We all love stories. And we want to tell them so that people can’t tear themselves away and ask for more. But how do you create a good story if it doesn’t just pop into your head? Here are some ways.
A little story from nothing.
There are three attributes that make an insignificant episode an interesting story.
A catchy beginning. You need to capture your readers’ attention from the first second. The hook you catch them on is a provocative question, statement, or idea that immediately captures their interest.
It’s not an easy situation. In the middle of the most interesting stories, there’s always something out of the ordinary: a question or a problem that needs to be solved. You can thicken the colors a bit.
Provocative words. The more emotional descriptions you have in your story, the more likely the listener’s brain will be activated. Add some fire, use expressive, interesting words.
Using this structure, you can turn anything into a story. Let’s practice: remember how you got from home to work today (or any other day). Turn that into a mini-story using the pattern.
Seven Stories.
If you want a big story that will keep readers engaged for a long time, a global story can help. It’s not hard to come up with one – there are seven options.
Homecoming. The Road Home is a return to the promised land, a classic story. And it doesn’t matter as much whether you’re bringing back your mount (“The Hobbit”), returning home from war (“The Odyssey”), or fighting countless obstacles to get back to your loved ones (“The Martian”). All people understand the longing for home.
Win a prize. The classic “winning” plot takes many forms. For example, you can win in a race (“Favorite,” “Around the World in 80 Days”) or toughen up by overcoming obstacles (“Rocky,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”). It doesn’t really matter what the prize is or what the obstacles are: the real struggle is with yourself.
Revenge. Sure, it’s a bit ugly, but revenge against those who have wronged you is sometimes extremely appealing (“The Count of Monte Cristo”). Righteous anger motivates heroes no less often than positive feelings (“Hamlet,” Crusades). Revenge is one of the darkest plot motifs, but it is actually uplifting.
Kill the dragon. Nothing motivates better than killing a monster that intends to kill you – and whether it’s a real dragon (The Hobbit again), the Death Star (“Star Wars”) or the demon inside you (“Mind Games”).
Rebirth. This is the deepest and most personal of all plots, as “reborn” means to lose a battle in a way that strengthens your spirit in doing so (Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars”). It is the main “hero’s journey,” during which he trades a comfortable life for suffering in order to become a better person (“Avatar”).
Conquer the top. Winning gold is one thing: everyone is looking at you and applauding you. Climbing to the top is quite another. No medals, deathly cold and lonely. There is only you, the mountain and the elements. It’s a journey with an unknown ending that you decide to take anyway (“Hope Never Fades,” “127 Hours”).
Find true love. The last great story comes from your heart. It is an attempt to find true love in a world of deceit, cynicism and malice (“Romeo and Juliet,” “Twilight”). When it seems like all couples made in heaven end up going to hell, you suddenly meet your other half and become one (“50 First Kisses” or any other romantic comedy).
Writing the Big Story
Once you’ve chosen a win-win plot, get to work creating the story. Move step by step through this scheme.
Choose a hero (yourself or another person).
Think of a problem or goal for the hero (get married, win, get to your destination, make money).
And the obstacles on the way to it (personal qualities, bad weather, enemies of socialism, world evil).
As the story progresses, the hero is bound to have a mentor-mentor or special knowledge (fairy godmother, magic wand, ring of omnipotence).
And then he will reveal himself as a hero in a decisive battle or event (Cinderella will meet the prince, Harry Potter will find the philosopher’s stone, the entrepreneur will finally bring the business to profit).
Finally, a moral for the reader and a word from the author (good triumphs over evil, Cinderella can marry the prince, Harry Potter is just like everyone else).