Writing tips articles
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Editing and polishing - how much is enough?
- A few days ago, I critiqued a chapter for a writer I'd been working with for some months. The main thing we'd been working on was 'de-cluttering' her writing. In many sections of her work her natural style came through: it was smooth and easy to read, and I could see the promise there.In other sections, the pace slowed down dramatically. The action was explained and then explained again in ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How to write to a word count
- You've finished your story, and you're pretty happy with it. The plot is gripping, the characters are lively, and the pace zooms along. Great! You've done it!Then... you count words.It can't be! How can your short story be so far over the word count? The guidelines say '900 words' - and your story is (eeek!) about 1460.1460! That's more than half as much again. There's no way ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Italics part 2 - using italics to show thoughts
- Way back in your early school years, you were probably taught to use the tag "he thought" in your stories, to tip readers off that someone was thinking. If you substituted something more innovative, like "he pondered" or "Harry deliberated", you might even have scored a big red tick.If you liked to read as well as write, you probably cottoned on to the fact that there are other ways to indi...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Italics part 1 - do you need to use italics?
- Next time you're tempted to use italics for emphasis... STOP!"Why?" you ask. "Isn't it common to use italics to emphasize something?"Yes. It is.But your job, as a skilled writer, is to know when to use italics and when to avoid them. The problem is, it's so easy to use italics. Just hit 'CTRL' and 'i', type the word (or words) in italics and hey presto! the reader knows exactl...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How to cut the clutter and win readers
- Most of us hate housework.Nevertheless, even the most hopeless slobs amongst us would agree that we love having a clean, organised house. It looks more inviting. It's easy to find what you want, when you want it. If only it didn't take so much time to get it that way!If you're lucky enough to have a cleaner, then you've solved the problem. It's someone else's job to clean up and get ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Book publishing contracts for writers: what should i look out for?
- Dave, I just got a contract for a book from a publisher that I haven't worked with before. These long, tedious legal documents just befuddle me, however! Would you mind spinning through this and seeing what you think about the terms and clauses herein? Here are my thoughts on this contract. Note up front that I'm not a lawyer and haven't received any particular...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Should you do a writing course?
- First, let's tackle the question that is uppermost in many aspiring writers' minds: "Do I need to do a writing course to sell my writing?"No. Absolutely not.I have never done a writing course (the kind with assignments and feedback). Yet I've now had published (or have in production) around 56 books for children, half a dozen ghost-written titles, a co-written book on networking and ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Writing is a business
- Why is it that so many people don't take writing-as-a-job seriously? I once heard it said that writing is one of the most under-rated cottage industries in the world. I believe it.Perhaps it is because many of us do so much writing in the course of a day anyway. We write reports for work. We send emails. We take down messages. None of that is creative writing (on second thoughts, some work ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Does your fight scene pack a punch?
- Long ago, movie directors mastered the technique of creating a convincing fight scene. Bodies crash to the floor.. chairs are upended... viewers are treated to closeups of terrified or furious faces... and the punches thrown are enough to make us wince and close our eyes. (No more of those prissy punches that fooled nobody in the early films - sneaky camera angles to hide the fact that the fist di...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Whose story is it?
- Whenever you sit down to plot a story (or even to think about a story) one of the first things you have to ask yourself is this: "Whose story IS it?"It seems like a simple question - but your story can succeed or fail depending on how you handle this. Told from the wrong point of view, a story can founder before the first chapter has come to an end.SOME COMMON PROBLEMS1. IN...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Getting to know your characters
- Interesting characters that readers care about are the most important 'ingredients' in your novel.That might sound like a fairly sweeping statement, but think about it.You can have a wonderful plot with twists and turns and a humdinger of a surprise ending... but if the reader doesn't believe in your characters, all that plotting has gone to waste.You can have a setting that s...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Be a savvy writer: go where the business is
- If you're a writer, you're in business. It doesn't matter whether you're writing picture books, or a self-help book for underachievers, or promotional material and flyers for anyone who wants it... YOU'RE IN BUSINESS.Therefore, it makes sense to go where the business contacts are. I know, I know - it's tempting to just sit at home in front of the keyboard. No chance of getting rejected that...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Writing query letters
- A QUERY LETTER is written to an editor or agent to describe a piece of writing to ask if they'd like to see it. It is sent in lieu of an unsolicited (unasked for) manuscript. (A COVER letter is a letter sent to ACCOMPANY a manuscript.)Before you write a query letter, check to see if the agent/editor offers guidelines to writers - make sure you are targeting the right market for your writing...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Five keys to a successful query letter
- Do you know what a query letter is? If so, you are of a rare breed-a writer. Most people don't. I discovered this when I created "Instant Query Letters" software. "What's a queer letter?" they ask. The sad thing-they aren't joking.Query letters are a major part of your life if you are a freelance writer. Almost every request for magazine articles includes the statement to &qu...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Writing your best-selling non-fiction book title
- Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your book, ebook, report or other information-based product each month?Are you stumped by the lack of response you are getting?You are positive people want your information, yet no matter how hard you try, you can't seem to tap into the flood of demand with your infoproduct.Happily, there is one simple, quick change you can make to ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - In your own words
