if they do not sound good, just move on and keep trying.
Frequently asked questions
How do you come up with an idea for a story?
Draw inspiration from personal experiences, current events, or ask "what if" questions to spark creativity.
I don’t have any experience, can I write a story?
Of course, you can! Just be resilient with your goal. Do you know “Harry Potter” got rejected 12 times? But what impact it had after getting only one chance is not hidden from anyone. So just keep going and improve eventually, practice makes a man perfect.
What to do when you think your story is bad?
Take a break, get feedback, and revise with fresh eyes.
How to come up with a plot?
A strong plot usually has clear conflicts, compelling motivations for the characters, and a series of events that build tension. Plan your plot around a central problem and create obstacles for your characters to overcome, leading to a satisfying resolution.
Additional guides
- How To Explain a Moral In a Short Story
- 11 Simple Ways to Write Inspirational Stories
- Novella: How to Write it, Outline + 2 Examples
