Epic Advice and Encouragement (EAE)

Advice 10 ☼ How to Make a Story Interesting

Hey guys!

So the other day one of my readers, Aquaicedragon, had asked me a question about writing a story and I will now attempt to answer it! The question is:

How do you make your story interesting to make the readers not want to stop reading?

There are many of you who are probably wondering the exact same thing, but the problem is that all stories are different. There is always going to be something that a story has that draws you in that others may not have. However, with the help of ProjectMyst, the two of us conversed about what we think makes a story interesting. Together, we came up with five major things that should come into play if you want the story to be engaging and worthwhile. So, let us begin.

I) Characterization: 

Now, this may seem really obvious! Of course, you need characters in a story if you want it to be interesting! But what kind of characters and characterization do you need to make your readers love them? You need characters that are easy to relate to. In this day and age, some people believe that a woman has to be strong and independent and doesn't need a man in their life. In fact, they do not need anyone. This is not a good character, they have no weaknesses, no moments of doubt. Can you relate to a character like that? No. At least, I can't.

The characters that you write need to be written as if they were real, as if they were alive. In a way, they technically are alive, inside of you. Now show that in your writing. Maybe they have depression, maybe they hate people, or maybe they just can't seem to stop swearing. Give them a life, a personality, and your readers will eat them up.

II) Physical descriptions: 

This is an issue that I see in a lot of stories. Either they are not described at all or they are described too much. So, where is the balance? In the end, it belongs in the personal preference area because some people want/need things spelled out for them and others do not. Both Myst and I agree that neither of us like everything being told to us. We want to be able to imagine something about the characters without the writer shoving it down our throats. Generally, our details for our characters result in the basic hair, eye, and skin color of the character, the character build, and any defining marks such as tattoos, scars, or birthmarks.

We don't add more than that because we think it is actually unnecessary to have more than that. For us, our characters, while alive, are meant to pull in the readers and engage them mentally and emotionally. If we add too many details on looks, we see it as a possibility to actually tear away the interest and love that the readers should have.

III) Details: 

So, another obvious one, yes? Maybe not so much. One of the worst things that a writer can do is spend hours on describing a room or an item. Try to imagine you're in English class and your teacher makes you read a story, a really good story. A story that has so many engaging and interesting scenes and characters and you are so excited to talk about that book in class. But then, you're in class and your teacher wants to talk about a single line at the beginning of the story that really did not have that much of an impact on the novel. It is seriously one of the most boring things that a student goes through and part of them reason why so many students hate to read.

Now, let us go with the analogy that the writer is the teacher and the reader is the student. The student wants—needs—the story, the plot, the world, but not the hundreds of countless details that had a purpose. That isn't saying that you cannot have details because you do need them, but you cannot spend a whole paragraph describing the grain and type of wood on a table (yes this has been done). On the other hand, you do not want to write and completely ignore the world, the setting, and the scene to keep the story moving.

IV) Pacing: 

This kind of intertwines with the details, but also the plot. A writer always needs to remember to pace the story correctly, the scenes need to flow together, the action needs to be fast paced but the resting/relaxing scenes need to come off slow. It may seem like a lot of things that one needs to keep in mind when writing, but experience will help you develop the pacing correctly. The one thing that a writer needs to keep in mind when it comes to pacing is the vocab. If your characters are fighting, you want vivid, powerful, and maybe even violent words, but if they're sleeping, then you want calm, soothing, and gentle words to give it a sense of rest.

As for the scenes, you never want to stay in a scene longer than you need to and you should never have a 'filler' chapter. It draws the story and the plot out to the point that the readers are going to be bored. You can have important but relaxing scenes in a story, but don't put in a chapter because "oh I want to" only because "oh I need to." Make everything flow together and make everything be important and the pacing of the story will be perfect.

V) Plot Twists: 

Now, this is another thing that I see get asked a lot. "Do I need a plot twist? How do I do it? What happens if I do this and not this?" As writers, it is our job to surprise our readers, to play with their emotions, and maybe even break their hearts. However, to do that, it needs to be planned and logical. I have seen a lot of people who write stories like "I need a plot twist because I want to surprise my readers." No, do not fall into this trap, do not even try to attempt this. Never write a plot twist to surprise your readers, but because you need it for your story.

If you want to kill off a character, why? Because it will hurt your readers or because it will further the plot? If it's the first one, then stop, turn around and figure something else out. If it's the second, chop the character's head off or rip out his heart and be on your way. A twist must be a logical part of the story that will help further the plot and the characterization; if you get your readers crying into their pillows, well that's just an added bonus.

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Now, there are a lot of things that come into writing a good story, but these are the five major things that Myst and I believe to be important in all stories, no matter the genre. The final thing that I would personally like to say is this: love your story irrevocably. Break your own heart, destroy your own dreams, and lift yourself up into cloud nine. If you can destroy yourself, you can destroy your readers.

All the love,

Star~