Top 40 Writing Hints and Tips
1. Titles should be original and relevant to the story.
2. While description is a necessary element of writing, too much of it kills.
3. You may keep your characters' motives a mystery for some of your story, but it must be revealed eventually.
4. Even though children often understand more than adults believe, they are still children and cannot understand everything.
5. Perfect characters, like perfect people, do not exist, so they have no place in a story.
6. Some of the most enthralling subplots are based off dramatic irony, so don't be afraid to keep certain characters ignorant about something.
7. Use the same tense throughout your novel.
8. Your first draft is your rough draft - complete it, and then you can begin editing.
9. While you don't have to apply other writers' advice immediately, do keep it in mind for future writing; if they aren't a writer though, the advice may be less helpful/accurate.
10. If you want to write from more than one character's point of view (in FF, this is called "epic fantasy"), you should start doing this early in your novel.
11. Plot twists are to be used sparingly.
12. Cliffhangers and plot twists are similar in the sense that both create suspense, but both must be used with caution and moderation.
13. Having your MC's parents/guardians die at the beginning of the novel is a hopelessly overused way to start off an adventure.
14. You can't kill off characters just because you feel like it!
15. If, at the end of your novel, the MC's life returns to the way it was at the beginning, you just wasted a day/week of your reader's life.
16. While a character's backstory may be sad, it shouldn't be tragic.
17. Don't try to ruin your MC's life by murdering their closest companions: Lily, James, Sirius, Lupin, Snape and Dumbledore did die, but Joanne Rowling never touched Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, or Professor McGonagall.
18. Foreshadowing is the best writing technique ever - leave the reader unassuming clues so that when they finish the novel and reread it, they will smack themselves for not noticing them sooner.
19. Whenever you create a new language, take a leaf out of Tolkien's book (please, not literally) and write a whole appendix (or at least a thorough explanation) about it.
20. If you must use traditional/typical fantasy elements such as dragons, elves, or dark mountains, at least be creative and surprise the reader with a unique version of those.
21. By all means, create new races or species for your fantasy novel, but remember that ample descriptions and references are compulsory.
22. If you change your characters' names halfway through your novel, at least have the decency of clarifying it in an addendum.
23. I have yet to encounter a fantasy novel in which there wasn't a romance, so make sure your couple is original.
24. The only thing more cliché than having your character fall in love is to have that love interest die; however, it can still be pulled off if your writing skill is good enough.
25. If you decided you want to kill the love interest anyway, please don't change your mind a few chapters later and then resurrect him/her, because then the reader will want to kill you.
26. Don't do what the tips thus far have told you not to do, and if you did do that anyway, undo it. (If you didn't have to read that sentence at least twice, well done.)
27. Having your MC die at the end without preparing the reader first is a definite no-no.
28. Also, don't resurrect the MC in an epilogue; if Dumbledore couldn't do it, no-one can. (And Harry did it before the end, so no excuses.)
29. Whether your story employs the first or third person narrator, never start with a description of the MC by the MC or anyone else.
30. If you are writing a sequel, remember that your MC is the main character for a reason; thus, they aren't allowed to be killed off simply because you got bored with them.
31. If fantasy is your novel's genre, remember that nobody uses really complicated names with at least four vowels squashed together, like with "Kaiehlandiauon", for example. (Only the Welsh with their super long train station signs are allowed to do that.)
32. Apostrophes and names only go together if firstly, your name is Brent Weeks and you are the author of the Night Angel Trilogy, or secondly, the apostrophe indicates possession.
33. If your character is "The Chosen One", i.e. they didn't do anything to deserve their status as MC, slap yourself with a dead fish and come up with something better.
34. Having your animals talk is a risky endeavour already, but having them guide your character/s too is strictly forbidden.
35. If your story involves vampires or werewolves, they aren't allowed to sparkle, fall in love with each other, or compete for a human's affection.
36. Stereotypes (especially offensive ones) belong in the rubbish bin, so if a character is flat, they're roadkill and should be buried.
37. If your character can't live without their love interest, ensure that your novel is clearly indicated as a Romeo and Juliet spin-off.
38. If you want to use the numbers three, seven, or twelve, you must: A, use them differently than any other author ever has; B, have your characters themselves criticise the usage of these numbers; C, thoroughly explain why no other numbers would have sufficed; and D, all of the above.
39. Even if your MC is a 9 according to numerology, the weight of the world is not on their shoulders, otherwise they would have been crushed and your novel would cease to exist.
40. Should you feel the desire to begin or end your story with a dream, keep dreaming and then forget about it after you wake up.
Take Note: All of the hints provided here are the reverse of the hints created by @AdrianMoon, @ScarlettFire, and @Wolfare1 (who totally did not pull a fast one on me during April Fool's Day). Nevertheless, if you found these hints useful, you don't have to feel obligated to thank them - acknowledging me at the front or back of your published novel will do just fine.
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