How to write a story - tips and tricks

It was a stormy night when Sarah sat down at her desk, with only a steaming cup of tea and a blank sheet of paper in front of her. She had always dreamed of writing a story, that story that had been dancing in her mind for years like an elusive shadow. But every time her pen touched the paper, the words seemed to slip away, leaving her with a sense of frustration and emptiness. That night, however, something was different. She had finally understood that writing a story wasn't just about innate talent, but about method, technique, and most importantly, the courage to begin.

Like Sarah, many aspiring writers face the same dilemma: how to write a story that is not only interesting but truly captures the reader's attention and transports them to a different world? The good news is that narrative writing, while being an art, follows principles and structures that can be learned and perfected.

In this comprehensive guide, you'll discover everything you need to know to create a story that's memorable: from generating the initial idea to building unforgettable characters, from plot structure to techniques for maintaining narrative tension. Whether you want to write a novel, a short story, or simply improve your storytelling skills, here you'll find practical tools and expert advice to transform your ideas into stories that leave a mark.

Table of Contents

• The Idea: The Seed of Your Story
• Characters: Bringing Protagonists to Life
• Narrative Structure: The Backbone of the Story
• The Plot: The Beating Heart of Narration
• Setting: Creating Believable Worlds
• Narrative Point of View: Choosing the Right Perspective
• Effective Dialogue: Making Characters Speak
• Conflict: The Engine of Narration
• Revision and Editing: Perfecting Your Story
• How AI Can Accelerate the Creative Process
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Idea: The Seed of Your Story

Every great story begins with an idea. But you don't need to wait for divine inspiration: ideas for a story are everywhere, you just need to know where to look for them and how to cultivate them. The initial idea can arise from a personal experience, from a news article you read, from a "what if...?" that crosses your mind while you're in the shower, or simply from observing the people around you.

The key isn't so much having a perfect idea from the start, but being curious and open. When something interesting comes to mind, write it down immediately. Always keep a notebook with you or use your phone's notes: ideas are fleeting and tend to disappear if you don't capture them right away. Don't censor yourself at this stage, let ideas flow freely without judging them too quickly.

Once you have an initial idea, the next step is to explore and develop it. Ask yourself questions like: "What would happen if...?", "Why is this important?", "Who would be affected by this situation?". This questioning process will help you understand if the idea has enough substance to become a complete story or if it's better to combine it with other elements. Remember that even the simplest idea can transform into a rich and complex narrative if you explore it in depth.

A useful exercise is the "mind mapping" technique: write the central idea in the center of a sheet and then create branches with all the concepts, characters, places, and situations that come to mind. This visual method allows you to see connections you might otherwise miss and expand your idea in unexpected directions.

Characters: Bringing Protagonists to Life

Characters are the heart of every story. Even the most gripping plot will fail if readers don't identify with or care about your characters. Creating characters that are believable and three-dimensional is fundamental to emotionally engaging your audience and making your story memorable.

Start with the protagonist: who is this person? Don't limit yourself to physical characteristics, dig deeper. What are their deepest desires? What do they fear most? What experience made them who they are today? A well-constructed character has clear goals, understandable motivations, and vulnerabilities that make them human and authentic.

The "character sheet" technique can be very useful: create a detailed profile for each main character including not only physical appearance and age, but also family background, education, hobbies, fears, dreams, habitual expressions, and even the little quirks that make them unique. Many of these details might never appear in the final story, but knowing them will help you write the character consistently and authentically.

Remember the principle "show, don't tell": instead of saying a character is brave, show them performing an act of courage. Readers must discover who your characters are through their actions, dialogue, and choices, not through long descriptions. Also, give your characters flaws: perfect characters are boring and unrealistic. Imperfections, doubts, and mistakes make characters relatable and interesting.

Don't forget secondary characters and antagonists. A well-written villain isn't simply evil for the sake of being evil: they have their own motivations, their own perspective, and in a sense are the hero of their own story. Even background characters should have their own personality and function in the narrative, not be simple extras.

Narrative Structure: The Backbone of the Story

Every story needs a solid structure to build upon. Narrative structure is like the skeleton that supports everything else: it may not be visible to the reader, but without it the story would collapse. Understanding and applying classic narrative structures will give you a solid foundation to start from, even if you then decide to experiment and innovate.

The three-act structure is the most widespread and time-tested. The first act (about 25% of the story) introduces the protagonist's ordinary world, presents the main characters, and establishes the initial situation. Then comes the inciting incident, a crucial moment that breaks the equilibrium and pushes the protagonist toward the main adventure or conflict.

