Writing Tips

Writing Tips For the aspiring writer, that first break into print can be an elusive thing.

The following tips have been compiled from those who know best - the people who have already done it.

Last Updated - 6th July 2006

All too often, potentially brilliant pieces of writing are discarded simply because they appear amateurish, all for the sake of a little time and effort spent getting the details right - don't let your manuscript be one of those!
Don't let your work down with silly errors. Typing errors and poorly thought out sentence construction might make an editor laugh but they won't make them accept your work. Spell checkers won't pick up on common mistakes like there / their or your / you're, and grammar checkers won't help you with issues like which quotation marks to use when, and how to punctuate around brackets. The key message is to always have your work proof-read by a professional. Editors are trained to pick out little mistakes that most people wouldn't even recognise, so this is imperative in order to get your work up to their standards.

Most of aspering writer's dream of being published and having thier books become movies and sell like Harry Potter. Well the first step to that is a literary agent. Now, you must be thinking "what the hell do I need an agent for? What's use?" There is only one answer for this: you need an agent for everything. Agents are a must now a days and to find one is extremely difficult. Some are snotty and some are sweet. Some can be really great and others can be a pain. Here are some tips on finding the perfect agents:

Look for an agent that matches your work
Make sure that they specialise in it or it is one of the areas they can work with.
Never pay reading fees, If they charge you, then they're a fake!
Check if they are a Member of AAR, Usually these types are the good ones. If they aren't then do more homework on them
You must find at least 10 agents you want to submit to and then research them. Go on the internet, or 2004 guide to literary agents. This book comes with info that will help you in the long run.
Be a professional
Be nice and be patient

Many aspiring writers want to skip the writing part – this is not possible. Try to write everyday. Get a journal and write about how your day was, how you feel. Write stories. You have probably seen a show or read a book and made up a character that could fit perfectly into a later adventure or an adventure with the official characters. This is called fanfiction. Most people don't write fanfiction because it will never be published. But if you don't write down the story the muse will float around in your head for a long time. Write down the story and blog it or better still submit it at places where they accept such kind of writing. One Eg. is Fanfiction.net.

The more you read, the better your writing will be. Do NOT only read the type of books that you plan to write. Read romance, mystery, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, everything. In turn the different situations in the many genres will make your stories more interesting.

Hire a professional copy editor before sending your work to agents, literary journals. And that's after you've written several drafts and made it as good and tight as you possibly can.

It is most great to be independent when writing. Gradually allow the senses to create. Subdue the influences from the environment and let the mind release the first idea. You can then polish it with the time called "free thinking space." There your writing will grow in a relaxed spirit and attract the editors who are considered 'stubborn.'

Persistence - It just meant keep trying, but 'with passion'. You have to have persistent passion for your writing, and the subject of it. So, only write about something you feel passionately about. Believe in your book - really believe in it - to make others do the same.

Be very honest with your writing. Don't make your work flashy by using words that are not required. Judge the requirement of the words you use clearly.

The most fundamental rule for all writing is to continually ask yourself questions about every aspect of your work. Even the most simple questions about what, for example, is in front of the character will provide knowledge which even if you don't use it will be there in your mind. If you don't ask enough questions your writing will never acquire depth. What? When? Why? How?

Whenever you write a poem, try to think of the subject and the message you want to get across to whichever age audience you're writing for. Otherwise your poem will just be a bunch of pretty words.

Always make sure to keep an inventory of everything you intend on sending to a publisher or the like.

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Unfettered brainstorming is essential to writing, no matter what the genre. Relax in a quiet place with pen and paper (computers are fine too, if preferred) and just write. When the editor inside tries to take over, turn it off. It doesn't matter what the topic is, just let the words flow and soon they will take on a life of their own. This is a great way to develop new ideas or breathe new life into old ones. And, with practice, mastering this technique can help revitalize the writer's spirit to conquer burnout or writer's block.

It is said "Style is the man himself", so always remember that whatever you are writing is representing your own self and disclosing the hidden aspects of your thinking and personality, so be careful about the quality rather than the quantity. Be honest with your creative writing and whenever you feel a relief just as if you have come out of a fatal pain then be contented that you have created a best piece of writing. Always remember that practice makes a man perfect, so do lot and lot of practice work to polish your inherent talent.

