Writing Tips

As someone who has dreamed of being a published author for over a decade, I am always on the prowl for tips and techniques on writing and publishing. Many authors post tips on their own websites, and there are dozens of how-to books written by authors and editors. I have posted their advice in my own words below, as well as what I have learned in my own experiences and classes that I have taken. It includes advice from teachers, readers, and fellow writers. A list of books that I have found extremely useful is also posted below. If you are interested in being a writer, I hope you can find some of these tips useful. It goes without saying that following these tips will not provide you with instant success, and that they are not coming from my own success. They are merely helpful advice that I have learned from other authors and techniques that I have found useful myself. Some may not be helpful to you at all, but anything is worth trying if you are struggling. Only you can find what works best for you, , which leads to my first tip:

1. Write! If you want to be a writer, then you must write. Daily. Set aside at least an hour or two per day and just write. It doesn't matter if you write a letter, a blog, an essay, a chapter in your book, or a short story. The more you write, the more your skills and techniques will develop. That being said, give yourself some free time, as well. Sitting in front of a computer a day will be counterproductive in the long run, and may lead to serious burnout (not to mention soreness, stiffness, and even ailments like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - not good!). Get out and get some fresh air, and let your creative juices replenish. More on this further down. Oh, and don't limit yourself to just one style or genre. Explore other avenues! Be adventurous and creative! Try flash fiction, try non-fiction, try mystery or romance or whatever you don't normally do. You may find that you are better at something you never dreamed you would be.

2. Read! If you want to be a writer, then you must read. Daily. Set aside an hour or two per day and just read. What, this sounds like the last tip? Well that's because reading and writing go hand in hand. Writers get inspired by other writers, so to keep getting inspired, we must read what other people write. Think about it... if you had never read a book in your life, would you have any urge to write one yourself? Probably not. We are influenced by what we have read in the past and the success of those authors. Whenever you get a chance, you should read, and read anything and everything. Read good stories and read bad stories. Read fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Read newspapers, magazines, websites, and books. Don't just focus on your favorite genre or author. Reading as much as you can will allow you to learn what works and what doesn't. Learn from the successful as well as the unsuccessful. But don't let that stop you from trying what you want; maybe you can find success where others have not.

3. Keep a note book or three handy. I cannot stress this enough. It is imperative that you have something to jot down some quick notes or ideas when you think of them. If you are anything like me, you will think of award-winning material while in the shower, driving, or as you are falling asleep. And then when you finally get to writing it down, it will be gone! I have a pocket sized notebook that I keep in my (you guessed it!) pocket, and various notebooks that I keep on my desk, nightstand, and bag for work. I have that some people even keep a grease pencil in the shower for when the ideas sneak up on them. There are also a multitude of apps for smartphone users, some that even allow you to record what you say if you don't feel like typing it out on those tiny keyboards. Whatever it is that you use, ensure to record what you come up with as soon as possible, before it is lost forever!

4. Do Your Research. If you want your story to seem real, you must portray sufficient knowledge on whatever you are writing about. This includes, but is not limited to, the story's setting and time period, the clothing worn and food eaten, any sort of technology being used, and implementing people from real life. If your story takes place in Chicago, and you've never been there before, you've got a lot of work to do. You need to learn the layout of the city, the habits of the people, and at least touch up on its history. If your story has Adolf Hitler in it - whether he's the protagonist, antagonist, or just on the side - you need to read up on his behavior, looks, and actions. You would probably even benefit from reading 'Mein Kampf' on that one. If your story takes place in the Middle Ages, you need to learn what people ate and drank, how they worked, and what they did in their spare time; you need to learn all about weapons and armor, breeds and colors of horses, and all the parts of a castle; and you need to learn about the ranks of society, what a monarchy is like, and who was allowed to be at court. Whatever the case may be, you need to do quite a bit of research to make your story as real as possible. The more you know, the more your readers will believe you.

5. Be prepared. This tip is directly related to the previous two. Before you begin that novel, or even a short story, gather as much information that you can into one area. Some authors make an outline for each chapter, a list of characters and their descriptions, and/or sketches of cities or landscapes. I have a separate file for each story I'm writing, where I just jot down ideas, character names, plot points, and whatever else I think will assist me. The more prepared you are, the less likely you are to get stuck.

6. Editing is a pain, but a necessary pain. Every writers knows that writing the perfect story will not happen in one draft. Reading over your work and editing it before submitting it to a publisher is a must-do, and it may even require several edits. This can be done in different ways. Some people like to finish the story, and then read it over a few times to fix any issues. In my opinion, this way is only good for short stories. The more you have to read in one sitting, the more you will likely miss. This is because editing is hard work, and reading over a long story after you just finished laboring over writing it can be a painful task (one you may not want to sit through!). So here is what I suggest if this method is not for you: each day when you sit down to write, read over what you had written the previous day, and edit it. This gives you a jump on the final editing process, which is inevitable. We will still have to read over our entire story and edit it at the end, but at least you have done some editing along the way. Printing it out can give you a different perspective than staring at a computer screen and may help ease the editing process. Just grab your favorite color pen and mark that copy up as much as you need to.

7. Read it aloud. This goes right along with the editing process. Many times, it will help if you read what you have written out loud. This allows you to not only read it, but hear it as well. Many times our ears can pick up what our eyes miss, especially when it comes down to speed, flow, and grammar. Reading it aloud will also slow it down a bit, allowing us a better chance to catch mistakes that we missed while skimming through it silently. This can also help when you are stuck at a certain point of the story. Read it through, read it aloud, and continue on. If this doesn't help, check out tips 9 and 10.

