Tips for Writing?

[Bailos]

Hello All!

For the past nine months or so I've begun freelance writing to earn a bit of extra cash, and honestly I love it. I love being able to pick assignments, like the consistent work I do writing articles for a small business website, or when I got to edit a draft for a novel. It's pretty exciting. But occasionally I find myself feeling lackluster about it, and the effort of it. The same goes for personal writing. I wanted to partake in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year, and had the enthusiasm for it until November 1st, and I have yet to write a word.

So my question is does anyone have tips for writing? How to stay involved with it, how to improve, or anything that could possibly help?

 

[Ikajo]

Well, I been writing on the same novel for four years now. Mostly because I haven't had the time or energy to write so the real writing time is less than half a year.

The only way of improve your writing, is to write. Reading is also good because you get inspiration, better language and a feeling for text. Try to read the genres you want to write. Listening to music while writing can help create a mood suiting your story.

Try to begin with short-stories, they are a good way of improve your writing. Short-stories are short and you can't write a big plot so you need to chose what's important. Stay with a scene, cut everything unnecessary.

Do you have an idea for your novel? That's the first thing to find. Let your mind wander, sleep while thinking of a story. Sometimes they pop-up. In this case I can't help you, my problem is that I have to many ideas...well 12 but still.

A last advice, check out what's called "flow writing", that could help you to.

 

[Vegosiux]

Sit down and write without thinking. I've had a problem myself, that nothing was "good enough", but I finally managed to get over that. Creativity in writing shouldn't be hampered by being analyzed as it happens; that's for the editing stages later on.

When I started this year's nanowrimo, I've had a bunch of scattered snippets of a general storyline I'd like to do that I struggled to get myself to start repeatedly (and never actually getting there), but once I sat down and just started to let my mind play out the story without thinking how "good" it would look, I'm amazed at how much I got done and how easily it actually flows.

 

[JustinDP]

To me the most logical advice I can give somebody about writing is simply: think of an ending to a story. Once you have the ending in mind you need only figure out the path in how the character's get to that ending. I think once somebody has a set goal in mind it can be much easier to have the ideas flow naturally as they write.

It can also be effective to design characters in advance, under the knowledge that you may need to tweak them as the story becomes a clearer picture on the page. The main focus in this pre-writing brainstorming dealing with the main characters, obviously. You'd likely also want a good bad guy, or equivalent of a "bad guy" even if there isn't really a more traditional type of a antagonist.

Thirdly, I'd read what you've written after you've got a few chapters laid out. You may find some changes here and there may help the story flow better, or may help develop characters more. For example, perhaps you describe a character as being snarky, but you're five chapters in and the sarcastic comedy character has said roughly two comedic lines, and most of the rest has been overly dramatic. Obviously, you're gonna wanna tweak that to better fit the image you have of his character. The story isn't done until you've decided you're finished. Just be very careful to change other stuff around your edits so that nothing seems conflicting with other things.

 

[Padwolf]

I recommend carrying a notebook with you wherever you go. That way whenever you get a random idea, a random thought, you can write it down straightaway and have it there for later when you want to come back to it.

The best way to improve your writing is just to write. It doesn't matter what comes out, just write and don't stop. Write short stories, or write about your day. I found writing about a part of my life helped me get back into writing in a big way.

Do not be too critical of yourself. One thing that really stopped me writing dead in my tracks was my thinking "it's not good enough. It's never good enough" You can't let yourself get lost in thinking that. You just have to keep on writing. Don't think too much on it, on what it is, just keep writing.

 

[nyankaty]

There's been some great advice in here! The only thing I could really add would be to always remember as you write that the first draft of anything is absolute shit. I know that when you're trying to make something and you go back to review what you've already begun, seeing that it's far below your own standards can be disheartening, but remember that that is a totally normal part of the writing process. First draft is the first step, so like other people have said: just write. Even when you're not particularly feeling it, sit down and make yourself produce something to contribute toward a work. The easiest thing to do is to let yourself slip into the "I'll work on it tomorrow" mindset. And unfortunately when you're writing, it seems like tomorrow is a day that may never come when you let the "I'll do it tomorrow" syndrome really set in.

Good luck! I have a buttload of resources somewhere on my blog, if you're interested in them, just shoot me a PM and I'll dig them up for you.

 

[Vegosiux]

There's been some great advice in here! The only thing I could really add would be to always remember as you write that the first draft of anything is absolute shit. I know that when you're trying to make something and you go back to review what you've already begun, seeing that it's far below your own standards can be disheartening, but remember that that is a totally normal part of the writing process. First draft is the first step, so like other people have said: just write. Even when you're not particularly feeling it, sit down and make yourself produce something to contribute toward a work. The easiest thing to do is to let yourself slip into the "I'll work on it tomorrow" mindset. And unfortunately when you're writing, it seems like tomorrow is a day that may never come when you let the "I'll do it tomorrow" syndrome really set in.

Good luck! I have a buttload of resources somewhere on my blog, if you're interested in them, just shoot me a PM and I'll dig them up for you.

