Writing Your First Story
“Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone is a writer; some written in the books and others confined to hearts.”
What is your story? How did you write your first one? A very interesting question, isn’t it?
From bagging prizes and seeing my little siblings grow to being jumped on by a dog and standing paralysed with fear while my dad laughed beside me, I have tons of memories that inspire the writer in me. I started writing stories from the time I realised that I could express my emotions, imaginations and memories on a piece of paper.
As soon as I was introduced to the magical world of stories, I found the magic the words in those books held. The words were able to transport me into another world of heroes, warriors, magic, fantasies and whatnot. Stories gave me the license to make characters as I wished and get involved with them emotionally. Isn’t it amusing? The stories which introduce us to fictional characters make us so emotionally invested in them that we readers cry with them in their sorrow and laugh with them in their joy.
The first time I wrote a story was when I thought of a different way in which the story could have proceeded. As soon as I got a plot in my mind, I was excited to pen it down. The book, “Famous Five” inspired me to write my first short story. It was a small pursuit from my side. When I read it to my family, the smiles on their faces gave me the first victory in my literary journey. But if you ask me whether that was the piece of work that inspired me into writing, then I would say no.
I think it was my trip to the Pyramids in Egypt which ignited the flame to write profusely. After reading about Egyptian mythology and stories, the 12-year-old me was filled with excitement and curiosity to visit ‘one of the eight wonders of the world, the pyramids of Giza’. While walking through the dark tunnels inside the pyramid into the king’s chamber, my mind was capturing each and every detail in wonder.
After coming back from Egypt, I was motivated to write a short story regarding the same. And then, the story “The Mysterious Man” was created. By the age of 12, we often fear rejection, criticism and uncertainty while penning down our thoughts. I was afraid whether what I wrote would not be good. I felt uncertain if I would be able to write what I had in mind. Whether I would be actually able to put in words what I wanted to convey. With inhibitions and doubts, I started writing, only to realise that all my worries started disappearing as soon as my pen moved with excitement.
Writing stories is magic that anyone can perform. It only takes courage to put forth what you want to convey to the world. What comes into your mind when you hear “writing”? For me, writing means a way of expressing my thoughts and emotions in a way that touches the heart of the reader. A story tells us about an incident or a fantasy. It can also be a narration of an incident from our point of view or it may be a piece of fabrication from your imagination. Stories help to mould people into better beings and often teach us many things.
People who read often also love to write, but their fear of criticism and uncertainty holds them back. The best piece of writing advice anyone ever gave me was “Allow yourself to write as you wish.” Nothing petrifies a writer more than the pursuit of perfection. Just write! Get something down. Later you can tweak and polish and fiddle about as much as you like, but before you can make changes, it’s vital that you at least have something to work with.
Let me share some tips I have come across which would help you to write a short story. Read a lot. Great writing can help you find your own voice and hone your writing skills. Write now, edit later. Young and aspiring writers might be tempted to spend a lot of time editing and rewriting as they type. Resist that temptation.
Practice freewriting — a creative writing technique that encourages writers to let their ideas flow uninterrupted. Set a specific time to edit. After which try to get feedback. It can be hard to critique your own writing. When you have finished a piece of writing or a first draft, give it to someone to read. Ask for honest and specific feedback. This is a good way to learn what works and what doesn’t. After all, only then would we know whether we could capture the reader’s interest from their point of view.
Last but not the least, think about publishing. Few writers write just for themselves. Envision where you want your story to be published. If you have a short story, think about submitting it to literary magazines. If you have a novel, you can send it to literary agents and publishing houses. This would give you a sense of achievement and motivation to write further.
“Don’t forget — no one else sees the world the way you do, no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell.” So be confident to pen down whatever comes into your mind. Many of us might have problems getting started but once we do, it would be a fruitful journey to the creation of your own piece of work.
Remember every story is worth hearing and cherishing, so unleash the writer in you! And guess what, the best opportunity for you is out there right now. Excel is inviting new and budding writers to write their stories, which once selected gets the chance to be published in an anthology. Also, you would be helping to raise funds to be transferred to the non-profit organisation CRY, which seeks to implement children’s rights. Hence, you would be striving for a social cause hand in hand with your personal achievement. So what are you waiting for? Grab your pen and paper to write stories that would transport us into another world.
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