Tanya Said:

what makes a good story? writing tips?

We Answered:

As long as the begginning is discriptive, even if boring, a reader will continue to read.

It is difficult to intrest readers without a bit of a love story, as sad as that is. Try righting a relistic book. Don't go into ghost or dragons ect. unless ur aiming for nerdy fans. :D

wish i could of been more help.

Katherine Said:

Story writing tips please?

We Answered:

Get your hero in an impossible situation and let him or her get out of it by using brains rather than powers. (The powers can be the tool, but if the powers always get them out they are boring.)
For the unexpected effects, let them bluff their way out as if they had a different power, or as if they had their own abilities but do not use them.

And do not forget that little annoying thing that makes them human, like taking a teddy bear to a sleep over party when they are really to old to do so or always forgetting where they put the things they need next.

If you get stuck on this story, start an other, and get back to this one when you get going again.
Or think up a lot of story lines that do not need to fit in with this story, to get your fantasy going again.

Shelly Said:

I am having trouble coming up with a plot for my story. Any writing tips?

We Answered:

I could give you tons of ideas, but maybe if I show you how you can easily find ideas for yourself to expand on what you already know about your character, that might be better, I hope.

Stories tell us the meaning of life and say, "life is like that!". At least the best ones do.

So, to get you started, below is the process that will show you how a story begins from idea to germination. Then, once you grasp this you can learn how to turn a seedling into a rose bush.

Before you write, you must have something to say, though. There are three things that I believe are important and these three things are often confused with each other:

1) Premise
2) Setting
3) Theme

Let me illustrate the difference so you can easily find the theme and understand its difference from the setting and premise. By seeing how a writer creates stories, you can see it from his or her point of view and clearly find the theme, create a premise and setting and learn to do it yourself.

The controlling idea is the meaning of your story. It is another word for "theme". The premise is what happens. The setting is the place and time where it's set.

For example, when you ask someone who just watched or read "Lord of the Rings" what it's about, they'll probably say something like, "it's an epic story about a hobbit who is given a huge responsibility to take a magical ring into a mountain to destroy it and save the world and elves and men unite to....etc.." Or they may answer "It's about Middle Earth". These are not themes. The first is simply the premise. The latter is the setting. What the story is *really* about is: "Freedom is attained when we risk and sacrifice ourselves." That is the controlling idea (the theme) of the story. Of course, we can debate if that is the true controlling idea but I'm only giving you my interpretation.

Harry Potter's premise contains magic, and the setting is in a fantasy land, but the theme is not about magic nor fantasy. The theme of Harry Potter might be: "Happiness prevails when we are confident of our own gifts and individuality." Discuss. =)

Now you can apply this understanding as I'll explain below with a story to any story you read.

First, I'll explain the premise. This way you'll see the difference.

A writer finds a premise through research and asking "what if" for any situation. If you read the news, one can find many ideas if you simply ask yourself "what if" as you read through it.

For example, I randomly selected a news article on Yahoo News:
Survivors recall horror of flu pandemic

As I'm reading through each line, I'm thinking about story ideas and asking "what if". For example, I read this line:

>> The flu swept through the nation's capital, which had attracted thousands of soldiers and war workers.

Now I'm asking myself, 'what if someone built a virus and orchestrated a large event so they could infect everyone in it to inflict the most damage?'

That's a start, but sounds a bit cliche, but that's okay. Let your mind race and you'll then ask "what if" upon "what if". What if the person accidently released the virus and kept silent while everyone around them died? What if the event was organized by a force where people are called to gather in one location but everyone made excuses for going there without realizing they were being forced -- only a supernatural force could do that -- and the reason is the supernatural force wanted to end the human race? hehe...this gets into some horror or science-fiction if that's your bag. But you can see the magic "what if" at work.

Let's choose the supernatural 'what if' as the premise in this example. Now we're going to start thinking of the controlling idea. This is what is the heart of your story -- the story you need to tell and what the story is *truly* about.

The controlling idea is not a single word; it's not going to be about "viruses" nor "aliens" nor "Civil War". The Controlling Idea tells us, "life is like this!"

The controlling idea will be a sentence that tells us how and why life changes from one condition of existence to another (again, theme and controlling idea are the same -- I prefer to use controlling idea). This change will show up in the climax of the last act of your story. That's where you will find the controlling idea.

