One of the most prominent roles of any job is the one that involves writing. It is often said that writers are “masters of their craft,” since they are able to utilize their creativity and skill in producing words that compel readers to engage with the content or to find out more about the subject matter. While this may be true, it can also be frustrating for writers who are looking for inspiration on what they should write about next! Hopefully, this post will provide you with some fresh ideas on what to write about next by analyzing the strength of your existing work. Let’s get started.
The Elements Of A Good Story
A good story is character-driven and has well-defined characters with whom the reader can easily identify. In order to compel the reader to keep turning the pages, your story must contain sufficient suspense and intrigue. One of the primary purposes of a story is to entertain the reader, and in order to do this, you must ensure that the information given is interesting and that the narrative is engaging. In order to write a good story, you must take the time to establish the characters and allow the reader to get to know them; their personalities, their likes, and their dislikes. In addition, you should try to avoid moralizing in your stories and stick to the facts as much as possible. This will make the story more realistic and draw readers in. You can use the following tips to help you write your next best story:
Make It Personal
In a story, nothing is more frustrating for the reader than when the author tries to impress them with unnecessary scientific jargon or the facts of history. When possible, use words that the reader can relate to and apply the information to their own lives. For example, instead of writing “Neanderthals and Homo sapiens competed for dominance in Europe,” you could instead write “The heat of the competition was rising and so was my temperature.” Not only will this make the story more inviting, but the reader will also understand what you are writing about since they are able to associate words such as “heat,” “temperature,” and “competition” with their own lives. In order to make your story personable, you must take the time to get to know the characters prior to their journey as well as during it. It is a good idea to write down what you know about the characters before you start outlining the story. If you do not know much about them, you will struggle to write an engaging narrative since the reader will not be able to identify with the characters. In addition, you should try to avoid using words or phrases that are overused in writing. As a rule of thumb, fewer than six words that are commonly repeated in a row (to the point that they are monotonous) should be eliminated from your text.
Diversify Your Vocabulary
In order to make your story more realistic and exciting, you should try to incorporate diverse vocabulary and use a range of words and phrases. In addition, you should avoid using words and phrases that are overused in daily life. For example, avoid using “on-branding” and “brand loyalty” when describing a product’s packaging or the act of purchasing a branded product. When possible, use words that are specific to the subject matter of the story. For example, if you are writing about an athletic competition, you could use words related to sports such as “kickoff” or “possession” instead of using everyday words such as “arrive” or “depart” when describing the beginning of the game.
Play To Your Strengths
As mentioned before, a good story will be character-driven and will contain well-defined characters with whom the reader can easily identify. One of the best ways to write an engaging story is to play to your strengths. This does not necessarily mean that you should play to your weaknesses (that would be a recipe for disaster), but rather that you should use your specific skills and experience to write about the things that you are passionate about. If you are a science buff, you could write a story about genetics or evolution; if you are an artist, you could explore the creative process or draw a scientific chart that will amaze your readers. The bottom line is that you should make the most out of your strengths and the things that you are passionate about in life. If you know that you are a wordsmith, you could develop a plot centered around a treasure hunt or a mystery where the reader has to solve the riddle of the enigma. In addition to using your strengths, you could also incorporate historical facts into your story. The key is to make the story as personal as possible while still sticking to the facts as much as possible.
Follow The Rule Of Three
To give your story more impact, you should try to follow the “rule of three.” This implies that you should start with a scene that will engage the reader, make them curious about the outcome, and end with a plot twist that surprises them. As a matter of fact, the rule of three can be applied to all three types of storytelling (narrative, drama, and comedy), and it ensures that the story is interesting and keeps the reader turning the pages. The rule of three can be applied to any type of writing, not just stories. For example, the opening scenes of a romance novel could follow the three-step formula: engage, intrigue, and satisfy. The formula is easy to follow: