by Poppy Reid

Created on: July 26, 2010

There are millions and millions of fictional books in the world - short stories, novels, paperbacks, hardbacks, modern best sellers, old classics that everyone knows, fan fiction and hundreds more.  There are thousands of different kinds of writers from all sorts of backgrounds, and you'd like to be one of them.

Many people will say that writing a story isn't as easy as it sounds.  However, it is a very enjoyable and satisfying experience that, if you have the passion and the motivation, it fun and hopefully you'll enjoy every minute of it, from starting the first sentence to the final editing.

The difficult part is where to begin.  Sometimes a writing "teacher" will insist that before you do anything, you have to "think of a beginning, a middle and an end", and that this is the basis of your storyline.  However, my personal recommendation is that you start from your own idea.  What inspired you to create this story in the first place?  Was it the characters?  The plot?  The setting?

Once you've started, it motivates you to carry on.  Start at the very first sentence.  Will you start with dialogue?  Maybe a description of a setting?  What's the opening chapter like?  Will you start with an action scene?  Will it be exciting?  Scary?  Romantic, perhaps?

Think about your characters.  You have to believe they're real.  You have to know every tiny detail about them.  You have to believe that you've met them.  Breathe them, know them and see them.  Once you know they're real, you'll know what they'd do in any situation you put them in, and how they make the story unfold.

I always find that music can give me ideas.  When you've decided on the genre of your story, listen to some appropriate music and imagine a scene from your book.  For example, if there's a huge battle in your storyline, why not put on the soundtrack for the film "Gladiator"?  If there's a love scene, put a love song on and fit the scene into your mind.  Watch films or read books that are similar to your idea (but don't be tempted to copy!).  It'll make it seem so much more real to you and inspire you to finish your own story.

Don't panic about taking too long on a story - if it's rushed you can miss important details.  Some great novels take years and years to write.  If you're not happy with something, leave it and come back to it later.  Read the dialogue out loud to yourself and see if it sounds okay, and if it sounds typical of your characters' personalities.  Read the description of your settings carefully and make sure it's accurate enough for the reader to imagine themselves there.

As your plot goes on, think about the ending.  You don't want it to end too abruptly.  You want to satisfy your audience.  Do you want it to be sad or happy?  Maybe you'll leave a cliffhanger.  Maybe you'll kill of a few characters along the way.

Whatever you do with your story, make sure you love it yourself.  If you're not interested in it, no one else will be.  Enjoy writing it - it's your own story and you want to make it as good as you can.  The readers will be able to sense your passion as they read it - enthusiasm is never a bad thing when it comes to writing.  Good luck!

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