Guest Post: Kandi J. Wyatt: Six Key Elements to Writing a Story

Kandi J. Wyatt

Any time I can get an author to write a post that I can share with not only you my readers, but also my students, it is a win-win. I asked Kandi to write about writing. So many out there are curious about how to get started. Here are Kandi's Six Key Elements for Writing.

Writing a story is something that takes time and patience. There isn’t a magic formula that makes a tale unique and special. The originality comes from the writer diving into their own experiences and sharing in story form the truths they learned. However, there are some key elements to have in place for writing.

1.      Consistency

As you write, you want to do it on a consistent basis. That means every day for some people. For others, it might be every Tuesday at 9 pm. Whatever it is for you, make sure you have planned writing time and that it’s held sacred. Don’t let the normal everyday distract you from writing. An emergency here or there is okay, but don’t make everything into an emergency.

2.      Practice

Like consistency, practice is key to improving your craft. The more you write, the easier it’ll come. When I first wrote in high school, I wasn’t consistent nor did I do a lot of writing. But later, when I started writing for publication, I wrote more and each story progressively got better.

3.      Listen to experts

Editors and other writers will know the craft of writing. Listen to them. But be careful. Not all editors are who you need. Take for example my story Journey from Skioria. I’d originally written it to have the style of The Secret Garden in third person omniscient. The editor I found read the first snippet and returned the manuscript with an ebook of her own. I was to read the book and change my manuscript to fit her style. I should have stuck to my guts and found a different editor.

That being said, I’ve found the best editor for me. She works with me and my stories to bring out the best in my books and in me. As I write, I’m now hearing her voice instructing and warning me on problem areas. That makes my writing better in the long run.

4.      Learn from others

This may be similar to number 3, but it’s with the idea of training. All athletes train for their sport. They go to camps and learn. The same is true of writers. Go to conferences and learn from the speakers. My go-to conference is Realm Makers. It’s every July and often they have a winter retreat option. They even have a teen track in the summer for kids to learn to hone their craft.

Read books on the craft. Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, Steven James’ Story Trumps Structure, Terry Brooks’ Sometimes the Magic Works, or Madeleine L’Engle’s Walking on Water are all good to read and learn from. Another book, not quite on the craft of writing but on creating is Allen Arnold’s Chaos Can’t. (In reality any of his books—The Story of With, Waves of Creativity, and The Eden Option—are excellent.)

5.      Read in your genre

The best way to improve your writing is by reading the type of books you want to write. Since I’m publishing two to three books a year, I don’t have much free time, but I can read at lunch, listen to books on the way to work and home, and there’s even a few minutes before going to bed. Reading for enjoyment enables you to absorb the things you love about a book or author’s style. When that happens, you’ll find those things will begin to naturally make their way into your books.

For me, it was H. L. Burke’s books that brought the light romance into my series Four Stars over Ardatz: Sovereigns. I loved how it wasn’t the main plot of her books, but it came naturally. I read many of her books (I’m way behind on her superhero universe) and the romance became a natural part of my own series.

6.      Live Life to its Fullest

The best way to write is to live life and have experiences that you can draw upon. My first story I wrote that actually worked was written after my first year in college. I’d come home to earn money to go back to school the next semester. My job was in a mall at a cinnamon roll shop. I wrote my sister, our friend group, and my boyfriend into a mystery around the mall. It was probably cheesy and amateurish, but I wrote it. In reality, it was a stepping stone to my later published works. I could say I’d finished a full story. It wasn’t novel length, but it was a complete story.

So, go out there. Live life, read, learn, and grow. Then write. Write to your heart’s content. Never give up. Never allow someone else to tell you that you can’t. You can!