Improve your writing by eliminating adverbs, redundancies and static scenes. But what about the story itself? Sometimes referred to as the narrative arc, story is more important than any writing skill. I’ve said it before: A mediocre writer with a fabulous story (narrative arc) is more likely to find success than the best prose that has no story. That said, exceptions are out there but most of us have a better chance at publication if we tell a compelling story.
Writing Tip for Today: Even a compelling narrative arc will suffer if the story doesn’t grab the reader right away. Forgo backstory and set-up narrative until after the reader is hooked. In media res means “in the middle of the action.” Use this as a guideline when you decide where to begin the story. If you start too far back in time, the reader may not stick around long enough to get to the exciting part.