Post by Shinobi-Iri (nick) on Mar 29, 2008 11:52:21 GMT -5
Writing your Story
The hardest part about being an Author is actually finding the time to sit down and write something. It could be any number of reasons why they can’t: Personal Reasons, Schooll, Jobs, Laziness etc. but there is one fundamental thing you need to remember; writing a story just takes time, so if you put in enough time it should be done in no time. Here are my tips on how to actually complete your work.
- Find a quiet place to start writing, avoid listening to music or the TV while you are writing as this creates unnecessary audible distractions.
- Find your medium; there’s two realistic ways to put your words on paper, a computer or good old fashioned handwritten notes. The advantage of handwriting is that you get a sense of accomplishment after completing a story made of your blood, sweat, tears and lead pencil. The advantage of the computer is that it’s quick and easier, but also easier to make small mistakes. However both have their downsides, for handwriting it is that it may get a little daunting, slow and boring handwriting all those words. For computers it is that one crash could cause you to lose whole bodies of work, so save regularly and be prepared to backtrack over stuff.
- Write notes on characters, places, plotlines and things, there’s nothing more boring than backtracking over hundreds of words to find that one little detail you’ve forgotten. Maybe you’ve accidentally written that your main character was born in Madrid to a wealthy family when actually he was born in Portugal to a poor one…well actually that might be a little too big to forget, but just really little things that experience writers who are reading your work WILL pick up, because they have the same problems.
And most importantly…
- Keep writing, keep sharing, keep persistent and have fun…what’s the point of being a writer if you don’t have fun doing it? Do things you wouldn’t normally do, have your characters bend reality, it’s all up to you.
Grammar, Spelling, Sentence Structure…the three deaths of a Writer
Any writer can tell you that the little mistakes are what brings a potential genius down. You could have perfect characters, plot, settings and things, but if you can’t spell or string a sentence together, then you’re not going very far in this business. Check this out…
Tommy steped out of his howse and walked down the street until he sore his friend bobby hey bobby tommy said enthooseeastically to him
Imagine opening a word file of this story who you think sounds great and seeing that as the first sentence, you’d be heartbroken and disappointed wouldn’t you? But if you opened the file and saw this…
Tommy stepped out of his house and headed briskly down the street until he came across his good friend Bobby. He approached Bobby and shook his hand good-naturedly, grinning to show he was happy to see him.
“Hey Bobby,” Tommy said, quite enthusiastically.
See the difference the grammar and spelling can do? This wasn’t the best sentence to begin with, but it was improved a lot by the simple addition of basic editing techniques. Here’s the secret to writing, you can be the worst speller, use no grammar and have no visible sentence structure at all, but if you apply your basic editing techniques like revision and using a spell check, then you will be flying. Remember: Microsoft Word Tools turn a OK writer into a good one, and a good one into a great one, it’s that simple.
With this guide, you should be well on your way to becoming a readable writer. I’m not saying this guide will make you money as a writer, but it’s just a fundamental skill you need to learn, how to write s successful story.
Just one last tip, if you’re a new writer, pick something that you’re into and write some fan-fiction. Then, when you feel confident, start making your own plots and characters and maybe even a world to put them in.
The hardest part about being an Author is actually finding the time to sit down and write something. It could be any number of reasons why they can’t: Personal Reasons, Schooll, Jobs, Laziness etc. but there is one fundamental thing you need to remember; writing a story just takes time, so if you put in enough time it should be done in no time. Here are my tips on how to actually complete your work.
- Find a quiet place to start writing, avoid listening to music or the TV while you are writing as this creates unnecessary audible distractions.
- Find your medium; there’s two realistic ways to put your words on paper, a computer or good old fashioned handwritten notes. The advantage of handwriting is that you get a sense of accomplishment after completing a story made of your blood, sweat, tears and lead pencil. The advantage of the computer is that it’s quick and easier, but also easier to make small mistakes. However both have their downsides, for handwriting it is that it may get a little daunting, slow and boring handwriting all those words. For computers it is that one crash could cause you to lose whole bodies of work, so save regularly and be prepared to backtrack over stuff.
- Write notes on characters, places, plotlines and things, there’s nothing more boring than backtracking over hundreds of words to find that one little detail you’ve forgotten. Maybe you’ve accidentally written that your main character was born in Madrid to a wealthy family when actually he was born in Portugal to a poor one…well actually that might be a little too big to forget, but just really little things that experience writers who are reading your work WILL pick up, because they have the same problems.
And most importantly…
- Keep writing, keep sharing, keep persistent and have fun…what’s the point of being a writer if you don’t have fun doing it? Do things you wouldn’t normally do, have your characters bend reality, it’s all up to you.
Grammar, Spelling, Sentence Structure…the three deaths of a Writer
Any writer can tell you that the little mistakes are what brings a potential genius down. You could have perfect characters, plot, settings and things, but if you can’t spell or string a sentence together, then you’re not going very far in this business. Check this out…
Tommy steped out of his howse and walked down the street until he sore his friend bobby hey bobby tommy said enthooseeastically to him
Imagine opening a word file of this story who you think sounds great and seeing that as the first sentence, you’d be heartbroken and disappointed wouldn’t you? But if you opened the file and saw this…
Tommy stepped out of his house and headed briskly down the street until he came across his good friend Bobby. He approached Bobby and shook his hand good-naturedly, grinning to show he was happy to see him.
“Hey Bobby,” Tommy said, quite enthusiastically.
See the difference the grammar and spelling can do? This wasn’t the best sentence to begin with, but it was improved a lot by the simple addition of basic editing techniques. Here’s the secret to writing, you can be the worst speller, use no grammar and have no visible sentence structure at all, but if you apply your basic editing techniques like revision and using a spell check, then you will be flying. Remember: Microsoft Word Tools turn a OK writer into a good one, and a good one into a great one, it’s that simple.
With this guide, you should be well on your way to becoming a readable writer. I’m not saying this guide will make you money as a writer, but it’s just a fundamental skill you need to learn, how to write s successful story.
Just one last tip, if you’re a new writer, pick something that you’re into and write some fan-fiction. Then, when you feel confident, start making your own plots and characters and maybe even a world to put them in.