The seed of your narrative doesn’t necessarily have to be a major life event. Even simple, often overlooked experiences, such as cooking a meal for a loved one or a chance encounter, can be packed with meaning. If you can’t think of a specific event to write about, try to find a small moment, memory, or image that stands out to you.
Don’t worry if you can’t use a lot of the material. Free-writing is an exercise, and you’re probably not going to produce an incredible story right off the bat. When you free-write, you may come up with 1 or 2 fledgling ideas that are worth exploring, so don’t get discouraged. Some people also find it helpful to chat with a friend about a topic or an idea. If you have a thought you want to develop, try bouncing ideas off of a trusted, creative friend. [4] X Research source
A vivid description could be, “Hand-painted, cheerfully swirling floral patterns on the grandfather clock’s face had long ago begun to fade. Nicks and scratches in its tawny wooden body further evidenced its age. Wear and tear aside, one could only marvel at its precisely dovetailed joints and exquisitely sculpted split pediment top. ” Carry a notebook (or use a memo app on your phone) and practice writing vivid descriptions throughout the day. To broaden your vocabulary, plug words into a thesaurus. Look up the definitions of the synonyms it generates, and use them when you practice writing descriptions in the future. Vivid details are essential to crafting a narrative, so practicing descriptive writing is time well spent. You may also be able to work a description of a coffee cup, chirping bird, or passerby into your narrative.
If you’re writing about your own experiences, try to let yourself be vulnerable. It’s scary to write about emotions, whether they’re positive or negative, or to write with sincerity about a significant experience. Let that vulnerability fuel your narrative. For example, suppose you’re writing about a breakup. Writing about how your actions contributed to the breakup isn’t easy, even if you’re recounting events with fictional characters. However, digging deep and being honest about what you did wrong will make your story more authentic.
Choose a distraction-free time and place and work on your story for at least 30 minutes a day. It’s okay if your words seem forced at first. As you write more, you’ll build the connection between your mind and hands, and engaging the keyboard or pen and paper will start to feel automatic. [7] X Research source Note that doing free-writing exercises is different from writing your story. You can still write freely on any topic for 15 minutes a day, but set aside at least 30 minutes to write your story with focus.
Keep in mind your narrator doesn’t need to be correct, truthful, or moral. An unreliable or immoral narrator can be an effective way to engage the reader. For instance, the narrator could have committed heinous crimes in the story, but wins the reader with their charm. The reader identifies with the narrator, and when they learn the extent of the narrator’s deeds, they examine their own morality.
Be descriptive, but try not to overwhelm the reader with details. Spelling out every breath a character takes or describing every speck of a room makes for tedious reading. Zero in on key details and, whenever possible, make them relevant to the story. For instance, suppose a character in your narrative is indecisive, and their inability to make decisions ultimately leads to your story’s climax. When you introduce the character, you could describe them struggling to make up their mind while ordering lunch, and that detail will foreshadow later events in the story.
Organization is key whether you’re writing a journalistic narrative or a work of fiction. If you’re writing a personal narrative for an application or other professional purpose, it’s especially important that your organization is crystal clear. If you’re writing a creative piece, you have more room to experiment with structure. For instance, the plot may center on a character who’s struggling to reconstruct forgotten past events. Even if you play with the timeline, your story itself still needs a coherent plot that builds toward a big moment, revelation, or climax.
Be aware of your pacing. If your writing doesn’t hold your interest, it won’t keep the reader’s attention. Take time to provide key details and allow the plot to unfold, but get to the point instead of unnecessarily dragging out the story.
For instance, “His sleeplessness became part of his normal routine and, like an animal active at night, he found that the dark of night heightened his senses,” is wordy. “His insomnia became habitual; like a nocturnal animal, his senses grew sharper with light’s absence” is crisper.
For instance, if you’ve written your narrative in the past tense, watch out for places where your narrator may have slipped into the present. Keep in mind characters can think or speak using a different tense than the narrator. For example, it’s grammatically correct to write, “Noelle skipped and spun blithely as she chanted, ‘Tom loves Sophie! He’s gonna marry her! Tom and Sophie sitting in a tree!’”
For instance, you might lose the reader if you start to detail one setting, digress for 3 paragraphs to discuss events in another location, bring up something completely unrelated, then finally finish describing the original setting.
If you’re writing about a personal experience, have someone who wasn’t present for the event read your narrative. They can give you an unbiased opinion about how well you make the experience real for them. If someone gives you tough notes on your narrative, try not to take it personally. Use their feedback to make your story stronger.
