An important part of any good story is the description of the locations, people, and things. It’s important to give the reader a good sense of what is happening inside the story; including the main character’s thoughts and feelings. While many people may not enjoy reading long paragraphs, they’ll appreciate the work that went into making these details as perfect as possible. Keep these paragraphs simple and to the point and you’ll see the impact this can have on your story’s overall quality.
Choose a Word
A good rule of thumb when writing any story is to choose a word that sums up the entire feeling or tone of the piece. For example, if you are writing a comedy, use words like funny, amusing, or humor. If you are trying to create a deep, emotional connection with your audience, use words like heartbreaking, joy, or ecstasy. Finding the right word can be tricky, but it will help your writing to have the right vibe. If you find yourself struggling for the right word, take a break and come back to the story later when you’ve had a little bit of time to think about it. Better to come back to it with a fresh set of eyes than to leave it unfinished due to lack of inspiration.
Describe the Place, Locality, or Setting
An exciting part about any novel or story is the places the characters visit; whether it’s a magical land or a distant galaxy. In order to make these places feel as real as possible to the reader, you need to give an idea of the space that the story takes place in. This includes not only the physical layout of the rooms and corridors but also things like the climate or seasons. If you’re writing on the theme of climate change, you need to be sure to include all the relevant information on whether it’s hot or cold, cloudy or clear, and so on. An easy way to remember the details of this section is to think of the K.I.S.S. rule (‘Keep It Short and Simple’); adding that extra letter because it’s sometimes difficult to succinctly describe what happens in a story. A good place to start would be with something like this:
“The town was filled with excitement as the circus came to town. People had gathered from near and far to see this amazing circus that had been so long coming. There were clowns, comedians, and even juggling magicians who delighted the audience with their tricks. The cats were a definite hit, drawing in spectators and the dogs followed close behind. After the novelty of the goats and elephants had worn off, little remained but the monkeys and the birds. It was indeed a wonderful spectacle to behold and it lasted for three days and nights. On the final day, there was only one last act left to conclude the show, the big top itself would be pulled down and everyone would go their separate ways. As the last chord faded away, the audience members began to file out of the big top, a glorious sun was about to set and bathing the whole circus in its golden beams.”
Now, that was an example of concisely and effectively describing the setting for a story. Instead of rambling on for a few more paragraphs, the writer has kept the description brief and sweet. The reader knows exactly what is happening because the details have been carefully chosen to match the vibe and tone of the piece; making everything fit perfectly in terms of consistency. When you follow this rule, the details you include will all be relevant and, more importantly, will add to the flow and coherence of the writing.
Who’s Who in Your Story
One of the most important things to do when writing is to make sure you know who the main characters are and what their purpose is in the story. Usually, this will involve creating a cast of unique and dynamic characters where every single one of them plays a vital role in the unfolding events. It’s always nice to have a supporting cast of individuals who play a role in making the story more interesting but it’s important to remember the main characters are at the center of everything. If you have a clear image in mind of the kind of people you want to see in your story, it will be easy to mold the characters around those people. You can start by simply having a group of friends round up a few cousins, fellow teachers, and other acquaintances and have them all take part in the action. The more people you have, the more interesting the story will be. It’s always good to have a few minor characters who serve specific purposes; some who play an important role in the story while others exist purely to color it with a bit of comedy or tragedy. When you have a clear idea of who your characters are, you’ll find it much easier to work out their individual roles and how they fit into the bigger picture. Roles can be determined by character personalities, by the way they act, or by what they say – it can be quite flexible when you want it to be.
All the Important Details
One of the things that can make or break a good story is the inclusion of all the important details. Nowadays, with the ability to research online via the internet; many writers are turning towards using encyclopedias and other reference books as a primary source of research. Instead of relying on their imaginations to make the world seem real, they’re turning to the written word to bring the locations, people, and things in their stories to life. If you’re using the internet to do some research, make sure you copy and paste anything that’s important into a word document. You wouldn’t want to miss out on any important details because you didn’t have the time to type out a full description of what you found. A good tip is to use a service like www.blinkist.com where you can store all your important findings in a centralized online space. It’s a safe bet that you’ll be revisiting this space often when you’re writing your story so it’s important to keep the details as accurate as possible. One of the most important things to do when writing is to make sure you know what is essential to include in your story and what can be left out. For example, if you’re writing about an historical event, you don’t need to waste your time writing about the clothing worn at the time. Keep your focus on the big picture; what happened and why it’s important. Details like the clothing worn by the characters or the locations can be added later when you’ve already got a good foundation laid down. You can use a tool like www.wordcount.com to help you figure out the essential details and how many words you’ll need to use to explain everything. If you’re still writing and haven’t reached the 20,000 word mark, take a mini-break and come back to it later when you’ve had some time to think about what you’ve written so far. You never know; maybe the break will inspire you to write that next section in a way that’ll leave the reader gasping for more. You can also use tools like this one to find the most commonly used words and phrases in your piece so you can easily adopt them into your writing. Doing this can help with consistency as well – using the same words and phrases whenever possible.