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What are the major features of being proficient in fiction writing?

Mastering the Craft of Storytelling: Essential Elements and Practical Tips for Aspiring Fiction Writers

By Diane L. RichardsonPublished about a year ago 3 min read

Fiction writing is an art and metier that is based on skills of storytelling and taking great creativity in performing them. Regardless if you are writing a short story, writing a novella or writing a novel, there are certain essences of good works that every creative writer must not only have but also apply in practice.

Aspects of Good Fiction Writing

Interesting Characters

In almost every fiction made, it is easy to trace the relatable characters who drive it and who are smoothly created. It is like having real lives with good, bad and want. Good characters develop due to the situations and conflicts they go through. Mold developed, even lesser roles are to keep it real.

Interesting Plot

Every fiction concern will always has a plot, with a strong one being put in place. Following a standard format, a story plot keeps one engaged has three components, start (Where the intro comes), middle (where development comes in) and end (Issuance of resolutions). Everything else must be planned to target reader attention. Twists, conflicts and resolutions are present; all arranged in an appealing way, natural and not verbose.

Specific Scene

The scene acts as the canvas for the plot. Be it a mystical place, a busy metropolis, or a rather quaint village in the countryside, it has to be engaging and exhaustive. A world that is created well adds to the atmosphere of the story and may even be treated as a character in its own right, affecting events and the behavior of characters.

Intriguing Conflict

Conflict is what propels the action of a narrative. It can take the form of conflict pioneered by an antagonist, physical altercations, external attacks, and even disasters that goal of society has to overcome. It can also manifest as a form of conflict created from within a single character, a social cause, conscience, or one’s own weaknesses or fear. The heat of conflict should be enough to create tension and make the audience become invested in the development of the plot and the characters.

Distinct Individual Style

The language and the narration should go hand in hand and should engage the intended audience. Make sure you avoid inconsistencies and strive for authenticity of the language, regardless of if it’s first person, third person, or perspective omniscient, as it would break the immersion of the audience.

Emotional Resonance

Fiction, and especially good fiction, tells a story with the aim at reaching out to the audience with emotions. Joy, love, sadness, rage, even fear; you want your reader to feel emotions, even if temporary, that will linger on in their minds long after the last page is turned. Emotion can be aroused such as through tears and laughter in stories that are emotional and themed well.

Strong Themes

A theme delivers the hidden message or the central idea of your story. It is everything that underlies the events and actions of the characters. From love and sacrifice to power and abuse, a theme can be identified in the story; however, it should never be explicit in the narrative but rather at the back of the readers mind.

Conclusion

Effective writing of fiction entails telling a good story and writer’s discipline. As long as you pay attention to interesting characters, meaningful plots and emotional stories, you will definitely write a good read. Developing stories within the domains of fiction is an arduous task that requires everything to have a place, and risk-taking when the task is already highly flawed. What is more, these tips and theories will help create good literary pieces from books to short stories and even novels.

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About the Creator

Diane L. Richardson

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