Beginner’s Guide to Fiction Writing: Crafting Stories, Writing Styles, and Publishing Advice

Here is our guide to getting started as a fiction author as a total beginner that has never written stories before.

The Basics You Need to Know

Story Structure

Let’s start with scenes.

In fiction writing, a scene is a unit of storytelling that unfolds in a specific location and moment in time. It’s like a building block of the narrative, where characters interact with each other and the setting to move the plot forward. A scene typically involves the following elements:

• Action: Characters doing things, which can be anything from talking to engaging in a car chase.
• Dialogue: Conversations between characters, revealing their personalities, relationships, and the story’s progression.
• Description: Sensory details about the environment, characters, and objects, helping readers visualize the scene.
• Revelation: New information that is revealed to the characters and the readers, which can change the direction of the story.

Scenes are essential for creating a rhythm in the narrative, alternating between moments of tension and release, action and reflection. They are the moments where the story comes alive, allowing readers to experience the fictional world through the characters’ eyes. Each scene should have a purpose, whether it’s to introduce new characters, advance the plot, or build the world of the story.

In a story, the scenes are organized into 3 sections, called Acts.

The beginning of the story is called Act 1. This includes the setup of the story. The scenes include:

• Introduction: Establishes the main characters, their relationships, and the world they live in.
• Inciting Incident: An event that propels the protagonist into the main action of the story.
• Establishing Stakes: Clarifying what the protagonist has to gain or lose in the story.

The middle of the story is called Act 2. This includes the confrontation of obstacles in the main character’s way. The scenes include:

• Rising Action: A series of challenges and obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.
• Midpoint: A key event that changes the direction of the story or raises the stakes even higher.
• Crisis: The protagonist’s biggest challenge, often leading to a revelation or a significant change.

The end of the story is called Act 3. This includes the moment of truth and the resolution of the story.

• Climax: The most intense point of the story, where the protagonist faces the main conflict.
• Falling Action: Events that follow the climax and begin to resolve the story.
• Resolution: The final outcome of the story, where loose ends are tied up and the story concludes.

This structure helps to organize the narrative, providing a framework for the story’s events to unfold in a coherent and impactful way. It’s widely used in various forms of storytelling, including short stories, novels, films, and plays.

Writing Style

Now let’s talk about your voice as an author.

There are several narration styles you can choose from to tell your story, each offering a unique perspective and tone. Here are some of the common types:

• First-Person Narration: The story is told from the point of view of a character, typically the protagonist, using “I” or “we.” This style provides an intimate look at the character’s thoughts and feelings.
• Second-Person Narration: The narrator addresses the reader as “you,” making them feel like a participant in the story. This style is less common but can create a compelling, immersive experience.
• Third-Person Limited: The narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of one character, presenting the story from that character’s perspective, but pronouns such “she” and “they” are used.
• Third-Person Omniscient: The narrator has knowledge of all characters’ thoughts and feelings and can move between perspectives to provide a comprehensive view of the story.
• Objective Narration: The narrator reports only what can be seen and heard, without insight into any character’s inner thoughts or feelings.
• Stream of Consciousness: This style mimics the character’s thought processes, often in a disjointed or nonlinear fashion, to represent their mental state.
• Unreliable Narrator: The narrator is not completely credible due to bias, limited knowledge, or even intentional deception.
• Epistolary Narration: The story is told through letters, diary entries, emails, or other documents written by one or more characters.

Each style has its strengths and can be used to achieve different effects in your storytelling. Consider the story you want to tell and the relationship you want the reader to have with your characters when choosing a narration style.

Here are some other tips to write with excellent style:

• Use the 5 senses when describing what happens in the scene. This will make your writing more immersive.
• To improve your dialogue, observe people in real life and take notes. Then, give each character a distinctive way of speaking. How would they respond to the events of the scene based on their personality you’ve designed for them?
• Use shorter sentences and paragraphs for the modern reader. Be direct and get to the point.
• Use an active voice. Active voice makes your writing more dynamic and easier to follow. Try verbs (have the characters take action) in the present.
• Stories should be character driven. It should be the characters making decisions based on their feelings that create points in the plot.

Choosing a Genre

There are many types of genres, or categories, of fiction stories. Each come with their own set of characteristics and defining qualities. You can choose one or multiple genres for your story. Some of the most common genres of fiction include:

• Literary Fiction: Known for its artistic and character-driven narratives.
• Young Adult Fiction: Written with the audience of teenagers and young people in mind.
• Mystery Fiction: Involves detective work and unraveling clues.
• Psychological Thriller: Offers dark and suspenseful storytelling that delves into the twisted minds of its characters.
• Horror Fiction: Aims to scare and repulse the reader.
• Romance Novel: Focuses on love, sex, and romance.
• Speculative Fiction: Encompasses genres that imagine worlds different from our own, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
  • Science Fiction: Explores futuristic and scientific concepts.
  • Fantasy: Deals with magical and mythical elements.
  • Magic Realism: Blends real-world settings with fantastical elements.
  • Dystopian: Depicts worse and oppressive societies, often set in a speculative future.
• Historical Fiction: Set in the past, often incorporating well-researched historical details.

