Best Writing Tips

[Black Dragon]

What is the most valuable writing tip that you've received? Let's share.

Mine is this:

Don't edit as you write. Keep pushing forward, and plan to revise later. Expect your first draft to be crap, which is OK. At least you can edit crap.

 

[Dante Sawyer]

Mine is this:

Don't edit as you write. Keep pushing forward, and plan to revise later. Expect your first draft to be crap, which is OK. At least you can edit crap.

Hah, yes, that is a tip that I have recieved in more than one instance.

My tip would probably have to be...
When you're stuck on what to do next, just write. If you don't like what you write, you can change it later, but more often than not, you're probably gonna like it.
Abstract, I know, and I apologize, but there it is.

As an aside, my most favorite compliment for my writing was my sophmore english teacher who told my class: "This kid can write better than most of you can breathe." That comment came for praise on an essay I wrote about Elie Wiesel's Night. Haha, still makes me laugh, but I doubt I'll ever forget that one.

 

[Ali]

I completely agree. I edited and re-edited my children's fantasy story for an entire year. Months of non-productivity would go by. When I finally let go of all that, I finished the last 4 chapters in two weeks.

 

[Joe Ancient]

Is there a spot to post a link to your writing?

 

[Map the Dragon]

Is there a spot to post a link to your writing?

We have a writing showcase here. Visit that section, then post your work as appropriate.


On topic...I had a college professor named Dr. English (totally not kidding). He was a writing instructor for many of the higher-level classes. I can't remember a damn word he ever said, but it was a combination of his instruction and his feedback on my writing that helped to make me a better writer.

 

[Map the Dragon]

Otherwise, best advice bits that I can think of from various sources:

*Avoid the passive voice. No one is perfect, but go research this online and do your best to write in the active voice. If you don't quite get it, study and practice.

*Write what you know. Not many of us know what it is like to sever a troll's head from its body with a bejewled broadsword, but we know and love our genre. Regardless of genre, there are many ways to write what you know.

*Develop good syntax. This can be the normal sentence variation or also refer to paragraph variation. If you don't know what syntax is, please do some research. You should know the five basic sentenct types and use them when and how appropriate. (Simple, Compound, Complex, Compoud-Complex, and Fragment).

*Avoid cliches like the plague!

 

[Pablo Camp]

I have to agree with Black Dragon and Dante Sawyer. If you stop every time you've written something to proofread, make sure it makes sense, etc. it is very likely you won't make any progress at all. In the worst of cases, you might end up disregarding any fresh ideas that could enrich the story.
My tip would be to write just for the sake of writing; no one can tell your story better than you. Just let it flow. Besides, you can always go back and correct any mistakes you've made

 

[Telcontar]

Easily the one piece of advice that I come back to the most, and the only one I feel is always true, is simply "Write it!"

Get it out of your head and onto the page. Anybody can TALK about writing. Writers write.

 

[Ali]

I finally discovered that when I have an idea for a book that I am not currently working on appear in my head, I enter those ideas in a notebook I carry with me, rather than spend a couple of hours working on it. Then, when I am away from my home and my computer (I particularly love little coffee shops and cafes) I spend an hour going over those and developing those ideas further. That way my ideas are not lost to the ether and when I am at home I can dedicate my time to my current project.

I asked a dear friend if she would be my accountability partner. I stated my writing goals, we collaborated on some rules and each day she phoned or emailed me to check in on whether I was writing as I had said I would. I remained focused and on task and loved it. No more daily excuses! That is why I was able to finish the first draft of my book a couple of days ago. Otherwise, it would have taken several months.

 

[Hans]

*Avoid cliches like the plague!

I don't know if I can completely agree with that. If you use cliché to avoid the work of being original yourself, maybe. But if you take a cliché and work with it, think about how it fits in your setting, how it developed in your setting and what the consequences of it are, clichés tend to break. I think if you are willing (and able) to do that work clichés can be a good starting point.

On topic I don't have much to say. As others wrote above, one of the best writing tips is always: "Do it".