8. Save it for later. Once you finish writing a story, and give it a perusal or two for editing purposes, put it away. Give it a week or two, and then read it over again. This gives your mind a chance to clear itself of that story, and is almost like reading it anew. You will be more perceptive to mistakes, plot holes, and parts that just don't make sense. It is almost guaranteed that you will find a few major things to fix. Then, if you are truly happy and satisfied with it, send it in. But don't forget about while it is gathering dust in that bottom drawer! If you are writing a blog, then I suggest at least giving it a night or two before posting it. 

9. Switch to another story. Ever feel like you have writer's block? Of course, we all do at some point, and some people get it worse than others. Well, chances are that you most likely just need a change of scenery. If you feel like you need to write something before getting away from your desk, but you just can't think of the next step, try reading it over. If that doesn't help, switch to a different story. As writers, many of us have a million ideas building up in our minds. Switch to a different one. There's no rule that says you have to finish a story in one sitting. I have no less than five started at any given time, and I can all but guarantee that those famous authors you idolize are the same way. More often than not, I find that switching to another story will refresh my brain, and will often give me more ideas for the story that I was originally stuck on.

10. Clear your mind. Sometimes you just need to get away. If you're stuck on a story (or five!), and reading it through just isn't helping, do something else. You know what inspires you, so do it. Some people vacuum, some go for a walk. You could read a book, go to the beach, watch the sunset, play a video game, build something (with wood or even Legos). The possibilities are endless, and I'm sure a dozen people will have a dozen different ways they get inspired to finish that story. Think about what you were doing when you first came up with that story. Maybe doing that again will help progress the story. Do whatever works best for you, just don't sit in front of that computer if it isn't working.

11. Exercise your mind. Our minds need exercise just as much as our bodies. This can be done as easily as just reading a book. But there are a myriad other ways as well. Do a puzzle, solve a riddle. Be it a jigsaw puzzle, a crossword puzzle, a game of Sudoku, or a cryptogram, puzzles and riddles are excellent ways to invigorate or brains. Draw, paint, or sculpt. These artful activities can be relaxing as well as stimulating. Challenging our brain and keeping them active will help keep the creative juices flowing, and may even get us out of that block. Listen to music. Musicians that write lyrics are writers, too. Their work is basically poetry that they sing aloud, and often there's a creative story being told that can influence you. Listening to music while writing can be relaxing and inspirational, and may get you in a mood to write for pages and pages. If you find music distracting while you write, then put on some tunes when you're not writing.

12. Show don't tell...but be descriptive...oh, and less is more! These are confusing and often controversial topics that contradict each other, and I really don't have any great advice other than look at what works for other authors. Show don't tell means to use actions and thoughts to tell the story instead of just writing what is happening. Let the characters tell the story. But you also have to be descriptive. Use a lot of verbs and adjectives to allow the readers to visualize the setting and what is going on. But be careful not to be too descriptive. Leave some room for the readers' imagination. Too much description is boring, but too little is confusing. All you can do is to try to find the perfect balance.

13. Develop your voice. You are not Stephen King. You are not Stephenie Meyer. You are not Dr. Seuss. So don't try to act like it. Yeah, it worked for them, but if you try to imitate it, people will only say "wannabe." And nobody wants to be a wannabe. Be yourself, let these authors influence you, but develop your own voice. The originality of your style is going to be a selling point just as much as the story itself. And not only will it be difficult to sell, but it will be difficult to accomplish, as well

14. Be synonymous, but current. As a reader, I really dislike reading the same words over and over again. Even just finding one or two substitutes helps the story flow better. As a writer, I love digging through the thesaurus to find a better word. Even using a part of the definition of a word is better than repetition. But, that being said, if there's one thing I've learned while writing, it's to stick to a more current vocabulary. As sad as that is, because today's vocabulary pales in comparison to 150 years ago, people want to understand what you are trying to say. If you love reading the classics like I do, then you also know you're going to need a dictionary handy. There are so many wonderful words out there that nobody uses anymore. And that's the biggest problem. Nobody uses them. In today's technology age, our vocabulary is getting smaller and more abbreviated, and it's probably not going to get any better. Most people don't want to be looking in the dictionary every other paragraph, so use words that they are more likely to understand. The funny thing about this is that 150 years ago, a small percentage of people took the time to learn to write in shorthand (which is using shortened words and abbreviations) and a lot of people couldn't understand it. Now it is the other way around.

15. Start small. There's no need to start off with that big novel you've been daydreaming about. Start off with short stories and flash fiction prompts, and send them in to magazines or for short story collections. Write as many as you can; the more you write, the more your writing will improve. I read one author's advice that said starting off with a novel is like climbing the tallest mountain your first time mountain-climbing. Sure, it's probably been done, but starting off small will get you better prepared for the big one! And don't be discouraged by rejection. There's a million other people out there just like you, and magazines can only accept a small amount. Stephen King once said that he stapled all his rejection letters above his desk, and they got so thick that the staples couldn't hold anymore. Now, he's one of the biggest writers out there. Rejection will happen, and all we need to do is overcome it. Read through your story, edit it, and send it elsewhere.

16. Finally, read these books!

  • 'On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft' by Stephen King
  • 'Bird by Bird' by Anne Lamott
  • More to come!

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