User blog comment:Darksparx/Thoughts on What Makes a Good Creepypasta./@comment-25052433-20141109064442

Honestly, the formula for a good story is really hard to pinpoint. I mean, out of the options that you mention above, a good story could always be produced. However, I have read some amazing works that are very short, very simple and with a plot that would almost seem laughable if it were explained.

Stephen King wrote a story about a couple that are killed during a rainstorm of frogs. Yes, frogs, calling from the sky. Killer frogs. However, reading it was amazing and funny and thrilling all at once.

Vocabulary is a great tool, but honestly, a large vocabulary isn't always necessary. I mean, if you are writing a 1st person story, and let's say, that character is a young child, then you wouldn't expect it to contain a huge word bank.

Grammar on the other hand is very important. It makes the story easy to read and doesn't leave the reader wondering why such simple and obvious mistakes were left in. That is something that is rather important. Now, no one is expecting you to compose like a literary master, but it is expected that you check your work and fix any obvious grammar errors.

When it comes to constructing that great story though, the only advice I can really offer is to take your time and not rush.

Generally, you want to build a story in 3 steps. For off, you need:

Premise- the premise isn't to be confused with the plot. The premise is like the back of the DVD case, where that 1 paragraph tells you a bit about the movie. The mistake I see a lot of pasta writers make is that they try and use the premise as the plot, and what you get is a very short, shallow story that gets deleted.

Plot- this is the entire story. You always want to make sure you clearly define your start, middle and end. Don't rush the endings either, they are just as important as the start and the middle.

Characters- this seems to be another place where pasta writers mess up. Character development can be difficult. Just remember, your goal with characters is to have them cause an emotional response in the reader.

Finally, avoid the clichés. This site is ripe with them. Avoid your main character wearing a "hoodie." Avoid bleeding eye sockets. Avoid haunted video games. Avoid lost episodes of kid shows from the 90's.

The most important thing though, is to never, ever be afraid to ask for help or advice. Write to an admin, write to me, write to anyone with some stories on the board. We are all happy to help, and I will always read and review a story on request.

Best of luck!