Hello Bookworms!
Ok, so it just recently hit me that I have a writing blog on which I don't give tips about writing. That shouldn't be! So, today I am giving random pieces of advice on writing, and I'm not entirely sure where they came from. Some came randomly, Some are from family and friends, and some I remember hearing a long time ago, so just remember that I probably didn't come up with the original idea myself.
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#1 Keep Writing!
So you've probably heard this a lot, but one of the best things to do if you have writers block is to write down anything that comes to mind, no matter how bizarre it is. Sooner or later, you will have all the nonsensical ideas that you can't use down on paper, and you can focus on the really good ideas that you write for.
#2 Enjoy Your Writing (Esther)
When you start writing, you aren't going to be good to begin with. If you put off writing until you're good, you're never going to get there. But if you write to impress people when you aren't good, you won't get anywhere, and you will probably get discouraged. So write something you would enjoy in the years it will likely take to get reasonably good. I mean, it took me seven years to get here!
#3 Character Development
Ok, so I was going to do something on whether or not to plan out your stories, or to just let them run on their own, but I realized that to each their own; in other words you have your own specific way and style of writing, and I don't know what it is. But, when it comes to characters, I find that planning them out is much better than making it up on the go. With characters, I find it's best to plan where they start from, where they end up, and how they got there before writing it down. It helps realize where the story needs to go, and it also helps with character development, on of the major parts of writing.
#4 Feel Free To Ramble
"A writer is someone who has taught their mind to misbehave" Pinterest. When you are writing your plot, don't feel the obligation to follow a strict plan, let your story flow. Make it sound natural, and also insane. But don't go overboard on rambling! Don't spend three chapters describing something that has nothing to do with the plot, or character development. When all you do in your writing is get from a to z with as few complications as possible, you're writing an essay, not a story. So use that imagination!
#5 Details
One thing I found helps, is to visualize the scenery in my head, and write it out on paper. Nothing helps you pull the reader into your book like describing the little details. The crackle of the fire in a viking era fireplace, the dripping dew off of the emerald leaves of an oak tree; the reader should be living the scene as much as the writer. But don't get carried away! Tolkien took that too far, spending up to two pages describing traditions and gossip of a culture we didn't need to know that much about for the plot. But still, don't let that discourage you from details.
#6 History
If you come across a writers block and nothing is working, you might want to try tracing the history of your characters, culture, even important artifacts. You don't need to include this in your writing, but it can help if you are completely lost for words. Plus, it gives you deeper insight into your own characters.
#7 Read
The single most important thing you can do is read books you are inspired by. You will learn how your favorite authors described the same events, and learn how to get past your own challenges. Also, it's always good to read a published author's work and learn how you think a sentence should work.
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Ok! So I hope these helped, and I hope to be posting more later!
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