Yeah, as it's said on nanowrimo, writing a novel is largely a one-day affair. As in "One-day, I'm going to write a novel." It's a devious trap to fall into.

 

[Barbas]

I could use some advice too. Don't mind me, I'll just lurk quietly in the corner here and take it easy on the snacks...

What can you write about that happens near where you live? What's been happening in the news? What about the older articles? What mental images have stuck with you over the years? Ideas are usually where I stop and stare blankly at the wallpaper. If a word doesn't seem to fit, you can jot down some sexy synonyms in the margins to avoid repetition or stagnation. Look up pictures of panoramic landscapes and improbably architecture as an inspiration for a setting. Take a look at the (now-demolished) 'Walled City' of Kowloon for one example. Just stay off the lewd sites or you'll never get anything done.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Set a schedule and go offline. Simple as that. Internet is distracting as fuck, and scheduling your writing time (one hour, two hours, whatever) is a healthy practice and keeps you going. Don't sit around waiting for divine inspiration.

 

[SweetShark]

As I said to a Thread of mine, even if I have problems when I want to describe an emotion, a person or place,etc, and making many spelling mistakes [because english is my second language], I don't have a problem to think a story. Fictional Story most of the time.......ok, ok, ALWAYS fictional stories as far I remember.

For me the biggest solution of this is to let your brain gather as much informations as possible.
What kind of informations you ask? Well, everything you can see and search From:
Books.
Comics.
Board Games
Card Games.
CCG Games.
WarBoard Games.
Videogames.
Pen n' Paper Games.
Artworks.
Webcomics.
Movies.
Cartoons.
TV Shows.
Music.
EVERYTHING!!!

However, when I said to gather informations from all these things, I don't mean necessary to use your whole free time to gather every single information each of them have to offer. You only need to gather the "essence" of something you are interesting about.

Examples:

-Read the plot summary of a Videogame you don't want play or the stories of different videogame characters.
-Go to a Internet Forum and find a spoiler Thread to learn the meaning of the story of a book you didn't wanted to read.
-Go in Deviantart and start checking as many artworks as possible.
-Read only the the descriptions from the back of different kind of books or a small preview.
-Check the artworks and read the lyrics of diffrent Music albums you come across.
-Read in a Wikia the profile of a Comic Hero/Villain.

You get the idea. You only need to gather the specific information you care without waste your time [much].
In the end the inspiration you are looking for will come.

 

[Jark212]

Well, I been writing on the same novel for four years now. Mostly because I haven't had the time or energy to write so the real writing time is less than half a year.

The only way of improve your writing, is to write. Reading is also good because you get inspiration, better language and a feeling for text. Try to read the genres you want to write. Listening to music while writing can help create a mood suiting your story.

Try to begin with short-stories, they are a good way of improve your writing. Short-stories are short and you can't write a big plot so you need to chose what's important. Stay with a scene, cut everything unnecessary.

Do you have an idea for your novel? That's the first thing to find. Let your mind wander, sleep while thinking of a story. Sometimes they pop-up. In this case I can't help you, my problem is that I have to many ideas...well 12 but still.

A last advice, check out what's called "flow writing", that could help you to.

This is some really solid advice. in addition to this what i do (i know it sounds weird) but i always write an interview with my main character. I document everything he/she/it does from body language, posture, to speech pattern. I found that this really gives me a feel and adds a depth to the character I'm writing about, and helps inspire how they will react in any given situation/story arc.

 

[rutger5000]

Read when you want to write, and write when you want to read.
Other stories will give you inspiration for the stories that you're writting.
And writting stories will give you more insight in story structure and give you better appreciation for the stories that you read.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

I gotta agree with gathering inspiration. Some people get hung up on originality. Everything they do MUST be 100% original. Yet when I try that I find my brain stretching past it's limits. You don't have to write only fanfictions or not even try to be original, but to recycle a broad concept is not a cardinal sin. People compared Hunger Games and Battle Royale for example. I may grin along with others and be rather sure the author knew something of Battle Royale when Hunger Games was written, I won't condemn the author for it. They took the broader concept and added in something different and geared it towards a different audience. To me there's nothing wrong with that. Both works have their merits.

There's a fine art to doing those things, of course. Be too heavy handed and it's apparent where you've gotten something or that it's similar to something else period, especially these days with the internet. Plagiarism/being viewed as lazy is typically pretty bad. Just be careful when you're gathering inspiration.

For me my biggest problem has just been....taking it seriously, I guess. I see the blank page of a word processor and I feel like once I start there's no going back. I see other people who are so I feel like are so high on themselves and their characters, so utterly serious about it all, and I go "man, I don't really wanna be THIS serious about this if this is how I have to be or how I'll end up." Just remember to have fun with it at least in some capacity.

 

[Comocat]

My dad is a profession writer for the last 40 years. The one piece of advice he always mentions is how many people say they are writers, but never actually write. You don't need to pen the next great work, but spending time everyday writing is going to help.

Also check out Stephen King's "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft."