What is the Rule of Writing a Story? Unlock the Secrets Now!

The Foundation of Writing a Story

Well, if you're here, you're probably asking yourself: "What actually makes a good story?" And I get it, it's not an easy question to answer. Writing a story is like cooking; there’s no one recipe, but there are key ingredients you can't skip. At the core, though, the rule of writing a story is all about engaging your audience. If your readers are glued to the page, you're doing something right.

Honestly, it took me a while to figure this out. Early on, I was obsessed with writing "perfect" stories—stories with flawless sentences and characters straight out of a dream. But it didn’t work. And the more I wrote, the more I realized that the best stories aren't about perfection; they’re about connection.

Know Your Purpose

Before you start, ask yourself: "Why am I writing this story?" It’s essential to understand the purpose behind your narrative. Are you writing to entertain, to teach, to provoke thought, or maybe to explore an idea? Without a clear purpose, your story can feel like it's meandering aimlessly, and readers will feel that. It’s a bit like trying to have a conversation with someone who doesn’t really know what they want to say. Trust me, it gets awkward.

Building a Strong Structure

Okay, let’s get into the meat of it. Every good story has structure. The most well-known structure is the three-act structure: the setup, the conflict, and the resolution. This doesn’t mean your story has to follow a rigid formula, but knowing where to place your rising action, climax, and denouement is critical.

Act 1: The Setup

In the first act, you introduce your characters and the world they live in. This is where you set the scene—think of it like a movie trailer. You need to hook the reader, give them just enough to be intrigued. Honestly, it's all about the "what if" moment. What if your character suddenly found out they were part of a secret society? What if they could time travel? Get the imagination going!

Act 2: The Conflict

This is where the magic happens (or the mess, depending on how you look at it). The conflict is what drives the story forward. Without it, well, your story’s just a bunch of events happening with no real purpose. The key here is to build tension, to make your reader feel the stakes. This is where I often struggle—I sometimes forget to make things difficult for my characters, which leads to a boring story. Your characters need to struggle; they need obstacles, failures, and tough choices. Otherwise, where’s the fun?

Act 3: The Resolution

Finally, the resolution. This is where the story comes to a head and everything either falls into place or completely unravels. Ideally, the resolution should feel earned. It shouldn't just tie things up neatly (unless you’re going for that type of ending), but should feel satisfying to the journey your characters have gone through.

Developing Your Characters

Okay, let’s talk about characters—the heart of any good story. Without strong characters, even the most interesting plot can fall flat. The best characters aren’t always the most likeable, but they should be interesting, relatable, and multi-dimensional.

Give Them Depth

Here’s a tip: don’t just make your character "good" or "bad." Real people are more complicated than that. I remember struggling with a character once—she was supposed to be the villain, but she felt flat and one-dimensional. Then I asked myself, “What would make her tick?” That’s when everything clicked. I made her motivations clearer, gave her some vulnerabilities, and suddenly, she wasn’t just a villain—she was someone with a backstory and real emotions.

Show, Don’t Tell

This is one rule I can’t stress enough. "Show, don’t tell" is the golden rule of writing stories. Instead of saying, “John was angry,” show it through actions: "John slammed his fist on the table, his face turning crimson." The latter creates a much stronger image in the reader’s mind.

The Power of Dialogue

Honestly, dialogue is what makes your characters real. If you’ve ever read a book where the characters sound like robots, you know how uncomfortable it feels. The key to writing great dialogue is to keep it natural, but also meaningful. Every line should serve a purpose.

I remember reading an early draft of one of my stories, and a friend pointed out that some of my dialogue felt stiff. He was right. The conversations weren’t adding anything to the story. Once I went back and tweaked it, suddenly the characters felt alive, and the pacing picked up.

Use Dialogue to Reveal Character

A great way to use dialogue is to reveal more about your characters. Pay attention to how your characters speak—do they have a particular way of phrasing things? Are they sarcastic, serious, or a bit awkward? How they speak can tell a lot about who they are.

Pacing: Know When to Speed Up or Slow Down

Okay, pacing. This one’s a bit tricky because, like any good roller coaster, your story needs ups and downs. If the story is all action, all the time, the tension will eventually drop, and readers will get tired. On the other hand, if it's too slow, readers might lose interest.

Here’s the trick: know when to slow down and when to speed up. In moments of high tension, speed up your writing—shorter sentences, fewer details. When there’s an emotional scene or a moment of reflection, slow down, add more detail, and give your readers time to absorb the gravity of the situation.

Conclusion: The Rule is Never Set in Stone

So, what’s the rule of writing a story? Honestly, I think it comes down to one simple thing: engagement. Whether it’s through characters, plot, or structure, a good story keeps the reader invested. Sure, there are rules—like building a solid structure or creating compelling characters—but the beauty of storytelling is that there’s room for experimentation, too. Every writer has their own way of weaving a story, and sometimes breaking the rules leads to the best results.

I still remember the time when I didn’t follow the “rules” for one of my stories and the result was... unexpected. But, weirdly enough, it turned out to be one of my most authentic pieces. So yeah, sometimes the best stories are the ones where you let your instincts guide you more than any “rule” ever could.

Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?

The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

How to get taller at 18?

Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

Can you grow 1 cm after 17?

Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.