Would you tell this story?

At the core, all fiction you write should have a story. It should say something and talk about some event or oddity.

Does your story work?

There are a lot of ways to check, but there is one simplest way.

Would you tell this story to your friends? Would you bring it up if there was a lull in conversation? Do you think it would give you something to talk about at a cocktail party?

If your story isn't interesting enough to tell others, then it might not be interesting enough to write about. Figure out why or move on to a story that is interesting.

The picked-option test

Sometimes, it can be hard to make decisions.

Should your character do this? Is first person the right point of view for this story? Is this the right name for your character?

So many decisions to make, with none necessarily being right.

When you're really stuck, try something simple.

Choose an option and see how you feel about it.

Started writing in the first person and realized that it's awkward? Great. Change. Now you know.

Decided to let two characters get together and find yourself disappointed at the result? Wrong coupling. Go back and find another love interest.

Killed someone off and it made you and your protagonist cry for days? Maybe the right decision to engage your readers.

Making a decision can take forever if you let it. Just make a decision, let it play out, and then see if it was the right decision for you.

There's a delete button on your computer for a reason. Don't be afraid to make decisions that will lead to you using it.

Surviving the reading list

You need to read in your genre to write in your genre. You need to learn from the masters and know the conventions. You need to immerse yourself in the genre.

You don't want to get so deep in your reading that you start copying what you've read, however. You want your work to be original and innovative.

So how do you draw the line?

There are a few things you can do to help yourself.

Remember your intention. Have written down anything you planned for your story. If you know the ending, if you know the theme, if you have an angle that is truly original, write it down so you can call back to it while you're also reading the greats.

Read something else while you're writing. Sure, you want to be on top of your genre, but you can take a break while you're writing so that you don't end up accidentally copying what you're reading.

Be honest with yourself. If you find yourself copying someone else's style, writing with words that you usually wouldn't use, or copycatting an approach that you would never have thought of, be honest that you might be copying someone else.

You want to learn from other writers, but you want to make the lessons your own. Make sure that you aren't copying who is on your reading list and that you're being yourself in your writing.

What's too close

Close third person is a legitimate point of view. It's one way to tell your story without having to adopt your character's voice or revealing their lies.

It's a great tool for various stories. For example, when your protagonist is a child who may not have the vocabulary or knowledge to tell their own story.

There is such a thing as too close, however.

Close third doesn't mean that you can predict what your protagonist hasn't decided to do yet. It doesn't mean that you can read other character's minds. It doesn't mean that you get to run around and know things the main character wouldn't know.

Third person point of view is great. Just make sure you know when you are crossing the line between close and psychic and revealing too much.

Is your routine working

We all have habits that we establish to get our writing in. We have ways we set our goals and get down to business.

And we all want to believe that our way is great because… well… it;s ours. We thought it up and we have been using it. And we hate to change things for no reason. Or we love to change things and we do it very often.

At some point, take the time to review the writing habits that you've established.

Are they really working for you? Are they the most productive? Are they helping you avoid the parts you don't want to face? Are they easier than they are useful?

Even if you have had the same writing routine for years, there might be some improvements that can be made. Take the time to look at your writing routine and figure out if it's the best it can be.

Foreshadow honestly

You can—and should—include foreshadowing in your story.

It's good for your readers to look for hints and try to decipher them.

However, when you're creating a new world, you have to make sure your hints can be understood and processed in order for them to be remembered.

Don't talk about the qualag machine being lost if you never explain what that machine is or what it has the potential to do.

Don't place a stunner gun that has a secret feature to revive people and only reveal this extra feature when it's being used to save the day.

Foreshadowing is great, but if you're creating a whole new world, make sure your foreshadowing can be understood and doesn't feel like a convenient miracle when most needed in your story.

That's too easy—Obstacles worthy of your characters

There are a lot of things that make a story. A lot of elements that need to come together to make a full novel.

You need characters and setting and obstacles and more.

You also need a challenge.

Or, at least, your protagonist does.

If everything comes easy to your protagonist, keeping your readers interested will become hard. Without any internal struggle, doubts, or stumbles, there is no intrigue. And if all the obstacles that come their way are solved with a little thought or outside intervention, there will be no growth.

Your protagonist doesn't have to go through hell to keep readers interested, but they do need to have some challenge. Otherwise, they are likely to be extremely boring or unlikeable.