One of the first things you will have to choose before writing anything is its form. That is its physical shape, format or general structure of the text. Different forms give different prospectives over a fact / feeling so you should choose wisely.

Some common forms are:

• journal entry: either writing down the inner thoughts of a character during a moment (stream of conciousness) or afterwards.
• letter (epistle): here the character is writing to somebody for some reason
• essay
• poem: when you want to transmit a feeling or a moment
• short story
• speech

Every piece of writing needs to have some kind of structure to carry on the reader. Some structures are more popular than others, here are a few useful ones to keep in mind:

• Three-Acts: Setup (Act I), Confrontation / Development (Act II) and Resolution (Act III). To move the story forward, identify the inciting incident (the spark that starts the story) and the climax (the point of no return)
• Scene and Sequel: alternate these two phases for pacing. A scene is about action (goal -> conflict -> disaster). A sequel is the emotional aftermath (Reaction -> Dilemma -> Decision).

Characters are the center of the plot. They do not necessarily need to be human, a character can be a tree or a house. To build a character you need to think about their internal architecture.

• what they want: this is what the character thinks will make them happy. It drives the plot forward
• what they need: this is the emotional lesson or truth the character must learn to truly be fulfilled. Usually, they are blind to it at the start.

A story is truly born when a character's want directly forces them to confront their need. The tension between these two is where the drama lives.

Keep in mind the distinction between:

• Characterization: the sum of all observable traits like age, accent, clothing style, job and habits.
• True Character: is is revealed only through choices made under pressure

The most important page for any character is the one where they are introduced. Instead of describing a character, show them doing something that summarizes their entire personality.

There are multiple point of view. This greatly influences the psychological distance between the reader and the character.

• First Person
• Third person Limited
• Third Person Omniscient

Style really focuses at the sentence (or multiple sentences) level, choosing what kind of grammar and vocabulary to use. Some tips are:

• Ladder of Abstractions: Alternate high abstract words (justice, emotion…) with low abstraction words (concrete image like a rusted car, a bloody lip…).
• Iceberg Theory: theory of omission, where the true subject is never explicitly stated

There are many types of dialogues, depending on the situation, characters, topic, etc…

There are many variables that influence the speech itself, like volume, pitch and speed.

Tips:

• dialogues help you show, not tell

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