Helpful Tips for Writers

[Melodic]

So I'd figure it'd be nice to have a thread for amateur or even prodigy writers. For members to give helpful tips to help improve their writing. So here I thought each person could share a tip for a writer. Whether they find it on a site or share it from their heart.

Here is my first tip:

https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2vd55mkGS1rt8sr1o1_500.jpg

https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2vd55mkGS1rt8sr1o2_500.jpg

It is supposed to help writers find the basis of their character by picking a few personality traits.

[Miserabilia]

That's neat :)
Can others share stuff too?

[Melodic]

That's neat :)
Can others share stuff too?

Sure! Anyone can!

[DiamondsGirl]

I suck at writing stories, and I know poem-writing isn't popular, but here goes:

My Take On What Makes A Good Poem
- Keep it simple. Use small things around you as an inspiration. For example; an eraser. Seriously! My current favorite work was "born" after I spent 20 seconds staring at my brand new eraser.

- Keep it short. Don't condense too many words into one line. I've seen a lot of beautiful poems that lost its charm because it has like twenty words per line. It is always an achievement when you managed to deliver your message through very few words.

- Keep it clear. Sure, people expect to see 'big words' in poetries. But remember that your readers are not all linguists. Try to play with the wording arrangement instead. Failing that, find a word that are not only meaningful but also widely understood. A poem that has way too much 'big words' make readers feel detached from the story.

- Keep it free. Is rhyming poem fun? Yes, it's a whole lot of fun. But let's admit it; when you're writing a rhyming poem, you spend more time searching about that one rhyme than telling the story through your verses instead. If you're a beginner, stick to free-verses. It's a beautiful piece of art, too!

- Have fun. Remember that you're telling a story. Maybe YOUR story. So focus on that. Wording and grammar comes later.

[Harry Smith]

If you can say it in one word do it, don't become JK Rowling and turn Harry opening a door into a 12 page journey

[Miserabilia]

Well I'm not english but I do write stories in english often.
What I sualy try to do, is exeggerate the length of sentences and the amount of description (Atleast, it seems like exeggeration while writing), because reading is faster than writing, and if you write at a fast speed it will seem hasty and undetailed when reading.
If that makes any sense... /:

[DiamondsGirl]

Well I'm not english but I do write stories in english often.
What I sualy try to do, is exeggerate the length of sentences and the amount of description (Atleast, it seems like exeggeration while writing), because reading is faster than writing, and if you write at a fast speed it will seem hasty and undetailed when reading.
If that makes any sense... /:

I'd like to argue with that a little bit. I'm not very good at writing stories, but I've written some in the past and that's usually where I got criticized; sentence size and object description. Like Harry Smith has already said, it is always best to keep short what you don't need to explain in detail. Explain as much as you need, and let the reader's imagination work the rest :)

[Miserabilia]

I'd like to argue with that a little bit. I'm not very good at writing stories, but I've written some in the past and that's usually where I got criticized; sentence size and object description. Like Harry Smith has already said, it is always best to keep short what you don't need to explain in detail. Explain as much as you need, and let the reader's imagination work the rest :)

No I understand that.
I made it sound like you need to make it overdetailed/overdescriptive.

What I'm trying to say (But failing at it lol) is that you need to make it a bit longer, as in using more than one sentence for an event.
(Even with little description, the story shouldn't describe entire events in short sentences)

[DiamondsGirl]

^^^ that, I agree with :)

[Cygnus]

Avoid using the words "good" and "bad", those are the most superficial words you can use, replace then for excellent, amazing, great, terrible, unpleasant, unwelcome. That will add extra tone.

[Harry Smith]

Another thing-give characters depth. Don't make them just generically good or generically bad. The best way to do this is too other characters perception of them as see how it changes, everyone has bad traits-include them in your writing

[DiamondsGirl]

Make plot twists. Fool your readers into believing that a certain character is unquestionably gonna do a certain act. Then, prove them wrong.

[audiophile5]

I suck at writing stories, and I know poem-writing isn't popular, but here goes:

My Take On What Makes A Good Poem
- Keep it simple. Use small things around you as an inspiration. For example; an eraser. Seriously! My current favorite work was "born" after I spent 20 seconds staring at my brand new eraser.

- Keep it short. Don't condense too many words into one line. I've seen a lot of beautiful poems that lost its charm because it has like twenty words per line. It is always an achievement when you managed to deliver your message through very few words.

- Keep it clear. Sure, people expect to see 'big words' in poetries. But remember that your readers are not all linguists. Try to play with the wording arrangement instead. Failing that, find a word that are not only meaningful but also widely understood. A poem that has way too much 'big words' make readers feel detached from the story.

- Keep it free. Is rhyming poem fun? Yes, it's a whole lot of fun. But let's admit it; when you're writing a rhyming poem, you spend more time searching about that one rhyme than telling the story through your verses instead. If you're a beginner, stick to free-verses. It's a beautiful piece of art, too!

- Have fun. Remember that you're telling a story. Maybe YOUR story. So focus on that. Wording and grammar comes later.


I'm not writing poetry myself, but I think the advice you gave is really really good! I've noticed too that people tend to create long lines with out of ordinary words (beautiful lines, to be honest) but that are really inaccessible! If I look at classic poetry, it's usually simpler!

