Author: ray_of_sunshine9
Originally Published In:
101 Writing Tips from an Exhausted Reviewer
Requester: heaven-bound
Category: Writing Tips
How does one make their writing interesting?
Before I launch into this topic, I should mention: I am not an expert when it comes to writing. Sure, I can string together words, but am I a wordsmith? No.
So why should you even bother reading this?
Because I'm a reader. You're probably a reader, too. And we can all agree that there are certain books that have kept us hooked, and some books that have... well, sometimes, we question why the author thought it would be a good idea to spend four paragraphs describing those specific red streaks in their protagonist's hair.
Besides, I've been reviewing with the for a long, long time. I wrote ninety-five reviews last year, and twenty-five this year (so far!). And while my reviewing is far from perfect, I have noticed patterns in what sparks my interest and what doesn't.
So, let's launch into the actual content of this chapter: what makes a story interesting? Here is the recipe:
1. PREHEAT THE OVEN.
(Translation: Know Your Conflict, Know Your Steaks—I mean, Stakes)
Before you even begin writing, you should have, at the very least, a vague sense of what your story is going to be. You should know what genre you're in, and what world it will be in. Then, you need to ask yourself the big questions:
- What will be the conflict of this story? What will bring the juicy, delicious tension?
- What will be the climax of the story? What are the stakes? What could go wrong?
These are fundamentals to every story. If you don't know where your story is going, and most chapters are just the characters talking aimlessly about how much they hate maths while you work it out, it shows.
You need to make sure that, within the first few chapters, there is a form of tension. Something that needs to be resolved. Something that will make the reader ask questions until the very, very end.
2. USE THE CORRECT UTENSILS.
(Translation: Grammar and Punctuation)
I'm not saying that you need to have perfect grammar and punctuation to have an interesting story.
However, your writing should be polished enough that any reader can understand what is going on. The tenses should be consistent, dialogue should be formatted neatly, and avoid run-on sentences. Make sure you have an understanding of when to use capital letters and full-stops.
No, you don't have to know exactly how a semicolon works to write an interesting story. But it is incredibly difficult to engage with stories where I don't know who is speaking.
3. DEBONE YOUR MEAT.
(Translation: Complex Characters!)
If you are a vegetarian, tofu absolutely can be deboned for these purposes.
But, basically, you need complex characters. They don't have to be a 'badass girl who will learn to use a sword and slay the dark side of humanity', though that is always fun. However, an interesting story involves interesting characters. Or, at the very least, characters who are ironically uninteresting.
If you want to write an interesting story, you need to ask yourself the following:
- Why is my protagonist the one to tell the story? What makes them significant? What internal conflict will they face throughout the story?
- What are their goals, aspirations and dreams? Do they have pre-existing ones before the story even begins?
- What are their flaws? Can they be morally grey at times?
- How will they develop? Better yet: how will the story make them develop?
And, you know what? Ask yourself the same thing about your antagonist – if there is one. What are their goals? Do they have some good in them? What made them become the antagonist?
4. FORM THE PASTRY.
(Translation: Purposeful Chapters!)
Your chapters need to be purposeful to make an interesting story. I can understand that authors like to use 'filler chapters' here and there, and that is totally fine. However, your chapter must do one of the following:
- Introduce a new element to the plot/Add tension.
- Contribute to the plot/journey.
- Involve some sort of character development.
- Change the perspective of a character/Show a shift or intensification of the character's emotions.
5. PUT THE MEAT IN THE PASTRY.
(Translation: Writing Structure)
Writing. The fun part.
There is, of course, no such thing as a 'perfect writing style'. However, when you write, you need to make sure you're spicing it up. For example:
I kicked him in the leg. He punched me in the stomach. I groaned in pain. I punched him back in the jaw.
It's supposed to be action-packed, and yet, it falls flat. It's not interesting at all. Why?
All the sentences have the same structure: [character] [verb] [the rest]. Which, after a while, gets repetitive and boring to read.
To make sure you don't fall into this trap, make sure you're varying sentence structures – using fragmented sentences where necessary, using compound and complex sentences, using also (look at the segue!):
6. ADDING SPICES.
(Translation: Figurative Language)
Figurative language! In the example above, the writing was so boring because it was just 'he punched him, I punched him back'. Boring. Instead of telling us there is pain, show it to us using figurative language. Make the reader feel the pain! Describe the scene to us in a vivid, immersive way. Personification, metaphor, simile – they are your writing tools. Use them.
Once your reader feels part of your world because they can see, hear and smell what is going on, it will be more interesting.
7. MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS NUTRITIONALLY BALANCED.
(Translation: Balance!)
To keep your writing engaging, you need to have balance.
There shouldn't be too much dialogue, but there also shouldn't be too much description lumped together. There shouldn't be just action, and no moments of character interactions.
And, speaking of description, don't overwhelm your reader with paragraphs and paragraphs of description. Try weaving it into the writing, into the action.
8. COOK FOR AN APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF TIME.
(Translation: Pacing)
Pacing a story can be pretty hard. You can't drag on and on, but you can't go too fast – otherwise your reader will be disorientated.
Make sure you remember that your reader is new to this story. They don't know your setting as well as you do, nor do they know a single thing about your characters. You need to slow down the pace to ease them into your world.
However, don't go so slow that there is no drive to the story. You need to make sure your chapters are streamlined and focused, and answers all the questions listed in step four.
9. ENJOY YOUR COOKING.
(Translation: Be Passionate)
Enjoy the writing! Be excited about what you want to show the world! Writing is very exciting – you can shape the minds of so many readers just through the power of words. You can give people a story to cherish and love in their hard times.
And, to do this, you need to be passionate about what you're writing. It really shows when a writer is writing for the sake of writing.
If you want an interesting story, you need to find it interesting yourself.
10. SHARE YOUR MEAL WITH OTHERS.
(Translation: Seek Feedback)
I mean, I'm a reviewer. Of course I'm going to say this.
The best way to learn is to get advice from others. I'm not talking about your friends who will just say "This is amazing!!!!!" without even reading the first sentence. You need someone who will be there to critique it. They can point out plot-holes, and they can tell you why it interested them or didn't interest them.
Book clubs on Wattpad are great for this. Reviewers can be great, if you get one that knows what they are doing. In fact, any person who reads your story in a genuine manner will be perfect.
11. TASTE OTHER MEALS.
(Translation: Read)
You can't just eat your own cooking for the rest of your life. You have to try other people's dishes.
In other words, read broadly. Read as if you are critiquing someone else's story. Read genres you have never experienced before, and read authors who you have never heard about.
Don't just read, though. Read as if you are reviewing it. And ask yourself the following:
- Was I interested in this story?
- If so, why?
- If not, why not?
- How should this writer improve?
And see if you can implement your own advice into your own story.
With that being said, that's all I have to say about making a story interesting. If you have any questions directly addressed to me, please tag ray_of_sunshine9 in your comment because, otherwise, I won't be notified. Though, in all honestly, avadel could probably answer any question – they're absolute champions.
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Comment in this book and email your entry to avadelauthors@gmail.com. We'll review it, and if we think it's well-written and helpful to the Wattpad community, we'll post it! Your entry may be something you have written previously, even if it is published elsewhere. (=
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