Revise. Revise. Revise. Though it may hurt, be boring, and seem repetitive, revise, revise, revise, and revise again.

Style is a very subjective thing, and what works for one person won't necessarily for another, but there are nevertheless a few basic, general rules you can adhere to in order to make your writing that little bit more editor-friendly.

Adjectives: a dead giveaway for amateur writing is that there are always far too many adjectives. A door is never simply 'a door', but always 'a big, imposing, rust-ridden door'. A good exercise is to go through your work and strip out all the adjectives, then set yourself a quota (say two adjectives per page). You'll find that by thinking so carefully about each adjective you'll make much better use of them, and the rest of the text, once simplified by the removal of excess adjectives, will flow much better. The overall result will seem far more professional, and will be far more likely to be accepted by an editor.

Exclamation marks(!): exclamation marks are another favourite for amateur writers, who tend to use them as a substitute for genuinely powerful writing! They are used to prop up weak jokes! 'Emphasise' weak points! And add 'excitement' to weak prose! Writing that uses lots of exclamation marks will inevitably read like an endless advert, and is unlikely to attract the favourable attentions of an editor!

Reporting Speech: People often get confused over what exactly the rules are for reporting speech - and that's largely because there aren't any fixed rules for reporting speech. British writers use mainly single quotation marks, American ones mainly double, and then there are writers who use neither, opting instead for an introductory dash. Some writers always begin a new paragraph when reporting speech, others vary. The choice of exactly how you denote reported speech is yours, but what is important is that once you've chosen your method you stick to it. Inconsistency will make your writing hard to follow and confusing.

Write with the pen of emotion. Poetry is not something just anyone can do. Always have the inspiration, time, and focused mind when writing. Poetry is an expression used to engrave your feelings and emotions on paper. What can't be spoken can still be heard, understood, and recognised.

Think of a really good topic and then let the rest of the writing come naturally; if its weird but from the heart that's important and proper writing!

When writing about aspects of life use your feelings and own experiences to help influence your writings. this will make it really easy for readers to get a feel for things and will show a deeper understanding.

The best strategy for writing your story is drafts and rewritten drafts.

Study the market. This cannot be stressed enough. There are endless options – newspapers, weeklies, magazines etc and each of these cater to a different clientele, while they each have specific writing styles. What and how you write for a newspaper would be very different for a women's or travel magazine. It really helps to gear your writing in terms of content, style and references to the publication. This little bit if homework will also increase your chances of getting your work published.

When you come up with an idea, don't be stressed that it's not good enough. You must expand and use your imagination to create the ideal story that fits your interest. Many get ideas from their own experience, but if you don't have many experiences, write about something that you really know about, or something that you would like to read about (don't think of what the reader will like).

Look for inspiration wherever you are in the world. Even if you are doing something really basic like being on a journey, keep a lookout for interesting people you could base a character on, for example.

No matter what, always edit your work because if you don't, there can be many mistakes and blunders and grammatical errors. A piece of writing can never be edited too much.

Your writing must be clear, interesting and you have to have complete confidence in your writing also. If you don't have confidence in your writing, it probably wont sound good to you. And if you have confidence in your writing, you will feel more comfortable with it and you will get farther with writing yourself!

When you write, be sure to read over your writing as if you were another person – a complete stranger – that just picked up your writing in a store. Ask yourself "does this really make sense" or "do I really need this?".

When you get really stuck in a writers block, it usually means break time. When you have that refreshing break, listen to music, lye in bed or take a shower, then, in your peace of mind

To write you have to learn to be yourself and write in your own terms. Don't let what someone else thinks distract your writing ability.

Don't try and force your own writing style to develop. Let it come naturally. Your writing style will be created over time, as you try and find your own voice.

Don't aim to be published in mass market magazines when you're just starting out. Start with the smaller ones - there is far less competition. You are far less likely to be rejected by smaller, lesser known magazines, which in turn helps you to stay positive and motivated to improve your submissions.

Keep copies of all your published work. Build up a portfolio and send photocopies of published pieces as examples of your writing when you are querying new markets. It will help to establish your credentials.

Don't settle for the first article idea you get. Be different. Brainstorm each and every idea to come up with new angles to pursue. Don't go for the obvious - remember, many other people will settle for the obvious too. You want your submissions and ideas to stand out from the crowd.