And as it was said, create character that have depth. Make the readers ask themselves: "Now is this person a protagonist or an antagonist??" Make them do both positive and negative things, cause real people aren't only bad or only good, they don't fall into a patter THAT much.

Merged double post. -Cygnus David

[DiamondsGirl]

And as it was said, create character that have depth. Make the readers ask themselves: "Now is this person a protagonist or an antagonist??" Make them do both positive and negative things, cause real people aren't only bad or only good, they don't fall into a patter THAT much.

agreed 100%. Unless you're writing children's book, that is.

[Elysium]

Here are a bunch of tumblr master posts with writing resources (I'm obsessed with bookmarking this stuff):
Here (http://londons.co.vu/post/74441219059/so-here-are-a-bunch-of-resources-ive-gathered-i)
Here (http://germanottaaa.tumblr.com/post/75170883288/im-bored-of-life-and-everything-so-i-decided-to)
Here (http://janesfoster.tumblr.com/post/60574284698/qwiddich-massive-writing-resource-database)
Here (http://rhydonmyhardon.com/post/74264842093/ehlectrify-so-these-are-just-a-bunch-of-useful)
Here (http://im5-official.tumblr.com/post/72679885546/sorry-for-the-really-long-post-i-wanted-to-make)
Here (http://winnie-the-bish.tumblr.com/post/71880773626/fuckyourwritinghabits-emptymanuscript)
Here (http://www.bakura.co.uk/post/73014971042/ever-wanted-to-do-some-stuff-like-different)
Here (http://braveandkindofrighteous.tumblr.com/post/41474950423/ultimate-writing-resource-list)
Here (http://thewritersarchive.tumblr.com/post/51965789306), and there may be some other helpful things on this blog

Other writing resources:
Here (http://www.biographile.com/good-prose-month-advice-from-a-vp-executive-managing-editor-and-copy-chief-from-a-to-x/11921/)
Here (http://writers-den.pantomimepony.co.uk/writers-plot-ideas.php)
Here (http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-writing-exercises-that-will-make-you-more-creative_p2/)

I'm obsessed with writing advice. I know I have a few more sites/blogs somewhere, but I can't find them at the moment.

[Microcosm]

I suck at writing stories, and I know poem-writing isn't popular, but here goes:

My Take On What Makes A Good Poem
- Keep it simple. Use small things around you as an inspiration. For example; an eraser. Seriously! My current favorite work was "born" after I spent 20 seconds staring at my brand new eraser.

- Keep it short. Don't condense too many words into one line. I've seen a lot of beautiful poems that lost its charm because it has like twenty words per line. It is always an achievement when you managed to deliver your message through very few words.

- Keep it clear. Sure, people expect to see 'big words' in poetries. But remember that your readers are not all linguists. Try to play with the wording arrangement instead. Failing that, find a word that are not only meaningful but also widely understood. A poem that has way too much 'big words' make readers feel detached from the story.

- Keep it free. Is rhyming poem fun? Yes, it's a whole lot of fun. But let's admit it; when you're writing a rhyming poem, you spend more time searching about that one rhyme than telling the story through your verses instead. If you're a beginner, stick to free-verses. It's a beautiful piece of art, too!

- Have fun. Remember that you're telling a story. Maybe YOUR story. So focus on that. Wording and grammar comes later.

I like the way this is written. I would also like to say that the best way to improve your writing is to just write. Write about your day or write about someone. You can write about absolutely anything and it helps.

[Syvelocin]

I'll just throw one of my pet peeves out first: do NOT be afraid of the word "said." It's generally not the most descriptive, but both extremes of its usage are undesirable. If every one is proclaimed, injected, etc then what base dialogue can you compare it with? I can't tell you how annoying it is when every-single "said" word is not said. It's great you have a vast vocabulary; it's a really important tool. Have some taste and don't show it off too much, however. Think of vocabulary more like a tool box that you pick from as you craft your piece. If you have a tool that does the job better, why use anything else?

I could harp on all day about writing tips, but instead I'll share one of my most valuable resources while I'm working on my novels: The Writer's Cheat Sheet (http://www.writerscheatsheet.com/). I have this up on the wall next to my computer for easy reference. Also, 25 Ways to Make Exposition Your Bitch (http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/08/09/25-ways-to-make-exposition-your-bitch/). Another one of my pet peeves is a writer who relies too heavily on exposition. Exposition is the bane of good writing and should be used sparingly. It's a difficult one for those of us (yes, me included) who are very indirect and love being wordy, but cutting out the fat in your writing is very much necessary.

Overcome the blank-page anxiety. Your time as a writer is the most valuable thing and you are wasting it by sparing that blank page of your word vomit. Dare to write badly. Dare to fill a fresh document with utter bullshit. "You might not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page." - Jodi Picoult. To write is to take risks, and while the consequences of our risks are minimal, we must still be willing to take them or we'll neither succeed nor suck balls at our craft. The latter, at least, can be improved.

[youraveragegirl]

Great tip on writing: Show, don't tell.
More on this here! http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-to-show-your-story-instead-of.html

[LouBerry]

Study your damn subject. If you're writing a story, a fanfic, a poem, anything, do. your. research. If you're writing something original, study behavior, study looks, and all the dynamics in your story, make it real. If you're doing a fic, deal lord make it realistic. Read every book, watch every movie/t.v. show, make notes, go back and look things up, don't mess up the character. If it's a poem, make sure you know how poems work, and how metaphors work, and try to throw in some literary devises.