This post was published by a guest. The views expressed are those of the sponsor and do not necessarily reflect the views of Scified.com.
Read this article to discover four fiction writing methods that traditional classes never cover. These unconventional techniques will help you push creative limits and bring originality to your storytelling.
Have you ever felt like your story has stopped breathing, no matter how hard you try to fix it? Each writer faces such a situation when words stop flowing and the ideas fade. You are following the writing rule, yet something feels dull and lifeless. The reality is that the rules sometimes silence our creative skills. Using the right fiction writing methods can help bring your ideas and creativity to life.
The right fiction writing techniques can revive your story when it feels stuck. They help you explore new ideas and make your writing come alive. In this article, you will discover four forbidden fiction writing methods that schools never teach. These methods could be the spark your story needs to start flowing again.
Important Takeaways:
These points help you to understand the main idea of the article:
- Trust the narrator's voice, which may lie or twist facts, to keep readers engaged.
- Use the silence and what’s left unsaid to build tension and emotional depth.
- Mixed the reality and imagination so the reader questions what’s true and what’s not.
- Challenge the traditional story structure, which begins at the end or reveals the middle last.
- Concentrate on emotion and experience rather than explanation to make the story unforgettable.
The Trap of Good Writing – Why Rules Stifle Creativity?
Every beginner writer hears the same rules repeatedly, which are listed below.
- Show, don’t tell.
- Keep a single point of view.
- Follow a clear and linear plot.
- Avoid confusion.
- Use proper structure.
These rules are taught everywhere to make the stories more organised and readable. But if you follow them too strictly, then your story can start to feel flat and lifeless. Sometimes, breaking the rules proved beneficial for your story.
The Limitation of Rules
Rules play an important role in your writing, which makes it clean, but they can also make it safe and dull. When you focus more on being correct than being real, you lose your voice. Readers do not connect with perfect stories. They connect with fiction that evokes an emotional response.
Feelings come from small mistakes and real emotions. Creativity does not follow straight lines. It rises in chaos, and when you take risks. Even when you are working on serious projects like a thesis, a UK-based dissertation writing service can help you break the usual rules and bring fresh perspectives. That is where real art starts.
4 Forbidden Fiction Writing Methods Your School Won’t Teach You
Are you tired of writing stories that feel predictable or stuck? It’s time to break the rules and explore four fiction writing methods that most writing classes never teach.
1: Start in the Middle
Students often start their fiction writing slowly and build it step by step. They set the scene, introduce the hero, show the world, and wait before adding action. This feels safe, but it also increases the thrill of stories. The method is called in media res, which means starting in the middle of things. Instead of building the story, you drop the reader immediately into the storm. You let them face the heat before even the cause.
For Instance,
Imagine a story of a knight on a quest.
Your Standard Version Begins as Follows:
The kingdom of Laren fell into darkness when the crystal crown was stolen. Young Sir Ren went to retrieve it.
Now See It Begin in the Middle:
Blood dripped from the fingers of Ren when he stumbled through the burning forest. The thief’s shadow quickly dissipated.
The reader feels the fire immediately. They don’t need to know everything. Curiosity pulls them forward. They question who Ren is, and why he bleeds, and what he chases. The answer unfolded later, like parts of a puzzle.
Story Buzz found that stories starting with action hold readers’ attention longer than those that begin with slow description. This shows how our brains crave movement and conflict.
Beginning in medias res adds power and trust. It respects the reader’s mind. It reflects life, where we frequently enter an event that has already begun.
Benefits of Starting in the Middle:
- Creates an instant tension and focus
- Makes the readers curious
- Helps the backstory appear naturally
- Cuts away slow and dull openings
Pro Tip: You can show the earlier moments later through memory or dialogue. Let readers feel slightly lost at first because that mystery keeps them turning the page.
2: Mix Genres Boldly
Students often hear that they must choose one genre and never mix genres. They may be instructed to write a fantasy or a mystery, but not to cross-genre fiction writing. Teachers and publishers prefer the simple order. Yet, readers love surprises and new flavours.
By blending genres, you create a narrative that feels vibrant and fresh. A fantasy can carry a thriller feel. A romance can bloom inside horror fiction writing. A mystery can happen on a spaceship. It broke the old barriers and woke up the reader’s imagination. Mixing genres in research enhances qualitative data analysis by providing richer context and deeper insights into the subject
For Example:
Just imagine The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.
It mixes dystopian science fiction with social drama.
Or
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville, which blends fantasy horror and politics.
These books stand out because they refuse to fit into one box.
Here Are Some Examples:
According to a Normal Fairy Tale:
A cruel wizard imprisoned the princess in a fortress.
Now Spice It up With a Bit of Sci-Fi
An AI sorcerer, who ruled the iron sky, floated the princess in a glass pod.
This new version of the story instantly feels fresh and daring. You open a new world just by breaking the wall between genres.
