I have a question. One of the moderators told me I shouldn't write in school because then, I won't have anything to write about. She said I should just observe the actions and things around me. What does she mean by this??
I love this EARTH!! Thanks to school I have to wait until I'm out of college to start traveling the world, but nothing can stop me.
italianboyce wrote:I have a question. One of the moderators told me I shouldn't write in school because then, I won't have anything to write about. She said I should just observe the actions and things around me. What does she mean by this??
She just meant that you should 'people watch.' How do you know how people speak/interact if you don't watch them? How do you know the common difficulties we have to go through? Also, I get tons of ideas from my classes. Especially History - endless possibilities!
Basically, watch people when you can, write when you're alone.
I love people watching. Last month, after wandering around Union Station by myself on a trip with other teens, I sat down where we were suppossed to meet up and just people watched. I did that when we were waiting to get into the White House (I heard Spanish, English, Chinese, Korean, Indian...) and while I was sitting at the Capital, waiting for the Memorial Day Concert to begin (but, this time, I took pictures of random people)
I guess I have a few things:
Be observant: look around you, watch how people act, eavesdrop or basically, people watch.
Write what you don't know; fill in those things that you made up with the real facts later.
Draw from experiences or your friend's experiences. Meaning, you could be a friend telling a story for your friend. Like right now, my dad is trying to stop using snuff--something he picked up after he stopped smoking when I was little (I bugged him that smoking was bad when I was only 5 years old and didn't stop until he stopped but this time I'm not because he's always in a bad mood and ready to explode at the tiniest thing). I could easily write a story about a girl whose dad has the same problem since I know how it feels.
I think all of those have been said. Opps.
Meshugenah says to (18:12:36):
Kat's my new favorite. other than Sachi.
Yeah, I should really take that advice. I JUST got out of the house yesterday after spending two weeks at home. I haven't written anything (good) since back when school was in session.
Meshugenah says to (18:12:36):
Kat's my new favorite. other than Sachi.
My English teacher told me a good one: inspiration has nothing to do with writing. If you're low on inspiration just keep writing. Lack of inspiration doesn't prevent you from writing. Basically, I was one of those people that wait until they have a really good idea before they write and she was just trying to explain that if you always wait for inspiration then you'll write nothing. It doesn't matter if it's a load of rubbish - it's something!
'Moses Kiptanui - the 19 year old Kenyan, who turned 20 a few weeks ago.' 'If that had gone in, it would have been a goal.' David Coleman 'Without being too harsh on David Beckham, he cost us the match.' Ian Wright
My writing tip is about dialogue. If you feel iffy about something your character said, say it out loud, acting like you're in the situation. If it doesn't sound natural, come up with something else. Make sure all of your dialogue sounds like something people would actually say.
2. Always finish your story with a brief "debriefing" (tie the loose ends up). Harper Lee didn't end her story at Bob Ewell's death.
3. There are 4 things where you have a chance to hook the reader in deeper:
-Opener, like in Hamlet: someone sees a ghost
-Defining Moment, Rebecca in [/i]Rebecca stands up to her nemesis. -Climax, like in Harry Potter, he sees Voldemort inhabiting a professor at the school -Closer, read Chuck Palahninuk's Diary[i]
Probably it's been said already, but here's my favorite writing tip:
If you want to write, just write. The hardest part is getting started. Don't stop, don't second-guess yourself. A lot of what you think is terrible at the time actually turns out to be quite readable later. If you're worried about perfection, you'll never get anything written at all. There's plenty of time for editing later!
Second favorite tip: It's all about CONFLICT. No conflict, no story. Conflict and tension are what make the reader interested.
The best tip about dialogue I've ever heard: Dialogue exists for the purpose of showing conflict, either external or internal, between characters. Keeping that in mind will get rid of most dialogue problems that writers tend to have.
Mine would probably be... break the rules. Telling in some cases is better. Who says you can't change viewpoints in the middle of a scene? Follow the rules for a little bit, but writing (especially fantasy) is all about making your own.
Last edited by Rosendorn on Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo
Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
The one thing I didn't know as a young writer was that there's this thing called "emotional truth," and it is (or should be) at the core of every script or story you write. The story isn't the plot mechanics, and it isn't the chases and explosions, and it isn't the jokes. It's the change that takes place in a human heart. Everything else is just window dressing. - John Vorhaus, writer of Creativity Rules! ( great book to have)
There is no such thing as bad writing. -?
And those oldies, carry a pen and notebook everywhere you go. ALWAYS!,
Never stop writing.
["DD:why are you wearing 2 hats? GM: because i have 2 hats!" XD ]
"my mind isn't working properly..and so my fingers are following the trend." ~ Me
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