Practical Tips to Write Soul Jarring Fiction

How to write a Great Story; not just a good one

A lot of folks have passable writing talent. Usually, they don’t go far. Either they don’t put in the time, or they never publish finished work. Only a handful of us become great writers. I plan to be one of those.

Seven years ago, I took up writing in a desperate quest to deal with depression. Since then, creative writing has transformed into a life purpose kind of thing for me. And it is fair amount of work. When I’m not writing, I’m reading, editing or researching. It’s a full-time, life-long, strategy-based job.

Fiction writing is a complex craft. You could come up with a gasp-inducing plot, spiraling sighs and all, but converting that lucid idea floating in your skull down to a crisp, brilliant story is like playing a different sport altogether.

Here, I’ve compiled a list of practical tips that have helped improve my fiction writing over the years. It took me years of hit and trial to get to the point where I’ve ingrained these into muscle memory. And I’m better for it.

#1 Immerse yourself in your character, like great actors do

Imagine them sitting across the table. Manifest nervous tics. Nuances of speech. Childhood fears. A peculiar walking style. Internal monologue. A go-to song. These little features add richness to your character, making her layered, and fascinating.

One great tip that I use all the time to slip into the skin of my character is this: I take a walk (mostly I just pace the room), imagining that I’m the character. Then, I play out the sequence I want to write. For example, I react how they would react to a situation, or reply like they would in a conversation. I record these thoughts on my phone. You could also take notes, if that sounds comfortable. Mostly I like to do this alone, but you could try doing it with a friend.

#2 Listen to Instrumental Music to set the mood

If only life had background music, everything would be so eloquent. This applies to creative writing. Instrumental music is like guided meditation — it gets you in the zone. Say you’re writing a scene involving heartbreak, you could play out the Braveheart theme. This cello cover is particularly good. While writing a pensive scene, try something like Nuvole Bianche by Ludovico Euinadi. For dramatic scenes, I recommend something like Experience. You could do bird sounds, jungle noises, trickling water to really get you there.

#3 Location Building

Good writing is always researched writing. I often strike up conversations with strangers so I can observe their dialect and body language. On a similar note, if you want to write a scene taking place on a park bench, it really helps to go sit on a park bench.

There are a hundred ways to describe two people sitting on a park bench, and you don’t need to describe everything relying on your imagination. But visual cues in real time are a tremendous help. Just observe, and then describe it on paper. This exercise is particularly good for those days when you’re just not feeling it.

Exceptional fiction work comes not from original plot, but from original perspective on a plot.

#4 Spend a few minutes alone every day

Besides lack of motivation, the biggest challenge a writer faces is distraction. We live in times of information overdose. Now couple these two sentences and you get to why you can’t capture your imagination on paper.

Last year, I wrote a popular course on Boredom. During research, I realized that boredom fuels creativity. When your mind is unoccupied, it makes ambivalent connections, and that’s when the soul-stirring ideas and the random, genius connections are formed. A serious writer has to dedicate regular time for building focused solitude, even if it’s a lone cup of coffee. That’s when you step out of the shell of your life, into the ocean of endless musings.

Let me know if these help you. I’ll write more.