In this extra, I’m going to share with you part of a presentation that I gave to a local writers group almost five years ago. I’ve covered most of the session in previous posts about Story Elements (Characters, Plot, Theme, Action & Solution, Setting), but now we’re going to discuss the how of getting your story told…and how you’ll aim to end it.
Telling Your Story
It’s important to include specific items in your story, but avoid anything that’s irrelevant. Make certain anything you include are telling details. Use something that means something to the story or the character. The best way to approach the process is to visualise your story as a series of images (almost as if it’s already been made into a movie), because that’s how the reader will experience it. That also makes it easier to reveal only what can be seen. One of the problems with pictures is showing emotions—you can tell the reader that the character is mad, but we want the reader to feel the anger, so how do we do that?
Think about an emotion, then remember a time when you felt that way. Why did you feel that particular sensation? That is what you need to put in your story. If you want to show a couple in love, show them walking hand in hand. If you have a mother who is proud of her child, show her smiling at the burnt toast next to her breakfast in bed. Surprise can be shown by focusing in on the shattered glass lying at the wife’s feet as the husband steps through the door. When you want to show that someone is sad, describe the motionless puppy curled up in the box next to their bed. Fear can be expressed by portraying a rabid dog growling as he slowly advances.
Use the Senses
Remember to involve the senses…all of them. Use real images your readers can visualise—colours, sounds, lights, flavours, smells. Don’t tell them…let them feel the rough stair railing as they cautiously ascend to the attic, let them hear the siren quickly approaching the house that has flames billowing from every window, let them squint into the fog to see the school bus approaching the train crossing, let them smell the coffee gently warming over the campfire surrounded by their friends, let them shudder as they taste the lemon squeezings dripping down their fingers onto the freshly caught salmon. You want to invite your readers into the story, so make it real for them.
Use concrete details—no theories or abstractions here. Don’t tell them he had a dirty shirt…show them the grease stains and coffee dribbles on the cloth so tightly stretched across his belly that it’s starting to split. Don’t tell them that the truck carried some cargo…show them the green truck speeding down the dirt road, filled with soldiers sitting around the large wooden crate. Don’t tell them that betrayal is terrible…show them the smirk on your best friend’s face as he deliberately points you out to the waiting policemen. Don’t tell them that the hero is afraid…show them the hesitation as he feels sweat roll down his ribcage when he steps off the sidewalk to approach the car full of hoodlums.
Ending Your Story
As you approach the ending, remember the Transformation that has taken place in the Hero. He must emerge from his ordeal changed…significantly (for the better…we hope, but not necessarily). There are different styles of endings…and you’ve probably seen most of them. Disney stories all seem to end “and they lived happily ever after.” Benjamin Franklin’s stories usually end “and from this we can see…” Aesop ends his stories with “and the moral is…” All different, but all good, depending on what the author wants the reader to learn from this story. You might want to decide what you want this lesson to be early on in the writing process—write it on a big piece of paper and hang over your writing area.
- Better safe than sorry
- Be friends with those you don’t like
- Don’t judge by appearances
- The dark path will hold you in control
- Slow and steady wins the race
- Overconfidence is weakness
- Evil deserves no aid
No matter which ending style you decide to use for your story, remember that the Hero has changed, the world is different, ‘normal’ is not what it was before, and what lesson you had in mind is now clear to the characters and reader alike. All must adapt to the new now and move on…in spite of what has transpired.