The second act (about 50% of the story) is where the protagonist faces growing obstacles in their attempt to reach their goal. This is the central part where subplots develop, characters deepen, and tension progressively increases. In the middle of this act there's often the "midpoint," an important turning point that changes the direction of the story.

The third act (the remaining 25%) brings the resolution of the main conflict. Here we find the climax, the moment of maximum tension where everything that has been built in the previous pages reaches its peak. After the climax comes the resolution, where narrative threads are closed and the new equilibrium reached by the protagonist is shown.

Beyond the three-act structure, there are other useful models like Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey," particularly effective for stories of personal growth and adventure. Whatever structure you choose, remember it's not a rigid cage but a flexible guide: feel free to adapt it to the specific needs of your story.

The Plot: The Beating Heart of Narration

The plot is the sequence of events that make up your story, the chain of cause and effect that leads from the starting point to the end. A well-constructed plot keeps the reader glued to the pages, always eager to discover what happens next. But how to write a story with a plot that truly works?

First of all, every scene must have a purpose. Always ask yourself: does this scene advance the plot, develop a character, or reveal important information? If the answer is no, that scene probably isn't needed. Every element of your narrative should contribute to the organic whole of the story, nothing should be there just as filler.

The principle of "dramatic progression" is fundamental: the story must always move forward, with a constant increase in tension and stakes. If the protagonist overcomes obstacles too easily, the story loses interest. Every victory should cost something, and every defeat should teach something that will lead to character growth.

An effective trick is the "yes, but..." or "no, and furthermore...". When the protagonist attempts to reach a goal, avoid resolutions that are too simple. Instead of a simple "yes, they succeed," use "yes, they succeed, but now they have an even bigger problem." Or, instead of a flat "no, they fail," try "no, they fail, and furthermore now the situation has worsened." This creates a spiral of increasing complications that keeps attention high.

Plot twists and revelations are great tools for keeping interest alive, but they must be carefully prepared. A good plot twist is both surprising and inevitable: when the reader discovers it, they should think "I didn't expect that!" and at the same time "Now that I think about it, all the clues were there!". Scatter small clues throughout the narrative without making them too obvious.

Setting: Creating Believable Worlds

Setting is much more than just a backdrop: it's a living element of the narrative that influences characters, plot, and the overall atmosphere of the story. Whether you're writing a story set in the contemporary real world, in a past historical era, or in a completely invented fantasy universe, the setting must be rich in details and consistent.

To create a story with a convincing setting, start with thorough research. If your story is set in a real place or historical period, study that context carefully: architecture, clothing, available technology, social norms, language. Even small details can make the difference between a setting that feels authentic and one that sounds false.

If instead you're creating an imaginary world, take the time to develop it with consistent internal logic. How does magic work in your fantasy universe? What are the physical laws of your science fiction world? What cultural traditions characterize your invented society? World-building is a fascinating creative process, but be careful not to fall into the trap of excessive exposition: don't dump pages and pages of explanations about how your world works on the reader. Reveal information gradually, naturally integrated into the narrative.

Use the senses to bring the setting to life. Don't limit yourself to describing what is seen: what do you smell in the air? What sounds fill the streets? What does the local food taste like? How does it feel to walk on that terrain? Sensory details immerse the reader in the environment and make the reading experience much more vivid.

The setting should also reflect and amplify the themes of your story. A dark, dystopian tale will benefit from a gray and decaying setting, while a story of hope and rebirth might unfold in places where nature reclaims dominance. The environment isn't neutral: use weather, places, and objects to create symbolism and reinforce the emotional tone of the narrative.

Narrative Point of View: Choosing the Right Perspective

The narrative point of view, or POV (Point of View), determines through whose eyes the reader experiences the story. It's one of the most important decisions you'll make as a writer, because it profoundly influences how the story is perceived and experienced.

First person ("I went toward the door") creates immediate intimacy with the protagonist. The reader experiences everything through that character's thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. It's perfect for stories where the narrator's voice is distinctive and important, and works well for mysteries, memoirs, or narratives where subjective perspective is central. The disadvantage is that you're limited to what the protagonist knows and experiences: you can't show scenes where they're not present.

Third person limited ("She went toward the door") follows one character at a time, showing their thoughts and emotions, but using third-person pronouns. It offers a good balance between intimacy and flexibility: you can switch POV between different chapters to follow different characters, giving the reader a broader view of the story. It's probably the most used POV in contemporary fiction.