Concerning how I came up with Harry Potter's controlling idea, I looked at the last acts' endings of every Harry Potter story. What value changed? Harry went from being unconfident to confident and therefore was happy whereas each story opens with him in a situation and the world crumbling around him and constantly being challenged. Look at the last act's value change.

Fine writers filter everything they write through the controlling idea and then work up to the last climax -- look at the value that exists throughout the story because there will be themes that come and go. For example in Harry Potter he often seeks to befriend those who try to do him harm so we learn that "Trust is earned when we love our enemy" -- or because that didn't always work we could say, "Evil prevails when we try to love our enemies" but either of these is not the controlling idea of the entire story.

Going back to my story, by following the writer's work and using the premise that people are being supernaturally led to gather in one location, we need to come up with a protagonist. I'm going to use a "what if" and ask 'what if the protagonist is also under this supernatural spell?' That will make it more interesting because it will provide deeper conflict. Not only will he have to try to save the world but also get out the spell himself perhaps.

Some more questions I will ask myself and we're going to come to the controlling idea of the story I created: What is this spell? What is so attractive to force these people to gather without them even knowing they're being forced? Now this is starting to get rich. We know a lot of people do things they don't want because they're manipulated. Cults are famous for doing this. Charismatic leaders and propaganda are also effective. People are manipulated in many ways that many fail to see they're being manipulated. And those who best manipulate do it without you knowing. Life is like that! Now I'm starting to find my controlling idea.

My controlling idea is a sentence, it's not simply "manipulation". So, I start with something -- it's better than nothing: "Evil prevails when we fail to examine our conscious and instead follow others" or "Compassion prevails in humans only when we follow our conscious". Whichever we choose, it must be clear in the last-climax of the last act of your story.

As a writer develops the story, they work to that last act. Many writers paste that controlling idea onto the computer monitor and filter everything they write through it. Your characters may go in different directions, but this controlling idea is the writer's guide.

Concerning the setting, you can place this story in a different dimension, in a different time, or on a different planet. That will change the dynamics of the story but it won't change the controlling idea and that is where the power of the story exists -- it gives it meaning.

For the setting let's place this premise 50 years into the future on Earth.

The character will have an object of desire. In the premise that I've created, the supernatural force is manipulating people to gather in one location so it can infect them with a virus. Because I think this force is intelligent and sly, it's not going to be identical for every peson and is going to feed on the weakness of every individual. I think the best object of desire for the protagonist is going to be his pursuit of power within his sphere of influence. So, let's say he's an oceanographer (I pulled that out of nowhere). He would become famous and influential if he made an important discovery -- perhaps a discovery that can save lives such as tsumani detection technology (but in 50 years in the future we could make a more futuristic device). This is what he wants -- power. The force provides him the opportunity to seek this object and eventually he's going to have to go to this one location where the force intends to infect him. Now we have a lot more what ifs' to ask. As you can see, we're starting a great outline of the story and fleshing it out.

But we need to get back to the controlling idea.

I like up-endings so I want him to become redeemed in the end. I think his pride is too great and his pursuit of power is evil. His idea of saving lives is a great idea, but his reasoning is not -- he's doing it to gain influence for himself, not to help people -- this makes him conflicted and provides excellent dimension to his character. This force is going to manipulate his desire. But I am also going to add a subconscious desire to this. I want it so that he really doesn't want power...he simply doesn't recognize that the work he does already helps to save lives by adding to the research of others who are trying to find effective tsunami detection devices. He'll end up realizing this in the end. And this matches my controlling idea: "Evil prevails when we fail to examine our conscious and instead follow others." His pursuit of power only leads him into trouble as he follows others in trying to please them. But we still have to deal with this supernatural force that is manipulating everyone. Do we make our protagonist one who defeats the force, or do we make him lose by it. Either way, we must know the controlling idea clearly at the end of the last climax no matter what he does.

Although I went off in a science-fiction direction, the controlling idea I discovered can exist in any genre and any setting whether this is based during the time of the Civil War, the present, or on Mars.

Although I wrote a lot, I hope leading you through the writer's process will help you to see clearer how stories are developed and make it easier to find the theme and your premise and then things will begin to fall into place.

Dale Said:

Need some story writing tips?

