How to Write a Story That's Interesting

You could say it of practically any area where  creating things is open to the general public - that almost all of it is an absolute waste of time. But you know what - it's not their fault. They say, genius is rare today because information isn't widely available on the means to become one.

Take how to write a story that's interesting and engaging. Almost all the stuff out there is quite difficult to take. And we're talking about things that have made it through an editorial board at a publishing house. You might well imagine what the rest of the stuff is like that hasn't been accepted.

A lot of this is because the means of how to write a story well hasn't been widely made available. A good story has to come from a great deal of interest in your subject. It needs to be forceful. You need to stop caring about what's right or wrong. You need to stop caring about what makes sense. You just need to care about what seems interesting - what seems to move you. That's all that matters.Period.

Okay, let's get with some specific advice on how to read a story. You know what the master composer Stravinsky says about creativity, don't you? He says that good composers borrow, while great ones steal.

Appropriating another's creation is what great creation is all about. You need to do it and then cover your tracks in a really good way. Don't be shy about borrowing heavily some of the people that you admire. The only important thing is that it should be good, high-quality stuff that you steal. Once you're done borrowing heavily, you can do what the geniuses do - you could cover your tracks over.

There's an episode in the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, where a fan one day tells Raymond that he loves his newspaper sports column, except that he feels that he doesn't give a balanced view of things. To which Raymond comes up with a stunning answer - it's his job to give his opinion. It isn't his job to be balanced.

In truth, a balanced, well-considered opinion is not how to write a story that's interesting. That's the stuff of research and lectures. Basically, when you want to be creative and be interesting, stop trying to be good and pure.

Be all the things you're not allowed to be - be insulting, be unfair and unjust, be lopsided, and don't be politically correct. Just be who you really want to be. Say what you would say if you could get away with it. And then, you'll know how to write a story.