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Story Writing Techniques that Beginners Must Know

Basically, each type of writing has its own composition technique. Whether writing fiction, description, science, etc., everyone has their own method. Including story writing, this type comes with a special character that can be seen from the intrinsic elements and also the writing technique. Indeed, so far there have been a number of story writing techniques that have been developed to make a work interesting to read.

However, before discussing the technique directly, it is necessary to first understand the basics of story writing. Well, defining story writing itself is actually easy and difficult. Because, from one person's point of view to another, it will be different, for example between novelists, short story writers, comic artists, and so on. Even so, one thing is the same, story writing in general is a process of compiling language into a concrete narrative with the aim of creating an imaginative experience that is as rich as possible, but still believable.

In order to be able to form a concrete narrative, writers will combine the characters they create with a plot. In conveying the plot the author uses language and diction choices in such a way that it makes the reader feel as if they are in the story.

In practice, there are many techniques for conveying the plot itself. Everything is not necessarily linear from the background, the peak of the conflict, to the resolution. But writers can start from anywhere in their story in order to create a story that isn't boring. Apart from that, creating a twist can also be a trick for story writers to engage readers. A twist can jolt readers and make them look again for details or clues to the story.

So, to make it clearer, here are the story writing techniques that Karena has summarized to help you transform into a reliable writer.

  • Backstory
  • As the name suggests, the backstory technique is created by showing the character's background. By providing relevant past details, the author provides context for a particular conflict or relationship in the story. This can be in the form of a motive, past, or experience which then makes the reader understand the decisions or actions taken by a character.

    Backstory is a commonly used story writing technique. Even so, portion management must be thought carefully. Don't let there be so much background that it hinders the pace of the story or even obscures the essence of the story.

  • Deus ex Machina
  • The Deus Ex Machina storytelling technique presents unexpected plots that occur outside the protagonist's control. These surprises often become a way for writers to resolve story conflicts. For example, this can be done by creating a special event to kill the main character. Besides that, it can also give rise to twists that don't make sense, such as suddenly having a long-lost twin brother. It is his brother who will take revenge on the antagonist.

    The way Deus Ex Machina resolves conflicts sometimes triggers pros and cons. Instead of giving strength to the protagonist's character, the author decides to interrupt his journey with other events or characters. Even so, this technique is still often a favorite for writing fantasy stories or those that contain magical elements.

  • Foreshadowing
  • Sometimes, in some of the stories you read, at the beginning there are several clues from the author that make you guess how the story will go. This writing technique is usually called foreshadowing. This is very commonly used in writing fiction stories.

    When using this technique, you should not give too many signs to the reader because your story will be easily guessed and then abandoned. The principle is to hold crucial information until the right time. This will increase the tension in your story.

    Once you've released the ultimate information, don't stop there. Because readers will continue to wait for a better and stronger storyline. They will continue to look for what other twist you will come up with. Therefore, you need a solid arrangement when you decide to use foreshadowing techniques.

  • In Media Res
  • As the name suggests, which means, in the middle of things, this is a technique for writing stories whose plot starts from the middle. This method is used by the author to make the reader immediately dive into the conflict of the story. Well, generally this technique is usually used in back and forth flows.

    The In Media Res technique is able to arouse readers' curiosity because it begins with an interesting incident. Readers continue to find out alternative solutions that the author will present in the story.

  • Red Herrings
  • Techniques to deceive readers also often occur in story writing. This is usually called the red herring method. Through this technique, the author displays false clues at the beginning of the story so that readers are fooled.

    What's the goal? The red herring technique will distract readers from the actual facts. Only in the middle of the story will the author reveal a surprise or twist that surprises the reader. For example, you may several times encounter a character who is quite suspicious from the start, even though he is not actually the problem in the story.

    When using this, make sure not to use too many tricks. Because if there are too many readers they might feel tired because they feel they have lost confidence in your story.

    So, that's the A to Z of story writing techniques that you need to know. You can use whatever technique best suits the character or plot you are writing. However, it needs to be emphasized that the essence of writing stories is to create a world, characters and events that seem real. When a story is told well and meaningfully, readers will automatically be transported into a world created by the author himself. That's where the writer can entertain or even arouse the reader's emotions.

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