Writing Tips
1.) Don't be afraid to make mistakes.
2.) Don't "be shy of cliches. Instead of avoiding them, you should learn how to use them"
3.) Don't go back and rewrite anything until you've finished your project, otherwise you'll never finish! (Addendum: Going back and editing or proofreading is cool)
4.) Find a space that is conducive to writing. Stay away from distractions live television, internet, etc., unless you are fantastic at multitasking (but even if you are, you will be able to write a heck of a lot more without those distractions).
5.) If you are feeling uninspired, refill your creative well. Go for a walk, cook something, close your eyes and listen to classical music. Let your mind be free to go about it's way. Then return to the desk.
6.) Caffeine. Lots of it.
7.) Focus on the story, not the writing. The writing is means to an end and can be fixed later; the story is what really matters.
8.) Never think you can't get better.
9.) Remove crap before you write them. It saves you time. By this I mean, if you just add a scene because it looks/sounds 'nice', then remove it. If a scene bothers you, remove or change it.
10.) Think ahead. Don't just write the story as it is now--think of how it will lead to things, what will be the shape of events from here. This will prevent you from 'writing yourself into a dead end' or, more importantly, some forms of writer's block.
11.) Write and write. You will find your voice sooner or later, so don't despair.
12.) NEVER be without pencil/pen and paper, and NEVER think to yourself, "Oh, I'll remember this and write it down later."
13.)
Listen to people and pay attention to the way they speak, to prevent your dialogue from sounding unnatural.
Also watch people, and their gestures, facial expressions and body language.
14.) Plan, plan, plan. It allows you to put in cool things like decent forshadowing.
15.) If you are feeling uninspired, refill your creative well. Go for a walk, cook something, close your eyes and listen to classical music. Let your mind be free to go about it's way. Then return to the desk. Don't stick to the plan if you discover something more interesting.
16.) Take a break and try something new. If you are bored of writing or have a long project, try writing a short story or flash fiction and/or a new genre of writing to get you interested again. It'll give you a break from the interminable and you'll have the opportunity to try something you haven't before.
17.) Avoid talking to the reader (ie don't tell them what to think, or what you think. They don't care. I thought this was a more graceful way of saying 'show, don't tell'.
18.) Don't treat the readers as though they're stupid. They aren't. They can make their own leaps of logic, provided that you give them a springboard (see Wicked for excellent examples of this)
19.) Focus on the story, but also realize that if you already know grammar/writing conventions, it will save you time later. It IS important to just get the story out (hence the purpose of NaNoWriMo), but writing it writing for a reason. You have to know how to write in order to write. If you wanted to tell a story without writing, there are other avenues, such as film. Hence, it is important to know and respect the medium through which you are telling your story.
20. If what you planned to write sounds different than you thought it would, don't get frustrated. Sometimes it will need to be redone and sometimes you will actually come out liking it.
21. If someone doesn't 'follow' your writing (a nice way of saying doesn't like it), see what they disliked. Criticism is good, but your own approval is more important.
22.) Don't pick up How-To books. They're rarely any good.
23.) Always be reading something. It helps you stay in that creative mode of thinking where you write your best.
24.) A story is something happening that leads to something. This is useful if you're stuck on details of plot.
Thank you to the folks at Breaking Quills Lt. You make the lonely life of writing a little brighter.
