Realistic fiction is a genre consisting of stories that could have actually occurred to people or animals in a believable setting. These stories resemble real life, and fictional characters within these stories react similarly to real people.

Realistic fiction is real life set to fiction. It’s about anything that can happen in real life — good, bad, and in-between. It’s real emotions and behaviors in real settings and encompasses the experiences of characters from all different backgrounds.

REALISTIC FICTION is a genre consisting of stories that could have actually occurred to people or animals in a believable setting. These stories resemble real life, and fictional characters within these stories react similarly to real people.

Writing fiction is not as hard as it seems, as long as you follow these eight simple rules:

1. Show, don’t tell.
2. Create three-dimensional characters.
3. Choose a point of view.
4. Give your characters motivations.
5. Write what you know.
6. No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader.
7. Revize, revize, revize.
8. Trust yourself.

Get started now.

1. Find your key emotion. The revelation, the heart of the matter, the core meaning — all the same thing when it comes to short story writing.
2. Start with a hook.
3. Write the story.
4. Write a strong ending.
5. Reread your story.
6. Edit yourself.
7. Ask others for editing help.

Here are three strategies from columnist Leonard Pitts for writing powerful kickers.

1. End with a twist. Give readers a surprise, and take them in a direction they didn’t expect.
2. End with a quote. A great closing quote is rare.
3. End with the beginning. Plant your kicker high in the story, then circle back to it at the end.