Hey everyone! Thanks for reading today's post! It can be difficult to start a story, whether it's your first time or your tenth. I've put together a quick-list of tips that may be useful to help you get started.
1. Plan out your characters with a G.O.T.E sheet.
It's always a good idea to plan out your characters before you start writing. You want to have a good idea of how he or she will act and respond to certain things. Check out my posts, "How to Think Up a Good Protagonist" and "An Effective Way to Plan Characters: G.O.T.E." for more information.
2. Know your conflict
Without any villain or some kind of disturbance in your plot, your story is not worth telling. If you are planning on using an antagonist or villain as conflict for your story, see my post, "What Makes a Good Antagonist." If you don't have an antagonist, but repeating obstacles or something like that, make sure it actually affects your characters and gets in their way.
3. Weed out your plot
Get rid of any unnecessary bits in your plot and make sure you know when and what to write in your story according to your plot. It would also help if you make an outline of your story, or simply just write and wait to see what will happen.
4. Try not to repeat things
In the beginning, you'll want to point out certain parts that would be better off saved for later. But if you're desperate for telling your readers about this certain thing, try not to repeat it as much. Also, try not to repeat words as much, as it can get boring and even exasperating.
5. "Kill your darlings" as Stephen King says
The term, "kill your darlings" often refers to getting rid of what you treasure most in your story. If you can't bear to do so, there won't ever be room for improvement in your story and it will just be plain and boring throughout all of your drafts.
Just 5 quick little tips. :) Hope you enjoyed!
- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today
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