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What makes a great literature?
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- A strong opening: A great book grabs readers on the first page and doesn’t let go until they’ve reached the end of the book. That’s why a strong opening is one of the most important elements of book writing.
- Compelling characters: Most great works of literary fiction have one thing in common: rich, compelling characters. Good characters draw readers in, giving them someone to love, hate, or identify with.
- An absorbing story: When a reader picks up a novel, short story, or other piece of creative writing, they want to be entertained by a good story. From the inciting incident to the rising action to the climax, a great story keeps the reader engaged from the first page onward.
- Sharp dialogue: Good books are filled with sharp, memorable dialogue. Bestsellers contain dialogue that advances the plot, demonstrates your characters’ personalities, and adds texture to the world of your story.
- 10 Ways to Make A Good Story Succeed
- Give Your Story Strong Dramatic Content
- Vary Rhythm and Structure in Your Prose
- Create Believable, Memorable Characters
- Make The Important Story Sections Effective
- Deepen Your Plot with Subplots
- Make Every Line of Dialogue Count
- Add What Makes A Good Story
- Create Conflict and Tension
- Deliver Knockout Endings
Give your story strong dramatic contentVary rhythm and structure in your proseCreate believable, memorable charactersMake the important story sections effective‘Man has bacon and eggs for breakfast’ is not a story idea that is going to have readers clawing for a copy of your book. It also is highly unlikely this would sustain an entire novel or an entire story. ‘Man has bacon and eggs for breakfast, but the bacon is made from human flesh’ is a story scenario with much more dramatic potential (this could b...
Writing instructors often advise creative writing classes to write shorter, punchier sentences. Short sentences are great for increasing pace and help to make scenes that have tense subject matter tenser in mood. Yet be wary of monotonous writing. Vary sentence length. Tap out the rhythm of your sentences’ syllables every now and then, or read your...
Why do we find some characters more memorable than others? Because they have one or more of the following: 1. Unique voices, personas and expressions 2. Intriguing (or baffling) goals and motivations 3. Flaws and weaknessesas well as strengths 4. Distinctive appearances (including body language, gait and mannerisms) Note that appearance comes last:...
Each part of a story needs to be effective to make it good. Great openings create fascinating introductions to authors’ worlds, characters and plot scenarios. In a brilliant middle, your story might: 1. Introduce new characters who help or hinder your primary character(s) 2. Add subplots that supplement your main story arc (more on this in number 5...
What is the definition of a subplot?
A subplot is ‘a secondary plot, or a strand of the main plot that runs parallel to it and supports it’. An example of a subplot would be the departure of the character Quoyle’s wife in the early chapters of E. Annie Proulx’s novel The Shipping News. This becomes part of the subplot of Quoyle grieving for (and looking for substitute) love. The subplot sets the tragic tone for the novel and the pathos of it, Quoyle’s heartbreak, drives the reader to invest emotionally in his outcome. This is wh...
Make every line of dialogue count. In great dialogue: 1. We gain a sense of characters’ different personalities, views, quirks (everyone has their own voice) 2. Dialogue serves the story (characters don’t just sit around telling each other what they had for breakfast) 3. Dialogue deepens or develops connections between characters such as conflict a...
What makes a story great? Besides unforgettable characters, a crafted plot, engaging action and dialogue? Immersive settings. A great story puts us right in the heart of its scenes, its world. How do you write a great setting? 1. Make place a character.Don’t just give a house a shape and colour. Give it personality. Is it old and dank, shutting out...
When we read the word ‘conflict’ we often think immediately of violence. War, for example, or physical fights between adversaries. But there are many kinds of conflict you can use to improve your story. Characters’ internal conflicts create tensionby making readers wonder whether they will overcome their hurdles. Characters might also grapple with ...
The ending will either entice a reader to seek out other novels you’ve written or donate the book they’ve just finished. Don’t let your book be clutter. End on a lingering impression:
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- Great works may present and explain something about their own times, but also observe something larger and lasting about the human condition. A great work does convey the writer’s intentions, quite clearly, contrary to what some contemporary theorists argue.
- Great literature is based on ideas that are startling, unexpected, unusual, weighty. or new. Great literature makes us see or think things we never did before.
- Great literature is fine art. As such, it is aesthetically marvelous. Either the style of a great work is incredibly interesting and beautiful, or the drama leaves us breathless, or the characters or scenes are so expertly drawn.
- Great literature is complex enough to offer us something new every time we read it, especially at different stages of our lives. Like all great art, great works are based contrast and tension—not just conflicting characters, but also conflicting ideas, images, and viewpoints, allowing room for readers to entertain all sides, not just one idea the writer may be featuring.
This skill lies at the heart of what defines a great book. And to perfect this skill, you need to master your genre, character development, worldbuilding, and more. What follows is a checklist of all the features great stories have. Take a look and see how your own novel stacks up.
- Abi Wurdeman
- LINGUISTIC POIGNANCY — THE APOGEE OF LITERARY ELEMENTS. Poets know that every single word is an opportunity to increase a poem’s vibrancy. We have much less linguistic leeway than prose writers because poems consist of so few words on each page.
- ILLUMINATING IMAGERY — THE SENSATION OF WORDS. Imagery is the foundation of imagination. Books without it or that use it sparingly are lifeless, like fluorescent light glowing on linoleum by the Sprite cooler in a gas station after midnight.
- PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY — THE DEPTH OF WORDS. Most readers can jab at a novel’s theme — usually something about life, love, and death. Most readers can also confidently point at a non-fiction book’s subject — This book’s about seeing ourselves as consumers and stuff like that, and now I really think I should clean out the garage and use those things I bought, you know?
- SONIC POWER — HOW WORDS SOUND. Sonic power deserves its own ode, though it’s technically one component of the linguistic poignancy literary element. Language is musical even when read mutely on the page, and poetic writing sings in the mind.
Dec 2, 2021 · A writer should be able to articulate why a piece of writing succeeds or fails, and a writer should also be able to recognize the qualities in a piece of writing even when it doesn’t appeal to their personal taste.
Jun 1, 2018 · 1. The answer to measuring success as an author seems easy at first glance — reviews, sales and money. But in reality, it’s a lot more complicated than that. Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash. What...
