Writing a Great Story
That’s the goal, isn’t it? To not just write a good story, but to create a great story. But what exactly makes a story great? What lifts it above the rim of mediocrity and sets it on that level reserved for books with that “wow” factor.
Well, we know writing is highly subjective. You know what I mean. You’ve read a book that you thought was just awful, pure drivel from cover to cover, only to have your friend say it was the best book she’s ever read, couldn’t put it down, changed her life, she’ll never be the same again. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That happens. Writing is an art form and art is always subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or reader) and all that.
Let me give you a few things all great stories have in common. One, real characters you actually care about. Okay, sign of a not-great book: Character X dies a tragic death and you don’t care. The author didn’t do his job of creating a character who settles in your heart and wants to be your best friend. Great stories have great characters. Believable, authentic, flawed, memorable. People you feel like you’ve known a lifetime and wish could step off the page and into your life.
Two, vivid description. The setting comes alive, the action feels like it’s in your own living room, you can smell, hear, feel, and taste everything the characters do. You feel like you’re part of the story. You’ve all had that experience with a great story. No, you’ve not gone crazy, you’ve just fallen victim to an author doing her job well.
Three, a plot that really does change your life. That’s the power of story. It can change the way you view the world, inspire you to conquer fears and achieve things you’ve always thought beyond your ability. A great story is one that touches your soul and arouses something within you that’s been dormant for too long.
I know all this sounds very “out there” and probably hokey, but think about it, when you read a great story you know it, and you know it because on some level something in you changes. Why do you think stories have been around since the dawn of creation?
