Whenever a young writer decides they want to dive into the world of story writing, they always get caught on where to start. Fortunately, for all of those young writers out there, I am an expert on how to create a good story. So, buckle up and follow my advice word for word. 

Find a Plot

The first thing that you’re going to want to do is scrap together a good plot. Sometimes, if you’re stuck on this step, you can take inspiration from some of your favorite stories, but remember to not plagiarize (that’s illegal and I don’t want to be responsible for you being fined). This doesn’t have to be the very first step but it should to one of the first couple of steps otherwise you won’t get very far. Sometimes it’s a good idea to gather a lot of ideas and either merge them together or pick out the one that you like best. Whatever you choose to do, this is probably one of the most difficult steps and I wish you the best of luck. 

Have a Thought Out and Fleshed Out Setting

Another thing you’re going to want is a well fleshed out setting. If you don’t have a place for your story to take place it’s going to be very difficult to create a well written story of your own. Something that you can do is look around your surroundings and pull inspiration from that. This step can be very fun if you do it right, but can also be easy to overcomplicate so be careful. 

Have Relatable Characters

One of the most fun steps on this list is creating relatable characters. Sometimes this can be difficult but at the same time it’s exciting. However, this step can be very easy to get stuck on. If this happens, something you can do is steal your friend’s identity and turn them into a character in your book. Take their name, birthday, personality, credit card information, etcetera. You’re an author so you’re legally allowed to take it. If you aren’t up for identity theft then you can base characters off yourself. Turn that evil part of yourself into an amazing villain. Just remember bad characters can’t carry a good plot but good characters can carry a bad plot. No pressure but this is like the most critical step.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is another very important thing when it comes to creating a good story. You have to make english teachers love you and your writing: and what do english teachers love? Foreshadowing! Plus, it’s always a fun time to hint at the death of everyone’s favorite characters. I’m looking at you Brandon Mull. However, sometimes it can make readers very angry and try to riot against you so be prepared for that. 

Put Emotion Into Your Writing

Something else you must do to make a story worth reading is pour emotion into it. If you’re happy, make the mood happy. If you’re sad, use that to traumatize your readers. If your husband left you for another woman, make sure you voice your feelings through the voice of your characters. It allows you to vent but if anyone asks questions you just say that’s the characters talking and in no way are you upset about the affair your husband is having. Let me provide an example. “‘Rex, honey, please come back!’ Erika cried.” See, it’s that simple. (Also that’s not me, Erika, it’s a different Erika I assure you.)

Cry

Alright, these next final steps may seem a little unnecessary but trust me, if you want to write a good story you have to follow these steps as well. A critical step is crying in your room at two in the morning while you chastise yourself and believe that you’ll never make it. If you don’t feel this way and you’re a cocky little lad then cry over something else. Maybe cry over the fact that your boyfriend and/or girlfriend is actually a fictional character and will never love you back. Maybe you can cry over the fact that you accidentally spilled apple juice on yourself in the first grade and everyone thought you had an accident and laughed at you all through highschool. Or, perhaps, you can cry about the fact that one day all of your friends are going to die and you’re going to be abandoned once again by those who claimed to love you. Whatever you choose to cry over, don’t forget to try and get some sleep. It’s very important and I definitely didn’t say that while writing this at three in the morning. 

Buy 11 Goldfish and 17 Cats

This next step is a little pricey but trust me when I say it’ll improve your writing. What you’re going to want to do is waltz down to your local pet store and purchase 11 goldfish and 17 cats. No more and no less, 11 and 17. Trust me when I say that they will definitely improve your writing quality. Just don’t let the cats get the goldfish, it’s a very traumatizing sight… well I would assume. I personally wouldn’t know. Anyway, moving on, you’re going to want to follow this step every time you start writing a new story, it’s the most important step. Just believe me on this. Also if you run out of room for your new pets just kick your brother out of the house; your pets need his room more than he does.

Give Up

Now, many critics might argue with this final step but don’t listen to them. They don’t know what they’re saying. The very last step is to just give up. Set the pencil down and throw the paper in a fire or delete the google doc permanently. There are just some stories that you will never be able to finish for one reason or another and it’s best to quit while you’re ahead to avoid failure. As I always say, you can’t lose if you never fail and this advice has yet to let me down. 

However, if you’re rebellious and want to prove to me that you’re not a quitter and instead an amazing author ignore this step and finish that story. Just remember when you’re giving your speech for “World’s Best Author” you give me some credit for supplying you with this amazing advice.

Well folks, this is all the advice I have to offer young authors looking to write a good story. Please heed my teachings and remember that all of these steps are essential. None, and I mean none, of them are optional or up for interpretation. Anyway, hopefully your story turns out and remember, the most important step is to have fun!