Your personal writing tips

[Brian G Turner]

I appreciate that as aspiring writers there is always the danger of "the blind leading the blind", but hopefully we can post some potentially useful tips that other people can use.

I've just mentioned one in another thread - there are some novels I like to reference my own style against. So I buy Kindle versions of these. Then, if I come across a section where I'm stuck, I'll look for similar in one of these novels. It might be how they constructed a certain scene, phrasing, word choice, characterisation, etc.

The point is, using Kindle for PC, I can easily reference and search through any part of these novels on my PC, and switch between that and Word.

It's not something I use that often now, but when I'm buying a book I know I'll like, I will often buy the Kindle version just for ease of reference. It also means that with Kindle apps, I don't need to carry any of those novels physically with me if I fancy referencing any of them.

Next...

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I always do final, neat edits on the tablet (the comma shifting edits). I pick up mistakes my eyes have got used to on the pc and, as it's more like reading a real book, I have a distance that helps me edit.

I also hear the dialogue in my head, but I'm not sure how to tell others how to do that.

To play devil's advocate - when I'm writing I never reference other's work for fear I'll lose my originality, but I do study scenes that work, and lines I love, to see why when I'm reading (which will never be something new while I'm creating a new wip.)

 

[chopper]

similar to springs - for the (so-far unpublished!) epics, i've had physical copies of each run off by POD (privately, of course - you won't find them for sale). i use them to help with edits and proofing - it's far easier to spot mistakes when they're there in black and white in front of you.

always have a "substitute" project standing by for those awkward days when there's nowt but a blank screen. sometimes the mind just needs a change of perspective.

 

[Remedy]

Not sure if this applies here, but:

I physically unplug my router so that the internet is dead.

I produce a higher word count when I am unable to side-track myself with an online word search or general procrastination. I can just note something down with a pen that I need to look up later...

This might not be everyone, but I can so easily drift out of word and end up Wikipedia/dictionary/encyclopaedia/chrons/emailing myself into oblivion.
No webs = more words

 

[The Judge]

Ask yourself "Why?".

You have a wonderful idea for a dramatic scene when the baddie kidnaps the hero's intended. Ask yourself "why?". Why is he kidnapping her? What does he get out of it, what advantage accrues to him? And if there's no advantage there, what should he do instead, if anything? Why doesn't he kill her? Why not manipulate the situation so someone else kidnaps her and takes the blame while he, the baddie, looks to be the good guy? Why not make her kill herself? And if he does kidnap her, why there, why then? Why, why, why?

 

[Rafellin]

Go with it.

When inspiration arrives, start writing. Never mind that it's not for your current masterpiece, get this gem off the mind-pile so you can carry on.

It may become a little tale, it may be a fragment for later use. But it arrived with that flash of creativity, and that is something that should never be discouraged.

 

[Ashleyne]

This might seem obvious to some, but never delete anything that you've written, no matter how bad you think it is. If you re-edit your work, save a copy of the original. Not only can you look back and see how much you've improved, but you might find that it was a mistake to remove things from your story. When I read back on my original drafts, I realised that in trying to improve my story, I'd worsened it.

Another piece of advice would be to figure out what style your writing is (descriptive, persuasive, etc, etc...) and go on an internet quest to discover advice tailored to your style.

Last but not least, always verify the advice that you receive. Never take advice at face value. Sometimes (beware: cliche ahead), the best advice to follow is your own, so learn to be your biggest critic.