Story: What It Is and How to Write It

Just as the first chapter should be a place of intent, pointing the reader in the direction of the novel’s main story, story itself should unfold in a way that the writer manages. What is a story and how can you write one that appeals to readers?
Writing Tip for Today: The best writers make their work look easy. Perhaps that’s why writers sometimes think their story is going to form itself through some sort of intuitive process. While there may be a few natural storytellers, most writers must learn to craft story through reading, trial and error and most of all, practice.

  • Think of a story as “the formed record of a character testing conflict, told from a point of view.” The first part of the definition, “formed,” should alert you as the writer that for all the talk about characters taking over, in the end it’s up to you to form the story.
  • Nearly all good fiction springs from some type of formula. Character + Want + Obstacles = Struggle is one such formula. So is the collision of opposites as in, religious devotion + sexual love =?
  • Another way to think of a story is beginning, middle and end. In the beginning (aka Act One) you set-up the character, problem and obstacles. In the middle, (the long Act Two)you build up these elements and play out the conflict and in the end (a short Act Three) you pay-off the story by rewarding the reader with the resolution or how things turned out.

Try This! Insert your novel’s character, want, obstacle and outcome of the struggle into the formula. In what ways does this brief summary alert you to the shape of the story?

About Linda S. Clare

I'm an author, speaker, writing coach and mentor. I teach both fiction and nonfiction writing at Lane Community College and in the doctoral program as expert writing advisor for George Fox University. I love helping writers improve their craft and I'm both an avid reader and writer of stories about those with wounded hearts.

2 comments on “Story: What It Is and How to Write It

  1. I love this exercise for its concise power! I have just experimented by plugging my protagonist’s wants, obstacles, and outcome of his struggle into the general beginning, middle, and end of my story. The feeling of the result reminded me of standing chest-deep in ocean surf and feeling the tide effortlessly lift up my weight — an entire range of plot-character questions and answers all fell into place.

    GREAT EXERCISE, LINDA!

    — Anthony

  2. I’m so happy you’ve had a breakthrough! Isn’t it the best when you start to see your novel in tighter focus? I like to think of it as the God-inspired Me talking to the Craftsperson Me and coming up with better ideas as a result. Listening to your inner self, seeing the range of possibility brought forth by your subconscious, Muse, Creative Self or whatever you choose to call it is one of the most exhilarating things about writing. Keep up the good work. ~Linda

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *