Story types · Tip 67 of 82 · 4 min read
Tell a Story in Diary Entries
Dear Diary, you won't believe what happened today... Write a story as secret diary pages.
Some stories are told through a character's diary. Each entry is a page from their life, written in their own words. It feels like reading someone's secrets, which is exactly why readers love it.
Write as your character
A diary is written in the first person ("I"), by someone who doesn't know what will happen tomorrow. They might be grumpy, excited, worried or completely wrong about things. Let their personality pour onto the page.
Monday New school. Nobody talked to me except a boy called Otis, who told me the dinner lady is secretly a retired pirate. I said that was ridiculous. Tuesday The dinner lady has a parrot.
Use the gaps
You don't have to write every day. Skip the boring bits and jump to the next important moment. The gaps between entries can even make readers nervous: why didn't she write anything for a whole week?
Tricks only a diary can do
- Secrets: the writer tells the diary things they'd never say out loud.
- Mistakes: they believe something the reader can tell is wrong.
- Crossed-out words: show they changed their mind.
- Dates and times: "Tuesday, 11:58pm" builds tension all by itself.
Okay 😐
Today I went to the museum. Then I came home. It was a good day.
Wow! 🤩
Today at the museum, the mummy's eyes followed me. I'm not making this up. Dad says it's the lights. Dad also said the dog wouldn't eat his birthday cake.