5 Proven Techniques for Writing a Compelling Story
I wrote this for a video editing project I was doing but have since lost.
5 proven techniques for writing a compelling story that will keep your audience hooked from start to finish.
Tip 1: Create a Strong Hook
A strong opening is crucial for capturing your reader’s attention. A hook can be dialogue, a provocative statement or a question, or a shocking fact. Whatever you choose, it should be something interesting enough to make readers want to keep reading.
Tip 2: Create Complex Characters
You’ll want to develop well-rounded characters who are complex and multidimensional. Flawed characters are more relatable and real to your readers. Without tension, your story will be flat and won’t keep readers interested so be sure to include both high and low stakes obstacles the characters will need to overcome.
Tip 3: Add Tension
Flawed characters are nothing without tension and conflict to keep your story moving forward. And without tension, your story will be flat and won’t keep readers interested. Including both high and low stakes obstacles the characters will need to overcome will move your plot along and entice the reader to continue reading.
Tip 4: Show More Than Tell
No matter how well you do wit the previous tips, if your writing is boring and lacks descriptive language or vivid imagery readers will DNF. Keep your story interesting by engaging your reader’s senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Readers must feel as if they are experiencing your story for themselves.
Tip 5: Fulfill Your Promise to Readers
Wrap up your story with a clear and satisfying ending that fulfills the promise of your story’s genre. For example, if you are writing a work of romance, there should be a happy-ever-after. If you are writing a mystery or a thriller, the crime must be solved. Break the covenant between readers and writers, and your readers will lose faith in you as an author.
First published on My Mercurial Nature on January 16, 2023. See the original.