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3 Secrets to Writing Great Fiction Every Student Should Know

I am guessing that you do since you are here reading this right now. Almost everyone has a story inside of them and I am here to help you tell it.

I’ve been writing most of my life, everything from fiction to non-fiction and a little in-between. Even being an essay writer I very much enjoy writing Fan Fiction, but even more than writing, I love encouraging new writers and sharing what I’ve learned with them. That is what this lens is about.

Writing takes time, but it doesn’t have to be hard or painful to get those words on the page. Through my years of writing, I’ve uncovered a few secrets to getting the job done well and here they are!

#1 Write Fan Fiction

The truth is a lot of today’s published student authors started out in Fan Fiction. And there is a reason for that. When you write Fan Fiction, you write about characters and settings created by someone else, such as Harry Potter or Star Trek. It takes out the intimidation and a lot of work, allowing you to get to the writing faster. And since writing is about doing–the more you write, the better you get–Fan Fiction gives you an ideal opportunity to do just that. And it’s fun to boot!

Are you a big fan of Star Wars? Write your own adventure. Don’t like the way that your favorite tv show ended? Rewrite it yourself! Chances are that someone else out there agrees with you, which brings me to the other advantage of Fan Fiction. Community. With a little Googling, you’ll be able to find other people that are interested in writing and reading the same type of fiction that drives you. And when you have the support of a community of student writers, you are much more likely to write more.

You’ll make friends and build relationships that will last. I know, because that is what happened to me. I started out writing CSI Fan Fiction years ago, and I am still working with the same writers as I was back then, only now we are all sharing our original work with each other.

The bottom line is that to be a great writer, you must write a lot. So if you are intimidated by starting a large project, consider giving Fan Fiction a shot if you haven’t already. You’ll be surprised at what you can learn!

#2 Understand Story Structure

We’re not talking about outlines here so don’t go running for the hills.

Giving your story an underlying structure is the same as giving a house a frame–without something to hold it up, your story will surely collapse. Patricia M. Odell, an essay writer free, emphasizes that in order to keep readers engaged, you have to keep the story moving in a somewhat logical manner. When you develop a structure for your story, you have the added benefit of knowing what you are going to write.

A lot of student writers are afraid that planning their story will result in a lack of creativity. Though, having a plan frees your creativity, allowing you to focus on your writing and not on worrying about what is going to happen next.

#3 Create Dynamic Characters

This is another reason that Fan Fiction is such a good training ground. There is no better place to learn about compelling characters than your favorite tv show or movie.

Fan Fiction student writers are experts at mining character’s backstory to enhance their plots. When writing original fiction, your challenge is going to be to mirror these characters with their rich pasts and complex inner conflicts.

It may help to think of your character’s past as a mosaic–just as we are shaped by our experiences, so are your characters. Each piece of the mosaic is a different part of your character’s past.

Make sure you spend some time creating unique stories for your characters–if you get stuck, think about your favorite characters in fiction or the movies. Make a list of the things that make that character compelling to you, then go ahead and assign similar traits to your characters. It is widely known that Joss Whedon created Firefly (and subsequently the character of Mal) because he wanted to write a story where Han Solo was the hero.

About the author: Bianca J. Ward is a professional essay writer at EssayWriterFree where she provides people with qualified works. Besides, she is a passionate photographer and traveler who has visited 52 countries all over the world. Bianca dreams about creating a photo exhibition to present her works to others.