Creative Writing Tips

    • The Vomit Draft

    • Too often, people get caught up in making the first draft perfect. Forget about it. Instead, say everything and anything in that first draft, just vomit all over the page. That way you can see what you like and dislike and go from there.
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    • Characterization - Build a Backstory

    • As you write a story, take time to build out a sketch of each of your characters. Think about what they like, what has happened in their lives, where they come from. Even if all of these details don't make it into the actual story, they might help influence how your characters act and give you a better understanding of who they are.
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    • Revision: Proofread Regularly

    • Proofreading a piece isn't just a simple read through of the piece you're working on. It's important to proofread your writing on several occassions with different goals in mind. Doing so will enable you to catch different mistakes and to look at your writing with different perspectives.
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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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    • Quality != Quantity

    • A story doesn't have to be long to be good. It can be any length. Supposedly, Hemingway was challenged to tell his life story in six words and came up with: "For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn." Likewise, you can work magic with a page, five pages, ten pages, or a hundred. Don't get caught up in length!
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