- Writers often have a difficult time starting a story because beginnings can be intimidating. Beginnings are the writer's first encounter with his readers. A strong opening engages a reader's interest and motivates him to read further. A bad opening will turn the reader off and may kill the story prematurely. Although a writer can begin a story in many ways, a good beginning usually starts with an interesting character doing something or having something happen to him. This action need not be overly dramatic; it can be funny or subtle. What it must do is make the reader curious enough about the character's plight that he wants to answer the question, "What happens next?"
- Perhaps the biggest problem a writer faces in crafting a story is creating a fictional world that readers will believe. This does not mean that a story cannot be fantastical. What it means is that a writer must create a sufficiently detailed fictional realm where characters and situations are consistent throughout. For example, a writer can set a story on a alien planet with an exotic atmosphere, but the reader will quickly become incredulous if a human character is walking around on the planet in a space suit in one scene and frolicking in street clothes in the next without a credible explanation.
- Another major obstacle affecting story writing is characterization. A good writer understands that without strong, complex characters that readers will care about, a story is nothing. Consider the phenomena of the Harry Potter series. There is nothing especially original about the Harry Potter novels. Most of the fantasy elements in the series are borrowed from other fantasy writers, and the plot follows the classical hero's quest as outlined in Joseph Campbell's landmark book on mythology and storytelling, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." Yet, in Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling has created a character who is both noble and flawed --- someone who struggles to find his place in his world and fulfill his destiny. This is something very basic that many readers, young and old, can identify with.
- A good story is nothing without conflict. A story is made up of a series of scenes that introduce complications for the main character, leading to a final resolution. A writer can run into difficulties if he does not introduce serious plot complications into his story. A story with no obstacles for the main character to overcome is dull and difficult to resolve. Without conflict, it is far too easy for a writer to become trapped in mundane details and lose the narrative thread that will lead him to a satisfactory resolution.
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