How a story begins is very important. The beginning should catch the attention of the reader and make them want to read more. The beginning should be striking. It must invoke several questions in a reader’s mind so that he/she will not be able to resist the temptation to read more.

Developing the characters

A story is about its characters. The characters should be lively and genuine. They must appear like real life characters. They must think, behave and act like we do in real life. Each character should be different and must have unique traits. This adds a realistic touch and makes the characters believable.

Before you develop the characters ask the questions:

What does the character look like?

What is the background of the character – family, education, occupation etc?

How does the character behave?

How do others react to the characters? Do they all see the character in the same way?

There should be consistency in characterization. The characters shouldn’t sound illogical or whimsical.

Putting the story together

Now you have a plot outline and characters in place. You know the circumstances where you have to put them. You are now ready to write. As you begin to write, you may want to think about the following.

If you are writing a story based on a given outline, you must develop it according to the given outline. You are not supposed to eliminate any part of the given outline. You are also not supposed to include unrelated or unnecessary events. Stick to the outline and develop the story accordingly.

Dialogues

The story has to proceed with the help of both dialogue and narration. Dialogues make your story lively. A short story does not have much scope for long dialogues but you may still want to include some. Every dialogue in the story must sound natural and absorbing.

Conclusion

The story must have a logical conclusion which would appeal to the contemplating faculties of real human beings. Note that there is no point in writing stories that do not appeal to readers.

A good story is one that is understandable to everyone –even a small child. So clarity in writing is very important. Don’t make the plot or characters look or sound ambiguous.

Stories are usually written in a narrative style. Writing a short story requires careful thought and planning. So how do you develop a story? Well, every author is different in the way he/she writes the story. Some writers begin with the plot and then create characters. Others start by inventing characters and then letting them interact. Whatever be the style of writing, every author follows certain steps in developing a story.

Determining the theme

The theme is the basic idea expressed in a story. Some stories have a moral theme. Some others may convey a message. There are many story writers who believe that if you have no message to convey there is no point in writing stories. You don’t have to state the message in the story. The reader should be able to comprehend it as the story develops and ends.

That said, you shouldn’t get obsessed with the idea of conveying a message. There are many good stories that do not convey any message. They put the focus on characters or incidents.

Outlining the plot

Plot is the soul of the story. Before you start writing you must have a clear idea of the plot in your mind. Once the plot is ready you can start writing.

Logical movement of events

Every story is made up of a sequence of events. Remember that the events must move in a logical order. All unnecessary details must be avoided. The events should be narrated in the proper order so that fiction may seem fact.

A story grows out of the situation. You can indicate the situation in the opening lines and then develop it gradually. Eventually the characters will appear on the scene and begin to interact. The plot takes shape from this interaction.

Complications and conflicts will arise as a result of the interaction between characters. These conflicts will eventually lead to what is called the ‘rising action’. The rising action will create more complications and conflicts and lead to crisis. The crisis is the turning point in any story and it should lead to the climax which is the highest point of interest.

Once you have reached the climax, you need to bring the story to a close.