The Value Of Good Storytelling
For me, you can’t put a price on the value of good storytelling. The power of a story can encourage, excite and uplift. A story can take you to faraway places, where the only ticket required is your imagination.
In the “Friend”, we value feedback from our readers. From a fiction perspective, we are always gladdened when readers says how much a story has resonated with them. It might be in relation to a challenging time, or simply reflecting on special memories.
To read what a story means to someone is both humbling and heart-warming. It shows the power of the written word and its effect on people.
So, what makes a good “Friend” story?
Character identity
Readers like to sympathise and relate to “Friend” characters. The characters will possess qualities that the readers value. Characters don’t have to be perfect; flaws will make characters more realistic in the readers’ eyes, helping give storylines extra depth.
Emotion
Whether you are dealing with emotive subjects such as overcoming illness or broken dreams, once again it’s the characters who matter most. Readers don’t want to read about “woe is me”, over-dramatic situations. They want to see characters react to circumstances like real people.
Conflict
Throw obstacles at your characters and then see how they react. Challenging situations will often endear characters to readers. As strength can be found in adversity, readers want to champion their heroines and heroes throughout the course of a story.
Be brave
This simply equates to writing with freedom. “Friend” fiction is based around traditional family values, but this doesn’t mean you can’t write about topical, heartfelt matters. Bring your personality, voice to the fore and your writing will be all the richer for it.
Showing your stories to the world, especially for the first time, can be a daunting time. However, trust in your abilities and write from the heart and, somewhere in time, a reader will say thank you.
