Some people have AMAZING story ideas. They put it into a book and show it off to the world. Then the common person will come across it and it will intrigue them. So they read it and not too far into the book they realize that the author had a great story idea, but just threw it all together into a heap they called a book.
What these authors were lacking was the essentials of great fiction writing. You can't have a book until it has been born. And if you don't want your baby to have any issues or deficiencies, you better give birth to this baby right.
I'm going to share with you the general aspects you need for your book. In future posts, I may go more into detail with each of them.
1. Plot
I CANNOT tell you how many times I've seen a good story idea go to waste because their plot was equivalent to a smelly sock. Either their beginnings failed to hook me in, sagged in the middle or failed to satisfy me with a decent ending. Plot is essentially the layout of your baby's life. Good plots keep readers coming back for more and that's what everyone wants, right? This is how those readers will tell their friends and those friends will tell their friends, and low and behold! You've started a chain reaction.
2. Setting
Where your story takes place matters, too. Writers will often think the setting is just a petty detail, but this is not the case. Your setting is how the reader will visualize your story in their minds. If they can't see what's going on, the they won't understand it. Make sure your setting fits your story.
3. Characters
Your readers will want to empathize and go through life in this story with someone, right? So make your characters count. If you have too many, your readers will soon get confused. Give them and interesting back story and get to know this character like the back of your hand. Don't make your characters flat and boring or your book is as good as trash. Who wants to spend time with a boring person?
4. Dialogue
Since we're on the subject of characters, I've never heard of a human being not having the ability to talk in a story (unless their deaf). each person talks differently. If you can have your characters talk and you know who's talking without using an action tag, you've got how to write good dialogue.
5. Point of View
Wouldn't it be confusing if a story kept switching between the narrator telling the story and a character telling the story? That's why we have point of views (POV). Many types of POV are out there, but I'm just going to focus on two. First and third person. First person is when one character is doing the talking. It really helps the reader bond with his or her inner emotions and thoughts. Third person is when the narrator is talking about an individual person. You choose which one is the best for your book.
If you are having trouble with any of these five essentials, please email me and I can help you with anything you need. Sprinkle in some flair!
I'm going to share with you the general aspects you need for your book. In future posts, I may go more into detail with each of them.
1. Plot
I CANNOT tell you how many times I've seen a good story idea go to waste because their plot was equivalent to a smelly sock. Either their beginnings failed to hook me in, sagged in the middle or failed to satisfy me with a decent ending. Plot is essentially the layout of your baby's life. Good plots keep readers coming back for more and that's what everyone wants, right? This is how those readers will tell their friends and those friends will tell their friends, and low and behold! You've started a chain reaction.
2. Setting
Where your story takes place matters, too. Writers will often think the setting is just a petty detail, but this is not the case. Your setting is how the reader will visualize your story in their minds. If they can't see what's going on, the they won't understand it. Make sure your setting fits your story.
3. Characters
Your readers will want to empathize and go through life in this story with someone, right? So make your characters count. If you have too many, your readers will soon get confused. Give them and interesting back story and get to know this character like the back of your hand. Don't make your characters flat and boring or your book is as good as trash. Who wants to spend time with a boring person?
4. Dialogue
Since we're on the subject of characters, I've never heard of a human being not having the ability to talk in a story (unless their deaf). each person talks differently. If you can have your characters talk and you know who's talking without using an action tag, you've got how to write good dialogue.
5. Point of View
Wouldn't it be confusing if a story kept switching between the narrator telling the story and a character telling the story? That's why we have point of views (POV). Many types of POV are out there, but I'm just going to focus on two. First and third person. First person is when one character is doing the talking. It really helps the reader bond with his or her inner emotions and thoughts. Third person is when the narrator is talking about an individual person. You choose which one is the best for your book.
If you are having trouble with any of these five essentials, please email me and I can help you with anything you need. Sprinkle in some flair!