My Five Point Method for writing a good story.
Story
telling is an art. I've known a few people who could tell a great story
and make me laugh so much I was hugging myself. My ex's Auntie Jessie was
one (long dead) - maybe it was from her that he inherited his comic gift.
Visiting her, a plump Welsh woman, was always a great treat - tea,
cakes and laughter, sometimes I'd be crying with laughter.
Then
there was my uncle Billy and aunt Beryl. I remember a knock on our door
at 10 am one Sunday morning in Hampton-on-Thames, 20+ years ago - Beryl had
plunging necklines and false eyelashes, Billy was portly and had a big
cigar in his teeth...we listened to story after story,
clutching large brandies and cracking up laughing. Then they swept
out leaving us gasping for air and slightly drunk at 11 am.yd My aunt Beryl is 90
now and my uncle is long gone, sadly. But I’ll never forget any of them
and how much they made us laugh with their hysterically funny stories.
If only
I could tell stories like that ... I'm still practising. Meanwhile, I’ve
put together five main components for a good written story. I think I
have learnt that. You may want to add your own points too!
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Click
on the title for a link to my new book...
a memoir about my
journey across South Africa and life in Cape Town
in the time
of apartheid in the 1970s. It's a true story - have a
look ...
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1. A good plot and
well-defined characters, brought to life by dialogue. Think about the
emotional impact you wish to evoke in the reader. Trace the route in your
head through to the finale. The story should grip the reader from the
opening sentence. Or start with the conclusion and work backwards - how
will you get there? Close observation gives detail and makes the story
come to life.
2. Be original and unusual
in your treatment of the subject (not another pot boiler). Build the
reader's involvement slowly, take them down a few tangents so it's
not clear where the story's going. Let the end be unexpected.
Build the reader's anticipation.
3. Setting is
important, culture, country, rural, urban, make it start/end in
a specific place - a meeting in a park, a pub, a coffee bar, a house
It's a sunny day, it's raining, cloudy, hot, cold. Paint a
picture, splash some colours, sounds and smells around. The smell of dust,
pigs, manure, petrol, curry etc
4. Grammar and spelling must work - a story has to be
crafted carefully, keep the adjectives to a minimum, tone
down flowery language or get rid of 'purple prose;. The
dialogue must be natural, colloquial, flow in short bursts.
5. Endings: If
you set up a puzzle or conundrum or mystery, it should move towards
some kind of resolution, some kind of satisfaction of the plot, that ties
together the whole story.
Whether the story is based in fact
or fiction the components
are still the same.
This article was inspired by one by Amy Reichert titled Libraries: Still all about the story Click here for a link.
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