3 Techniques That Can Make Your Fiction Shine - Deepstash
Centers of Progress

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Centers of Progress

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The terrible first draft

The terrible first draft

First drafts are allowed to be terrible, but compared to the final masterpiece you will produce, they shouldn't be as terrible.

If you're a beginner, you need to give yourself permission to write terrible first drafts in order to get the practice at writing that you need to become better. If you're a professional, your first drafts shouldn't be as terrible as all that.

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Introduce new characters with a gesture and flourish

Think of a signature gesture that communicates your character’s general vibe — anxiety, comedy, power — and show them doing this. 

Now think of the first thing about them that strikes your senses — do they smell amazing or terrible? Have they tightly curled, wild-looking hair? A voice so soft you have to lean in to hear? Draw inspiration from people you know or people you see on the street for extra originality. Avoid taking inspiration from famous people/characters.

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Keep surprising the reader

Each time a character appears, reveal something new about them. Build them to be complicated and contradictory like your closest friends and family are.

Do the same for your minor cast. Build them to be complicated and contradictory like your closest friends and family are. Stories are about transformation. We love to see the experiences that change people and the lessons that they teach (or don’t)

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Keep increasing the pressure your characters are under to create irresistible pressure to change

The more you focus on making your characters vivid and three-dimensional, the more moved your reader will be by them. Engage your reader with your character and their decisions, and they will become immersed with their story. 

The more you focus on making your characters vivid and three-dimensional, the more moved your reader will be by them. 

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