Let us start with a question – what is the most common way you would prefer to express your feelings? There would be a variety of answers to this question, but the most common answer will always be writing. What started as a form of basic communication has now diversified into a broader and more detailed approach. Writing now is not just limited to learning some skills or communicating with others; it is more about how people react to what you have to say.
Name anything going on in the universe, and you will find a written explanation for it. From the complex Big Bang Theory to the scripts of the highest grossing movies, everything has a written form. But why is it so? Since people like to express themselves better and clearly through penning down words, writing has become as essential as it is today.
But that is not all. Writing something that clearly explains what you want to convey and how you would prefer the person reading it to apprehend it is a tough job. Making this complex thing simpler are three essential mandates that you need to have in your writing – structure, detailing, and narrative.
Is this difficult? Well, it is not difficult to put your words into play, but when it comes to conveying the actual meaning in a polished way, you need to follow a structure in your narrative. Be it a new writer or an amateur storyteller, a structured narrative is what makes the actual difference.
In this post, we will take a look at why structuring is essential in a narrative and how a proper narrative writing checklist can help your story shine.
Why is Structuring Essential in Story writing?
It is evident that if you need to make your story shine, you need to structure the narrative better. There are various reasons why structuring is so essential in creating impeccable stories. One of the most important aspects of structuring your narrative is that it provides a strong foundation for your story. There are a lot of times when you might have ideas but you fail to put them in a proper order where they convey a proper meaning. Once you structure your ideas properly, you can break them down into segments and start examining various sequences where your ideas fall in place together.
It also helps in putting the story in order where the sequences are connected so well that the reader is transported to the world of the story. This establishes a connection between the story and the reader, making your narrative appealing and easy to understand. Another essential reason why structuring is important is because it helps writers overcome Writer’s Block, where most of us fail to generate ideas on how to create a story from the ideas we have. Once the ideas are structured, you can spend some time figuring out how to link the highlight elements of your narrative, thus fueling your creativity and enabling you to find multiple outcomes to your ideas.
Narrative Storytelling Checklist
Here is the ultimate checklist that you can use to create amazing narrative storytelling and make your stories shine –
-
The Concept
- The Pitch – How well does the pitch excite the readers? Are they able to understand and relate to it?
- The Story Basics – Will your ideas create a proper story that can keep the audience engaged and intrigued?
- The Hook – Will this story make the readers discuss it and take it forward to other people?
-
The Character
- The Relation – Will the readers be able to relate with the character and consider it as a part of their lives?
- Concern – Can the readers feel the exact things that the character is going through?
- Confidence – Are the readers confident that the character will pass the challenge and end the climax on a good note?
-
The Structure
- Part 1 – Is the challenge of the story already evident in the first part?
- Part 2 – Is the character able to find a simple and relatable way to the second part or does the challenge follow?
- Part 3 – Does the character fearlessly take on the hard way against the challenge since it has followed?
- Part 4 – Does the challenge end up in the fourth part as the climax and compete with the character?
-
The Storytelling
- Setting up the Story – Is the setup well taken care of and is the challenge visible to the audience?
- Forging the Conflict – Is the conflict between the character and the challenge enthralling and intriguing?
- Finding the Result – Is there a conclusion in the end or does the story keep moving forward towards a different end?
-
The Conversation
- Humane – Are the dialogues well-written and relatable to humankind and the readers?
- Particular – Are the dialogues designed specifically with the characters and the story in focus so that everything fits into place?
- Intensified – Are the dialogues simple and easy to understand or do they have a more fictional touch than just normal?
- Calculated – Are the dialogues of the story planned and calculated based on the character and the scenario?
-
The Tone
- Genre – Does the story follow a specific genre or does it combine several genres into one understandable piece?
- Devising – Does the story impress, sadden, reset, update, and finally become a better version than general expectations?
-
The Theme
- Level of Understanding – Is the story easily understandable or does it take the readers on an emotional journey through various dilemmas?
- Established – Does the story follow the expectations of the readers and keep them interested?
- Simple – Is the story simple enough to understand or does it need to be debated for a better conclusion?
- Open End – Does the story conclude or does it remain unsolved with open ends?
A To-Do Checklist for Regular Narrative Usage
By now, you have a basic idea of why structuring is necessary for storytelling and how it can help you bring the best out of your story and make it shine. For a better idea, below is a to-do list that you can use to figure out the best ways to put your story in place –
- Use your heart and your mind simultaneously while drafting the story to bring out the best possible outcomes from all ends.
- Always try to use the active voice with stronger and more prominent words. These relate well with the readers.
- Do not focus on just writing a story but on making the readers feel what is going on through the complete plot.
- Focus on storytelling, do not just write blandly without any feelings or emotions or connections.
- Decide the main character of your story. This is the person through the eyes of which the readers will read your story.
- Try to create an intriguing and creative first paragraph or scene that creates the urge in the readers to go through the complete story.
- Try to focus on using simple yet relatable words. Jargon will create confusion and complexities in your story.
- Avoid repeating words or using the same words from different perspectives. Trying new words that can create the same feeling is the key.
Writing a compelling and stellar story is no easy task, but is not impossible either. Once you figure out what your audience wants and how they approach your writing, you have solved the maximum part of the puzzle. The remaining pieces fall into place when you structure and arrange your ideas in a storytelling manner.
Using a proper narrative storytelling checklist can help you organize your plot in a way that the audience can relate to, ultimately helping you make your story shine. Once you have your ideas in place, your story is ready to create a mark!
Discover more content you may find helpful:
Explore our top-rated services designed to meet your needs: