The Basics of Storytelling in Novels
What is storytelling?
Stories are a vital part of human life. They're what we tell one another about our experiences, who we are, and where we came from. Stories help us make sense of the world around us by allowing us to see life through other people's eyes. And stories can be an extraordinary source of joy too: they let us visit places that don't exist; experience things that never happened; meet people who live only in our imagination. But there's something else too: stories give meaning to events that might otherwise seem random or meaningless - because every story has its own moral or lesson for those brave enough to listen. They show how even terrible bad luck can have a silver lining if you just try hard enough and fight through!
In our article, we will be breaking apart storytelling and the basics of how to create an engaging story. We'll cover common ways to use storytelling in your novel and share some of our favorite story-based novels.
1. What is storytelling and why it's important
Storytelling is a vital part of human life. Stories help us make sense of the world around us by allowing us to see life through other people's eyes. Stories can be an extraordinary source of joy too: they let us visit places that don't exist; experience things that never happened; meet people who live only in our imagination. And importantly, every story has its own moral or lesson for those brave enough to listen.
2. The different types of stories you can create
A story is a sequence of events that can be natural, imaginary, historical, or personal and is usually written in prose format. The difference between fiction and nonfiction storytelling is that the stories in fiction are often made up and not true whereas stories in nonfiction use actual events and may be true. The three types of stories you could create include:
Crime novels: One of the most popular genres of the story is crime novels where the setting for the story is a crime committed followed by its investigation and the capture or escape of the criminal. These types of stories can take on many forms such as detective novels, courtroom dramas, whodunit mysteries, etc.
Historical novels: One of the most interesting things about historical novels is that it allows readers to go back in time to visit different periods, places, or timelines. But in addition to being fun, this genre also gives us the opportunity to learn more about history in a captivating way.
Romance novels: Romance novels are another popular type of storytelling where the plot centers around the development of a romantic relationship between two people - although sometimes there may be some obstacles along the way. They're incredibly enjoyable to read but they can also teach us valuable lessons about love and relationships with other people including strangers, parents, children, friends, etc.
Science Fiction: Science Fiction is a genre of fiction that deals with imaginary science-based concepts such as time travel, space exploration, parallel universes, extraterrestrial lifeforms including aliens, and futuristic technology. This is another popular type of storytelling because it enables readers to explore different possibilities about how the world may look in the future.
Fantasy Fiction: Fantasy fiction is a genre of fiction where the plots rely heavily on magic and other supernatural phenomena to create their setting. These stories are often set in fictional worlds, but they may also be based very close to our own world. Some examples of these types of stories include books like The Hobbit that use magic as part of everyday life whereas others use it more minimally or not at all.
Fairy tales: Fairytales are one of the oldest story types out there - the first ones were written way back in the 16th century BCE! They're beloved because they allow us to explore moral themes including bravery, love, honesty, forgiveness, family ties, etc. without being too heavy-handed about it. There are two major subgenres you can choose from: Grimm's Fairy Tales (Germany), and English Folktales (England).
Superhero Fiction: Superhero fiction is a genre of fiction where the plot centers around superheroes, which are people with extraordinary abilities. There are two subgenres you can choose from including superhero comics and crime-fighting vigilantes.
Horror novels: Horror stories are often used to convey that there are dangers lurking in the world that will hurt us if we don't take care of ourselves. They also give readers a chance to reflect on their worst fears, so they may be able to confront them before it's too late. And finally, they encourage us to appreciate what we have in life by showing how easily it can be taken away from us.
Graphic novels: Graphic novels are a type of storytelling that uses both words and images to tell a story - sometimes these images can be comics (very short comic strips) or illustrations (artwork). They're written for all ages, so they're perfect even if you had trouble reading text-heavy books as a child!
Comic books: The first ever comic book was published in America, and the genre has only continued to grow since then - it's now become one of the most popular types of storytelling today! And just like graphic novels, some examples will use both words and pictures including web-comics and manga.
