I felt like making this topic as more and more users on the Blockland forum have been appearing with pieces of literature that they’ve either written in the past, or are currently in the process of writing. It seems painfully obvious that some of them, not all of them, have a lack of basic knowledge about the structural basis behind writing a nice fiction piece.
In this topic, I’ll be detailing what is necessary to make a successful work of fiction, and some helpful hints and tips to bring out the creative author in you all.
We can begin with the first rule of thumb: Have fun.
- Nobody will be able to have fun reading something that you’ve written if you did not have fun writing it. Whether it takes years, or days, to get down the story that you’d like, make sure that you take the time to allow yourself the pleasure of the craft. Write when you feel inspired. Don’t write when you feel like you can’t. Take breaks, as writing is an art… don’t forget that.
There are eight main categories of the creative writing process that must be followed for a successful story to emerge. Not all of the steps are necessary to include, but just keeping them in mind will improve the quality and increase the sense of immersion that the reader feels. I’ll be listing these, defining them, and then describing them.
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Story Goal – This is the outcome of the story. The story’s ending. The Story Goal is as necessary to the story as a monitor is necessary to a computer. It’s impossible to function, or to use effectively, without one, just as the story can’t be a story without an ending. Some important things to note about the Story Goal are as follows:
The Story Goal does not need to be conclusive.
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Some stories that have sequels planned end without any specific resolution. An example of such would be the Lord of the Rings trilogy. As with any trilogy, each story is filled with events and happenings that lead up to the next one. Although they don’t end, they lead the reader to believing that the part of the story that they have already internalized is in fact done, and then they prepare the reader for more. To end a book with a hook requires a major event. This is the trademark of most trilogies.
The Story Goal does not need to be happy or cheerful.
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It does not need to make the reader feel “Good” or “Finished”. In the book series “A Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket, the main characters often wound up in a more insecure living situation than previously noted. The author, in this case, made it his goal to have this occur, and his story was based around the idea that this would happen. The Story Goal should be kept in mind throughout the writing process.
Let’s make an example story that, by the end of this tutorial, will be completed plausible. A story can have any setting, any plot, and can be as creative as the writer is capable of making it. For our example, we’ll make a fictional character named “Larry Von Bag” who is a lawyer that is sick of his life. Our story goal could be that Larry wishes that his life would improve, as he is not currently happy with how he is living. His escape can be complete fiction, such as, he’s met an alien woman who he chooses to marry and ends up living in peace on another planet. Our story goal would then be set up like this:
“Larry Von Bag has eventually found happiness in his new life with Burothe, the Alien woman that he met. They live happily ever after on her home planet.”
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Moving on, directly dependent on the Story Goal, is the…
Consequence – This is what will happen IF the Story Goal isn’t obtained. The main thing about the Consequence that should be noted is the big word “IF”. Writing a story is preplanned and designed to take on a certain path. The characters have a set destiny, and the plot has a specific route to follow. The point of the Consequence is so that the writer can instill a sense of tension in the written work. The reader must feel like the Story Goal was earned. Without a counter-balance, true happiness was bound to happen, and Larry Von Bag was just a loser for taking so long to arrive at his conclusion. Some important things to note about the Consequence are as follows:
The Consequence does not need to be deadly.
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You can have a story about a hero braving trials without risk of death. All stories don’t have the main character in peril, or fighting for their life. It’s entirely possible to make the trial about a love interest, and the Consequence being the risk of losing said loved one forever. Larry Von Bag may accidentally insult the Alien chick before he gets to know her, and she may leave the Earth. In that case, he wouldn’t have any way to follow her.
The Consequence doesn’t have to be obvious to the main character.
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Let the reader know the risk, allowing the tension to sit with character’s ability to screw his or herself without him or her being aware. Horror movies are great examples of successful Consequence. In fact, I’d say that the basis of a horror movie lies in watching the characters almost trigger the Consequence over and over. “Don’t go into that roooooom…!” Although, death is the most widely overused Consequence of all time. Yeah, we get it, dying prevents a happy ending. Try to not be too obvious in your writing.
Following Larry Von Bag’s trial with wooing a potential mate, his Consequence may be that the Alien girl frightens easily, and Larry will have to earn her trust in the most careful way possible.
