Each author has a unique style and taste to create a storytelling the way they like to see. Depending on the genre of the stories, the cultural and personal approach to life of the writers, the way things happen in their minds… They all gather and become one as the parts of the storytelling.
Personally, when I write my stories, I like to start with the core, the skeleton. I try not to give too many details, but focus on the basis of the story. Less emphasis on the appearance of the characters, less vision of the environment and less narration of the related events.
Today I would like to write about some tips I have learnt along the way of writing my stories. These are my personal thoughts, so we may not always agree. I respect that.
Firstly, as I mentioned above, I like to create a solid ground floor that I feel more comfortable building on. Just like building a house carefully so that the inhabitants can feel comfortable and at home. This is how I work to complete my stories.
After each story I go back to the beginning and read them all again. Sometimes I feel that one or two changes are needed to make them better. Other times (because the stories are linked) I see that some things are changed in my mind in the next stories. This means that anything related to the previous stories may also be affected by these changes. This requires another revision to make things the way I want them to be.
Having created this core, I try to see the similarities in each story. If I want to create unique stories from each other, I can change some parts that I see they have in common. This is not a must, but I wanted them to be as different as possible. The uniqueness can be difficult to achieve, but I enjoy the challenge.
However, as I said, I like to write connected stories. Stories that are pieces of a larger story that come together as one. I love that idea so much. Basically you are creating your own universe just for those characters and stories. So editing is harder than it looks. But I also become more aware with each chapter to avoid that similar narrative.
Another problem is sticking to the same tense for your verbs. This, on the other hand, is a must for your stories. You really have to be careful with them. I can think of two simple reasons for this. One, of course, is that you might lose the consistency of what is happening. And secondly, it might confuse the reader, especially if your story contains a jump or a time skip from scene to scene.
So if your character becomes older after a sudden transition between chapters, it is important to use the correct tenses in your sentences. You may also need to include dialogue between chapters. Then you should be clear about when things are happening and when you are talking. This can be confusing and we don’t want that, either as writers or as readers. It needs a clear explanation. That is also why I reread after every chapter. That is alot of work, I admit, but all of that to make myself sure.
This can be difficult to manage. At least it is for me. I just said that clear narration is the key, but it is not that easy. Sometimes you really feel it and want to write more and more just to give it all in one chapter. That is passion. But it can be exhausting or unnecessary.
Similes are necessary for visualisation. They make our brains work to imagine what the writers are giving us. If they go on and on, the water can become murky rather than crystal clear. So a balance will add flavour, but writing more than we should can be overwhelming. The use of certain adjectives or adverbs can save the day. This is why it is important to read lots of books before writing. That way we can learn how to do write better.
My fifth insight and experience is the importance of titles. This may seem like an omitted detail, but I would like to disagree. In fact, it is always one of the most difficult aspects of a story. I always find it difficult to shorten what I write, and titles are literally the shortest version possible. Because you have to fit everything into a few words.
You also have to avoid giving away spoilers. I really hate it when that happens. Who does that, really? I’m going to read the chapter anyway, don’t do this to me! (Unless you are one step ahead of me and trick me into thinking something else. But even then I will develop a trust issue) Especially with the latest ones, it can be even more frustrating. So titles should be short, to the point and comprehensive, but still surprising.
Learning through mistakes and continuous experience is a great joy. But some shortcuts can be useful along the way. Hopefully they have given you some basic ideas or perhaps a great vision for writing your stories.
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