Podcasts: Podcasts are one of the newest additions to storytelling because people began publishing them online as a side effect of the popularization of smartphones and other devices that allow for easy internet access. They're a fantastic way to share real-life stories with your audience, whether they're short vignettes or ongoing productions!
3. How to use common literary devices in your story:
A common literary device that many writers like to use is symbolism. Symbolism is the use of symbols or images to represent something more abstract or general - for example, an open door might symbolize the idea of escape. To make your story more enjoyable and believable, another literary device you can use is alliteration which means using words with the same first sound at the beginning. For example, "sweet smellings flowers".
Another literary device that you can choose to use in your novel is onomatopoeia. This is when you write out a word that would sound like what it's describing - for example, "the pitter-patter of rain slowly coming down" would be written as "pitter-patter". If you want to learn how to use this literary device, try writing a few examples on your own and seeing how well they work out!
The last literary device that you can choose to use is personification. This type of writing is when you give non-human things the characteristics of humans, making them seem more human or alive. For example, "the tree whispered its secrets".
Writing good stories requires a lot of creativity and effort - the ability to captivate your audience by using storytelling techniques is an art form in itself! If you want to learn how to become a better writer, try reading passages from great novels like A Wrinkle in Time or Anything But Typical. You'll notice that many authors use these literary devices in their writing when they decide it enhances their story instead of interfering with it.
There can be many more literary devices, but those were the most common ones I had seen.
4. Tips for creating a good plot for your story
A good plot is not an easy thing to create, but with a little bit of research and time, any writer can come up with one. The first step is to do some investigation into the subject that you're writing about - if it's a story about soccer, you might want to check out some soccer games in person or watch them online and read books and articles about them. Then think about what your characters want and why - what would they do if they didn't get what they wanted?
Introduce conflict and action, giving each character a reason for being in the story. Watch a movie or read a book that you really enjoy and dissect it for techniques that made it successful. Read some short stories - even ones from your school curriculum!
The next step is to really get into the minds of your characters and make them real on paper or online. You can do this by writing down their personalities, what they would say about things, how they feel about certain situations... people will tell you more about themselves than you could ever imagine if you listen close enough. Really be sure to get inside their heads and understand everything that's going on there! Once they're fully fleshed out in your mind, the story should just flow out onto the page naturally.
If at any time during creation you hit a dry spot or encounter writer's block, take a break, think thoroughly, listen to some music, and it will eventually clear the fog.
And finally, set some obstacles for your characters to overcome on their way to achieving their goal. Not only does this give you an opportunity to build them up and show their character, but it will provide a way for them to learn and grow as people.
Most of the time, it's best if you start writing from the beginning, but another trick is to write down what you know has already happened - this can be useful if you're stuck in the middle of your book and need some ideas on how to get out of it. Make sure that at least once or twice in your story, something bad happens! Or else they won't appreciate all the good times they have later on...!
Asking someone to read over your work can help a lot too! Sometimes we can't see mistakes or problems with our own stories - other people give us a totally new perspective. Not only do they tell us about things that we forgot to add, but they can also help us by giving us ideas or feedback on what we've written.
Finally, make sure everything fits together nicely and makes sense. If you're having trouble with something in your story, try editing it from another character's point of view, or describing the situation from a different angle. Or sometimes it helps to read parts aloud - that can give you an idea of how awkward things might sound if someone else tried to read them out loud!
5. Ways to develop characters that readers will care about and root for
Give Characters Depth: Give your character some depth by tying them to their past and family. Maybe they were bullied or had a terrible divorce from their parents. They may have been abandoned, lost their best friend, or experienced something traumatic in the past. Write about instances that you can relate to and feel comfortable about sharing too! When you find something that you're passionate about, use it for your characters and share yourself with them at the same time!