The world of fiction is ever-evolving, with new sub-genres and cross-genres emerging as writers continue to explore and push the boundaries of storytelling.

Finding Inspiration and Making Observations

Inspiration can strike at any time, so be ready to capture it when it comes. Keep an open mind, and don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone to find new sources of creativity.

• Read and watch widely. Delve into books across different genres and styles to discover new ideas and perspectives. I would also watch plenty of television shows and movies and make observations about them. Analyze storytelling techniques and character development for inspiration.
• Engage in lively experiences. Travel, try new hobbies, or engage in different cultural activities to broaden your horizons.
• Try finding writing prompts online or in a book to get started. You can also take a sentence from a favorite book and use it as a jumping off point by starting your story with that sentence and then writing in a different direction than the original work.
• Keep a daily journal of your thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Go people-watching and write down everything you observe about the world around you.
• Join an online writing challenge, such as National Novel Writing Month. On their site, you can find a forum called the Adoption Society where members leave their ideas they will not be using for you to try your hand at.
• Collaborate. You can ask a friend or colleague to co-write with you, and brainstorm and write together. This can help a lot with writer’s block.

Prewriting: How to Create an Outline, Character Profiles, and the World They Live In

Before you start writing the story, create a binder or notebook filled with all the details of your idea, so you can refer to it as you write.

Here are some resources you can review, print out, and include in that notebook:

Outline Using the Snowflake Method

How to Develop a Fictional Character

Worldbuilding Questions

You can answer some of the questions before you start writing, and fill in the details as you go, if you get overwhelmed.

The Writing Process for Your First Draft

When faced with the first blank page, start free writing. Free writing means put pen to paper (or hands to keyboard) and start writing without judging yourself or editing at all. Just type out the first scene in flow and get it all down without pausing. Don’t lift your hands until you reach the natural end of the scene. You can always fix it and improve later.

Get down as many scenes as you can using this method. It’s better to just finish the story than to write the perfect rough draft.

Refer to your outlines and do research throughout the process.

Finding Beta Readers and Getting Feedback on Your Work

Once you have the scenes written, you can get free online feedback from other writers. You can do so using the following writing communities:

Critique Circle

Scribophile

Writing.Com

Editing and Revision Techniques

Editing and revising fiction stories is a crucial part of the writing process. Here are some techniques that can help you refine your manuscript:

1. Eliminate ‘Puffy’ Writing: Cut out all unnecessary words and details that don’t contribute to the story. This includes redundant phrases, excessive adjectives, and irrelevant descriptions.
2. Treat Your First Draft as Groundwork: View your first draft as a starting point. Be prepared to make significant changes to improve the story’s flow, character development, and thematic elements.
3. Go Over Everything: Review your manuscript thoroughly for consistency in tone, character details, grammatical and spelling errors, and cohesive plot points. Ensure that every element serves a purpose and enhances the reader’s experience. Focus on word choice – did the word you chose to use improve the writing? Did it create a sense of immersion by engaging the 5 senses?
4. Build a Real Voice: Improve on creating a distinct and consistent narrative voice that aligns with your characters and story.
5. Switch Up Your Editing Routine: Change your editing environment or routine to gain fresh perspectives on your work.
6. Consider the Reading Experience: Think about how each sentence, paragraph, and chapter affects the reader’s engagement and comprehension.
7. Read as a Stranger: Try to read your work as if you’re encountering it for the first time. This can help you spot issues that you may have overlooked.
8. Use Tools: Create outlines and revision plans to organize your thoughts and track changes. Tools like causality lists and character arc charts can also be helpful.
9. Write a Synopsis: Drafting a pitch or synopsis can help you clarify the central themes and plot arcs of your story for refinement. A synopsis in fiction writing is a concise summary of your entire novel or story. It’s like a distilled version of your manuscript, capturing the essence of your narrative arc, including the main events, key plot points, and the character arcs of your protagonists
10. Focus on One Aspect at a Time: Don’t try to fix everything in one go. Focus on one or a few aspects of your story per revision to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Remember, revising is an opportunity to enhance your story and bring out its best qualities. Take your time, and don’t rush the process. Good luck with your revisions!

Publishing Strategies

When you finish writing your story, there are a number of ways to go about publishing it professionally.

Self-Publishing

First, check Reedsy to enlist the help of a professional editor. I would also hire a graphic designer who can make a cover, if your work is a book.

You can self-publish using Amazon. This will involve formatting and uploading your work.

Create a marketing plan for your book when it is published. You can run ads on Google, or enlist the help of local bookstores and your network of professionals.

Traditional Publishing

Go to your local library and check out a copy of a recent issue of the Writer’s Market.

Browse to find agents, editors, and publications to submit your work to.