This post will be set into two parts: Plot and Main Character. You don’t haveĀ to read both, but it is advisable.
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Plot
To write a gripping story that makes the reader want to know what happens next, it is advisable to know how it will end. Try to include lots of small, insignificant details that can be turned into a plot twist. For example, early on in the story the main character could pass a farm with 4 chickens in it. At the end the chickens could save your main character from falling to their death. To make it not so obvious what will be mentioned later, make sure it is not the only detail. For example, the main character could also pass a supermarket, a volcano and a church.
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Main Character
Building on your main character’s background is also a good idea. If you give the reader a bit of information about the character and then, later on, another bit of information, the reader will have to string together those bits of information to uncover things they might not know about the main character. This also allows the reader to make theories about what will happen next. If the reader sees through the main character’s eyes during the story, however, you could sometimes make the main character see things that will make them remember something about their past.
You may want to have your main character meet others that can become main characters too. For example, they could save another’s life. The one whose life they have saved would pledge ever-standing gratitude and accompany them on their mission.
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That is all I have to say now. I hope it helps you in some way. Feel free to tell me your way of planning a story in a comment. Goodbye!