Educate and Inspire: One of the ways we can give our characters some depth is by educating and inspiring them through what we experience. Use real-life scenarios and events to support what your characters are going through. People will be more familiar with situations like these and will know what you're trying to say. Remember, don't judge others!
Give them Good Traits: Give your characters some good traits that make the reader care about them (but also show their flaws of course!). You can do this by describing how kind they are or how sweet of a person they are - let your readers see all of their strengths! It's important not to make them perfect, though; people may start to feel disconnected from the story if there is no room for growth or mistakes in it. Show their loved ones who care about them and why- maybe their biggest strength is the love and compassion they give to friends and family members. Show the love and devotion that they feel for others in your writing (and make sure their feelings and emotions are true and not fake).
Have them do good things: We like reading stories about people who we admire, but we also like to read about heroes with faults- someone who is flawed in some way, yet strives to be better. This makes them relatable because ( they're real) and it can add a sense of purpose or meaning to your book, too!
Give Them Goals: Make sure your characters know what's going on in the story - don't leave them wondering why something is happening or what they should do next just because you did a good job at building up your story! Make your characters have goals that are related to the purpose of the story. If you mentioned earlier that they're trying to find their lost brother, then give them a goal in mind while writing about it - this will help keep your story straight and on track.
6. Using dialogue to make the reader feel like they're right there with the character, experiencing everything firsthand
So you might be wondering, what is dialogue? Dialogue can be something that's spoken or written. It's how two or more people talk if they are in the same room, or it's how someone else writes about what they're saying.
Creating dialogue can be difficult at times. How do you know what people sound like when they're speaking out loud? Well, there are some questions that might help with that:
What's their personality like?
How old are they?
Where do they come from?
Do they come from a foreign country? What language do they speak?
What are their goals and desires for themselves and for others?
Do they want to impress the person they're talking to?
What do they like and dislike?
Do they work in an office or outdoors, etc.?
There are endless amounts of questions that might help with developing characters. You can develop them before you even begin writing your story, but it's easier (and usually more fun) to make changes throughout! Some people like making lists too; this is a great way to keep track of everything about your character.
First Person vs. Third Person:
It's important to know if you're going to write something in the first person or third person when creating dialogue because there are some differences between the two perspectives. The main difference is how many people are included during the conversation.
Third Person:
This means that there can be more than just one character speaking during the dialogue. If they're speaking, then you as a writer will change their name and use his or her pronouns (he/she).
First Person:
If it's written in the first person, then there can only be one character involved during dialogue. This usually refers to your main character, so whenever they say anything out loud, you'll write 'I'. You can't switch who is talking within this type of writing either if you want it to stay true to the first-person point of view.
Do I need to use tags? It depends on whether or not you're writing dialogue in the third person! There are no rules about writing dialogue in the first person.
You can use tags to show who is speaking instead of just using their name. There are a couple of different ways you can do this: You can say things like "he said" or "she said" if you're writing in the third person, but these aren't necessary if it's written in the first person. Try making up your own way of tagging the speakers!
Do something creative, and maybe even slip an adjective into it as well- that will help paint the picture for the reader as they imagine hearing what your characters have to say.
Here's an example: "Go forth, soldiers!" he said in a mountainous tone.
And while that may not be the best example, try to avoid using adverbs like this:
"Go forth, soldiers!" he said loudly.
Adverbs sound weaker in reading than the first example that used an adjective, so try your best to use more adjectives than adverbs to improve the quality of your writing.
Using descriptions will help paint the picture for the reader as well. If the character is giving an order, it's nice to be able to give a description of what they're trying to say or communicate. Here's an example: You'll notice that I used all five senses in this example, something that many writers use when describing things. This helps create more realistic stories because you can't hear, see, touch, smell and taste everything!
That would be impossible...
But you get the point! Using these various sense examples also gives clues about what kind of character is speaking- someone who has experience with nature might describe the sky as looking like molten steel; while somebody with little interaction with nature may think of "blue".
