Writing Advices

So 5 days ago I wrote the Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons. In that post, I mentioned a few stories that I found really interesting. One of them was a story by LegendaryRaconteuse.

Well actually, other than her amazing story, she also gave some writing advices, some I actually found very useful. After getting her permission, I decided to share it here. Enjoy.

1. Just read anything you can. Learn what to
avoid from not-so-good literature and follow
models of good literature.

2. Observe everyday life and conversation.
Some things said/done in books are
surprisingly awkward in real life.

3. Write everything. Even if it's something
really insane, like a legend about a top-secret
agency for polka-dotted unicorns on the other
side of the double rainbow… actually, never
mind. You're not allowed to do that . But,
anyways, it gives you practice. Writing is more
than creative ideas. It's about vocabulary,
grammar, syntax, pacing, character
development, and more. You don't need to
publish everything you write, and you
shouldn't even put yourself under such
pressure to that. Just be creative and stretch
yourself. Write.

4. Daydream. Most of the time, write your
stuff down, yes, but don't stop your
daydreaming to structuralize everything. Keep
imagining scenarios and playing out things in
your head. When you're writing, you'll find
random ideas flowing and connecting much
easier.

5. Research. Just a few sentences revolving
around a certain specialization can take, like,
an hour to write. The Internet is my hero
because of this. Researching to keep your
stories realistic actually give them more of a
hook, especially if your reader happens to be
an expert. Maybe you research while you write
or before you write your story or chapter for
the day. Find a way that works for you.

6. Learn the rules. It's important to learn the
rules, because the most important rule is to
know when and how to break the rules.

7. Find art (preferably abstract) and music
(preferably instrumental) that you can write
with, not just for concentration. I'm saying
you should look at art and listen to music and
create a story from that. This is why abstract
and instrumental works best. It stretches your
creativity and your perception, giving you
better literary analysis skills for reading other
people's work and learning to hide those
same techniques in your work.

8. Get someone to review your work. Family
members honestly might not work best
because they're just going to say you're
amazing and flawless… or, worse, they just
might discourage you. Get either a brutally
honest and smart friend or some kind of
teacher.

9. Learn what environment you work best in.
Same time/place, accompanied by the same
coffee/Frappuccino/tea? Or does spontaneity
help the ideas flow best?

10. When you write something, leave it alone
for a month. Maybe two. Then go back and
edit it, whether it's for grammatical and
spelling errors or to change up the plot a bit
and delete some scenes. Reading from the
perspective of a writer is different than from
the perspective of a reader.

11. If you have writer's block, you're going to
hate this tip, but clean. Wash the windows,
make your bed, do the dishes, scrub the
toilet… it gets that little nagging sensation of
something-needs-to-be-done out of your head
and gives you more freedom.

12. If you're tired, stop writing. Ok, that last
paragraph or two is fine, but I'm serious. A
paragraph or two to complete the thought you
already had going makes sense. Don't push to
finish a chapter or deadline, because then
you're just cranking out crap.

13. Some authors write bios on their
characters before they write a story. It can be
really helpful, and I recommend it. But don't
push to include the entire life, back-story, and
quirks of Bob Jones within the first paragraph
we meet him. Not everything from the
planning board is imperative to make it to the
story.

14. Because it's so important: Not everything
from the planning board is imperative to make
it to the story.

15. Don't write because it's what people want
to hear. Write what needs to be heard. Write
what's going to stick with people. Write
what's going to change lives and get points
across. Writing is so powerful, so don't you
dare underestimate words. Playing with words
is like playing with matches. They're tiny, but
they have great power and can get out of
control if you're not careful.

16. Don't worry about being the best. There is
no best. Suck it up.

17. If you hate your writing, push past it.
That's totally normal.

18. For motivation and practice in one: write a
short story, like five or ten pages, at the
beginning of the year, and another story at
the end of the year. Read the two stories and
see your progress. Analyze your strengths
and weakness, what's easiest for you to fix,
and what you struggle with.

19. Don't pull off something super dramatic,
like character death or major tragic
development, just to spice up your story.
Don't avoid sadness for easy reading. Be real
and give meaning to everything.

20. The characters aren't you. Make them do
something that's totally stupid and crazy that
you know way better of and get into their
heads to provide the perfect logic behind it.

21. Don't get carried away with pointless
details, but just adding random things like
"his jacket reeked of coffee" or "her shoes
squeaked more noisily than usual on the
linoleum floor" can add a little hook that
sparks the readers imagination and gets them
more involved. I only learned a few months
ago that this is an actual kind of figurative
language called "imagery". Who knew?

22. Learn. You are never an expert. There's
always something new to discover, so
discover it. Learn it. Research it. Debate it.
Argue it. Expand your knowledge outside of
writing. Writing is a way of life, so your life
will be reflected in your work. Might as well
be an intellectual.

23. Write poetry, even if you suck at poetry.
It's been shown that writing poetry helps your
writing skills, while reading poetry helps your
reading and writing skills.

24. Challenge yourself. Read that
Shakespeare . Read all of Mark Twain's
works. That list of books you keep telling
yourself you'll eventually read? Start now.

25. Keep a journal. Not just a writing journal,
but also a "Dear Diary" thing where you don't
think about your writing; it's just your
thoughts flowing out. Reading it over can help
you collect your thoughts in the future and
articulate things better.

26. Title your chapter after you've written it.
Title your book after you've written it. Heck,
sometimes, name your character after you've
written a bit about them.

27. Don't integrate crazy vocabulary to make
yourself sound smarter. If that's how you
naturally are, then write like that. Please. But
if it's fake, it'll be obvious, and you'll just look
like you're trying too hard.

28. Don't get caught up in coloring when
describing a character: "Harry Potter had black
hair and green eyes and pale skin." There's a
reason the fabulous Queen Rowling didn't
phrase it this way. She focused in on the fact
that his hair was unruly and in constant need
of a trim. The first thing she mentioned about
skin was that he was flesh and bone with an
unhealthy pallor, topping it off with a lightning
scar on the right of his forehead. Not just that
"he was white". However, she does make a
point to mention the almond-shaped green
eyes, because this actually is an important
part of the entire series. Coloring can be very
important, but try to think outside that more
often.

29. Talk with other writers. They can help you,
and helping other writers also helps yourself
in a way, like how quizzing a friend for a test
helps you.

30. Stop searching the Internet for writing tips
and GO FORTH MY CHILDREN.