What Is Your Favorite Writing Tip?

Write for yourself, not to please other people.

I've always liked the tip that you seriously shouldn't stress about the first draft. I think it's something that a lot of writers hear but don't really take to heart. I knew one girl who wrote and rewrote the first scene of her novel (a suicide note) over and over, making tiny changes and asking my opinion, but never actually carrying on with her story. She eventually abandoned the project.

Lucinda wrote:I've always liked the tip that you seriously shouldn't stress about the first draft. I think it's something that a lot of writers hear but don't really take to heart. I knew one girl who wrote and rewrote the first scene of her novel (a suicide note) over and over, making tiny changes and asking my opinion, but never actually carrying on with her story. She eventually abandoned the project.

I have that problem. Right now, I'm working on a Tin Man fanfiction (I saw it recently and I'm completely obsessed with it) I didn't like the first paragraph, so I made some changes. I'm still not happy with it but it will do. BUT it did give me an idea of seeing inside Glitch's mind, like thought bubble moments. I'm just writing it for fun because I need to keep my mind off of my friend, who died a few days ago.

do not tell other people the plot of your story...it will give you less motivation when you are actually writing it

it happened to me and it sucks!

I have a similar problem. Sometimes, I write out what's going to happen before I write it, so I won't forget it. But once I've done that, I lose interest! Maybe I shouldn't do that anymore either.

Set yourself targets. I didn't believe in doing this before (thinking that it would ruin the muse or whatever) but ever since I've started writing 500 words every single day my writing has just gone...oh so good. You get so much more done and feel so much better.

Do the writing when you're in condition..
'cause if not, you're just wasting your efforts..


It worked for me as a writer..

but for me as a journalist.. i really have no choice..

<that sometimes, my writings are really awful!! >

Just start. Once you do, it's a lot easier to keep on going.

Sometimes I just randomly start writing in a journal or something and jot down my ideas. It really helps!

2nd best tip: Make sure there aren't too many distractions while you work.

I hate distractions when I'm writing; it gets me off-focus and I get off-topic in whatever I'm writing.

Write a story that you would read.

The old adage about writing something everyday is just about the truest thing that you can hold to. Practice makes perfect, even in writing.

Perfect for a perfectionist like me:

First drafts are allowed to suck big time. All you need to worry about is finishing them.

I have two:

Simplicity is just as beautiful as complexity.

and

"What does that even mean?"

1) I said that once during a review and it really hit me that, that didn't apply to that story but to everything. You can find something beautiful in the smallest things and its really opened my eyes to the smaller details you really should add. Its helped me space out my stories more.

2) xD Alot of people have said that to me before re-reading my stories really became a priority for me. I still have serious problems with it, I ALWAYS miss a lot of stuff but its better than before. (Yay for spellcheck xD)

Capture your reader in your words. Once you do you can pull anything out of their heads. It's all about language.

Show, don't tell - It's amazing how much this little tip helps.

"Read like butterfly, write like a bee" Philip Pullman
Take inspiration from everything around you. Take ideas, twist them, squash them, take them apart and put them back together. What you find might surprise you

Some advice from a very old booklet on short story writing: When you watch TV, close your eyes as a new person is introduced, and make a mental image of them by their voice and words alone. When you have a clear mental image, open your eyes and see if you were accurate. These mental images are great "cores" for characters.

Think of each moment in your story as a nexus in time from which infinite pathways could unfold. Explore these pathways before deciding which one to take. Don't just take the first one that comes to mind.