We Answered:

Hey~
So I love the name of the serial killer. I'm assuming that the fact that the serial killer is named The Hang"man" is because he/she hangs his/her victims and the police or media don't know it's a man or a woman. The female angle is interesting. Try it and see if it works... if i doesn't you can revise it.

I like it when the author makes me try to figure it out on my own instead of letting me know who the killer is outright. Short scenes from the killer's point of view can be effective if left ambiguous.

You don't want shock just to be shocking-- the events still need to make sense and the plot believable.

Good luck =)

Erika Said:

Does anyone have any tips about story writing?

We Answered:

The best thing will be first if you go to some good sites and get some information about great tips and tricks. Be creative, take examples from other story books and enjoy.
Go to googlesearch or ask.com, it may turn out useful.

Dwayne Said:

What are some tips of writing a short story?

We Answered:

keep in mind the plot you want to follow throughout the whole story. Go straight into the "mess" or story without an introduction..."It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." for a great effect of short stories. description is the key- and marks are the lock. Keep that in mind and have fun! Add the occasional twist and strange remark.

Marie Said:

How can i describe in detail people and places when writing a fictional story? tips?

We Answered:

Most of the time when we think of great stories, we think of just that: stories. We don’t often think about the bits and pieces that make up the composite whole, the 206 different bones beneath the polished flesh, the mosaic chips that form the complete picture. But it’s these bits, bones, and chips that decide whether a story is the entertainment of an hour or a lasting piece of literature.

We can write the most enthralling story ever told, but if we don’t artfully wield the details of that story, it will never live up to its full potential. As artists, we can’t avoid looking at the big picture at the expense of even the tiniest detail. Author and teacher Gary Provost wrote:

"Writing is not a visual art. It is a symphony, not an oil painting. It is the shattering, not the glass. It is the ringing, not the bell. The words you write make sounds, and when the sounds satisfy the reader’s ear, your writing works."

It’s easy enough to write about someone peeling an orange or drinking a cup of coffee. And since most readers have both peeled and drunk, the author doesn’t have an obligation to explain these actions in detail. Or does he?

Ultimately, saying a character peeled an orange is more than sufficient to get the job done. Outlining every motion his fingers make to complete the process would be both extraneous and excessive. But a skillful author knows better than to let the opportunity pass without the deft insertion of the kind of details that can bring even this ordinary action to life for the reader. Suddenly, the reader can feel the nubbly rind under his fingers; he can smell the delicate spray as the skin is pulled back; he can see the opalescent beads of orange as the fruit is broken open. White fingerprints appear on the steamy side of the coffee mug; the rich scent of a Kenyan blend catches in the back of his throat; the first sip warms him all the way down his chest to his stomach.

These subtle touches of vibrancy are often referred to as “telling details.” It’s our job to find not just any detail, but *the* detail. We don’t need lengthy paragraphs of description; sometimes all it takes to animate a scene right before a reader’s eyes is to highlight the one detail that makes it all pop. Romantic suspense author Kristen Heitzmann is particularly talented in this area. In her novel Secrets, she breathes life into even something so mundane as a simple “Help Wanted” sign:

"He motioned through the wide doorway to the sun in the front-parlor window. The sun-backed, reversed letters did form a Help Wanted sign, and along with her name and phone number she had written in bold black the position available: maid/cook."

“Sun-backed, reversed letters”: four simple words that completely transform an ordinary descriptive passage into a vivid image. How many of us have seen just such a sign from the inside of a building, the letters backward because they face the street, the sun shining through the white paper that surrounds the black lettering? We’ve all witnessed just such a moment, but thanks to Heitzmann’s skill in representing the ordinary, it instantly elevates her scene.

The key to skillful detailing is twofold:

1. It means both utilizing and looking past the obvious.
2. It means a skillful use of specific nouns and vibrant verbs. The letters are “reversed” and “sun-backed.” The orange rind is “nubbly,” the fruit “opalescent beads.” The window “shatters.”

Play with your prose, toying with the descriptions, the words, the sounds, until you find just the right combination to evoke the telling details. It is these tiny, often insignificant details that make all the difference in creating prose so powerful it paints living pictures in your readers’ minds.

-K.M. Weiland
Author of Historical & Speculative Fiction
http://www.kmweiland.com