How to Write Fiction: Procession Essay

The imagination inside the mind finds its way outside. With nothing but a pen and paper in hand, many people have brought their own worlds to life with just one special device; their words. Words form stories that are often made into books that could last a lifetime. Writing fiction is not only a positive outlet, but it could be used to inspire others in their creative endeavors as well. In order to get started, not much supplies is needed. Loose paper would work, but a notebook is more preferable to better organize one’s thoughts. Of course a pen or pencil is needed to get to work. For the story to get published, it will eventually need to be typed onto a computer or laptop and saved onto a document. There is the option to type it from the start, but many writers find it useful to carry around a notebook in case ideas come to them at a random time. Those writing tools can become your best friends. For the most invested writers, ideas can come at any moment. Write them down before you have the chance to forget them; they may even give inspiration for a whole story. When you first get started in the writing process, brain storm your thoughts and just put your ideas down on paper. How you organize your notes is entirely up to you. There are writers who draw out an entire timeline and structure every setting and character that they use before they start on the actual story. On the other hand, there are those who get started with the first chapter right away and work out the details later. The process should be whichever works best for the writer behind the story. Whether or not you choose to organize it, keep your plot in mind. Not everything needs to be set in stone, but the main characters and setting should at least be developed beforehand. For a fictional story, there is usually a protagonist and an antagonist. The character’s past and identity will reveal itself more and more as the story goes on. The setting is an essential part of the story as well, for your readers will want to know where the story is taking place. The beginning of the book has to capture the readers’ attention. Some writers, such as myself, find it difficult to start chapter one right off the bat. The important thing to remember when you’re in a rut is that the first piece is just a rough draft; it doesn’t need to be perfect. Everything written can be looked over and fixed afterwards. Get started and begin the story however you feel fit. Get your pencil moving and allow your imagination to flow freely. There are many different ways to write and organize your story, but choose whatever feels natural. You can brainstorm every little detail, or you can choose a more freestyle way of writing. If it helps, read out loud to see if the story sounds right. Allow trusted people to read your drafts for more criticism. These things will help improve your skill as you go further along your goal. Once you get started on writing the story, it should feel easier from there. The road to publication is a long one, but it’s well worth the journey. Each chapter will start and end until eventually you’ve reached the last page. That’s not the end, however; stories need to be revised and rewritten before it’s satisfactory. Finishing the final draft and finding editors as well as publishers will all fall into place within time. Of course many scenes may not make it into the final cut, but everything written can be used as an inspiration for the future. Start writing and have fun with it because it’s your story coming from your imagination. The published books seen on shelves were once rough drafts messily written on papers scattered across a desk. If you’re determined enough to keep improving your writing, your books could very well be sitting next to theirs.