Since early times, humans have been involved in storytelling. As kids, almost all of us have relished bedtime stories and read storybooks that helped in boosting our imaginative skills. But how are stories created? How to make a plot outline and develop a story out of it? What plot twists ideas should we try to make it more engaging? What should be the conflict of a story?
Just as with everything else around us, developing a story also involves a process. We have compiled a step-wise guide to help you understand the process of story writing. So, without further ado, let’s begin!

Develop a Strong Protagonist
First things first, every story has a main character that the story revolves around. Before you start writing the main plot of a story, decide upon the protagonist of your story. Decide the 5 W’s of your main character; Who he/she is? Where is the plot set? What will the protagonist be doing? When is the timeline of the story? Why are certain things the way they are in the protagonist’s character?
By deciding upon these things from the beginning, you carve out a way for your story to develop in an organized way.
 
Bring Out Multiple Senses
Storytelling is mainly about human emotions. So the best way to craft out an engaging story is by writing in a way that you can tap into your readers’ emotions. By giving subtle details about things like smell, sounds, and tastes, you can make your readers fully engrossed in the story. Your story will remain etched in their minds long after they have reached the end of the story because they felt every emotion your characters experienced.

Create Fascinating Characters From People You Know
If you look around, you will find many interesting people you can take inspiration from for the characters in your story. To make your story and plot structure catchier, try to build characters that are fascinating yet complex in their own way. Don’t settle for simple characters. They may be easy to create but won’t add much quality to your written piece. Also, as an author, you will need to introduce your characters in a way that makes the readers feel connected to them. Give details about the characters, what makes them who they are? How they like certain things and dislike others? What values do they hold? The more you give details of this kind, the more your readers will be invested in the characters.

Evoke Suspense and Drama
As humans, we are more drawn towards things that ignite our curiosity. So add the elements of suspense and drama in your plot structure to keep your readers hooked right till the end. Do not write a simple or easy-to-guess storyline, especially if it is a thriller or crime or mystery story that you are creating. Keep things a bit tricky throughout the story so the readers keep guessing what turn the events will take next. Some well-thought-out plot twist ideas will also add weight to the storyline.

Engage Your Reader Into the Action
Just as the readers like suspense and drama, they also like some action in the story. To make your story more engaging, you can pull the reader into action. Readers would want to accompany your characters in their journey. Even if you are writing something less dramatic, add the element of action in your story. You can craft scenes where your main character is engaged in action-based activities. The action-oriented plot structure is also a plus when it comes to adapting books into movies.

Make Your Characters Resolve Their Issues
Don’t let some miracle or a superhero help your characters solve their problems and take them out of danger. Let them help themselves! The readers develop a connection with the characters and they want to see them grow. By seeing your characters go through different problems and coming out stronger, your readers will learn how the characters have evolved by facing their problems. A good plot structure will ensure all the characters resolve their conflicts on their own.

End your Story in a Natural Way
A good ending makes a story memorable for the reader. Make sure your story’s ending is satisfying for your reader.  Most good stories have their main character or any important character die. Death is natural and every person has to face it. So add the element of death in your story to give it a more close-to-life feel. But that might not be the requirement of your plot structure every time. Your romance novel might just end on a happy-ever-after.

Edit, Edit, Edit!
When you have finished your story, now is the time where the real work starts. Once you are happy with the story’s flow, all other elements should be checked, edited, and polished. A well-edited piece of writing makes a huge difference. Nobody wants to read a story full of grammatical or spelling mistakes. So make sure you thoroughly proofread and edit your story.

Rewrite!
Rewriting is another important step in developing a story. When all the editing is done, you should rewrite. See where you can omit extra words and how redundancy can be avoided. Once you are satisfied with your story, share it with others, primarily other writers, so you can get their feedback.

We hope these tips help you immensely in crafting a balanced plot structure and storyline that is both impressive and engaging. If you have anything to add up, share your feedback!

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