Asked by: Eddie Long

To combat predictability in your plot, try thinking about the complete opposite of every twist or turn you’ve noted down above. If your narrative naturally begins to lean towards a certain outcome or event, try steering it in the complete opposite direction and see what happens.

How do I make my story more consistent?

A great way to keep your characters consistent is to write character sketches for each of the major players in your story. Think of these like profile pages for your characters. Include physical descriptions, of course, but go into their background and psychology as well.

How do you make a less cliche story?

10 Tips to Avoid Clichés in Writing

1. Avoid Stolen or Borrowed Tales.
2. Resist The Lure of the Sensational.
3. Turn a Stereotype on its Head.
4. Tell the Story Only You Can Tell.
5. Keep it Real by Taking it Slow.
6. Deliver Your Story From Circumstantial Cliché
7. Elevate the Ordinary.
8. Rescue Gratuitous Scenes From Melodramatic Action.

How do you stop a story from satisfying?

How to Write a Satisfying Ending for Your Novel

1. Know your ending before you start writing. …
2. Build tension in the leadup to the end. …
3. Try different endings on for size. …
4. Leave room for interpretation. …
5. Ensure that your ending makes sense. …
6. Evoke emotions. …
7. Make sure your ending resolves the storyline.

What makes a story unbelievable?

If there is no evidence, no foreshadowing, no hints, no clues, absolutely nothing a reader could have picked up, even on a second reading/viewing, to point to the action or event, then it shatters the “willing suspension of disbelief” which a reader must have to embark on a story.

How do I make sure my story isn’t boring?

This is how to keep your story fresh and exciting in every scene:

1. If You Can, Trash It. Your first choice should always be to get rid of any in-betweens that don’t advance your plot. …
2. Introduce Personality: Make It about Character. …
3. Introduce Action: Make It about Drama. …
4. Introduce Questions: Make It about Suspense.

How do you get good pacing?

7 Quick Tips for Mastering Pacing in Your Story

1. Break down the structure of your story. …
2. Use sentence, paragraph and chapter length to influence pace. …
3. Use heightened detail when you want to slow things down. …
4. Use introspection to develop character and control pace. …
5. Ask yourself what’s necessary to include (and what isn’t)

How do I stop writing cringe?

6 Tips to Avoid and Fix Bad Writing

1. Read Out Loud. This is the first step to checking your piece for awkward writing: read it out loud. …
2. Shorten Your Sentences. One of the best ways to avoid awkward writing is to take out every unnecessary word, phrase, and sentence. …
3. Be Specific. …
4. Re-Word. …
5. Tighten. …
6. Delete.

How do you fix clichés in writing?

How to get rid of clichés

1. Research or brainstorm some more. If you are relying on clichés, you might not have prepared enough for your writing assignment. …
2. Stop and think about what you’re trying to say. …
3. Try to pinpoint exactly what you want to say, and write it! …
4. Ask yourself questions as you write.

What are some good clichés?

Examples of Clichés in Everyday Language

• read between the lines.
• play your cards right.
• it’s an uphill battle.
• better safe than sorry.
• you can’t judge a book by its cover.
• bring to the table.
• low-hanging fruit.
• the grass is always greener on the other side.

How do I stop character clichés?

6 Ways to Avoid Character Cliches in Your Writing

1. Focus on Your Character’s Origin Story. …
2. Go In Depth With Character Description. …
3. Give Your Characters a Range of Emotions. …
4. Give Your Character a Sense of Motivation. …
5. Give Your Character Fears and Flaws. …
6. Give Your Character Strengths.

How do I find a cliché?

A cliché is an expression that was once innovative but has lost its novelty due to overuse. Take the phrase “as red as a rose” for example—it is a universal descriptor for the color red that is now commonplace and unoriginal.

What are examples of euphemism?

Euphemism examples:

• “Passed away” instead of “died”
• “Let go” instead of “fired”
• “Make love” instead of “sex”
• “Put down” instead of “euthanized”

What is oxymoron in literature?

oxymoron, a word or group of words that is self-contradicting, as in bittersweet or plastic glass. Oxymorons are similar to such other devices as paradox and antithesis and are often used in poetry and other literature.

What is synecdoche in literature?

synecdoche, figure of speech in which a part represents the whole, as in the expression “hired hands” for workmen or, less commonly, the whole represents a part, as in the use of the word “society” to mean high society.