Zen…

A great story (novel) must have :

1. characters

2. Setting

3. Plot

Twist, dialogue, pacing, good structure and anything else that might expand your story.

Characters : your story needs a character that is believable. Someone your readers connect and relate to.

In fiction writing, your main character is the protagonist, lead, hero or heroine.

Your main character must have flaws, qualities that emerge in climax.

There should be a character arc.

Start from your character being unique, then let it grow… set it on a quest where it’d have to face obstacles and get stronger by the end of its journey.

Don’t make your character perfect. Perfect is boring.

Most stories regardless of the genre feature a main character who is looking for something.

A goal, a need, something they really want.

This main character begins its journey, quest or adventure on the process, their lives gain more meaning and purpose.

You’ll need an antagonist as well.

A villain who measures up to your protagonist.

Don’t necessarily make him a bad guy.

Make him a worthy enemy.

Give him a reason for being notorious.

(Not necessarily a good reason but something that works.)

Villains don’t believe they’re bad.

Your readers should understand who your villain is. Why he is the villain and why he’s opposing the hero.

Depending on your story, you will need other characters.

Ask yourself ; what do they want ? Who or what is stopping them? How do they get past the obstacle(s) and achieve their goals ?

Be realistic.

Setting: could be a location, time, era.

But also how things look, feel, smell, taste and sound.

Making a proper research on your setting is very important.

Use your setting details as seasonings in your meal. The main course is the story you’re telling us.

Don’t bore your readers with too much description and shift the focus from the content of the book.

Plot : this is what happens in your story.

(Theme : why it happens)

Before you start writing your book, be clear about why you want to tell your story.

What message are you passing across? What do you want to teach your readers?

Keep it suspenseful. Give your readers the credit of finding things out without you explicitly stating everything out in your theme.

Plot is the sequence of events that make up a story. Your story needs structures that will keep your readers captivated till the end.

An opener.

An inciting incident which changes everything,(plot twist)

A series of crises that build tension (climax)

Creating a plot by effectively working with drama, intrigue, conflict and tension determines how long you can keep your readers hooked.

TIPS

1. Settle on your big idea (know the end of the story even before you start, not necessarily the how. You’re the creator here)

2. Determine whether you’re an outliner or pantser (meaning, you write at a sitting without outlining)

3. Create an unforgettable main character

4. Turn the idea into a plot

5. Choose your voice or POV (point of view) : whether it’s first person; I, we. Second person; you. Or third person; he, she, it and they. Third person is the most widely used. It’s very comprehensive and makes stories interesting to read.

6. Always think readers first. It’ll help you create an amazing story. If you’re bored while writing your own book, trust me your readers will sleep on the very first page. How you feel while creating your story is exactly how your readers would feel reading it.

7. Tighten your story. Don’t write everything in your head. He brushed his teeth, then took his bath, wore his clothe… Don’t !

8. Start your story with conflicts or a problem… let your villains come first. It gives the main character a purpose already and makes things kind of easy for you.

9. Make your main character’s problem intense.

10. Omit needless words. Less is more. Choose normal words over fancy ones. Writing is not all about fascinating vocabularies but the art of using simple words. Always draw attention to the content of your story not the writing itself.

11. Choose active voice over passive voice. Instead of ‘the snake was killed by the man’ write ‘the man killed the snake’

12. Don’t use these words ‘up, down, began to, started to’ go straight into your sentence or phrase- she sat down, he got up, Jakes began to cry… Don’t ! Just write- she sat on the couch, he walked to the door, Jakes cried etc

13. Avoid cliches

14. Know when to tell and when to show: this is probably one of the most

important tips for fiction writers . I’m sure you’ve heard ‘don’t tell, show’ what if I tell you that sometimes you need to tell and not show. Here we go ; show emotions, tell feelings. What do I mean? Instead of telling us ‘she was sad’ show us ‘her lips trembled, she tried her best not to cry’ and instead of showing ‘her eyelids were too heavy that she couldn’t bla bla…’ tell us ‘she felt tired the entire morning’ point is, descriptions bore the reader or shift their focus from the main story. There by making you an over writer. Instead of telling us it was late fall and… show us leaves crunched beneath his feet. Show emotions! Tell feelings!

15. Avoid hedging verbs eg; smiled a bit, almost laughed… your characters either smiles, laughs and so on. The way your story is lined will definitely tell your readers how wide or not your characters smiled.

Give the reader some credit.

16. Use climax.

17. Research! This is very important, fiction or not, make your research. Your story should be relatable and reasonable.

18. Satisfy your readers by giving them something to remember. A resounding ending. Don’t rush your story. Be patient and wait for everything to play out. If you got options for your ending, go for the most emotional. Readers remember what moves them.

19. Last but not the least, become a ferocious self editor. Keep polishing that book until you are satisfied with every single word.