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What Makes a Good Creative Writing Story?

I was recently pondering this question, and after some thought, I came up with a good answer. I believe that a good creative writing story contains an underlying theme that relates to something important in the world today. This theme or idea should be developed and explored in such a way that it makes the reader think, feel, or do something. Moreover, I think that the story should make the reader want to learn more about the topic that it explores. This is what makes it good creative writing!

Thematic Content

This is material that explores, comments upon, or relates in some way to the theme or idea that you have in mind when writing the story. This could include the setting, characters, or plot. In general, it’s good practice to use the elements of setting, scene, and character to establish your theme and perspective. You don’t have to limit yourself to just these three elements, but they are the building blocks of good creative writing. Moreover, you should vary your use of these elements across the various chapters of your story in an effort to keep the reader interested.

A Little About Setting

The setting of your story can be either contemporary or historical; it really doesn’t matter as long as it’s relevant to the events that take place. Typically, contemporary settings are explored in stories because they’re relevant to the themes that are currently being explored in contemporary culture. Moreover, there’s a wide variety of settings available, so you’re sure to find something that suits your story perfectly. As for historical settings, these can be very effective in bringing perspective to your story. To give you an idea of what I mean, here are a few historical figures you might want to explore:

  • Charles Darwin
  • Sigmund Freud
  • Marie Curie
  • Jane Austen
  • Leo Tolstoy
  • Carl Gustav Jung

The importance of the historical setting, or the setting of a fictional story for that matter, is that it can ground your story in reality. Moreover, if you choose a historical setting, you have an opportunity to add additional layers of meaning to your story by giving it context. For example, if you were to set your story during the American Revolution, you would have the opportunity to explore issues of independence and rebellion. Similarly, if you were to set your story in modern-day Russia, you could comment upon issues of political upheaval and identity. By adding more context, you would increase the meaning of your story exponentially!

Characters

Your characters should be fully fleshed out and should behave in a way that is both realistic and interesting. Moreover, your characters should behave in accordance with the world and cultural expectations of the time period in which your story is set. For example, if your story is set in the American Colonies, then your characters should behave in a way that is consistent with the way that people of that time and place would have behaved. As a general rule, it is best to make your characters as real as possible while still keeping their uniqueness and individuality intact. To develop your characters, think about who you are personally and what you know about the world. Moreover, when exploring literary and storytelling themes, it is often helpful to look to historical figures for inspiration. For example, if you want to explore the themes of isolation and loneliness, you could look to famous figures such as Edgar Allan Poe and Henry David Thoreau for inspiration.

A fully fleshed out cast of characters, intriguing plot, and consistent setting are the key elements of a good creative writing story. These three elements should come together in a way that makes the reader want to continue reading. Moreover, the story should be a minimum of 200 pages in length, and should be of high quality with very little spelling and grammatical errors. These elements may seem obvious, yet it’s amazing how many times I see beginners’ stories that don’t live up to these standards.

Tone

In addition to being well-written, your story should also have the right tone. One of the most important things to keep in mind as you write is that your story is meant to entertain. So, if you want your story to be humorous or fun to read, then you should probably remove some of the more solemn or serious tones. On the other hand, if you want your story to be very dramatic or emotional, then you should probably work on increasing the intensity of those elements. Naturally, there are always exceptions to this rule, but in general, you should aim for something in between to create the best possible effect.

Style

The style of your story is a combination of the way you write, the words you use, and the structure of your story. You can choose from a variety of styles, including:

  • Fiction: Stories where the plot is considered to be more important than the development of character. Think: Harry Potter series
  • Narrative Nonfiction: Although the story may appear to be fictitious, the events and encounters in the story should be considered to be real. Think: Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn
  • Autobiographical: The events in your story should be either firsthand experiences or experiences that you have heard about. Think: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and A Separate Peace.
  • Memoir: This is a type of narrative nonfiction where a person’s life is explored. Think: Life in Luxury and Pursuit of Happiness.
  • Analysis of Mythology: In this type of story, you explore the various mythological themes and try to explain their origins and meaning. Think: The Iliad and The Odyssey.
  • Biography: A story about the life of someone notable. Think: The Life and Times of Margaret Thatcher, Titanic, The Untold Story, and Kubla Khan.
  • Travelogue: These are stories that are meant to be read as travel essays. Think: Journey to Freedom: Travels Through the Swiss Alps and Arlington House School: A New England Odyssey.
  • True Life Adventure: This is generally considered to be a combination of autobiography and narrative nonfiction. Think: The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
  • Legend: This is a story that is either fictitious or is based on actual events that happened long ago. Think: Robin Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Aladdin.
  • Epos: This is a story that is composed of a series of poems, usually associated with a certain theme. Think: The Odyssey and The Aeneid.
  • Dramatization: This is a similar concept to the legend type of story. Instead of poems, the poems or songs in a dramatization are performed by professionals.
  • Comedy: Short stories that often include a fairly humorous element. Think: Alice in Wonderland and Curious Notions.
  • Folklore: Stories that explain the origins of certain objects, customs, beliefs, or places. Think: The Emperor’s New Clothes and East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
  • Psychological Study: These types of stories are often associated with certain psychologists or psychiatrists who study human behavior. Think: Adventures in Psychology and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

As you can see, there are many different types of stories that you could write, so it’s important to find one that suits you. Moreover, the ideas and examples I have given here should only be used as a general guideline. You should feel free to come up with your own ideas and to interpret the style and content of your story in a way that works best for you.