Introduction to writing fiction stories
DEFINITION OF FICTION
A fiction is simply a made-up story.
In the beginning, stories were told from one person to another, but at some point, some of those stories began to be written down to be read.
Just written words. By some chemical process, those words interact with the reader’s imagination in such a way that he or she is drawn into the reality of the narrative, and once there, experiences, feels and cares about that reality as intensely as he or she would about the problems and disappointments of his or her own life.
Any kind of story satisfies the desire for fun and entertainment as well as more transcendental human desires (curiosities, fears, etc.).
Stories can be told in the form of a novel, which requires a great deal of effort. At the other extreme is the short story and micro-stories of several pages. Short stories may be the best option for the beginning writer.
LITERARY AND GENRE FICTION
Fiction can also be subdivided into two fields: literary fiction and genre fiction.
- Literary fiction refers to stories that aspire in some way to be considered “art”. According to the authors themselves, they are trying to express something about the human condition. Examples are the great works of world literature such as Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, Hamlet by Shakespeare, etc.
- Genre fiction presents us with stories that are usually classified into mystery, thriller, horror, fantasy, science fiction, western, war, drama, comedy, romance, etc. In this case, the stories are aimed at a wider audience.
Contrary to what one might think, both types of literature have much in common. A literary story should keep the reader engaged, turning the pages long after it is time to turn out the light, just as entertainment narratives will be much more fun if they also include some depth and real resonance.
ACTIVITY:
- Think of a book/story/story that you have read and really liked.
- Define in one sentence why you liked the story.
- Describe in what different ways you think the author had that effect.
IDEAS FOR CREATING STORIES
Ideas are the seeds from which the story will grow. There are no rules that define what is a suitable seed. It can be a character, a name, a situation, a structure, an overheard dialogue, a mood, a theme, or even an undefined feeling. Ideas can be found everywhere and you have to learn to look for them. Probably the most fertile place to look for seeds is in the experiences of our own lives. Let us look at some examples.
- Herman Melville used his whaling adventures to write Moby Dick.
- Suppose you are having technical problems with your computer so you decide to call for technical support. It may be that the frustration of having to deal with the technical service acts as a trigger for all the other frustrations in the character’s life and causes a major emotional crisis for the surprised person on the other end of the line.
- What are the things you love the most, and the things you hate the most? If you made a list of the answers to these two questions you would have a collection of interesting ideas for a literary work.
- Observe other people around you and imagine who they really are and how you would feel if you had to live their lives.
- One of the pleasures of reading fiction is that it gives us a secret glimpse into the lives of others, like those people who pass us in their cars or in supermarket queues or those we see on television screens.
- If you read the press on any given day you are likely to find a multitude of narrative seeds.
- History is also an incredibly rich source of inspirational ideas. Laura Gallego drew inspiration from Arabic literature classes, full of anecdotes and legends about mythical pre-Islamic poets, to write The Legend of the Wandering King.
Finally, a single idea will not result in a complete story. Every work of fiction is actually an accumulation of many ideas.
ACTIVITY:
- Write down ten things that can serve as narrative ideas from experiences you have had in the last few weeks: people, emotions, thoughts, situations. Nothing is too big or too small, cosmic or microscopic.
- Go through your list and choose the one that looks most promising for writing a story. The right idea is likely to give you a certain thrill when you see it.
- Then make a list of possible ways in which that idea could be turned into a fictional story.