“Larry saw the beautiful Burothe taking a bath in the pond. She sat on a rock, nude from top to bottom facing off into the distance… staring. ‘Maybe I should call out to her, for I want to talk to her so…’ Larry pondered to himself. With another step closer, the snapping sound of a twig below his shoe nearly ruined his plan, as the girl was frightened by the sudden noise.”
One thing to remember is that
the Consequence is the overall worse-case-scenario. The example above may also be a Forewarning, which will be covered shortly, as well.
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Also dependent on the Story Goal are the…
Requirements – Goals that MUST be fulfilled to arrive at the ending. The Requirements must be completed before arriving at the Story Goal. They aren’t optional, and the character will be going through each requirement as the story progresses. The Requirements are the basis of the story, and define the plot itself. Some important things to note about the Requirements are as follows:
There is no maximum or minimum number of Requirements.
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Your story can be as long as you’d like with as many major Requirements, or points, as you want. A story can have a character waking up and going to bed while fulfilling one thing during his time awake, and it will be considered a decent enough plot. If you’ve ever play an MMORPG, the main lure of such games lies in the near infinite number of requirements, and whether the game designers called them “Quests” or “Tasks” is up to the creativity of the team.
The Requirements can be as difficult or as easy as you, the writer wishes.
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A story can be short with several Requirements, or long with just one. Old children’s fables often go through the story with only one main occurrence, such as “Jack and Jill”, where the two children are required to “fetch a pail of water”. The story, however, is only a few verses long, and is an example of how short a successful story can be.
To win over Burothe, the Alien girl, Larry Von Bag may have to fulfill several requirements ranging from extreme difficulty, to moderately simple activity.
“’But how am I to impress your father?’ Larry questioned the lovely Burothe after hearing the news. Burothe explained that Larry must learn to play a musical instrument by the end of the week to be able to perform in front of her father. Larry was also worried about his promise to Burothe that he would buy her a special present, as the store was closing in just 30 minutes from now.”
Larry, in this absurd tale, is tasked with quickly learning an instrument (a hard task) along with being stressed about keeping a promise (a relatively easy task, but impeding on the harder one.)
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This next part is important, but is considered a filler.
Forewarnings – These are occurrences that foreshadow, or predict, the Consequential ending. Forewarnings can range from the main character having a bad day, to a best friend experiencing that ending that we all fear. These little occurrences are what keep the tension levels up, and the story flowing. However, they aren’t necessary for stories where tension is frowned upon. You don’t always want the reader to feel on edge. Some important things to note about Forewarnings are as follows:
The Forewarnings don’t have to be obvious
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Sometimes subtle activities in the backdrop, or small quirks, are all you need. When you watch a favorite movie again for the second time and you notice things that you didn’t pick up on the first time around, those are small additions to the story that you may have overlooked while being totally immersed in what was going on. Too many small things happening at once are not a bad thing. In fact, it’s the small things that make the scene. Description is crucial to the creative writing process.
Don’t overdo it.
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There is such a thing as being “Too Obvious”. If you keep throwing different “predictions” at the reader about what may happen, it’ll seem as if it will happen. As the writer, your job is to create the tension, not the illusion, which causes the reader to hope for a successful ending. Too many Forewarnings may ruin the overall feel of the story.
Larry Von Bag may get a phone call from his mother, who was at one point dating some new guy, stating that the marriage is off. Larry begins to think about the possibility that his own situation may not be set in stone. He may try harder because of this.
“’What do you mean the marriage is off?!’ Larry projected into the telephone receiver in his hand, ‘I thought you two were made for each other!’ He couldn’t believe that such a happy couple could grow to hate each other in such a short time. His only concern was now solely for his own relationship. He feared that the same thing might happen to his affection for Burothe. ‘No.’ Larry told himself, ‘I can’t let that happen.’”
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This next part is important, but it also is considered a filler.
Costs – Things that character must give up in order to achieve his/her goal. The act of giving up something to achieve a greater happiness is hard, and the reader will be able to relate in almost every situation. The Costs are an important part of the story for exactly that reason, and it really brings the story into a more realistic environment. A story doesn’t always require that the character give up something important, but including some Costs will really help the story become alive. The greater the Cost, the more the reader will feel as if the character earned the ending that he or she receives. Some important things to note about Costs are as follows:
Costs can be of any scale.
