Creative Writing Tips

    • Elmore Leonard - Don't Use "Suddenly" or "All Hell Broke Loose"

    • While you might feel like something suddenly happened, it's a waste of space in writing. Suddenly gives the reader no visual understanding of what is being described, it makes something sound magical. Use more thorough descriptions of things and the reader will piece together what happened. Likewise, "All hell broke loose" gives no true visual of what's happening in the story. Don't rely on cheap phrases but instead, provide the visual imagery that will cause the reader to make that conclusion on his or her own.
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    • Revision: Write First, Proofread Later

    • When you read over a piece, don't get caught up on fixing grammatical mistakes or poor sentence structure in your first few drafts. Before these details even become relevant, it is important to craft the story you are trying to tell. Most of those poor sentences will likely be cut out before you even reach a final draft, so there's no point wasting time killing them now.
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    • Avoid Cliches

    • There are a ton of cliches, there's no denying that. Heck, there's actually a movie genre now which "pokes fun" at movie cliches a la Scary Movie, Date Movie, Epic Movie. Try and avoid falling into using these cliches unless you can come up with a unique twist for it.
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    • When to Use Flashbacks

    • Flashbacks can be a great tool. They add clarity to your writing and can provide the background information that will explain your character''s motives. However, before you can provide the WHY of the story (seen in a flashback), you need to make sure people know the WHO and the WHAT. Give people a good understanding of your character before providing flashbacks or else the reader will lack any interest in the flashback''s content.
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    • Artistic Expression

    • In the end, everything comes with a context. While I can give you a list of dos and don'ts for writing, eventually it comes down to following your gut. There's always a reason to go against the grain and do your own thing, so don't be afraid to try it.
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