Third person omniscient knows everything about all characters and can enter any mind at any time. The narrator has a divine perspective, can comment on events, and reveal information that no character knows. This POV was very common in classics but is less popular today, because it can create emotional distance if not handled masterfully.

Second person ("You go toward the door") is rare and experimental, but can create an effect of strong involvement, almost as if the reader themselves were the protagonist. It's difficult to sustain for an entire narrative but can work for short stories or particular sections.

Whatever POV you choose, maintain consistency. Sudden and unjustified changes in point of view (the so-called "head-hopping") confuse the reader and break immersion in the story. If you decide to use multiple POVs, establish a clear structure: for example, one character per chapter, with clear transition signals.

Effective Dialogue: Making Characters Speak

Dialogue is one of the most powerful tools available to a writer. Well-written dialogue reveals character personalities, advances the plot, creates conflict, and breaks up the monotony of narrative descriptions. But writing dialogue that sounds natural while also serving a narrative purpose requires practice and attention.

First, listen to how people speak in real life. Obviously you don't have to faithfully reproduce all the hesitations, fillers, and repetitions of everyday speech (which would make reading unbearable), but you need to capture its rhythm and authenticity. Each character should have a distinct voice: a university professor won't speak like a street teenager, and this difference should emerge not only from content but also from manner of expression.

Avoid "on the nose" dialogue, where characters say exactly what they think explicitly just to inform the reader. People in real life lie, avoid uncomfortable topics, use sarcasm and irony, have subtext. The most interesting dialogues are those where what isn't said is as important as what is said explicitly.

Use dialogue to create conflict. Even apparently banal conversations can have underlying tension if characters have different goals or information the other doesn't possess. Conflict doesn't necessarily have to be a fight: it can be a difference of opinion, an attempt at persuasion, or simply two people talking about two different things thinking they're talking about the same thing.

Be careful with dialogue tags (said, replied, exclaimed). In most cases, simple "said" is the best choice because it becomes invisible and doesn't distract the reader. Avoid overly creative verbs or excessive adverbs ("grunted maliciously", "mumbled angrily"): let the content and context of the dialogue convey the emotion. And don't be afraid to eliminate the dialogue tag completely when it's clear who's speaking.

Conflict: The Engine of Narration

Without conflict there is no story. Conflict is what creates tension, maintains reader interest, and pushes characters to grow and change. Understanding the different types of conflict and how to use them effectively is essential to write a story that works.

External conflict is the most obvious: protagonist versus antagonist, versus nature, versus society, versus supernatural forces. It's the most visible and action-oriented type of conflict: battles, chases, struggles for survival. It works well for creating immediate tension and dynamic scenes, but alone it can be superficial if not accompanied by emotional depth.

Internal conflict occurs in the protagonist's mind and heart. It's the struggle between what they want and what they need, between conflicting desires, between fear and courage. This type of conflict adds psychological complexity to the narrative and allows for authentic character growth. The most memorable stories usually combine external and internal conflict so they mirror and amplify each other.

A third type is interpersonal conflict, which occurs between characters with incompatible goals, values, or personalities. These conflicts create interesting dynamics and allow exploration of different perspectives on the same theme. Not all characters need to get along: tensions and disagreements make relationships more realistic and the story richer.

The key is to constantly raise the stakes. At the beginning of the story, the protagonist has something to lose; as the narrative progresses, those stakes should increase. What would happen if the protagonist failed? The answer should become progressively more serious and personal. And when it seems the protagonist has found a solution, introduce a complication that makes everything more difficult.

Revision and Editing: Perfecting Your Story

The first draft is just the beginning. Hemingway said that "the first draft of anything is always shit," and he was right. The magic of writing happens in revision, where you transform raw material into a polished and refined story. Many novice writers underestimate the importance of this phase, but this is where mediocre stories become excellent.

When you finish the first draft, resist the temptation to reread it immediately. Take a break of at least a few weeks if possible, so you can return to the text with fresh eyes and a more objective perspective. When you reread, do it first without taking notes, simply to get an overall sense of the story. Are there parts that bore you? Moments where you got confused? Characters that don't convince you? Note your first impressions.

Then proceed with targeted readings, focusing each time on different aspects. One reading for plot: are there logical holes? Does the progression make sense? Another for characters: are they consistent? Are their motivations clear? A third for dialogue, one for pacing, one for style. It's easier to improve a text when you focus on one element at a time instead of trying to fix everything together.

