How To Write The Best Story Ever

[Jude Petkus]

Imaginea writing exercise that could make you write like that person. Well, maybe not exactly like them. But what if this exercise could refine your style, develop your voice, and deepen your grasp of narrative structure?

Centuries ago, apprentice painters would spend years and years copying the work of masters in order to learn advanced techniques. In the Middle Ages, monks copied the Bible by hand to fully understand its contents. Today Buddhist monks still copy sutras by hand.

Stevenson was not good at the method when he first started, and he struggled to copy the passages correctly. However, he could eventually copy out long passages from memory. The principle underlying this method is that it made him an incredibly attentive reader, and sure enough, Stevenson became known for his incisive word choice and exquisite turns of phrase.

With this view I took some of the papers, and, making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence laid them by a few days, and then, without looking at the book, tried to complete the papers again, by expressing each hinted sentiment at length, and as fully as it had been expressed before, in any suitable words that should come to hand. Then I compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my faults, and corrected them.

But I found I wanted a stock of words, or a readiness in recollecting and using them. Therefore I took some of the tales and turned them into verse; and, after a time, when I had pretty well forgotten the prose, turned them back again.

I also sometimes jumbled my collections of hints into confusion, and after some weeks endeavored to reduce them into the best order, before I began to form the full sentences and complete the paper. This was to teach me method in the arrangement of thoughts. By comparing my work afterwards with the original, I discovered many faults and amended them; but I sometimes had the pleasure of fancying that, in certain particulars of small import, I had been lucky enough to improve the method or the language.

I was already familiar with this method from music, in which you listen to a song you like and catalogue its attributes (e.g., 120 bpm, four-on-the-floor drumbeat, harmony in E minor). Then you re-create a new song using the catalogue. You could use this method for writing practice as well, taking your catalogue of attributes and creating a new story with them.

I will try this of course I will be using my new favorite classic A Moveable feast by Earnest Hemmimgway. The way he describes even the bitter cold of Paris makes u want to experience it for yourself. I am on my last chapter of my Memoir and am a little scared of the next step maybe I will try this out before sending to a publisher.

I help writers who struggle to make deep revisions. Through my blog posts, Story Revision Starter Kit, and Reimagine the Page Course, I'm here to shake up your approach to revisions - while making it all feel like an incredible creative journey. I'll show you how to transform your fiction into amazing stories.

Sure, you've written for PolicyMic before, you know the drill. You know how to upload a story, and pass the time during that angst-inducing window of submitting your piece and the magical moment when the email finally arrives, announcing that your article will publish.

At any given time, the PolicyMic publishing team know what's going right on the site, what's going wrong, and what's just not going anywhere. They're the ones reading every article submitted to the editorial queue, and providing feedback on how pundits can improve their writing.

Who are these guys? They are masters of search engine optimization and mainliners of Nespresso. They're responsible for determining everything from article removal policy to appropriate Oxford comma use. They are constantly analyzing keywords, tracking stories, monitoring content quality and interacting with the community. They are the PolicyMic publishing team, and they're ready to share their tips, wisdom, anecdotes and awkward jokes with you, dear pundits, on how to submit your best work to our platform.

I oversee all of PolicyMic's soon-to-be published content and published content. This includes stories across every vertical, from the latest politics analysis to the newest culture story. I'm looking over grammar, style, and formatting issues, as well as the packaging (headline, picture, teaser) of the content.

The best part about my role is reading all of the amazing content our pundits dream up and submit. It's better than reading the New York Times. The best of the best content from our pundits could make it to the front page of any publication in America.

Float story ideas by the assigning editors. Have our assigning gurus help you craft ideas, walk through your story pitches, and give you advice. This process will make your story 100x stronger when you go to sit down and write it.

I've been working with PolicyMic's publishing team since July. Right now, I'm focused on culture articles, but I've had the opportunity to work within just about every PolicyMic section, from politics, to breaking news, to feminism. I love the diversity of voices writing for PolicyMic, and the important conversations sparked by PolicyMic pundits. If anything, I wish we had more time to interact with writers, and really hone their pieces.

