How to Tell a Story People Will Never Forget

Whether You’re Writing an Article or a Book You Need These Four Things

Of all the books and articles I’ve read this year, I can remember only a handful clearly — beginning to end, every detail.

All writers want that, for their stories to stick with readers like glue.

It’s easy in theory. All you need are memorable characters, an unforgettable plot, a remarkable setting, and a notable writing style. Easy enough . . . in theory.

Memorable Characters

If you’re writing articles or non-fiction, this section generally means you, the narrator. Characters, especially the narrator, are readers’ gateway into a story. They’re what make people care because they’re where the emotion is.

• As a species, we’re fairly good at spotting airs and posturing, so let your characters be real.
• Allow readers get to know your characters for themselves. Don’t tell me your sister is a control freak; show her rearranging and straightening things and telling everyone how to do their job.

The more readers participate in the story, the more unforgettable the experience will be.

• Give your characters something to want, always, in every scene. This will make them proactive, even if/when they fail. The problem with passive characters is that readers can’t root for them.
• Character development is essential. Your characters should not be the same people at the end of the story as they were at the beginning. The change can be minor, but it needs to be there.
• Remember to make your side characters just as memorable as your main characters.

An Unforgettable Plot

What is your story about? And the more important question: Why should readers care?

• The first step in making your plot memorable is to write what you care about. Your passion for the story will leak into it and spread to your readers.
• Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, conflict is vital.

Note that all things don’t apply to all stories.

• Let your characters’ failures accumulate into a situation that seems hopeless so that you keep your readers on the edge of their seats. The goal is not only to make them forgo sleep and responsibilities; it’s to make them forget they’re tired and have a million other things they should be doing.
• Make sure that all that conflict doesn’t go to waste. If 99% of your story is amazing, but the ending is unsatisfying, you‘ll disappoint people.
• For a satisfying ending: resolve all conflict, make the ending a direct result of your main character’s actions, add some last-minute tension by including the aforementioned moment of hopelessness during which your readers aren’t sure if the characters will succeed, and don’t fall for the “shock value” trap. Yes, the ending should be surprising, but the clues you laid out during the rest of the story shouldn’t all be red herrings.

A Remarkable Setting

This point doesn’t just apply to fiction. All settings, magical or mundane, should be engaging because it establishes readers within your story.

• Give details for each setting you include and make them all work towards a specific atmosphere. Bring this world to life for your readers.
• Try to give each setting its own tone and role in the story.
• If you focus on one main detail, the setting will stand out more. Even better if that detail symbolises the story.
• Keep in mind that even magical settings need to feel real. There need to be rules for how things work, and those rules need to be consistent.

A Notable Writing Style

Your writing style’s job is to make reading your story pleasant. It needs to engage readers.

• Master writing techniques like “show, don’t tell”, POV, and engaging your readers’ senses.
• Study the writers you admire.
• Drop the pretence of formality and don’t take yourself too seriously. There’s nothing worse than a pompous writer — it takes the life out of a story.
• Keep your writing simple. Use easy words and short sentences whenever possible (though do vary sentence lengths), and don’t try too hard to make your writing style perfect. Readers will know if you’re forcing it.

Top Tip

Do something new. Which is easier said than done and impossible according to many.

“Everything’s already been done a million times.” Fine, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s familiar with everything. So instead of “Do something new,” the advice should be: “Don’t do what’s common.”

J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t do anything new. The fantasy genre, extensive world-building, inventing new languages, dwarves, elves, etc. existed long before he did, but these things weren’t all that popular back then. He made them popular.

You know you’ve done something right when you write something so brilliant it becomes a cliché.

Of course, a story can be memorable for all the wrong reasons, but memorable is memorable and any publicity is good publicity (no, not really).

Five of the unforgettable books I mentioned at the start of this article I loathed and despised.

They follow the four aspects of unforgettable-ness (characters, plot, setting, and writing style, in case you forgot), but the result is less than pleasing.

Hey, these tips are to make your story memorable. I said nothing about making it good.