Summary

The article provides guidance on transforming a seemingly unpromising story idea into an engaging narrative through effective writing techniques.

Abstract

The article addresses the common issue of self-doubt among writers, emphasizing that even a seemingly poor story idea can be developed into a compelling piece. It outlines a three-step approach to refine such ideas: crafting an attention-grabbing headline, writing an engaging first paragraph, and concluding with a memorable ending. The author argues that professional writers possess the experience to structure stories effectively, while novices may prematurely abandon their ideas. The article encourages persistence, suggesting that a well-constructed title, opening, and conclusion are crucial in capturing and maintaining reader interest, ultimately leading to a successful story.

Opinions

The author believes that the internal critic, often manifesting as writer's block or procrastination, can hinder a writer's ability to develop a story.
Professional writers are portrayed as having the skill to turn any idea into a story that resonates with readers, suggesting that experience plays a significant role in this ability.
The article posits that an effective title is essential for drawing readers in, but it should not be overly sensational or misleading (clickbait).
The first paragraph is considered critical for drawing readers

How to Write a Great Story Even if Your Idea Sucks

Ignore the voices in your head

Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

Sitting on every writer’s shoulder is a tiny little man that whispers in the author’s ear, “that’s a lousy idea.” He has many names: writer’s block, procrastination, doubt, fear, and anxiety. He’s the judge, jury, and executioner of stories. His one job is to keep you from writing. And he’s good at it.

As writers, we experience the tug-of-war between wanting to tell a story and feeling it’s a dumb idea. We look at what other writers have written, and we think there is nothing left to tell on the topic. Racking our thoughts, we struggle to come up with a unique twist that will make our story different. Staring at a blank screen with nothing but a working title, we reach for the delete key. As we press it, sending our story into oblivion, we tell ourselves the story was a dumb idea.

The 3 Elements of Writing: Inspiration, Imagination, And Perspiration

But the greatest of these is perspiration

writingcooperative.com

Professional writers know they can develop any idea into a story. Through consistent writing, they’ve learned how to structure a story even from a weak idea. They want to give their readers a story that informs them and doesn’t leave them bored. So they will craft even a bad idea into a great story.

Beginning writers don’t have the experience of writing hundreds of stories. So when the thought comes to them that their idea isn’t good, they think the best option is to quit. They tell themselves no one will be interested in their story. Instead of crafting their idea into a great article, they quit.

What to do when you think you have a bad story idea

Write an attention-grabbing headline

Trying to grasp an entire story all at once is difficult. An idea for a story needs development. Begin by writing a headline. You won’t get it right the first time. So rewrite it until it works for you.

Don’t worry about writing a clickbaity title. Effective titles have some clickbait otherwise people won’t click on them. My working title for this article was, “Don’t Prejudge Your Story. Just Write it”. It tells you what the story is about, but it’s boring. It leaves a feeling of, “Who cares?”. It doesn’t compel me to even open it. But if I’m feeling my ideas suck, I want to read about how to fix it. So I built into my finish title 3 elements that I hope will get a reader’s attention: “How to”, “great story”, “idea sucks”. It’s a little clickbaity, but it works.

What I didn’t write was, “Make every story you write a million-dollar winner guaranteed.” That’s clickbait. Don’t do it.

You Don’t Have to Be a Perfectionist to Write

But you have to write

medium.com

Write an attention-grabbing first paragraph

Drawing a reader to your story starts with a title, but it’s the first paragraph that draws them into your story. Readers give writers a chance at taking their time by clicking on an intriguing title. They hope that the writer will give them an excuse to keep reading. That’s the job of the opening paragraph.

After crafting a good title, the actual story will begin percolating to the top of your mind. Writing the first paragraph sets up the rest of the article. It needs to be creative and factual. It tells the reader what the story is about, but it doesn’t reveal too much.

If the reader has stayed with you through the first paragraph, there’s a good chance he’ll stay with you until the end. And that is why you need a strong conclusion.

Always write a memorable ending paragraph

The last paragraph recaps your article. If someone scans your story rather than reads it, they’ll read the first paragraph. If they like it, they’ll scan the headers, then read the last paragraph. If they like what they’ve read, they may read the story. If all they do is skim your story, you want to leave them with a good last impression.

In the last paragraph, you summarize your story. You remind the reader of the key points. And I like to give them a cute send-off.

Final Thoughts

Being a successful author means you write. Even when you think your idea sucks, craft the story into something your readers will enjoy reading. The first step is creating a title that grabs a reader’s attention. But a good title isn’t enough. You also need a strong first paragraph that draws the reader into your story. And when you are wrapping up the story, give the reader some final thoughts that summarize your story.

Never send your reader away without reminding them of the key points of what you’ve written.

They’ll love you for it.