The best advice I have for pundits is that it really helps to have a clear, one-sentence thesis in mind when writing an article. Doing so keeps you focused, and enables you to situate each of your paragraphs within a larger narrative. In writing for PolicyMic, pundits have the opportunity to build an online presence, to hone their writing skills, and, most importantly, start a dialogue with a wide, well-informed, and global millennial audience. *(They also have the opportunity to bring snacks to our office whenever they're in NYC).

Best part about my job? There are lots of things. One is my colleagues who make me better at my job every day and give me opportunities to push myself (and also who keep me laughing constantly). Another is getting to learn about different topics all the time, and seeing writers develop so much in such a short period of time. Our generation's engagement and involvement with international news is impressive. The Internet has given us that opportunity and we've taken it.

As far as what's challenging about my job: I forgot who once said this, but the writer in me and the editor in me hate each other. I have a hard time keeping my pieces short, so it's painful constantly telling people to cut down their work when I know from personal experience they're attached to it.

So, politics writers, keep it short and sweet! It's harder to do this for a reason. I love this quote (though don't know who originally said it): "I'm sorry to write such a long letter, I didn't have the time to write a short one."

I like getting in a good story, and making it an excellent story with a well-paired headline. Then we set that baby eagle free and watch it soar, snatching up views and shares and media mentions in its deadly, deadly claws.

My tip for pundits: Before you begin writing, write a clear, 1-2 sentence thesis statement. Make sure that your entire article is built around that argument. Think like Captain Ahab and set off with a clear, focused objective. Unlike Captain Ahab, make sure it won't result in the futile deaths of your entire crew.

Make sure you are spreading your content far and wide. Post it on Facebook, Twitter, and send it to friends and relatives. The more exposure your stuff gets, the more people will keep coming back to read it!

The best thing about my job is definitely the sense of accomplishment I feel when we've all worked together to put out a really, really great piece. It takes a lot of hard work on everyone's end, from the assigners to the pub team, but getting to help a writer sculpt a compelling argument and make their piece the best it can be is just really fun.

One thing that's especially challenging is learning how to exercise editorial judgment. I try to look at pieces from an impartial perspective, but obviously I come to the job with certain political beliefs and experiences. So I have to train myself to tell the difference between a piece that really has deep flaws, and one that I just disagree with strongly. The publishing editors have a fair amount of discretion over deciding what passes the smell test, and we all try to be as fair as we can, but I think we're all aware that we each have our blind spots and limitations.

Pundits, if you want to make my job easier and your stories better, proofread your articles before you submit them, and make sure you've got a strong, clear thesis featured at the front of the article. The more explicit your argument is, the easier it will be for us to get your piece posted as soon as possible! We're an opinionated bunch here, so don't be shy about how you feel.

My favorite thing about the PolicyMic community in general is that we're opinionated, feisty, and well-informed. I think that regardless of where we stand ideologically, the community members are incredibly smart, engaged, and open to hearing different points of view. There's none of the "He said, She said" stuff that you often get when you watch cable news, and I think PolicyMic people tend to have a very low tolerance for conventional wisdom. Stay awesome, dudez and ladiez.

The rush I got from writing on deadline combined with my unwavering obsession with storytelling got me hooked on journalism as an awkward 14-year-old cub reporter for my high school paper. Now, 12 years later after working as a reporter, editor, and high school journalism teacher, I have landed at PolicyMic.

As one of the breaking news publishing editors, I edit stories covering critical topics as they are developing before the world. Much of the content addresses national and international political and diplomatic actions of the day. I am constantly energized and challenged working for the breaking news section as the writing covers a huge range of issues that the pundits break down for their readers in real-time. The challenge for me lies in editing not only thoroughly and consistently, but at rapid-fire speed to keep the content on the site relevant and fresh!

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