You’re sitting at your keyboard, trying to get some words on paper. Maybe you’ve been playing a bit on your phone or tablet, or maybe you’re just coming up with random ideas as you go along. Either way, you’ve got some writing to do!
But how long should your story be? What’s the minimum word count you need to achieve a publishable piece? How many pages should you aim for?
All these questions arise when you’re trying to write a novel or novella, but they’re just as relevant if you’re trying to write short stories for magazines or publish a book of poetry.
Whether you’re writing for a broad audience or just for yourself, this article will give you some tips on how to write a long, exciting story that will keep your readers hooked to the end.
The Basics
You’ve got your characters. Your lead character, if you’re writing a novel. Maybe she’s a princess searching for her prince’s kiss. Or a meek baker’s apprentice who wants to prove he can be brave. Or a spirited farm girl who wants to travel the world and discover new things. Whatever your lead character is, she has quirks, she has a past, and she has hopes and dreams for the future.
You’ve got your setting. The time period in which your story is set. The place. The elements – such as water, sky, sun, and moon – that make up the environment. Weather conditions – hot or cold, calm or stormy, sunny or overcast – play a huge part in your story.
Then, you’ve got the story itself. The events that transpire as your characters struggle to overcome challenges and obstacles that arise from their situations. The plot twists and turns that ensue as your story evolves and changes over the course of its telling.
Last but not least, you’ve got the dialogue. The words that your characters speak, either to each other or to the reader. Whether in speech bubbles or run-on sentence fragments, the dialogue should be rich and alive, and should help move the story along.
Types Of Stories
You’ve got short stories, which can be anywhere from a few thousand words to a novella or a full-length novel. Shorter stories are usually easier to write and can be a lot of fun to create. You don’t need to beat yourself up about whether or not you’ll be able to sell your story – you just need to write the best piece that you can and enjoy the process.
For longer stories – whether it’s a novella, a short story collection, or a novel – you need to start by considering the voice of the storyteller. Who is this person, and what is their voice like? Start by asking yourself questions about the story itself; what are you trying to say? What do you want the reader to get out of it?
As you start to piece together your story, you should start considering the type of story that you’re weaving. Is it a coming-of-age tale? A romance? A thriller? A tale of terror?
The main goal of this step is to decide what kind of story you’re going to write, and to start creating an outline or a plot. Do your research online and find out what story types are popular at the moment. This way, you’ll know what to expect from audiences when you sit down to write.
Characters
Your characters should be unique, memorable, and lovable. A lot of times, the hardest part of writing is getting the characters to live in your head and on your paper. When you read over your work, you’ll see lots of rooms for improvement, but the most crucial thing is that your characters should live!
Start by brainstorming as many character names as you can. For a romance, maybe you have a wealthy aristocrat who can offer the heroine her dream job. Or maybe it’s a rebellious young adult who stands in the way of the happily ever after. The possibilities for rich, memorable characters are endless!
Once you’ve got your character names down, it’s time to flesh them out. Take a moment and think about what makes each of these characters tick. What drives them? What are they afraid of? What do they want?
What are they like? What is their voice like? Remember, the reader doesn’t know these people, so you have to establish a connection with the characters straightaway. Make the reader care about them by using descriptive words and phrases to paint a mental picture in their heads.
If you’re writing a romance, your characters should fall in love in a believable way. Even if you’ve written the story before, take some time to explore the ins and outs of romance. Are they star-crossed lovers? An older couple trying to relive youthful passions? A princess who needs to save her kingdom and meets her match in a rugged warrior?
With a little bit of research, you’ll be able to write a believable romance that will leave your readers breathless. And don’t be afraid to be a little bit poetic. Your characters should fall in love at first sight, they should have instant connection, and they should be able to express their feelings eloquently.
World Building
If you’ve ever read a Stephen King novel or listened to an NPR radio story, you know that King is a fantastic world builder. The amount of research that he puts into creating detailed settings and atmospheres is incredible. So, before you begin writing, take a breath and create a world that your readers will love to escape to. You don’t need to plan out every scene; just get stuck in and start writing!
When King is writing, he’ll often tell his assistant to get him some coffee, because the writer’s mind will just keep wandering as he works. Do the same thing whenever you find yourself stuck. Instead of worrying about whether or not you’ll be able to pull off a certain scene, just write it. The more you write, the more you’ll figure out – and the better your story will be. So don’t get anxious about perfecting your prose. Just let your fingers do the typing, and see what happens.
There are lots of ways to build a world. You could start with a speech bubble in the form of an exclamation mark or question mark – in the same way you’d use a question mark at the end of a sentence to ask a question. This is called a ‘raised voice,’ and it can be a way of conveying emotion through your characters without using words.
If you’re wondering what to include in your world-building phase, consider the time period in which your story takes place. What is prevalent at the moment that your story is set? What was prevalent when your lead character was a baby? Research the history of your setting and learn as much as you can about the culture and the elements that shape it.
Scenes & Actions
When you reach the stage where you’ve finished drafting your outline, it’s time to start putting it into scenes. There should be a scene at the beginning of your story where the characters meet or interact with each other; this will depend on whether or not you’ve decided to have a prologue, which we’ll discuss later.
Start by putting down whatever comes to mind as a scene. It doesn’t need to be perfect; just get it on paper. When you read over your work, you’ll see lots of rooms for improvement, but the most crucial thing is that your scenes should live. They should further the story and advance it towards its conclusion. The scenes should be there to serve a purpose. It is very unlikely that your story will be effective if the reader doesn’t believe that it is plausible – if something doesn’t feel right, then the reader will instantly realize that something is off. However, sometimes the easiest way to tell a story is by showing it. It’s why we have writers’ workshops; sometimes you just need someone to listen.
Now that you’ve got the general idea of how to write a story down, it’s time to start putting it into practice! Open up a word processing document and start typing. Don’t worry about perfect grammar or punctuation at this stage; just get the words down. As you write, you’ll find that certain phrases and words will come naturally, and you won’t have to think about them as you go. Just keep typing, and soon enough, you’ll find yourself immersed in your story.