The war of the entertainment industry

You're in the entertainment industry, story-writers. Unless you're writing stories for release to your pet dog or something, which is frankly insane. I bet he won't even follow the main plot.

You want to keep your audience there. You may be doing a story flowing with culture, religion, and deep philosophy. But that doesn't mean it has to be boring.

Each time a reader's attention wanes, that's a chance that they'll set down this book. "Forget this, I'll just shoot something in a videogame." We're in a war here, soldier. War against the rest of the entertainment industry. Television, computers, videogame consoles. All of these are hurting us. Why read a book about blowing up aliens when you can blow up aliens?

The answer is, books have depth. Books have the creative license. And finally, books are the master of imagination. Think of when you read a book. You picture the characters in your head, however loosely. And when the movie comes out, you're dumbfounded. "Does Snape really look like that?" Books have the power to twist to your ideas. I think of Middle-Earth as a misty, mysterious and dangerous land. Someone I know thinks of Middle-Earth with vibrant colors, forests and lush plains. And we both like our idea, and they both fit into the book.

Books can plumb the depth of the human mind like no other medium. Telivision shows feature people experienced in the subject, giving their wise opinions. Videogames are a limited medium; perhaps they will develop, but at the moment they are a poor medium for deep thinking. All of these are fine in their own ways. But books rule because of the endless possibilities of a blank page. Because with that page, you have complete freedom. You can do whatever the heck you want.

That's my case. I assure, I'm correct in my own space/mind.

Plagiarism

Originality is what you're striving for. You want people to go, "Wow, I've never considered the idea that moths are aliens sent to slowly deprive the human race of clothing so they freeze to death!" Or something of the sort.

You'll take flack when you do something that isn't original. For example, I'll string up a few striking similarities between Eragon and Star Wars. (note: story spoilers below)

A farmer (Luke Skywalker, Eragon) on the edge of an evil empire (the Empire, the Empire) led by an emperor (Emperor Palpatine, Emperor Galbatorix) lives with his uncle (Owen, Garrow). He is taught by a knight of a long-lost order (Obi-wan Kenobi, Brom) , learning how to move things with his mind (the Force, magic). He must save the princess (Leia, Arya). His trainer knight is slain in a battle with (Darth Vader, the Ra'zac), so he must join the rebels (the Rebel Alliance, the Varden) against the Empire to avenge him.

In the second (book, movie), he meets up with a wise old guru (Yoda, Oromis), learning more of (the Force, magic). In the end, in a showdown with (Darth Vader, Murtagh) it is revealed that he is his (father, half-brother).

So yeah, stealing other writer's work is a bad thing. However, there's a loophole.

If you steal from other authors, you're a dirty idea-stealing weasel. But if you steal from real life events, you're praised!

Now, don't be too blatant with the well-known stuff. No Trojan Horses, or anything. But there's a lot of history to grab on to. The Mongolian Horde, the Trojan War, the Roman Empire. Incorporate some things from them. You'll be a history scholar, and a good writer too! 

In the beginning

In the beginning, there was nothing.

And then there was literature.

And then God came in at some point, I don't know.

I'm talking about the beginning of your story. The hook of your line and sinker. The first gunshot of your war. The first chord in your symphony.

There are different types of beginnings. There's the "story hook", where something happens that sets the story in motion. Such as, the princess being captured, or someone being murdered. As someone rolls the snowball down the hill, it sets the stage to grow and grow.

Then there's a the character introduction opener. It features one of your main characters showing off his personality, so the reader gets acquainted as soon as possible.

I'll use some examples here. In Indiana Jones, it starts with Indy going on an iconic dungeon crawl. It sets the scene for the rest of the movie, with Indy swinging with his whip and sneaking through traps.

In Lord of the Rings, it starts with some juicy backstory. It tells the story of how the One Ring came into existence, and who we're fighting here, Sauron. A type of opening is something set in the past, explaining something.

Also, who's your audience? Some will want a exciting hook, something to quickly get them interested. Some would like a slow opening that expands the story. You're the caterer, and you need to know whether to serve tiny olives with sticks in them or B-B-Q.

Well, enough with the metaphors. I'm like a semi-automatic machine gun that can't stop rattling off.

Action scenes

I'm sure you've read both types of books; the books where they sit around talking and nothing ever happens, and the books where there are so many fight scenes it makes you exhausted. In my opinion, there are healthy middle grounds.

Fight scenes should be used to emphasise moments and to move the plot forward. Such as, when our hero escapes from the prison. That's a big moment in the story, and it'll be underlined by the brawling he does to get out.

Also, a lot depends on the genre. If you're doing fantasy, big epic battles aren't mandatory, but they sure don't hurt. In sci-fi, there's a sense of danger, that there are fantastic and wonderous creatures out there and most of them want to kill you. In sci-fi, wars are not neccesary, but make sure the world feels somewhat dangerous.

In mystery, you can very easily go the whole story without any action encounters. But if you're working with something like a murder mystery, it's not so far-fetched that a shoot-out may ensue.

In children's books, go for lots of gore. Guns are A-OK, and make the victims scream "IF ONLY I HAD EATEN MY VEGETABLES!" You'll be a role model.

Character interaction

Think in real life; relationships is what it's all about. Your wife, your annoying brother, your slightly stupid best friend, your antagonistic coworker. The driving force of your life, right?

There are two types of stories (well, a lot more than two, actually): story driven and character driven. With story driven, the characters are just there to further the plot. In character driven, the plot's just there to give your characters something to do. It's your job to get something in between.

Think of Lord of the Rings. Merry, Pippin, and Gimli are comic relief. Boromir, Aragorn, and Legolas are the "straight guys", or the guys that keep them in line. Gandalf is the benevolent and powerful leader, who acts as a role model to the Hobbits. Sam and Frodo are best friends, Legolas and Gimli develop an unlikely friendship, Boromir and Aragorn have a rival thing going, Merry and Pippin join the Ents, etc.

Character sub-plots and character development add depth to the story, and character development is best done with other characters. A joker and a monk learn to become friends, the monk lightening up a little and the joker learning that joking doesn't have to be done all the time.

Put a lot of thought into this; who hasn't heard of Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Batman and Robin, Luke Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi? Make compelling characters, and compelling interactions between the characters, and the reader will stick around to see what'll happen.