- More Tips For New Writers (Part I)Explain in your own wordsFamiliar phrase? Yes, we have all heard it many times in many different situations. This little phrase is used to convey subtly different meanings depending upon the circumstances in which it is used. At school, the teacher means "Don't just copy chunks out of a book; show me you can write an essay". In an examinati...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Top ten tips (part 2)
- Golden Rules For New Writers - Things you need to know before you begin.Rules govern everything we do in life; even if those rules are of the unwritten kind we abide by them and expect other people to do the same. Why should writing be any different? It shouldn't be and it isn't. The following rules are the basis for good writing. If anyone tries to tell you that rules are made to be broken...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Top ten tips (part 1)
- The following rules are essential if you want people to take you seriously.Be yourself Know your subject Be interested Punctuate proudly Respect the apostrophe Get great grammar Spell well Keep to the point Read and revise Sleep on it Pay attention to detailBe yourselfWrite from the heart or the head or the gut, depending upon the typ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Learn to talk on paper: the art of effective business writing
- Rudolf Flesch, a specialist in writing skills, ran classes for over thirty years for civil servants, lawyers, bankers and the like, on writing business correspondence. Two tips he stressed over and over again in his classes. The first: move heaven and earth to wean yourself from the inhibitions and nervous habits that your schoolteachers, bless 'em, have bequeathed to you. ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Plotting problems - episodic writing
- The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears to be well-told and has appealing characters. However, the writing is episodic; the story lacks direction."You frown. Huh? The story lacks direction? How could it? Your main character is on a quest; how much more of a direction could you have than that?Clearly, this editor doesn't know what she's talking about. Oh well. ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Writing technique: the restaurant syndrome
- Picture this scene.Your hero is sitting in a bar. He's thinking about things... life, death, taxes, the way he's being chased by a serial killer... whatever.While he thinks, he sips his beer/Jim Beam/wine/etc.Sip.He thinks some more.Sip.He makes a casual comment to the barperson.Sip.He looks over his shoulder and sees the killer in the doorwa...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The magic of layout in your story
- "The Magic of Layout..."???Okay... "magic" might seem a bit over the top when you first read this article title. But believe me, although it doesn't involve incantations or bubbling cauldrons, careful selection of layout does work magic on the reader.Picture book authors understand this (as do parents and others who read a lot of picture books aloud). By moving a sentence - or even a...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How to avoid viewpoint slips
- Sit back, and imagine what it feels like to be you. Now that shouldn't be too hard - you've lived in your own skin for a long time. Do you feel happy or sad?Do you feel on edge or relaxed?Do you feel tired or energetic?Do you feel angry or calm? Now think about how you know these things.You have various bodily symptoms that accurately represen...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The many paths to plotting
- For several years before I left teaching to write full time (over a decade ago now), I was a specialist reading teacher. I dealt mainly with two categories of kids: those who were struggling to read at all (I had to turn them into readers) andthose who could read, but did it slowly and reluctantly (I had to build their enthusiasm and level of expertise)Before ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - 5 ways to break the story spell
- You sink back into your favourite chair with a new book in your hand. With a barely perceptible sigh of anticipation, you turn to the first page. Ah, there's nothing like starting a brand new novel...You start to read. Within minutes, you're engrossed in the action. A thunderstorm could break, and you wouldn't hear it. You turn the pages, immersed in the world of the story.And then i...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Conflict - how to keep your readers turning pages
- Some writers are just too kind.They hate to put their characters under any kind of pressure. They hate to see them losing, or struggling to survive. That's quite understandable - after all, they've become friends with these people. They're cheering for them. They want them to win through!Now wait a moment. Wa..a..i..t.It's your readers who are supposed to be cheering your char...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - 10 ways to shatter writers block
- 1. Use Logic: Check for External PressuresAre you under physical or emotional stress? Is your diet lacking? Do you need more sleep, or more restful sleep? Would a visit to the doctor be in order before you start beating yourself up about your inability to concentrate?2. Start brainstormingJot down all the possible plot permutations you can think of. At first, the...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How to filter description through your characters
- How do you describe a scene without slowing down the pace of your novel? What do you include? What do you leave out? Here's a neat trick: use your own experiences as a guide.When we encounter a new setting or new experience, all our senses are on the alert. While we may not be conscious of it, we are using filtering that experience in our own unique ways. We react to what is happening accor...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - 10 tips on writing effective dialogue
- 1. Become an EavesdropperListen carefully to the way people REALLY talk. They tend to talk in sentence fragments. They interrupt others. They repeat themselves. Try to get your dialogue to reflect authentic speech, but be careful not to become dull (real speech is OFTEN dull!)2. Train Yourself to NoticeObserve the ways that people give away their social, economic...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Ten quick tips for inexperienced writers
- One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is simply knowing how to get started. If you've unsure of your writing skills, then here are some quick tips to help you get started.1. Get yourself a thesaurus-or better yet, two of them. These can be tremendously helpful tools when you're struggling to find the right word. A thesaurus is no substitute for a solid vocabulary, but ...
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