Basic Writing Techniques I Use When Writing My Stories
- Sarnav
- Dec 28, 2023
- 6 min read
If you say, “I’ve got a good story in mind and I want to write about it,” but you don’t know what to look for when writing, then this article is for you. Let’s examine some techniques that can be used in basically any story, but will gain value according to your personal narrative.
Action
Show, Don’t Tell
Without further ado, here we go. Let us start with the most common technique. “Show, don’t tell” helps you to convey the characteristics of the events or objects in your story. It does not stop the flow of your story, on the contrary, it provides a narrative to which you can add as events unfold. Sometimes you may need to edit it deliberately. For example, it only helps me if there is a point where I need detail. Let’s look at an example.
“Susan was very nervous when she entered the interview room.”
As you can see, we reflected her mood and the situation that caused it. We “said” it by giving a direct expression. But we didn’t give much more. Let’s extend the sentence a little and describe her state of mind. Let’s ‘show’ what kind of situation she is in.
“Susan’s hands trembled as she bent the edge of her résumé, her eyes darting anxiously around the room. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead as she took a deep breath before pushing open the heavy, intimidating door to the interview room.”
Of course, it is obvious that our sentence is quite long. So, as I said, although it is not a method I always use, if I want to convey the emotion well, the most appropriate option is to show the event. Of course, you can make it shorter according to your story and convey it differently and more effectively than I did. It is up to your imagination.
Correct Use of Tense
Another point that guides your sentences, and therefore your story, is to maintain continuity of tone. What does this mean? If we are talking about the past tense in one sentence, it would not be correct to conjugate it to a different tense in the next sentence. However, it is also normal to vary according to the time of the event you are describing. For example, it would look like this:
“It was always a good experience to taste my mother’s good food. Now I am continuing where she left off”. As you can see, the use of past and present tenses is valid here. This is because we return to the present after we have included a memory.
Active-Passive Use of Sentences
Apart from the tense, the active or passive form of the sentence is the part that can be most noticeable. If our point of view is clear, we should continue with it. If we are already listening to our character’s narration, suddenly continuing from the other object/character’s point of view will only cause confusion.
Photo by Jilbert Ebrahimi on Unsplash
“The old man picks up his book after a long day and reads it.”
“The book was read by the man after a long day.”
If your narrative style is like the one above, you are looking from the old man’s point of view and telling what he is doing. It is a sentence with an active flow. So we keep telling what the old man has done. On the other hand, if you take the events from the point of view of the book, you make it passive and give the flow a different shape. This use is not wrong, but it will create an inconsistency in the existing narrative. So be careful. Unless you want your story to be told from the perspective of the old man’s book.
Senses
Now comes an element where we are going to put a lot of emphasis on description. We will talk about using our senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching.
Of course, sometimes you may need to wax poetic and sometimes you may need to use metaphors to break the monotony of your narrative. But however you describe it, make sure that your presentation tries to reach the five senses.
Smell
If readers can’t picture your story when they read it, there’s a problem. You need to make them feel it. The irresistible smell of a warm cake just out of the oven should make you guess the fruit inside and make your mouth water. The scent of the perfume your lover bought to impress you should reach your nostrils and intoxicate you with the magic of vanilla and cinnamon.
Taste
The way a small child jumps and dances at the first taste of caramel ice-cream, or the unbearable first taste of a spicy curry in an unfamiliar recipe should burn your tongue.
Seeing-Hearing
Sitting on a beige bench in the park, accompanying a pink-hatted grandmother as she listens to the murmur of the pigeons she feeds, you should think of the grey and white feathered birds that land on your window on a Sunday morning.
Touching-Seeing
That lofty mountain that makes your body fatigue because of its inclination, the rough rocks that accompany your path… After climbing the last endless path with calloused hands, you should rejoice in the view it reflects, and a momentary wind brought by the openness should make you shiver inside.
Viewpoint
Between Chapters
Let’s try different points of view. Have you ever noticed that when two characters meet, we usually prefer to see through the eyes of one of them? This may not be the case in the visual arts; the person we all internalise may be someone else in the scene. But when it comes to a written text, our eyes are almost always on the main character. Although we may prefer to read the movements and speeches of other characters, when they come together in the same scene, we tend to focus on the person we think will intervene in the event.
By doing this, you may find an unexpected perspective. As we mentioned earlier, although constantly changing point of view can be confusing, changing from chapter to chapter can help your story. If the first chapter reflects the thoughts of a young man in love, the next chapter could include a young woman who does not return his love, and you can evaluate the events from her point of view. Let’s see how this can happen within the same chapter.
Same Chapter
Personally, I don’t feel the need to use such a format when my stories are short, or when I’m presenting narratives in which I don’t go into detail. However, if it is a long, detailed story with many characters, and if the ongoing events take on a life of their own in the chapters in which they take place, then I can use it. For example, I presented a story in which I had three different main characters, one in each chapter. In the final chapters, where they all came together, I either focused on my main character or introduced a secondary character that I introduced to help him.
On the other hand, between dialogues, I may include the inner thoughts of the other person rather than the main character. However, even these are temporary and I use them to reveal interesting thoughts or facts that are not told in the normal flow. In other words, in the same chapter, I might cover the event through the eyes of two of my characters, and in between, I might talk about a key point by mentioning one of them’s opinion of the other. I will try to keep this short, but I hope the following example will help you understand.
“But is this really how this machine is supposed to work? Look, when we press these buttons, they don’t seem to perform the same function. What do you think?”
The disguised scientist looked surprised. “She has an unusual approach, did I underestimate her? Her idiosyncratic style never ceases to amaze me.” There was silence as he weighed her in his mind for a while. He continued to think. In fact, his answer was ready, his mind was on her ability to think critically. “I think you are right. What do the readings on the screen mean to you?”
Our protagonist makes her assumptions about the machine, and the stranger (a minor character whose intervention in the flow is limited to the chapter or event), enlightens the reader by presenting an unspoken aspect of the main character. This is because we can recognise certain characteristics when they are observed from the outside and communicated to us. This means, of course, that we need the point of view of others.
We have covered the detailed and correct construction of sentences in the desired form, the presentation of a realistic and satisfying narrative style, and the handling of different points of view with some examples. When you evaluate your writing, consider these points and adopt the style you think is most appropriate. What is written may not be what you think it should be. Try to develop your own style.
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