12/24/2023 0 Comments Storywriting techniques![]() And make sure the stakes are high.Ĭhoices determine character. If you make the middle messy for your character, giving them inner as well as outer conflict, they can grow and show what they’re made of. To create a mighty middle with this kind of change, it can be useful to think of stories as having a ‘beginning, muddle, end’. It’s just a list of events.Ī feeling of connection comes from identifying with the character at some level, and experiencing some of their inner conflict and change by proxy. A story without a character change doesn’t have a point. If they don’t evolve in this way, it’s hard to connect deeply with them as readers. They do this by confronting challenges, and emerging changed from the encounter. In a well-shaped story, the story has a major hinge or turning-point where the character undergoes a significant transformation. Structurally, this kind of story is more like a report or anecdote. Even if there’s plenty of action, and an escalating plot, it’s still linear. If there’s no character change or transformation, the story is linear – in a straight line. In fact, high-action stories without character change can be the most boring and lifeless of all. This happens even in stories with loads of action. However, a lack tension is by far the commonest problem. A single compelling character in the opening paragraph is more engaging than three or four glanced over.Ĭreative writing techniques for the middle of stories are hard to pin down. The narrow focus will help the reader to get to know the character more easily. This clarity will give you the foundation for writing a scene. A character, a place, an object.Īnd then a direction of travel or transformation – from x to x. It’s often helpful for writers to concentrate on just “three things”, to give their opening a tight focus. Think of leading the reader on a journey, rather than bombarding them in a scattergun way. Writers need tight control of how information unfolds. ![]() It takes time for readers to settle into a story, tune into it properly, and to get to know characters. It’s as though the writer is so excited and full of ideas that everything spills out at once.īut too much information at once can overwhelm the reader. Or, they’ve written a page in one character viewpoint or location, then hopped quickly to another. For example, the writer has introduced three or four characters in the first paragraph. The commonest problem I see is story openings with far too much information. So, does your first paragraph intrigue the reader? Does it create tension, ask a question or arouse curiosity in some way? Does it have a visual element that starts to build the world for the reader? It just needs to intrigue the reader into reading on. But a hook doesn’t need to be a big, flashy event. It’s true – you do need to attract the reader’s attention. Writing a strong startĬreative writing techniques often mention story hooks. Try thinking of seduction, sustain and farewell, rather than beginning, middle and end. You’re building a relationship, not just transmitting information. Thinking about “beginning, middle and end” in an experiential way like this is a useful technique for helping you to focus on the reader. The chat and discussion they’ll have with each other. Imagine a theatre audience going out into the night, and the feelings they carry with them on the way home. They have an impact way out of proportion to their length. ![]() ![]() As long as you create that sense of narrative traction, the reader will stay with you.Įndings are the feeling the reader goes away with. So the middle, too, has an underlying shape that pulls the reader through. Stories are essentially a character’s journey from A to B, with obstacles in the way. Once you’ve got their attention and persuaded them to stay with you, the middle begins. You need to attract their attention, take them by the hand, and lead them onto the floor. It’s a bit like inviting someone to dance, old-style. The beginning has just one job to do, and that’s to pull the reader in. So just having a ‘beginning, middle and end’ itself isn’t enough. This is a well-worn writing mantra, but what does it really mean? Every piece of writing begins and ends, after all. But which are useful to the beginner? Here are 5 practical techniques that my creative writing students have found most helpful. Creative writing techniques are hard to pin down, as writers are all so different.
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