How to Write a Story that Comes Alive

Here you'll find everything you know about how to write a story from start to finish, including easy techniques and tips for bringing your fiction to life.

Have you ever read a story that you couldn't put down? A story that felt so real and intense that it was like you were actually living it? If you want to know how to write a story that does all this, you're in the right place.

You'll cover all the essential elements of fiction, from writing vivid descriptions to creating characters and plots that readers will care about.

Learn how to avoid common creative writing mistakes. And find the answers to these (not Frequently Asked) questions:

• What did one successful novelist do instead of murdering her ex-husband?
• How is writing a novel too soon like getting married too young?
• What's a really bad strategy for convincing people you're super-cool?
• What made my friend fall in love with a vampire? How can you make your readers fall in love?
• Do you hear voices in your head? If not, what should you do about it?

For a complete course on how to write a story, with a self-study guide, exercises, and progress checklist, visit the free online writing courses page. Or, if you just want to brush up on a particular story-writing topic, browse the Contents list below.

If you're looking for story starters and ideas for creative writing, visit the creative writing prompts section.

If you're a creative writing teacher, you might like to visit the teaching page for guidelines on how to teach writing using the resources on this site.

How to Write a Story - Contents

1- Types of Fiction - Which One You Should Write. Do you want to be a short story writer, a novelist, a novella-ist? Is novella-ist even a word? Learn about the types of fiction and which one might be right for you.

2- What is Fiction and an Easy Technique for Writing Better Stories. What is fiction, and how is it like dreaming? A discussion of where story ideas come from, plus an incredibly simple way to improve your imagination and your writing.

3- How to Write Fiction that Feels Real - The Secrets of Showing Versus Telling. How to write fiction that makes readers feel like they’re inside your stories. Essential techniques for developing scenes and creating an intense reader experience.

4.1- Fiction-Writing Tips - Create Characters Your Readers will Care about. Fiction-writing tips for inventing characters and turning them into stories. Learn the number one secret to creating stories and novels that people will care about.

4.2- Questionnaires for Writing Character Profiles . Writing character profiles is an easy way to invent characters and to come up with story ideas. Use these helpful questionnaires to get started.

5- What is Plot - How to Build a Story from Beginning to End. What is plot? It’s what happens in a story, and the order it happens in. Learn the basics of story structure. How to create a narrative conflict and why your fiction will die if you don’t.

6- The Story Climax – How to Make Your Fiction More Exciting. Have you ever read a book you just couldn’t put down? Learn what a story climax is and how to have your readers on the edge of their seats.

7- How to Write Short Stories from Inside Your Character's Head. What's the best way to tell your story? All about narrative point of view, plus tips to help you avoid common creative writing mistakes.

8.1- How to Write Dialogue that Works. Find out how to write dialogue that your readers can actually hear in their minds. How to express each character’s unique voice and avoid boring blah-blah-blah.

8.2- More on Writing Dialogue. Essentials of writing dialogue tags and using dialogue in your fiction. Important dos and don’ts to avoid confusing or distracting your readers.

9- Tips for Writing a Story - Control Your Reader's Imagination with Powerful Descriptions. How to write a story with the specific details that help your readers imagine scenes exactly the way you want them to.


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