Creative Writing Tips

    • Revising - Writing Groups

    • One of the best ways to keep you writing and finishing work is when you have a deadline. If you don't ACTUALLY have a deadline, having a regularly meeting writing group is a great way to impose a deadline on your work. It also allows people to provide input and give you further insight on your writing. As such, by joining a writing group, you're able to get people to edit your work, come up with new ideas, and keep yourself on task.
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    • 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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    • Characterization - Give Your Character Drive

    • Every character should have a motive for their actions. People don't act in an isolated state and so, you shouldn't let your characters fall into this rut. Be sure as you write that YOU understand your characters rationale and desires or else their actions won't make sense to the readers.
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    • Don't Be Afraid to Stink

    • Sometimes your writing isn't going to be the best you want it to be. Your first drafts will almost always come out poorer than you'd like them to be. It's okay! It's part of the process. Look at what you like in the poor material and run with it.
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    • Let Your Readers Be Cheerleaders

    • To ensure your audience enjoys your book, it's good to provide them with a character they can root for. If your reader feels no sympathy for any of the characters in the book, or never develops an attachment to their cause, then the reader will lose interest.
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