Everyone wants to write a story but how do you create one that your readers will not just skim through, at best, but devour in one sitting? The key is to grab them with your story line within the first few sentences. Your readers want to be surprised and intrigued by your characters.

Many writers make the mistake of beginning their story with a dissertation on the scenery. Although it is nice to know that your character lives in a suburban area with maple trees lining the streets and it is important to your story line to develop the setting, your reader ultimately wants to know about your characters.

Now you do not just want to blurt out who your character is or what his motivation is. You want your reader to discover your cast for themselves through their actions. For example, if your main character comes racing down the stairs, eyes searching for his keys while hastily throwing a football jersey over his head your readers can naturally make some assumptions. He is late, he is in a hurry, maybe he is in high school or maybe he plays for the pros but he is obviously either an athlete or a really big sports fan.

Here you can go into details of his home. Is it neat as a pin or does he have piles of laundry and old pizza boxes lying around. At this point the scene that you create adds to telling you about the character without your having to spell it out for your audience. Give them some credit. Do not just say that he is messy, describe the scene. Maybe have the keys end up being in the fridge. Show that he has a lot on his mind. Is there a big game? Or is he distracted by girl troubles?

Let his car choice also say something about him. When he finally gets out there is he jumping into a porsche or a run down old truck, with rust coming through. Is he pulling out onto a paved road or bumping along down a dirt path that has gravel spraying out behind him.

Now think about your character's motivation. Why is he in such a hurry? Is he late or simply anxious to get out of the house? Has he been called out of a deep sleep to get his butt in gear or is this something he would have been heading out to anyway?

What happens on the way there? Is he talking on his cell phone, blasting the music or is his mind focused on where he is going? You need to know what makes your character tick, if you want your readers to care about him and actually have an interest in finding out what happens to him.

I find it helpful to make a quick outline of my character's history before starting my stories. This does not need to be intricate. Sometimes my outlines are composed of half sentences. However you decide to do this, make sure to flesh out his character fully. What are his likes and dislikes? What was his childhood like? What are his relationships like right now? What are his passions? You may use what you write here and you may not but the closer you get to knowing who he is and what motivates him, the better he will come across on the page. Make him real and your audience will gladly read your story from cover to cover anxious to see what happens to him next. And that is how you write a story that  readers want to read.