Tips for Writers

A number of people, of personal acquaintance, have foolishly asked what did I do when I started to write stories. The trouble is, I have never been able to answer them properly. I thought I simply sat down one evening and started to write. On the other hand, I do know what I like to read.

So after much thought I have come up with this short list of advice. Not in any particular order, except the first one!

	Enjoy what you are writing. If it becomes a chore. Stop!
	Write what you enjoy reading!
	Feel free to experiment. Just because you are writing a Fairy Story, doesn’t mean you can’t have intrigue in there as well. You may even find it easier to write.
	Tell a real story. Constant thrills and spills are exciting reading, but only variety and plot will make it enjoyable. Even the shortest story can benefit from more than one plot running through or within it.
	Have some idea what the characters in the story are. Try writing a few notes about them as you go.
	Consistency is a key ingredient in any character as are surprises. If a character is a super hero, capable of leaping a sky scrapper in a single bound, he isn’t likely to quail at a cottage. On the other hand he might well be afraid of enclosed spaces.
	If you can do it, let yourself become each character. Ask what would he/she do in this circumstance. Let them develop as situations dictate. Remember those surrounding them will have an effect on them as well!
	Have some sort of idea as to what events are going to occur. But let the characters do the work, that way it will look natural. Be prepared to change your mind about what happens. If the characters are well considered, then what happens will almost write itself and it will allow them to develop as well!
	Don’t leave untidy loose ends. There is nothing worse when reading a story than finding that somebody has been left doing something without any form of resolution.
	Don’t suddenly pick on something that has already started. Without some explanation as to why they were doing it! Why is that person standing in the middle of the motorway at rush hour?
	Don’t let yourself get confused. A story that proves to be complex to write, is one that is difficult to read. Unless of course you are a spymaster writing a full length novel (I still don’t understand L’Carre).
	Avoid being predictable and formulaic. Most people have the idea that everybody lives happily ever after at the end, that’s fine it is all they need to know. But why must it always be the Butler that commits a country house murder? What would happen if Dr Watson found the solution to a crime that baffled Sherlock Holmes?
	Beginnings are important. They set the scene. A good lead in will cover a lot of sins, like what is happening and why and who everybody is. A good ending will clear up details missed elsewhere. What happens in the middle, in comparison, only has to make sense.
	A little waffle is good if it helps to make a point for something later on, or describes things, so that the reader can relate to what is happening and to who. Obviously too much description will ruin the flow of a story. Padding is only needed for novels that are short on activity. Ask yourself is this piece necessary?
	When your masterpiece is complete. Read it! Correct the worst of the mistakes, then give it to the spouse, parents or anybody else you can bully into checking the grammar. Personally, I find children are not very good at proof reading. If they notice anything at all it tends to be irrelevant details, like the side walls of the car tyres were white, but miss the major, like the Queen Mary was doing thirty knots in the middle of the Sahara.
	Find somewhere to place the story. You have me there! You need to find a site that will accommodate the type of story you have or wish to write. Just because you’ve written a Star Trek story, doesn’t mean that it will fit in any one of the 17,000 sites out there. Believe me I know. I’ve looked! You could do worse than use this site. I have no single theme and I am very prepared to listen to how you want your lovingly crafted masterpiece presented.
	Above all --------------Enjoy Yourself--------------- It’s your imaginary world! Home