Be emotional
"One of the things I do when I write a story like The Lucky One is: I try to move the reader through all the emotions of life," says novelist Nicholas Sparks, author of more than a dozen bestselling books -- many which have been turned into blockbuster movies such as "The Lucky One," "A Walk to Remember," "Message in a Bottle" and "The Notebook."
"In my books," he writes, "there’s always a love story and there’s anger, betrayal, jealousy and a struggle. You’ve got to have all of these and, of course, sadness. If you lack one of these, the story feels incomplete – like a fairytale."
Here are nine more tips that he offers to fellow writers: