There is a magic to writing, whether it is a poet, a novelist, or a journalist who holds the pen. Anyone who has ever tried to compose pages on pages of combinations of twenty-six letters knows that it isn't that easy, talent or not. In that case, I'm here to give tips for those miserably staring at their computer screen for an answer to every writer's problems.
When it comes to writing fiction, there are key points you always need to have settled before you begin: perspective, audience, genre, and a vague plot-line.
When it comes to writing fiction, there are key points you always need to have settled before you begin: perspective, audience, genre, and a vague plot-line.
- Trust me when I say that many times I've begun to write a story in first-person only to get to the next chapter and decided to write in third. Not only is it a hassle to go over everything to fit another point-of-view's standards, but it's also unnecessary. With your perspective solid, you won't have to make a beginner's mistake.
- Another thing to note is your audience. You might start a story aimed towards a young age group, but find yourself wanting to put in a make-out session that will most likely leave innocent, little fourth-graders gawking. Also, unless you are a serious writer, avoid the vicious sex scenes when writing for teenagers. If you are mature enough to pull it off, try not to get too detailed to avoid becoming another "Fifty Shades of Grey."
- Of course, genre is a major factor when it comes to writing fiction. Don't worry, you aren't the only one who starts the story out as a light, romantic comedy and suddenly there are aliens, monsters, and Brad Pitt rescuing you from a burning building! You can lose your mind in a story if you haven't gotten the genre figured out. When you write science fiction, remember one thing. There is science involved-- lots of science. If you naively wander into the realm of sci-fi without any experience, you'll be in grave danger. It may not be nonfiction, but science fiction requires plenty research, because it must still be accurate. With romances, ease on the drama. There are many stories on Quotev where the tale is wildly unrealistic. It's not that drama is a bad thing, but too much can turn the reader off. Do not push the story-line. If the conflict is resolved, don't make a new one... or at least save it for the sequel.
- The worst thing to do is get into a story without actually knowing the story. There may be moments when you think of a great introduction, but don't know what to write next! No worries. When it comes to moments like these, take a step back. How is the intro being approached? Is it dark and mysterious? Light and humorous? Instead of "just writing" after you create an amazing first paragraph, realize that even the greatest storytellers take time to perfect the art of their tales. If you lose track of where the story is going, here's an idea. Follow the plot diagram, as childish as it seems. When it comes to complicated story-lines, it's always best to have very detailed notes with the following categories: background, character biographies and descriptions, and when it comes to fantasy or sci-fi, descriptions of creatures, powers or technology.
Now that you're ready to finally begin writing, there are many rules your English textbook tells you to follow. Don't worry if you find yourself using passive voice too much. Always keep in mind that you are not a professional and there is lots of room for improvement. Over the years, you can perfect your grammar, punctuation and all the others your editor warns you about. There are several mistakes beginners tend to make, all of which most of you are familiar with. There's occasionally trouble with homophones, commas, capitalization, word usage and paragraph forms.
- I know it is painful to hear, but everybody screws up eventually when it comes to similar words. For example, I almost wrote "here" instead of "hear" in the first sentence. The best thing to do is to learn how to spot them quickly before some bloke on the internet decides to moronically correct you with a message that you automatically read in a snobby voice. I could go over the common missteps when it comes to homophones; for example, they're-their-there and affect-effect. However, the easiest way is to be weary of every sentence when revising, because no matter how much faith you have in yourself, nobody is perfect.
- Another fault when writing is where to plant a comma. I find myself using too many commas, putting them in places unneeded. If you aren't sure you should put in a comma somewhere, say the sentence aloud. This works most of the time, but occasionally a sentence may have a break and no comma. Keep in mind that a comma always follows transition words. Transitions are words like however, therefore, furthermore, etc. For a longer list of transition words, follow this link: transitions.
- Capitalization is also a huge problem. Some writers forget to capitalize "I" and sometimes proper nouns like "Spanish" and "Europe." Remember that every proper noun should be capitalized, which means names, specific places and languages shouldn't be lower-cased. A frequent misconception is that family names, such as "uncle" and "grandpa" should always be capitalized. This is wrong. The only time these words should be uppercase is when it is part of the name, like "Uncle Paul" and "Grandpa Taylor." If you aren't using it as a title, leave the word lower-cased.
- Furthermore, an awful oversight is using the same word too often. Before you say anything, the reader does notice these things, even if you don't. You don't want to sound like a broken record, nor bore someone with your incredibly dull vocabulary. If you're having difficulty finding a replacement for a word, don't be afraid to pick up a thesaurus. It won't make you any less of a writer.
- Paragraphs create the image of your book. You don't want them too long, or else they'll make the reader's eyes droop, but you don't want them too short. Officially, the default amount of sentences per paragraph is five. This is not including dialogue! At the start of another character, you start a new paragraph! Don't forget this. I see this mistake much too often. Always use the justified paragraph form, which is the last available choice. It makes the passages look more professional and less sloppy. Indent, indent, indent! I cannot emphasize this any more. Unless you're doing bulletins, a paragraph must be indented. Using the tab button on your keyboard is a quick and easy way to keep your passages from blending into each other.
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