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A character can be forced to choose between life and death, or between going to a party and staying home. There are all sorts of Costs in different stories of different types. The greater the Cost, the closer the reader will feel to sympathizing with the character.
Costs can be of any type.
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A Cost can be personal, or impersonal. The more personal the Cost, the more realistic the character seems. This can also make the character more or less likeable as a person as well. Choosing to not help the homeless man may be due to a character’s need to save someone else’s life, or due to a selfish desire to not involve themself.
Larry may find himself having to quit his job and abandon his friends to go and live on the other planet. These seem like big Costs to people like us, who are living our lives with our friends and family, and thus we feel as if Larry gave up something huge.
“Peering out of the window for the last time, Larry saw the house he grew up in, and the school he went to… all of the fond memories of where he once lived will now be a thing of the past. Turning around, Larry saw Burothe’s smiling face, and he knew that he made the right choice. His new future was a grand one, and he couldn’t help but smile.”
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Directly having to do with the Costs are…
Dividends – These are the rewards that balance out the Costs. Sure, the main character chose to let the burglars take all of his cash… but they agreed to let his wife go free. If a story is to have Costs, then it must have some sort of Dividends to counter-balance the negatives. A story with a positive Story Goal requires these, however, a story with a negative Story Goal may not. Dividends can be considered “Karma” if that’s an easier way to understand them. Some important things to note about Dividends are as follows:
Dividends don’t have to go by a 1:1 ratio.
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A character can lose something massive, yet have several good things occur after. If a character has his house burned down, he may then be allowed to live with a friend, and then the state offers him some cash to make up for his loss. He may also get a promotion at work around the same time.
Dividends aren’t always post-Cost.
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Several good things can come right before an overall bad thing. This switch in order can be the difference between a depressing story and a happy one. Think about the order of your Dividends before writing your story so that they can help you with your Story Goal.
Larry Von Bag’s new life with his Alien wife makes up for his having to leave home.
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This is under Dividends due to low necessity to a story. Relates to the Requirements.
Prerequisites – Events that must happen so that the Requirements can be fulfilled. Prerequisites aren’t necessary at all in any story, but they act as filler for the plot. If a hero needs to kill a dragon in order to save the princess, then perhaps he learns that he needs a special sword in order to actually kill that dragon. The sword would be a prerequisite of the dragon slaying requirement. Some important things to note about Prerequisites are as follows:
Prerequisites don’t have to be light.
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A Prerequisite can be just as lengthy, if not more lengthy, that the actual Requirement that it belongs to. The definition of the Prerequisite is that it is necessary for the Requirement, therefore, that is it’s only boundary. Getting the sword may take several chapters to acquire, whereas killing the dragon with the sword may be instantaneous.
Prerequisites should be stated openly.
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Don’t hide the plot! Seeing as the Requirements are the basic plot of any story, the Prerequisites are the bricks that make up those Requirements. The reader needs to know why the story is taking the direction that it’s taking, or they will be lost.
To learn the instrument for Burothe, Larry Von Bag must first buy an instrument. To buy an instrument, he requires money. Money requires a job… ACK!
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Last, and literally the very least important thing…
Preconditions – Small things put in the way of the main character to prevent him or her from getting to the Story Goal. Preconditions are not large scale problems. They usually consist of small problems that arise that the character can and will overcome. They keep the story interesting without compromising any sort of story depth. Embarrassing situations fall under this category. Some important things to note about Preconditions are as follows:
Preconditions don’t need to predict the Consequential ending.
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A Precondition is more of an annoyance than a trial. When a character is going to be late for school, having him trip and fall down on the way there causes him to take longer, but it does not prevent him from achieving his task.
Preconditions are usually created by other characters.
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It’s not often that the protagonist gets himself caught in a blizzard. You’ll most likely have other characters in your story, so include them more. Preconditions, whether intentional or not… meaning harm or not... give other characters a larger role in the overall story.
Larry Von Bag may have a jealous co-worker that doesn’t want him to see another girl, even though she doesn’t know who this other girl is. So she may delay him on his way out of work to talk to him, insisting that he go somewhere with her. Larry’s conviction will keep him on the right path, and he’ll eventually decline her assertion.
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I hope that this guide helps any aspiring writer in the future. I may be adding more to this guide, but please, ask questions and I’ll hopefully be able to answer them for you.
I’ll be updating this OP to make it prettier, and to correct any errors I may have made later.
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