Top Ten Tips for Writers

Do you have a story buzzing around inside your head? Is it one you can't wait to write down but simply know where to begin? Well, maybe this will help. This is my top ten countdown of tips for writers:

10 - Talk It Out - Tell the story verbally. Or at least run pieces of it past your friends and family. This will give you a chance to think through things before you write it as well as giving you a chance to see how other people react to it. Do they like it? What feedback can you get? Are there ways to improve the story and your telling of it?

9 - Read About It - Who are your favorite authors? What are some of your favorite books in the genre you're writing for? Read them! A lot! The styles of writing you read tend to replicate themselves in the way you write (including grammar and punctuation), and by reading similar books to your own you'll also be able to see what other writers have done and how they've done it.

8 - Sketch It Out - Draw some pictures and make some biography sheets. Maybe even a Pinterest board or two. They don't have to be masterful creations. Simply sketch out some fundamental ideas. What does this character look like? Who are they? What does this place look like? Where is it? What does this trinket look like? Stimulate your visionary imagination.

7 - Break It Up - Don't envision writing a story as an A-to-B trip from the first capital letter to the closing period. You may find it more productive to write all of the important scenes first and then work on linking them together with subplot, journey accounts and dialogue. You may even be one who finds that writing the story backwards (from end to beginning) is easier. If you hit a snag or writer's block, skip the scene. Jump to the next one, write that, and then come back and smooth out the connection.

6 - Act It Out - Never be afraid to unleash the inner child as a writer. Don't be afraid to rehearse character conversations with yourself in the mirror, nor to act out a whole battle scene in your office or bedroom. Getting your head completely submersed in the game will help you get it onto paper better.

5 - Get Inspired - Here's a point where some writers will disagree with me, but I find it helps many authors get a better idea of where their story is going. This tip goes along with Read About It, but from a different angle. Watch movies and listen to music that help you better visualize how your story is going to go. You'll find examples of how your characters might act or appear, what places in your stories might be like, how events might pan out, how realistic the event is, and much more. The better you have the ideas pulled together in your head, the better you'll be able to write about them, and the more confident and excited you'll feel while doing so. Therefore, any means of creative inspiration is advantageous.

4 - Study It Out - Do some research. Ensure that your usage of fantastical things is correct, that you name pieces of armor correctly, that your science is feasible, that characters really act the way they should, that you match the phraseology and style of the time period you're writing about, and so on.

3 - Plot It Out - Plot out the story in short form. Whether it be a bullet list of events or summarized paragraphs, get the whole thing down on paper. This will help you figure out major plot points and where the chapter breaks might go. More importantly, it will help you to not forget details and subplots as you're writing, which will help prevent writer's block and discouragement.

2 - Purge It Out - Cut out the fluff, simplify, condense. If you make the story too complex, you will find it incredibly too long, too confusing, too disoriented, and too boring. You may think lots of complexity is good while writing the story, but when you finish and are reading through it for the first time you will find yourself regretting a lot of it and wanting to simplify things down.

1 - JUST WRITE - This is my #1 tip of all time! "Just write." When you come down to it the most important part of writing is writing. Everything else can be fixed once the original draft is complete. If you run upon a story snag or writer's block, do not stop writing. If you're unsure of where you want the story to go, that's fine, but do not stop writing. You can always go back and rewrite and reorganize later. The key is to never let yourself fall off the writing wagon. The best cure for writer's block and confusion is to write your way through it until better inspiration comes. Don't spend a lot of time just sitting around thinking about it, do it. And don't focus on your grammar and punctuation yet either; this is your first draft. Grammar and punctuation can be cleaned up and fine-tuned later. Just write. There's nothing wrong with going back and rewriting later, just write and keep the the story going. Once it's finished, THEN go back and clean it all up. Just write.

Well, what do you think? Hopefully this list has helped you new writers out there get a better idea of where to find some footing. Maybe it inspired more seasoned writers with some new ideas. I hope so. If you have another suggestion for a great writing tip, please leave it in a comment below.