A common problem writers have is making their stories believable. Believable in this sense means your readers will feel what your characters feel and care about what happens to them. This is a fine line to toe, but there is help out there for you to make readers feel what you want them to feel. Many of these techniques are based on your ability to lie and bend the truth.

- Use as much truth for the lie as possible, such as real human emotions. Did you have problems with your boss today? How did you feel? Frustrated, angered, helpless? Turn these memories of emotions into words and store them away for when your character needs to feel them.

- Believe your story yourself. Like in life, you must believe in yourself in order to accomplish your goals. The same thing goes for your story. Read your story to yourself and run it through your mind constantly. If you can't imagine it happening or believe in the situations you wrote, work on it more. Believe not only in your story, but also that you can do it and have much to offer your characters.

- Less is more! Don't get caught up in details and side stories. Stay true to your main goal and simplify the point of your story. Why do you want to write this story in the first place? What is your character supposed to learn at the end? Keep focused on your goal and everything will fall into place.

- Probable impossibility vs. possible improbability. What? Probably impossibility would be Robin Hood and Maid Marian. These two characters are works of fiction, but they embody the spirit of the times so that people would love to believe in them. Possible improbability would be if King Arthur reconciled with Guinevere after Sir Lancelot went away. That could have happened, but would probably not have for the sake of a dramatic story. Impossibilities are easier to sell to a reader than improbabilities because readers love larger-than-life tales.

Other tips to keep in mind:

- Have people forget they're experiencing the lie. Make your situations and characters so human and sympathetic that the reader cheers for them and forgets the hero is facing a mechanical dragon that could not possibly exist!

- Always write for yourself. Write what you would want to read! Obviously if knights, princesses, and dragons aren't your thing, you won't be passionate about it. Write what you are familiar with, but challenge yourself with what you've never had the guts to attempt. If you like romance, put a romance in your story by all means! You are your first and most important critic so listen to yourself.

- Read. Read constantly. Not only would reading others' works give you a bigger picture of what is possible and what works (or not) in a story, but it also boosts your grammar, spelling, and vocabulary skills!

Best wishes on all your writing endeavors!