Here are the examples I mentioned:
"The sky looked like an endless canvas of molten steel as the sun began to rise. Birds turned their heads towards the horizon as they chirped a tune that sounded something like hope."
In this example, there is a lot going on. The character is descriptive and uses his senses while giving us some insight into who he is through comparisons about nature.
Let's give another character a chance! :) This time, she will describe her setting by using all five senses:
"As my eyes adjusted to the light, I was able to make out tall trees surrounding me on three sides. To my right were pallets of goods stacked about ten feet high with ten-foot walkways in between each stack. On the furthest stack on the right stood a red button."
Now, this may seem like a simple example. But by thinking of our setting through all five senses and giving little details about what we notice around us, we can paint a better picture for the reader to enjoy. So many stories today lack this and it's so unfortunate because it helps build better minds in readers!
Everyone loves a good story, but not everyone knows how to tell one properly! If you want readers to keep reading your novel or fiction book, then you've got to create a good story. That means you've got to have the right characters, the right plot, and of course, strong literary devices!
7. Tips on how to end your story so that it leaves people wanting more!
The conclusion of a story is important because it is how the author leaves the story feeling to the reader. There are two different types of endings that can be used. The first type is called an open ending, which means that the story doesn't have any conclusion or the implication is that there will be a sequel. The second type of ending is called a closed ending, which means that there is a definite end with little or no resolution.
There are many ways to go about making an opening and ending. One way to make an open ending would be by using dialogue, but not including one person speaking at the end. Another way would be by avoiding resolutions and instead leaving out pieces of information or important details that leave readers wondering what happened. One way to make a closed ending would be by answering all questions and resolving everything in the story.
With an open ending, you'll want to leave readers with a question or thought. Think about the Twilight saga- Stephenie Meyer left us wondering if Edward and Bella were going to end up together! That was one of the reasons why people kept reading those books! It also made them unpredictable because we didn't know how it was going to end until we got there.
When making a closed ending, you still want things wrapped up pretty neatly so that your audience is satisfied with what they have just read. If your main character has gone through hardships throughout your story, then providing him or her with happy closure at the end will satisfy the readers, but not all stories have to end happily. A story can have a grim and dark ending, but as long as it makes sense and the audience feels like they've gotten some sort of closure with what happened, then you can still make a great and satisfying ending.
As far as tips go for an ending, here are just a few things to keep in mind:
Make sure that your characters have learned something by the end of the story or that there is some kind of resolution to whatever conflict is happening.
An open ending is not terrible, but it needs to be done well so that readers aren't confused about what happened after they finish.
A closed ending will give readers more satisfaction than an open one because there is no wondering left hanging!
Of course, let's not forget cliffhangers. Cliffhangers can be great to generate an audience for the second book that is excited to see what happened after the first book ended, and those can also be used between chapters of a book to help build suspense.
However you decide to end your story, hopefully, this article has given you some guidance on how to make it stronger!
8. Writing a great hook for the first paragraph
A great first paragraph is a must-have for any good story. That first paragraph will help hook your reader and get them interested in what you've written, so it's a good idea to think about how you want to start off your writing. If you're not sure of how to write a great first paragraph, then let me jump into some examples for you.
The style of your first paragraph can be different depending on whether or not you're writing fiction or non-fiction. In fiction, that first line can be something shocking or cryptic that gets readers hooked and wanting more.
For example: "I'm standing on the corner holding a bottle of gin." You want to set up some sort of story with that first line, and then you'll keep going by giving more information about what is happening in the beginning.
Then we can continue that by saying: "I'm holding a bottle of gin because I need it. I've been up all night trying to remember why."
With that kind of intro, the reader will be hesitant to drop your story and will continue to read on to find out what is going with this mysterious narrator.
Conclusion:
And now, to end our article, always remember that the craft of storytelling comes mostly from the heart and that each one of us in this world is a storyteller of our own.
Enjoy the creative process and please keep creating!
