Hello. This blog is meant to record my journey as I attempt to complete 777 writing prompts, doing at least one prompt a week. Full of not only stories, but also my thoughts on the process, and anything else I find relevant to post here. Enjoy :) instgram: thewritingpromptproject
Depending on what your intentions are with your story, I’m
sure a lot of you would like your readers to actually enjoy reading your novel.
That doesn’t mean you need to cut out all the stuff that makes them feel sad,
but it does mean you should take some time to really figure out what you’re
trying to say. Don’t be reckless with your reader’s feelings.
Here are a few tips on
satisfying your readers:
Give them a reason to
care
If your readers don’t care about your characters, they won’t
care about your story. Give your readers a reason to root for your protagonist
and they’ll start to become emotionally attached to what’s happening to them.
If you start killing off your characters for fun and it doesn’t seem to impact
the story in any real way, it’ll feel cheap.
Think hard about your
cliffhangers
It’s fine if you want to end your novel with a cliffhanger,
but really think about how it’s supporting the story. Will there be a sequel?
Are you going to frustrate your readers or give them a reason to tune back into
the series? Really think about your cliffhangers and figure out what works best
for your story.
Don’t take character deaths
lightly
Please don’t just kill a character just for shock value.
Please don’t start killing off all your characters just because you want to get
a big reaction out of your readers. After a while, they will start to lose
impact and your readers won’t want to invest emotionally in characters they
know are going to die without any real good reason. I know that in “real life”
people die unexpectedly all the time, but there’s a reason people like to read
stories. There are ups and downs and it gives the reader an emotional break.
Don’t talk down to
your readers
The worst thing you can do to your readers is talk down to
them or treat them like they won’t understand what’s happening. Don’t act like
they’ll never fully get what you’re trying to say in your story because that’s
condescending. If readers aren’t connecting with your story and characters,
that usually means there’s a problem with your story. Your readers are smart
and they deserve respect.
It can be hard to start a story. Just how do you transform an idea into words, then transform those words into a plot? Ell Angelina, NaNoWriMo participant, shares the process she goes through to bring a story from conception to the page:
While I don’t like going for long periods of time without writing, I do prefer to let ideas age like a fine wine (or, since I don’t drink wine but am fond of smoothies, like an unripe banana).
If an idea stays with me for years, it must be worth exploring. No, it won’t be the same story that I envisioned when I first came up with the idea, but that’s okay. That’s good. I will see flaws I was blind to years earlier, or be able to combine two good ideas into a great one.
Writing is hard work and you’ll be rejected…MANY TIMES. Always keep in mind that you wrote a novel. You created something from nothing. I know it’s hard not to feel like a real or accomplished writer unless you have an agent or get published by a BIG publishing company, but you ARE a writer. It might take a long time to reach your goals, but you’ll get there if you keep pushing yourself.
Please enjoy writing and take some time out to give yourself a pat on the back. I’m often very hard on myself and I figured most of you have experienced the same thing. Write because you love writing.
5 years ago
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