How to Add Realism to Your Story

Ever thought you'd like to write a novel? Good fiction has just enough realism to make you believe the story's premise is possible. Read on for some tips to add realism and authenticity to any story.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• A fertile imagination
• Persistence
• Note cards, pen or pencil
• Your imagination
• The internet
• Character notes from previous steps

Character

1. Observe people everywhere. Write down what they do, how they dress, what they say that you find interesting.
2. List character traits: size, weight, height, eye color, hair color, sex, race, ethnic origin, religion, age, grade in school, rank in the military, birth order, family makeup, profession, status, level of wealth, favorite foods, accents, birthplace, medical history or any other trait you think would be interesting to know about the character you want to make come alive.
3. Decide how your character would talk. Are they educated, with a rich vocabulary, or do they use a lot of regional slang? Are they young and rude, old and grouchy, well-mannered, shy, outgoing, pushy, aggressive, or passive?
4. Decide where your character lives. How does that influence his or her experience of the world?

Setting: Where It All Begins...

5. Decide where your character lives. What is the geography of the region? What businesses might she frequent? What extremes of weather might he encounter? What level of traffic is there?
6. Decide where your character is headed. How will she travel? What problems will he encounter? Who will try to stop her? What documents will she need to travel unmolested?
7. Describe the place your character lives. What is in his bedroom? What does she collect? How often does he clean the bathroom? What does she keep in her medicine chest? What is in his refrigerator?

Plot: What to Do, What to Do

8. What motivates your character? Why is she shy? Why doe she play baseball instead or soccer? Why does she need thirty two cats? Who told your character she could sing? When is your character going to grow up and make better decisions?
9. What response is your character going to make when something goes wrong? When his goals are thwarted? When her friends won't talk to her? When he's thrown in jail?
10. What will happen next? Why?

Tips & Warnings

• Do not plagiarize: it is okay to take the idea of a particular character, but you cannot take the words the original author used to describe him.
• Engage in pre-writing: make an outline of possible events.
• Keep backup copies of your notes in case your computer breaks down.
• Make character sheets for each character in your story. The more details you decide, the more that character will stand out

Who Can Help:

• Earn an Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's Degree from the University of Phoenix
• University of Phoenix, degree Programs to Fit Your Life.