A great story is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. Our words can inspire, move, empower and bring joy to our audience. What is it that makes a great story? How are we able to harness the energy of our stories to have the desired affect? Let's explore that in the first of what I hope to many workshops in this new series...

The Power of Emotions

Before you even put pen to paper (or fingers to keys), think about how you want your story to feel? Regardless of the genre you are writing in, whether it is fact or fiction, every story needs to involve emotions. Emotions are what our core human features and a story dry of any feeling, will feel somewhat bland, lacking any substance. How are we able to create powerful emotions?

We do this by getting to know our audience. Who have we decided to write for? What would they experience in their day to day lives. What emotions do they experience? If you are able to pinpoint exactly who you are writing for then you are on the right steps.

For example, for someone who has gone through many heartbreaks in their life, you would a sappy love story filled with cliches really connect with them? They will probably feel like it is a load of garbage, that life is far more cruel and unforgiving. Feel the emotions of the audience you want to reach out and touch and recreate these in your stories.

Hmm, Tell Me More.

Learning something new sparks our curiosity and has us craving more. Your audience want to be able to learn things from a story. To see the same thing over and over again, where is the fun and escapism in that?

Tell a story that takes them by surprise but also offers them something new to discover. Whether you are writing fiction or not, you have the opportunity to offer your audience a new insight into something they may have never experienced before.

This could be a historical anecdote, the customs of a fringe subculture or an entirely new way of thinking. The choice is yours. The more enticing, the more engaged your audience will be for the next chapter.

Everyone Has Their Own Interpretation

When we read or hear stories, we want to feel like the story is about something we are familiar with. We want to be able to see it in our own minds eye and give meaning to the story that we feel fits in nicely with our worldview.

This allows you to connect with your audience, even if your story wasn't exactly for them. By telling your story in a way that leaves it open to interpretation you are almost creating a separate story for every set of eyes on your work.

They will create as they wish and your story will take on new life in their minds. Avoid stories which are straight forward, to the point and lacking any direction other than that which you have set.

This will reach a limited number of people and even they might be underwhelmed with where things are going. Be free, get creative and leave some room for your audience to fill in the blanks.

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Hope you guys enjoyed this, if you would like to see some more from this series, please show your support with a vote, comment and follow! Hope to see you again soon!