How do I start writing fiction?

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Iridescence1 4 years ago

Creative Writing Forms: What are you going to write?

First and foremost, know what type of writing you are going to do, e.g. One Shot, Short Story, Fan Fiction, Novella, Poetry etc.  [Please refer to Help Center - Fan Fiction Q&A: What Are The Fan Fiction And Original Fiction Terminologies? for types of writing]

Aim for Fame: Execution is Key

There are many creative authors on the forum and it’s important to keep in mind how you write your story can make or break its success.

Elements of a Story: General Considerations

Readers choose to read stories for different reasons. So what will it take for a reader to pick yours?

• A good book cover and title for some readers might be the reason they're inclined to take a peek at your story. 
• Blurb/Synopsis: This is a snapshot of your story. You want to make this blurb luring. Keep it short and mysterious enough that readers will want to read the first chapter.
• Prologues & First Chapters: The initial couple of chapters of your story are going to be the most important parts of writing. Why? Simply because this where all the readers start. You want to make sure that your first couple of chapters hook and impress your readers enough for them to want to keep reading. 
• Beginning, Middle, and End: For stories this is not so cut and dry and is a little more flexible. Make sure when writing a story, you start with a unique/intriguing situation that you will build upon throughout the plot and lead to its natural climax and end
• Components to consider (will be discussed in detail in another post): writing styles, grammar, point-of-views, genre, themes, tone, mood, characters/characterization, plotline and development, conflict/stakes, resolution/climax.

Start Now, Fine Tune Later: Drafts & Brainstorming

• Start by brainstorming all the components of fiction writing in as much detail as possible prior to beginning to write. This does not mean you can’t change or tweak things as you go, but it simply provides you with a start and an end point and the details you need to develop your plot/characters.
• Brainstorming and keeping notes will help with accuracy of details mentioned in the story, developing & maintaining the plotlines and characterizations .
• Your first written version of your story is likely going to be your rough draft. Do not stress about whether your paragraph, page, or chapter is written perfectly. The best way to write a story is to write it in a flow. Go with your natural flow of thoughts & ideas and worry about refining your work later.
• That being said, you should re-read what you're writing when you do take a break. Let's face it, you will not write a FF in one go. You will likely write it in parts with hours to days or even months break in between. So, when you do pick up where you left off, re-read what you have already written and keep going. This will help with maintaining the flow of the story and development of the plot. Also you might find errors while you're at it. (We will get to proof-reading later).
  

Note: Further details/explanations on the Components of Story Writing will be found in a separate post in the Fan Fiction Help Center.

[Referenced from Teaching Story Elements

Credit: .iridescence]