Creative Writing Tips

    • Experiment Using Writing Prompts

    • We've got a ton of great writing prompts on this site. Use them. These prompts will help you experiment with new writing techniques and can help inspire different ideas in your head. Even if the piece you write based on the prompt isn't the one you're looking for, it can help open the floodgates to a new piece.
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    • Writing Ideas - Read Everything

    • A lot of people learn by example and why should writing be any different? Read other peoples stories and you can get a feel for what they do that works and doesn't work. It also might help you think of your own ideas that spin off from what they do.
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    • Actions Speak Louder Than Words

    • Also known as show don't tell, the idea here is that you need to convey your message to a reader in more than just the words. Don't just say "Jon was mean" but instead, allow the reader to conclude that based upon Jon's actions in the story.
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    • Elmore Leonard - Just Use Said

    • As Elmore Leonard has said, avoid using anything besides said to carry dialogue. Most other words will just clutter up the dialogue and it's better to let the words and your physical descriptions of people to carry the dialogue.
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    • Elmore Leonard - Don't Write What People Don't Read

    • Elmore Leonard said "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip." This is an important lesson. Think about stories you read. Are there any parts you simply skip over? Identify what causes this and avoid doing it in your own writing.
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