A UCL news study revealed that the readers recalled mixed-genre stories 40 per cent longer than single-genre ones. The reason is that unexpected elements keep the brain alert and curious.
Benefits of Mixing Genres:
- Breaks the dull and predictable patterns
- Expands your creative freedom
- Helps you explore the profound feelings
- Builds your own strong fiction writing identity
Pro Tip: Keep emotions real even when you mix the worlds. If your story jumps from magic to mystery, make sure fear and courage stay true. Genuine feelings keep readers connected.
“Writers often underestimate how much breaking conventional rules can elevate a story,” says Carol J., a Senior Writer at The Academic Papers UK.
She added:
“Even academic projects benefit when authors explore new angles and challenge expectations. Fiction thrives the same way, risk and originality make stories memorable.”
3: Unreliable Narrators Everywhere
The majority of stories aim to persuade readers to believe the storyteller. The narrator is often somebody who tells the truth, but actual people do sometimes lie or hide information. So why should fiction be any different?
An unreliable narrator is a voice in which you can’t place full trust. They may be lying to protect themselves, or may truly believe something that is not based on reality. Sometimes they feel angry or lost in their own world. This unknown aspect adds an enigma and interest to every story.
Classic Example:
In The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator claims to be intelligent while revealing a murder. The reader knows he is not. The strength of the story comes from this clash between what he says and what we see.
Why It Works:
In real life, people do the same, which is why an unreliable narrator feels real. We all tell ourselves stories to make ourselves look better. This process helps the reader to experience human imperfection.
Pro Tip: Provide hints that the narrator's version has flaws. A small detail or a quiet reaction from another character can expose the truth.
Benefits of Unreliable Narrators:
- Builds the tension and mystery
- Turns your readers into active thinkers
- Explores the real human psychology
- Deepens emotion and theme
Unreliable narrators make stories risky and alive. They turn fiction writing into a mirror that reflects how we twist truth to survive.
4: Break Chronology
The writing teachers often focus on teaching stories in a beginning-to-end structure. While this method clarifies the plot structure, it sometimes drains the story of its emotional impact. Real life does not move in a straight line. Memories flash back and forth, and dreams mix with reality. Life itself is nonlinear, and storytelling can reflect that truth.
When you break the chronology, you create a nonlinear narrative. You might start at the end, return to the beginning, and reveal the middle later. Many narrators also get assistance from trusted dissertation writing services to organise complex ideas. A nonlinear structure needs careful planning to ensure the story remains engaging and clear.
Example:
In Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan, the story is revealed in reverse order. The main character has short-term memory loss. The broken chronology confused the minds of viewers. The shape of the story becomes its meaning.
Another Example:
In Slaughterhouse-Five, written by Kurt Vonnegut, the main character experiences time travel without control. This shows the chaos of war and the way in which trauma breaks memory.
A study from the University of Edinburgh found that readers remember non-linear stories 30 per cent better than linear ones because they stay emotionally active while linking events together.
Benefits of Breaking Chronology:
- Mirrors how memory and emotion work
- Include the suspense and mystery
- Provide more creative control over pacing
- Use the rhythm that feels poetic
You can write each chapter like a puzzle piece. Let every scene reveal emotion, and readers enjoy finding how everything connects.
Pro Tip: Keep your emotional logic strong, even if your timeline is broken. Readers can feel lost in time, but they should never lose their emotional link to the story. Nonlinear storytelling makes fiction feel real. It gives your story the shape of thought and the pulse of memory.
Final Words
If you get trapped in your fiction writing, break the rules you learnt. Let your writing move with emotion, not perfection. Write from the heart and play around with time-bend structure. Readers lose interest when they find themselves lost in clean lines; they seek raw emotions. Every story that endures emerges from risk and truth.
When you use these forbidden methods, you find your own rhythm and voice. You stop copying others and start creating something that only you could write. That is how stories come to life and stick with us. But go past what you learned in school, and believe in your crazy ideas. The greatest story starts where the boundaries stop.
FAQs
How Do You Structure a Story?
A good story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. The opening establishes the world and introduces the central issue. The middle explains how the characters face challenges and make decisions. Resolution and change come at the end. A strong structure provides a direction for the reader, an emotional path. Emphasise cause and effect so that everything seems inevitable. Keep advancing the story with tension.
What Makes a Good Plot Twist in Fiction?
A good plot twist surprises the reader, but when they think back, it still makes sense. It should not feel forced but instead reveal a new truth about the story or the characters. Build clues quietly so the twist feels earned. The very best twists alter the way readers see everything that has come before. They bring life and emotion to the story as well as a believable air of excitement.
What Are the Key Elements of a Successful Novel?
The best novels have interesting characters, distinct goals and sincere emotions. What happens next should matter to the reader. The story must have conflict to generate tension and maintain the reader's curiosity.
A vivid setting helps bring the world to life and makes the reader feel part of it. Decent pacing keeps the story balanced throughout. Every scene must have a reason. When characters grow and the story delivers meaning the novel becomes unforgettable.
