How to write a story that doesn't suck

Author Introduction

Do you ever want to bash your computer in with a frying pan because you think the monstrosity you just wrote is so cringe it deserves to die? Yeah. Same. Sometimes I will write a series of chapters over the course of a few weeks and then I look back on them and wish to set them aflame. Hours of work, and for what? To be rewritten, over and over and over again till you can't even recognize it and you wonder, "is this even worth it?"

Cause we're stopping that today. 

My name is SP Weber, (you can call me Peter) and I am a self published author on Amazon and Kindle. I wish to pursue writing as a professional career, especially in filmography to work on set for TV shows, movies, animation and even theater. My big project at the moment of rewriting this helpful book here is Land of Armonia, which currently (as of August 2023) has its first book published and the second fully completed as a draft, ready for heavy editing before it goes out to the world. My other projects are referenced quite frequently throughout this book but sadly, they are not tangible yet, so you can't find them anywhere even if you tried. 

I'm rewriting this book because some things about my experience and knowledge have grown and quite honestly, this book is outdated. (Originally started in 2021, now updated to suit my process and experience up to 2023).

Allow me to talk about my writing journey. Rewind to early 2017 where little tween me got in a huge argument with my father that was literally the start of EVERYTHING I have since accomplished. Parents and kids fight all of the time, so don't worry, this argument with my dad was nothing big. In fact, I don't really remember what it was about. It had something to do with me not actually refining skills and practicing things, because I had an expectation to just start doing something and being great at it right away. I told my dad that one day I would be, in my words, "more well known than JK Rowling" (big dreams, I know). And he told me that "you have to actually work at something if you want to be good at it, otherwise you'll be famous for all the wrong reasons."  That has stuck with me for years. It was a good thing to say but in that moment I was so angry and emotional I took it as, "I don't believe in you, you're going to suck at writing, you're only going to get made fun of for it if you even try."

So that evening I went straight to my computer and I started writing a story that has since consumed me for years. Yes. That argument was the origin story of "Land of Armonia." I would say you should go check it out on Amazon or Kindle, BUT, do keep in mind it is my very first story and is actually not a great example of the writing skills I currently possess. I mean, it was years of rewriting drafts and scenes so theres parts of it that ARE really good (to my skill level now) and some that are not quite right. Not that it's bad, just that I've grown. I may have published it in December of 2022, but I actually did most of the rewriting and editing in 2021. So, let's just say, it's about two years behind my actual skills. 

All that being said, Land of Armonia was YEARS of work. But for the longest time, I found I could not make the flow of my story work, the characters were dry, the plot was forced, and the dialogue was out of whack, and in all, it wasn't even the least bit captivating.

So for the last couple of years, I have elected to teach myself and gather as much knowledge as an author that I could so I could shape up ALL my stories into something of their highest potential. Through internships, online learning, taking classes and communicating to published authors that I could make contact with, I have become pretty confident in my writing. I am now attending Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia to major in dramatic writing so I can pursue my career in film production!

I am making this book to engage with you all, and share things you might find to be useful for your own stories. I want to keep you engaged and entertained while also giving you advice that will really help you. I am here to answer any question you have which I will make a chapter on if needed. Don't be afraid to reach out to me! I am more than willing to read your personal drafts and give you all the praise, criticism, and advice you need!

I would say my writing tends to veer away from being PG, but all that horror and dark works of mine have actually never been shown to anyone other than my friends. Land of Armonia is completely family friendly! However, in my other projects, I tend to enjoy writing creepy, dark scenes and thrillers that may not bode well with a sensitive audience. So, this being said, there will be chapters in this book giving advice on how to write scenes of that nature. There will also be chapters on more tame subjects such as romance or writing fantasy. It'll all sort of be this "organized" soup of advice that I will TRY to cover all grounds of writing with.

I have dozens of characters and they all swamp themselves into separate seas of stories that get jumbled around and often forgotten; only to be picked up again later by yours truly.  Though writing is my passion, I have to focus my attention to other hobbies and events in my life.  My friends think I'm insane for balancing so much activity in one day.

I have a lot of experience with things a lot of people don't. That being said, I also lack experience that most people have. For example, I could tell you all about how to write a small town setting, placing your story in the countryside or how to write characters living on a farm accurately to avoid all the ridiculous farmer stereotypes. I mean, I live in the middle of nowhere, I know nothing but the countryside and farmland. So advice on how to write characters living in a city? That'll be tough. Thankfully, I have experience with all sorts of environments from traveling (I went on a roadtrip across the entire country of France and it has literally helped me so much with writing, you wouldn't even believe.) 

I can tell you how to accurately depict an American high school, but I would probably fail you if you wanted me to help you with writing a Korean school system. Basically what I'm saying here is, I am not god. I will give loads of advice on things I've researched and have experience with, but if it is an area I totally lack any knowledge in, I will fall short. It is up to you to write from your experience, and as always, RESEARCH! 

Now, here's a little summary of what this book will cover:

-Proper writing etiquette: dialogue, paragraph breaks/formatting, titles, story outlines, creating covers, formatting chapters, and so on.

-Characters: introductions, killing them off, character emotion, character pain, facial features/general descriptions, written character sketches, adding flaws, protagonists, antagonists, and so on.

-Writing specific scenes: fighting, murder, angst, trauma, romance, confessions, heartbreak, emotions, action, and so on.

I will also be covering representation of culture, sexuality, gender, race, religion and body types, as well as dabbling a bit with how to self publish, how to advertise yourself, and how to refine your writing skills through practice and other means. 

I really hope this book can help you, so don't be afraid to skim through it and look for the things you need help with! Happy reading!