Sometimes the world just needs a story. And sometimes, you just need to tell yours. Not "your" story per se. At least not in an auto-biographical sense. I mean the story, or in most cases, the idea of a story that you have tucked into a corner in your mind. You know the one with the vivid scenes filled with complex characters that occupy your thoughts now and then. And when you finally decide to share this amazing "thing" with the world, you might not know where to start. In fiction, the characters and places are real, but not really. Writing fiction is making up a new reality based on what you know about human beings and our place in this universe. That's why it's so exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Writing fiction is a fine art that combines a unique perspective, the skill of using language, and the understanding of human nature. Your hope as a writer is to take the reader on an imaginative journey into the experiences of others. Allowing them to get to know people, places, and things that might be completely foreign to them. And of course ultimately, Fiction can help both the reader and the author understand our own lives in a new way.
There are no strict rules to follow when it comes to writing fiction, but there are some tips that can help you get started.
As anyone who has ever tried will tell you, writing fiction requires you to use your imagination and come up with new ideas for plots or characters. Simple enough, right? The key is to write in such a way that readers will be able to understand what you're trying to say without having much, if any, knowledge about it themselves.
You can choose when to write, but not how.
There are two parts to writing a novel: the writing and the editing. It's not uncommon to spend as much time editing a book as you do writing it. This is one reason why many people have a hard time finishing their novels—because they're so focused on getting their story perfect in one draft that they don't allow themselves to move on until they've achieved this goal.
In addition, editing takes time because it's hard work! When I'm editing my own first drafts, I get tired after reading each chapter (or section) once through. I know what needs changing, but it still takes effort to make those changes while maintaining consistency across all of my characters' voices, plot points and settings. It's like having an argument with myself: "That doesn't sound right...but this other thing might work better here"; "This sentence makes sense when read aloud..."; etc., etc., ad nauseum (sorry).
Immerse yourself into other stories so you can have more inside you when it comes time for your own story to emerge.
Read books, watch movies, and listen to music that you enjoy.
Look at paintings and photographs that inspire you.
Think about the things that make you laugh, cry or feel happy.
Do things that make you want to write
Read your own work out loud. This helps with pacing, flow and general soundness of the text.
You may have missed a typo that would be obvious otherwise, because there's no spellcheck in your head! (This is also a good reason to get an editor.)
You can catch awkward sentences that don't make sense when read aloud (e.g., "The dog was chasing the cat.")
You'll get used to hearing your own voice and be able to tell if it sounds natural or weirdly stilted—if it sounds weirdly stilted, you might need some editing help! (Your brain will probably gloss over anything that seems off when you read silently in your head).
You'll learn how well-paced each chapter is as a whole by reading them all out loud together—this helps with pacing issues later on down the road if you find yourself struggling with parts of a book later on down the road after finishing it up once already completely written; this technique has saved me from countless headaches over time because now I'm not wasting time thinking about whether something works or not until after I've finished writing everything else first before moving on because now I know exactly what needs fixing without having wasted any energy trying out different ways at all first hand beforehand while still being able to keep track of what worked best overall rather than just guessing what felt right based solely off intuition alone--it makes sense once explained properly but since most people don't think about these things until later on down life's long path through academia then maybe someone else might need reminding too so here goes nothing!
Start small and don't set unrealistic expectations for yourself.
I think that many people are afraid of starting a blog because they feel as though they're not good enough, or their writing isn't good enough. And it's true that there will always be new writers who are better than you, but this doesn't mean that you can't write something worth reading.
So try to not worry about what other people think. Write for yourself and if someone else enjoys it too? Great! The worst thing that can happen is someone reads your post and thinks “meh” or even worse says “this sucks” (the internet makes everything worse). But remember: no one has the right to tell you how much your work sucks unless they've actually read it first and given their opinion on it.
Challenge yourself to finish what you write and then throw it in a drawer for six months before looking at it again.
This will help you develop some distance from your work so that you can see it with fresh eyes when the time is right.
Write whenever you're inspired to.
You can make room in your life for writing fiction by listening for the words that come up inside you naturally and writing them down as soon as possible each day. You don’t have to write at a set time of day or in a particular place—just find a way that works for you, even if it changes from day to day. If it helps, keep track of how often you write and what you wrote about so that when things start feeling hard or dry, it will be easier to get going again.
Conclusion
Writing fiction requires dedication and patience, but it can also be a source of great joy. It's best to start small and not set unrealistic expectations for yourself. Just get started by listening for the words that come up inside you naturally, and write them down as soon as possible each day. Over time, you'll find yourself building on those small beginnings until one day there emerges a story from your imagination
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