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If you enjoy creative writing, chances are: you’re looking for the key–or secret–to writing a great story, or a bestseller. You may be buying every self-help book, watching every tutorial, and attending as many conferences as possible to find out what that secret is. 

That’s what I’ve been doing since middle school, and that’s well over 20 years ago. For 20-plus years I’ve been learning what I can to produce great writing. (And I admit I’ve fallen off the path many times due to other priorities in life.) 

And then I learned the secret two years ago, while sitting at work–in my secluded cubicle due to COVID. 

The secret ingredient to every great story is… CHARACTER TRANSFORMATION, or character development. 

You’re probably scratching your head and going, that’s it? 

But think about it. Think about your favorite books and/or movies–they all have one thing in common, from the beginning to the end: the main character’s transformation. The hero of the story goes on a journey of self-development the moment you’re introduced to them. 

This only means one thing: the main character’s transformation IS the story. Every great story is about the main hero’s growth. (Which is why we cry when a character dies or succeeds, because we’ve bonded with them through their journey in the book and/or film.)

Cool, huh? 

Now take this information and apply it to the manuscript you are currently working on. (I am.) Good luck!

PS. If you need writing ideas, especially AI generated ones, to help you get your story written, try Writesonic. Or grab my FREE Writing Prompts today.