It is the moment when you realise that whilst you have a great idea, nothing on the page is LEAPING out at you, nothing is memorable, nothing to associate you, the writer, for eternity with this body of writing. Making a story pop ensures you also practice the art of ensuring each word counts as well. Here are six of the best tips to help you make your story pop.
Start with a big opening line.
It is right here, at the opening line, that you need to hook the reader. Straight away they need to be able to say ‘yes’ to the question: ‘are you interested in what happens next?’ Have the big picture in your minds eye, all that has happened before the opening line as well as what happens afterwards. Come in and start the story at the very latest moment possible. Whilst knowing the backstory is ESSENTIAL for you as the writer, it is not always needed in its entirety for the reader. It is no good starting a story with the forecast of a desperately cold winter, or at the point the huntsman has already collected the wood and neatly stacked it near the house. Start mid-sequence, hinting at what will be the crux of the story - as he raises his axe and the bitter wind brings with it the sound of unwanted company…
Making Your Character POP
Gift your character with a plausible detail that initially may seem incongruous to what our preconceived ideas of the character may be. A girl covered in tattoos may be an eloquent pianist. A man with hard, calloused covered hands may be a paper sculptor. A serial killer may visit his ailing grandmother every Sunday. This adds a level of complexity, but more importantly, it means the reader will keep alert rather than rely on stereotypical behaviour in response. This also means your character will be far from ordinary.
Break your story into scenes with relevance
No, we are not talking about the sequential action in the story, but rather, setting up a scene so that it serves a purpose. Each scene should be used to enable a reveal about the character or allude to the larger problem. The wonderful thing about children’s picture books is the physical construct of the book, the pages, allow you to check there is a new scene for each turn of the page (or every second or third page) You are forced to move the story along and this means taking your character from introduction, through the story to a point of resolution.
Settings with flair
It is important you are not dropping your characters into a banal environment. This banality is not the fault of the town, the location, but rather indicative of your failure to create an environment where things just have to happen. If you are in the deep woods, describe how close the trees are to ensure the reader has a sense of challenge if the huntsman is trying to move quickly from a to b. If you are in a crazily busy city, the tempo of the traffic, the beep of horns, screech of brakes adds to the pace at which a character moves if in a hurry or the contradiction if they are wishing for a slow pace.
Keep the narration brief
Think of yourself as Bond’s go-to ‘M’ and keep your readers at the status of ‘need to know only’. Not one more word than necessary. It can be tempting to use the narration to link the scenes with a bit of backstory so everyone can see everything as you can, but here is not the time to be ‘generous’. Tap into your inner-Scrooge as well!
The ‘why’ of the action - keeping the stakes high.
As a reader, it may be the only chance you have to experience a diversity of personalities, locations, scenarios – yes, living vicariously through another person – in this case the characters as they move through the story. Keep the reader on the edge of their seat when you can, as the relief that comes from understanding the situation is resolved is in equal measure.
End with a bang
There is something deeply satisfying about the closing line being directly associated with the opening line; in the sense it brings the story full circle to a point of resolution. The character has lived the story, solved the problem, and has changed because of the experience.
X
Emma