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10 ways to make a good story succeed: 1. Give your story strong dramatic content; 2. Vary rhythm and structure in your prose; 3. Create believable, memorable characters; 4. Make the important story sections effective; 5. Deepen your plot with subplots; 6. Make every line of dialogue count; 7. Add what makes a good story (immersive setting) 8 ...
- 8 min
- 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.
- 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.
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
Literature, Explained Better. Our guides use color and the interactivity of the web to make it easier to learn and teach literature. Far beyond just the classics, LitCharts covers over 2000 texts read and studied worldwide, from Judy Blume to Nietzsche.
Click the links below to view the Student Answer Keys in Microsoft Word format. Answer Key - Chapter 01 (23.0K) Answer Key - Chapter 02 (20.0K)
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Mar 10, 2022 · Literary elements are what make a story something that is cohesive, makes sense, and attracts an audience. Each literary element can be discussed and dissected by the reader if the story is well written, and when one of the literary elements is missing, the reader picks up on it immediately.
