Perhaps you’re drawn to stories that have a lot of dialogue and would like to incorporate that into your work. Or, you might not like long, drawn out setting descriptions and may choose to write shorter descriptions. You might find that you really enjoy reading touching stories in which love prevails over an external triumph. That’s a wonderful reflection, as it gives you a potential starting point for your own touching story.
Loss of a loved one or pet Marriage-related situations A big move Finding love Forgiveness Going away to college Getting a new job Going on a journey of self discovery A kind gesture met by another kind gesture
You might have a notebook specifically for character development, dedicating a page to each character in which you jot down notes about them. You don’t have to use every character note that you write down. It’s better to have too much than too little, as you can always cut or revise details later. This is where you can bring your characters to life. Imagine your protagonist. Is she from a small town? How did she end up in the big city? Where did she meet the love of her life who she’ll connect with later in the story? What’s her favorite band? Food? Author?
Perhaps the most famous example of plotting a story is J. K. Rowling’s chart for the Harry Potter novels. [3] X Research source Notice that she pays attention to details, planning out the action for each month of the story, as well as the plots and subplots. Everything is managed and accounted for in her hand-written spreadsheet. You should refer to your character pages while plotting to maintain consistency.
Think about where you want your story to take place. Imagine the house, the store, the school, the city, the state, the country, and write down details of your location in your notebook. Also consider when this is taking place. Determine what season and time your touching story is set. Does it happen to be during a holiday? Do you imagine this taking place in one location, such as a boat dock as they wave goodbye to one another? Or do you see your story spanning sunrise and sunset both, on a boat dock and at a high school football game?
A first-person point of view is useful because you can give your readers access to your protagonist’s (or another character’s) inner thoughts, their feelings, their reactions, and the story as they experience it. This interior perspective is useful because readers become invested in that character. However, make sure you only write from this character’s perspective, presenting only information they would reasonably know. On the other hand, if you have a third-person narrator in your story, a narrator that is removed and tells the story to the readers, you are able to describe more characters, but with less emotional depth. You may also incorporate free indirect discourse, which allows readers partial access to a character’s thoughts while maintaining that third-person narrator[5] X Research source One benefit of a third-person point of view is that you can choose to use an omniscient narrator, allowing you to explore the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters.
Although you know your characters fairly well by now, having imagined them, written notes about them, and mapped them into your larger touching story, don’t worry about details right now like names. What’s important at this stage is the substance and to make sure that you’re focusing on writing a touching rather than gimmicky story.
For example, while it’s possible that someone has very, very bad luck, most readers won’t emotionally connect to a story in which the protagonist has over-the-top experiences (like being forced to drive a runaway train full of dynamite while trying to save her one, true love). Less is better, allowing the characters and storyline to really shine through.
You can tell your reader what a character is feeling very directly by just stating it. For example, “Kurt was feeling anxious as he stood on the front porch, staring at the front door that he hadn’t seen in 27 years. ” Or you can indirectly offer this by using an adjective to describe a person or a thing (noun), which tells the reader the character’s feelings about that noun, giving an indirect glimpse at their feelings. For example, “Chloe made her way down the busy street, hoping that she’d see Samantha before her horrible boss made her go back to work. ” It’s best to show your characters’ emotions through actions rather than by telling the reader how they feel. Not only will this make your story more interesting, it also helps you avoid being overly sentimental. For example, “Hallie removed the photo from the side table and studied the smile on his face, looking for falsehoods. After the first tear splashed against the glass frame, she stashed the photo in the drawer of the side table, determined never to look at it again. "
A character may have a sick parent who they are unable to financially care for, which is realistic and relatable. But it would be melodramatic to say that character also has a sick child, missing dog, and that they lost their job. What is one touching aspect of your story that you think your readers could connect with?
Your word choices will impact the mood, tone, and action of your touching story and determine how your reader responds to your touching story. [11] X Research source If you want to set a positive tone, for example, you might describe your protagonist as modest, appreciative, cheerful, or benevolent. On the other hand, you might describe your protagonist’s feelings as she searches the woods for her elderly Labrador Retriever one night as frantic, desperate, and terrified.
Typically a sympathetic character will face an obstacle, or have a worthwhile or even noble cause, or they may have a passion or love to pursue. These aspects humanize your character and give your reader a reason to root for them.
Rather than tell your reader how your character feels, occasionally tell your reader how the character reacts to a situation. What do they do because of how they are feeling? For example, instead of saying, “Jose was devastated when he learned that Anna had married Sam in his absence,” tell the reader what Jose did. “Jose buried his head in the pillow and screamed after learning that Anna had married Sam while he was gone. He cried and yelled into that pillow to exhaustion, finally falling into a disturbed and restless sleep. ”
If you’re writing a shorter story, you might not have the space to spread out the backstory. In that case, choose the most important details that will help your reader engage emotionally with the characters and storyline.
You can hire an agent who will do the work of contacting editors and negotiating compensation for you. You can also self-publish, which will require that you cover the cost of the publication. You can represent yourself and contact publishing houses and editors directly.
