Other Tips for beginning to write

[Averagefictionalrose]

Hey guys!

Little bit about me: I'm a creative person. A theatre and filmmaker. I've got a brain bursting with ideas to be turned into stuff BUT I don't know how to get them into substance.

My plan was to be creative and journal my research, pulling out bits and pieces.

Any ideas would be great!!!

 

[Simon_Hawk]

Hi, I'm not that creative and seem to be lacking in ideas. But I feel like I have learned a great deal of mechanical skills when it comes to organizing a scene or whatever. Not sure if this helps but I will share with you the S.P.O.O.C. method in the example below. You can apply it to scenes, chapters, or overall plot arc. You just ask what is the Situation, who is the Protagonist, what is their Objective, what Obstacles will they over come, and finally the Climax or Conclusion of the events.

S.P.O.O.C.

Situation. Rana Ellow is hired to capture wanted criminal Mord Olgar.

Protagonist. Rana Ellow

Objective. To capture Mord and bring him to prison even though she is new.

Opponent. Mord Olgar

Climax. But Mord resists and uses illegal magic to gain the advantage.

 

[Satanic Nightjar]

Haha, I'm just the opposite. I've got a brain as blank and about as creative as a white sheet of paper, but lots of experience with writing.

I would say one thing that can have a major impact on your story is the organization. A having a well thought-out foundation can be extremely beneficial later on in your writing. One thing that can help make this a habit is to constantly reread your work. It is time consuming but it does pay off in the end, and it's an absolute necessity for aspiring writers. In my personal experience, another common issue among authors is leaving some things unclear. As the writer, you may be unaware of mistakes in your writing, puzzle pieces that don't quite fit together, because of your brain automatically filling in the gaps. It may be perfectly obvious to you, but your reader may be uncertain and think it is poorly written. The most effective cure for this would be to have someone else (preferably a fellow writer!) read over your story and point out anything that doesn't make sense.

Something else I've noticed - the quality of your characters is directly related to the quality of your story. If your main characters (and your side characters, though this is less relevant) are two dimensional and entirely unrealistic, your writing will not be successful. However, if they are detailed with realistic personalities and flaws, strengths and weaknesses, motives and a driving purpose, your story (at least in my opinion) will be greatly improved. Not just your protagonist, but also your villain can benefit from this. Similarly, a realistic situation can really help your story.

 

[scorpiodragon]

What are you writing for? A story or an RP?

I am not much help with role playing. Almost everything “original” on an rp site has been done before and cliches (high school slice of life, vampires and werewolves, etc.) still have people interested in them and willing to do them. My suggestion is plan out on paper or in a word document what you want. If you are looking at something historical for a setting, research everything about that unless you don’t care for it to be realistic. Even then it is likely a good idea to have an idea of the setting.

Make a character with strengths and weaknesses. No character is perfect and people tend to hate Mary Sue/Gary Stu. Give them mental and physical weaknesses if you can as well as flaws. If you need help with personality traits this could help: Personality Traits

If your character is disabled and you do not have said disability or do not know anyone with disability, research it.

If you are writing a book...

• Don’t worry about the title. I find that a bit hard but may come up with ideas by using the Book Titles on fantasy name generator or that just come to me while writing the book.
• Again if you are doing a historical setting research. This will help make it more realistic. If you have never been somewhere, research it or if you have time/money go to it. Experience or research the people, history, geography, culture, food, etc.
• Find a quiet place to write if possible. Put on the tv or music for background noise.
• Make time to write. If you work and have the weekend free, schedule an hour or so in the morning to write. Or whenever you are most awake.
• Plan an outline. Jot down ideas as they come to you throughout the day. Keep any research you do with your notes so you can reference it. For me it took six months to plan one book and six months to write it. For this series I am working on, it is world building and constant research/planning. Coming up with names of days, races, money, looking into 17th century research from technology to medicine to food, etc. But it is something I enjoy.
• Your muse will come and go. Trust me. You won’t be the next Stephen King or JK Rowling or K.A. Applegate overnight. Write because you want to and don’t get frustrated or try not to if it goes. Take a break. Watch tv or read a book. Maybe the muse will strike as you are waking your dog or watching your favorite comedy.
• Get an editor if you can though publishing companies do have editors. They tend to come with the package, in self publishing anyway.