“The first thing you have to consider when writing a novel is your story, and then your story — and then your story!” – Ford Madox Ford
This slice of wisdom applies to all writing – whether you’re working on fiction or a poem or even an article or non-fiction book. The story is what matters. You can be creative in how you convey this to the reader as long as you have a solid structure in place that allows your story to flow.
Where do you find your stories? You can take inspiration from the world around you … from your own experiences, from the experiences of others, from the small but often missed details that make up your day. Everything has a story – the weed that pushes through a city pavement blossoming into a golden dandelion despite the daily risk of being trampled or the forgotten classic car, left to rust, which is finally found and restored to its former glory.
Today, look for those stories around you. Seek out those sparks. Once you have a story, you can begin turning it into something meaningful and memorable.