Ruthlessly eliminate everything that isn't needed. That scene you love so much but that adds nothing to the story? Cut it. That magnificent descriptive paragraph but that slows the pace right at the wrong moment? Reduce it or move it. Editing is the art of killing your darlings in favor of the story as a whole. Every sentence, every word should earn its place on the page.

Read your story aloud: it's an incredibly effective trick for spotting unnatural dialogue, convoluted sentences, and pacing problems. If you stumble while reading, there's probably a problem that needs fixing. Also consider having trusted beta readers read the text who can give you honest feedback: sometimes problems obvious to an outside reader are invisible to the author too close to their own work.

How AI Can Accelerate the Creative Process

In the digital age, technology is also revolutionizing the world of creative writing. Artificial intelligence doesn't replace human creativity, but can become a powerful ally to accelerate and enrich the narrative creation process, overcoming creative blocks and optimizing phases that would otherwise require much more time.

When you get stuck in idea generation, AI can act as an inexhaustible brainstorming partner. You can describe the type of story you want to write and receive suggestions for potential plot developments, interesting complications, or character traits you wouldn't have considered. It's not about mechanically copying these suggestions, but using them as a springboard to stimulate your imagination and see your project from different angles.

Developing complex characters requires time and attention to detail. AI can help you create detailed profiles, suggest credible backgrounds, elaborate relationships between characters, and even generate example dialogues that capture different voices and personalities. This allows you to quickly explore different versions of a character until you find the right one, saving hours of preliminary work.

Narrative structure and plot organization can greatly benefit from AI assistance. You can get help identifying weak points in narrative progression, balancing various character arcs, or finding the right rhythm between action scenes and reflective moments. AI can also suggest where to insert effective plot twists or how to build tension gradually toward the climax.

With Books Maker, this process becomes even more fluid and personalized. The platform allows you to create the story you want, defining exactly the narrative style you prefer, the characters you imagine, and the atmosphere you want to convey. You can work at your own pace, dedicating the time you want to each phase of the creative process, from initial conception to final revision.

Artificial intelligence becomes your personal writing assistant, capable of adapting to your specific needs and evolving with you as your story takes shape. Whether you want to write an epic novel over months of meticulous work or complete a compelling tale in a few hours of intensive sessions, AI tools can scale to fit your workflow. The result is always an authentically your story, where technology has simply amplified your creative voice instead of replacing it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a story be?

The length depends on the type of narrative you want to write. A short story can be 1,000-7,500 words, a long story 7,500-20,000 words, a novella 20,000-50,000 words, and a novel typically exceeds 50,000 words. There is no "right" length in absolute terms: the story should be as long as necessary to tell it well, neither more nor less.

Do I need to plan the entire story before starting to write?

It depends on your writing style. Some writers (the "plotters") plan every detail before starting, creating detailed outlines and character maps. Others (the "pantsers") prefer to discover the story as they write it, letting themselves be guided by inspiration of the moment. Many find themselves in the middle, with a general idea of direction but flexibility in details. Try both approaches and discover what works best for you.

How do I overcome writer's block?

Writer's block can have many causes: perfectionism, fear of failure, creative fatigue, plot problems. Some useful strategies include: establishing a daily writing routine, writing freely without self-censorship, skipping difficult parts and coming back to them later, changing writing environment, reading works by other authors for inspiration, or simply taking a break. Remember that writing badly is better than not writing at all: you can always improve a bad draft, but you can't improve a blank page.

Is it necessary to follow traditional narrative rules?

Narrative rules exist because they generally work: they're patterns that resonate with readers and create satisfying stories. That said, many innovative and successful works have broken rules creatively. The key is knowing the rules before deciding to break them. When you violate a convention, do it consciously and for a good narrative reason, not out of ignorance or laziness.

How long does it take to write a book?

The time varies enormously from writer to writer and from project to project. Some authors complete a first draft in a few weeks during events like NaNoWriMo, others take years. On average, writing and revising a novel can take from six months to several years. Don't compare your pace with that of others: the important thing is to progress constantly, even if slowly.

Should I write every day?

Writing regularly helps maintain connection with the story and characters, and builds the discipline necessary to complete long projects. Many professional writers recommend daily practice. However, "writing every day" can mean different things: dedicating hours to the draft, doing research, planning scenes, or even just reflecting on the story. Find a sustainable routine for you, whether daily or weekly, and maintain it consistently.

About Books Maker: Our team is made up of AI professionals. Together with expert writers and authors, we created booksmaker.ai to help our users achieve their publishing dreams by leveraging the power of Artificial Intelligence tools for every stage of the process, from idea to book creation.

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