Alumni Insights: How to write a killer story?
Anahita Dubey, a TribesforGOOD alumni takes us through the tips and tricks of crafting award winning narratives.
Let’s dive in!
Tip 1: The Opening
What makes a great opening? According to Anahita, the urge to flip the page and keep reading comes from a climatic opening, where the author reveals the characters by introducing their thoughts or beliefs, and builds up the plot eventually reaching the climax. For example,
I’m not afraid of my death. I dread the day, of course, but that doesn’t mean I’m scared. I believe that everyone has their expiry date – when they no longer remain of use to the world and are discarded like last week’s half-empty milk carton. I accept the fact that a higher power is in control of that, but, sometimes, this expiry date is brought catastrophically closer by external factors. And that is what I fear.
One of her favourite openings is when the author starts from the climax itself, applies the brake after a few pages and rewinds back the tape to explain what really happened and how the characters found themselves in that situation.
Tip 2: The Character Building
What makes a great character? A personality that is relatable, complex, layered and three dimensional, says Anahita or at least one you can empathise with.
You can give them a small quirk or a trait but remember to ask yourself, is my character too perfect? too cliché? too weak? The point is to make your character as human as possible and stitch your story from there! For example, a good story does not necessarily have to have a happy ending, they can be sappy, they can be bittersweet and they can also be rooted in reality!
Tip 3: The Central Conflict
This comes from the idea that a story is essentially your central conflict and the key to building a good central conflict – one that keeps readers hooked – is to create a complex one!
How can you do that? Anahita suggests putting characters in a challenging situation, where they are forced not just to confront their beliefs, but also make difficult choices and face their fears. This is how you build tension in your story and that – is the secret ingredient to make the readers flip one last page. Furthermore, complex plots also often reveal some unexpected catastrophe or tragedy, this brings the characters to such a point where they can no longer procrastinate on making a decision or fighting their fears making the story all the more exciting!
To create a story around a central conflict, Anahita provides a few prompts that you can ask yourself that’ll nudge you in the right direction:
What does my character want?
What prevents my character from getting it?
Is my character already defeated and learns to overcome that OR does my character fall from a high place?
To summarise:
- Build your characters and their multidimensional personality
- Explain to your readers their backgrounds and how their surroundings shaped their current beliefs.
- With this context, build a central conflict.
And that’s how you write a killer story!
Enjoyed reading Anahita’s insights on how to write a killer story? Stay tuned for our alumni stories that keep ideas flowing and insights growing!
Like Anahita, you can start your changemaking journey with TribesforGOOD for our upcoming cohorts in November & December
