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Young Writers Society


some interesting pages



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Sat Jan 06, 2007 10:37 am
de_budding says...



This was a BBC article i find written by Michael Dowling and Diane Purkiss
called "Tips for young story writers"


"Don't focus solely on plot. Pause now and then to describe setting or develop character.

Try not to use clichés like 'every colour of the rainbow' and 'the mist parted like a curtain'. Actually, mist doesn't part like a curtain; it thins, like butter spread on hot toast. Look at things around you and think about how you would describe them. Metaphors and similes are good, but only if original. And they can be overdone. If the cloak is grey, sometimes it's better to say so than to say it's like a soft cloud.

Writing is actually quite like reading. You may only have a vague idea of what's coming next, and be taken by surprise. Let yourself be astonished, even if it means a character you like dies suddenly, for instance. It's the best way to surprise your reader.

If you don't find your story exciting and sad and suspenseful, no-one else will.

Only edit after you've finished the entire story. Editing and fiddling just makes you feel bad. You don't need to polish every sentence at first. Just get your ideas down. If you are retelling a myth or legend, try to find a new way of telling it or a new point of view.

Don't try to be funny all the time; it can seem like someone trying to get everyone to be their best friend. Not everything has to be hilarious. Let anything funny arise from the characters.

Just write. If you write a thousand words a day you will have a novel in 40 days. Set yourself a daily target - words, pages - and ALWAYS do it. It helps if it's the same time very day - first thing in the morning, or after school.

Write wherever you feel comfortable, even if it's crouched in the shower stall. Jane Austen wrote in the dining room, and people came in and out all day. It didn't stop her."

_______________________________________________________________________

Here is author Elvira Woodruff's 'Tips For Young Writers'.

1. Read, read, and read some more. The more you read, the better you write. Reading in bed with a bowl of popcorn is the best way to go about this.

2. Keep a journal, something private, where you can let out your inner most thoughts. This is good if like me, you have a very bad memory. I do remember keeping a locked diary when I was a girl. I only wish I could remember what I had written in it! Another good hint, don't ever throw your journals or diaries away!

3. Look for inspiration right in your own back yard. You don't have to travel across an ocean to find great ideas for stories. You can find them in your classroom, your lunchroom, your bathtub! Your family and friends can turn out to be your best characters. My two sons, Noah and Jess inspired me to write Awfully Short For The Fourth Grade, Back In Action, and George Washington's Socks. Many of my family and friends are sprinkled throughout my books.

4. Learn from the pros. When you do read, choose the best writers you can find. They can often be your best teachers. Just think of Harry Potter as an educational tool!

5. Don't expect perfect, ever. Expect mistakes, and lot of them! Most writers rewrite over and over, I know I do. And don't write in stone - meaning don't think you can't change or improve what you've written, even if you've worked on it for a very long time. Sometimes you have to write through lots of trash before you get to the treasure.

6. Don't try and correct each and every word as you go. Write your story out and then go back and make your corrections. Worrying about spelling, grammar, and punctuation while you're writing can bog you down. I check all those boring things over after I've finished for the day.

7. Read what you've written out loud. I do this all the time so that I can hear how the words flow.

8. Become a people watcher. Where ever you are take notice of people and their reactions to events. This will help you when you develop your characters.

9. When you travel keep an eye out for a story and take a notebook along with you. You never know where inspiration will turn up!

10. Write from your heart. Write about things that matter most to you and your words will soar!


And here are 2 pages i had in left in 'my favorites' from some time ago,

http://www.poetryfaq.com/

And this is Aaron Shepards index of tips for young writers, http://www.aaronshep.com/youngauthor/index.html

Dan x
"One who understands much displays a greater simplicity of character than one who understands little."
-Alexander Chase
  





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Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:15 am
Swires says...



Same old stuff regurgitated into a different style.
Previously known as "Phorcys"
Witherwings Harry Potter RPG
  





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Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:54 am
de_budding says...



Usually is:
But with young writers this can be paramount, it might be the one disambiguation that makes it all clear.
I dunno'... sorry if i offended you? :S
not sure how to intrupret your response, are you saying that this is SPAM and should be removed? or you just spamming yourself?

Dan x
"One who understands much displays a greater simplicity of character than one who understands little."
-Alexander Chase
  





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Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:15 pm
Swires says...



:shock: - ???

no one has offended anyone, I was just saying this is nothing new, although it could be a useful collation of ideas for beginner writers.
Previously known as "Phorcys"
Witherwings Harry Potter RPG
  





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Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:34 pm
de_budding says...



yeh nothing more usefull than a big ol' index of links and bits. The 'articles' stickey is getting nice n' big now. Maybe a kindly M0d could move the links over to that and close thread.

No need for tis thread, i wasn't really thinking when i posted this...

appologies
"One who understands much displays a greater simplicity of character than one who understands little."
-Alexander Chase
  





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Fri Jan 12, 2007 1:52 pm
Roxy says...



Tips for writers are always practically the same, the whole 'read lots, keep a journal' thing, it's all been done before.

Not that I don't appreciate any tips, I do, it's just......

I'll stop talking now.

Roxy
I eat losers for breakfast...
  





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Sat Jan 13, 2007 4:13 pm
artistpersona says...



I thank you for posting this, for some people did not know of some of these tips (like myself).
  





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Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:03 pm
Shine says...



yeah right.Keep posting things like that.
"A good plot is like a dream.If you dont write down your dream on paper the moment you wake up,the chances are you'll forget it and it'll be gone forever"-Roald Dalh.
  





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Sun Jan 14, 2007 6:06 am
Elelel says...



But it's so good to reread the most basic tips again! You forget them, and you forget their importance. So I love reeading things like this.

Anyway. I don't read my work out loud. Maybe I should. Voila! I have learnt something.
Oh, you're angry! Click your pen.
--Music and Lyrics
  








The brain is wider than the sky.
— Emily Dickenson