How to Write a Good Story

Interlude: Joy on writing a good story

In this chapter, I briefly discuss a few basics I've learned which are key elements when writing a story (admittedly, I glean this knowledge from many many authors, publishers, and advisers).

1.  Will the reader know whose story it is? 

I have personally experimented with writing a story from a multitude of angles, jumping from character to character, and I've found that most readers don't enjoy the constant change of perspective. The reader wants to connect with a specific character (maybe two or three max), so making sure they know whose story it is is crucial from the get go. 

It should be obvious (from the first chapter preferrably), whose story it is, though I know in some cases you could stretch it to the third chapter. Here's an example:-

Peter had been the first to see her go, and he was glad of it. Then John had cried until dawn, afraid of life without the girl he loved most. The day Ann had left, the whole family had been distraught. They hadn't understood that she had secrets, dangers to protect them from. John was sure it was because of him, and he refused to let himself stop grieving. Peter ignored John and Anne's moods, wherever she was. There were more important things to take care of.

Imagine reading this at the start of a book, or reading an entire chapter like this. Whose story is it? Tell me, is it Peter or John or Ann?

Here's an example that might draw the reader in a bit more:-

"The night's air was cold. A girl sat in the shadows counting stars and tears, trembling at every shadow. The wind howled in the trees and their leaves made a music worthy of kings. Each whistle strummed a melody deep in her heart and called forth even more tears.

Even though we don't have a name, it's easy to feel that we're in one specific character's head here--a lonely girl sitting in the dark. Still, we don't know for certain yet whose story it is. Here's an even better example:

"Anne could never go back to the life she once had, and the love she once took for granted; the normalcy of a family life was forever out of her reach. With a delicate sweep of hand, she swiped a tear  from her cheeks. The kiss of the night air reminded her of better days. Where was her mother now? Still brewing in the kitchen? The thought was warming and comforting, but it wrenched more tears from her sodden heart."

This paragraph immediately tells us who the story is about, and takes us into what Ann is feeling.

 And if you're looking for the best example ever, it's this:

Book Title: JOHN MURDERS

First Line: John Arbuckle started his slow descent towards murder on a busride.

2. Your protagonist should have an internal and external goal.

I've critiqued many many stories where writers ramble on - chapter after chapter - about events and happenings in a character's life, and it doesn't matter to me at all. 'Why should I care about this character?' is a common thought.

One day while my husband (he's more of a non-fiction reader) read through an umpteenth version of one of my chapters, he commented that he did not like one or two of the characters because he didn't see their purpose. They seemed not to be aiming for anything, and this put him off. In that moment I realised the great value of a character being goal driven, internally and externally, or at the least to have a clear place in the bigger picture of the story.

In real life we all live for something, move towards something (or hope to), even if that thing we aim for is for everything to stay the same.

Ask yourself, what is my protagonist's goal? What do they want, what are they aiming for? 

There should be an external goal:-

"Ann had to climb the mountain."

But the internal goal is what drives the external events and captures the reader's attention:-

"Ann had to climb the mountain today or risk losing her father forever. He was lost somewhere in the snow and without her help, she knew he would die."

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Now, go to your story and see if you can answer these questions when you read chapter one. Does your protagonist have a goal? Would it be obvious for the reader to know WHO the protagonist is?

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 NOTE: 

Readers, voters and commentors, you guys are fantastic beyond words! Thanks for reading and sharing and getting your hands dirty with all this nitty gritty $h!%.