No Rules, Just Possibilities

In the pages that follow, you’ll learn the basic parts of a story and how other writers use them to captivate readers. These techniques will work for you too.

However, don’t think of them as rules you have to follow.

If there were only one way to write a great story, everyone would end up writing the same thing.

Thankfully, there are countless ways to make readers hang on your every word. Try these techniques but use whatever works best for your story. If readers respond the way you want, then you have succeeded.

Fight Off Ms. Kantduitt 

Somewhere along the way, Ms. Kantduitt will try to mess with you. If you don’t know who she is yet, you can find out about her here.

Every writer I know has to fight off Ms. Kantduitt, sometimes several times a day. If she gets to be too much for you, get help from other writers. They’ll understand what you’re going through. For suggestions and support, post what you’re working on here.

For Now, Just Write

Even best-selling authors don’t get everything perfect on the first try. They don’t expect to and you shouldn’t either. At this stage, you’re telling the story to yourself, to find out what it is. Just let the words flow and enjoy the ride. Don’t sweat the small stuff. You’ll take care of it when you get to the Tricks and Revise & Edit pages.

Making it perfect now is a waste of time. Even if you think you know exactly where you’re headed and what needs to happen to get you there, things never turn out like you think they will. I can almost guarantee that while you’re writing, you’ll be hit with an even better idea. Usually, this better idea means you’ll have to redo or take out something you’ve already written. It’s a lot easier to change or remove words you haven’t struggled over for hours. Trust me on this.

Okay, enough. It’s time to develop your characters.