 

[Map the Dragon]

I don't know if I can completely agree with that. If you use cliché to avoid the work of being original yourself, maybe. But if you take a cliché and work with it, think about how it fits in your setting, how it developed in your setting and what the consequences of it are, clichés tend to break. I think if you are willing (and able) to do that work clichés can be a good starting point.

On topic I don't have much to say. As others wrote above, one of the best writing tips is always: "Do it".

When I said "Avoid cliches like the plague" I was talking about actual writing, not topics or ideas...thus the wordplay.

 

[CicadaGrrl]

Of course write without looking back on your first draft.

Though, interestingly, I am so damn into pre-writing these days, I don't find the whole messy first draft thing as much of a thing anymore.

This isn't an easy one for all of us. I've just had good luck. Find a good writing group or writing partner, or just someone interested in your writing. I use the Scheherazad (or however you spell that) method. Every day I write, and every night I call up my friend and read what I have written that day. She's engaged in the story, gives me insta-response, and expects more out of me the next day. This also avoids the "it's pointless" feeling that you are just screaming into a void.

 

[DameiThiessen]

1) Give every character both motivation for what they are doing and obstacles to overcome.
2) Form following function. As long as the function is served the form can be anything. Every part of the form should be there for a reason.
3) Give your settings character as well.
4) Write constantly in either past, present, or future tense. (Beginner's mistake)
5) Aim for at least five new words per chapter.
6) Do not include scenes only to display things. Everything should serve a purpose to the plot.
7) Going with that, only include information that is relevant to the progression of the story.
8) Create tension in every chapter.
9) Include subplots in the main plot.
10) Designing is not writing.

That's my top ten list.

 

[DameiThiessen]

Oh - another one I recently found works for me is this. I have a bad habit of thinking up random events for my story and not having anywhere to put them, thus my plot suffers because I do not have a solid START-MIDDLE-FINISH format. I am also a chronic organizer (I make lists about everything) and the type of person that can't sit and write because I am constantly editing my writing as I go. Plus I can't just sit and write a story, I have to have an outline to show the sequence of events I've planned. So I open up a word document and I outline it in a format like this:

John is lying in his favourite chair when the phone rings - He picks it up. It's his dad. His dad tells him that his mother passed away - John hangs up the phone and sits in silence - Maria knocks on the door

Simple, quick lines divided by dashes. Every new paragraph is a new chapter. That way I can work on the flow of my plot and get all of my ideas out without worrying about editing the writing itself. I can take out or add events easily, make connections between two things by just adding it in the middle, and show where characters change. It also makes it easier to add in foreshadowing, subplots, etc. It's a really simple solution to problems I've had for years.

 

[Lord Darkstorm]

Read it out loud.

 

[SeverinR]

The first draft of anything is always shit. -Ernest Hemingway

A kiss can be a comma, a question mark, or an exclamation point. -Mistinguett

Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there. -Will Rogers

Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very"; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. -Mark Twain
very smart...I mean; damn smart----smart.

This one I read on Tuesday, and cannot remember who said it:
Writing is telling a story, editing is removing what is not the story.

most important for the seeker of being published:
---The harder you work, the luckier you get. -Gary Player

 

[Eimingami]

If you feel super inspired about an event that is to occur later, don't wait or force yourself to write what leads up to it - write it right away!

 

[myrddin173]

Write the "boring" parts in he most interesting way possible.

 

[Seth son of Tom]

it's all about stirring powerful emotions in your reader; throughout the whole book

 

[Seth son of Tom]

1) Give every character both motivation for what they are doing and obstacles to overcome.
2) Form following function. As long as the function is served the form can be anything. Every part of the form should be there for a reason.
3) Give your settings character as well.
4) Write constantly in either past, present, or future tense. (Beginner's mistake)
5) Aim for at least five new words per chapter.
6) Do not include scenes only to display things. Everything should serve a purpose to the plot.
7) Going with that, only include information that is relevant to the progression of the story.
8) Create tension in every chapter.
9) Include subplots in the main plot.
10) Designing is not writing.

That's my top ten list.

great ideas, thanks