Tips in Writing a Poignant Story

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Whether you are writing a fiction or nonfiction story, you’ll likely have to deliver something new for readers to become enticed in reading. There are many ways on how you can create a poignant story that can move and inspire your readers. With the variety of techniques and strategies, you need to know what works best with your story and what you shouldn’t infuse.

If you are looking for tips in writing a touching story, then here are the things that you might want to consider so you can achieve your writing goals.

Tap into your experiences

The human experience is a strong element that can bind the readers to the story. It is already a great reason why there is a need to read your story from top to bottom. Your personal account can also be the primary agent that urges you to write, express, and inspire. So, utilize your experiences and craft them into a relatable tale that encourages your readers to read and turn each page until they finish the story. The personal account also has a way of reaching into the readers’ emotions, keeping them more motivated in reading.

A great example is James Forker’s The End of The Rainbow, which is a true story of a husband and a dying wife.  He made use of his personal account to cherish the memories of his wife, inspire others to hold onto hope, express a father’s love, and show that there’s a rainbow after the rain. Thus, readers who have been through love and loss can relate to his story.

Focus on conveying your central message

Theme refers to the main point or meaning of the story that’s mostly associated with life. What’s amazing with this aspect is that it can be summed up into a single word, even if it’s conveyed in a full-blown novel. The common central messages found in most stories are love, hope, survival, unity, peace, courage, kindness, and more.

So, start by projecting a single theme because the supporting ones will emerge once you’ve built your foundation. Let your story revolve around one important message that can, later on, tap into other values, issues, or events. To do so, you can get the help of the protagonist by inflicting it on its main goal and displaying it on its characteristics. You can also use other factors, such as the point-of-view, plot, and more.

Maintain the genuineness of each scene

The rawness of your story makes it more poignant. Without the truth in every scene and conversation, your readers wouldn’t feel the connection and attachment that they somehow expected. But, how can it be done? It’s simple. You can convey it through the point of view. The way the event is narrated is crucial because it determines the understanding and involvement of the readers. By using the appropriate POV, you can thoroughly show each character’s emotions, thoughts, experiences, and motives. As a result, readers can see the truth, genuineness, and sincerity in each part of the plot.

Know how to blend different kinds of emotions

Touching people’s emotions can be difficult as it is tricky. It’s because everyone has different coping mechanisms, tolerance, and triggers. For your work to be more effective, make sure to know how to evoke and manage both normal and intense emotions. In that way, there is a balance. Pairing ordinary and extreme feelings can make your work melodramatic and help the latter stand out on parts that they need to shine. Moreover, mixing the two kinds of emotions can help you captivate the readers better, making them more interested in finding out the resolution after the tension.

Use a bunch of literary devices

There is nothing wrong with following the ordinary plot structure. However, if you want the story to become more captivating while still using the normal arrangement, then you can use literary devices. Some common but amazing devices to help you create an enthralling and poignant story are flashbacks, the figure of speech, foreshadowing, backstory, imagery, symbolism, and more. What’s more awesome is you have the freedom to inject them in different parts of the storyline and a variety of elements — such as the characters.

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