Things I've Learned About Writing

Writing Tips I Learned From My Writing Coach and Others




1. Post a sign on your computer that says: Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch

2. Show. Don’t tell. Use of a fair amount of dialogue will help you do this.

3. Don’t write for more than 4 hours a day – you’ll lose your focus.

4. Just write. You can’t learn to write if you don’t write.

5. Books sell because they sell.

6. Write about what you know.

7. Vary your sentence openers.

a. Subject openers

b. Prepositional openers

c. Ly openers (Lately,…)

d. Ing openers (Fuming…)

e. Clausal openers (When, While, Because, etc.)

f. VSS – Very short sentences (5 words or less)

g. –ed openers (Galvanized…)

8. Don’t use too many prodigious words – you’ll lose people. :P

9. Finish what you start.

10. Edit your printed work by turning it upside down to read it.

11. Accuracy can make or break your story.

12. Read a LOT.

13. Read the Classics.

14. Avoid overuse of pronouns.

15. Vary your vocabulary.

16. Take paper and pen with you EVERYwhere.

17. Or use a digital recorder (but take it with you EVERYwhere).

18. Copy your work to a thumb drive, disc, or other file saving medium. Copy it more than once. Email it to yourself AND a friend. Print it. DON’T let your compute crash with your only copy.

19. Roll-play your characters’ actions. (Ex: fight scene)

20. Write descriptively. But don’t over-write it.

21. Write at the same time every day. The consistency helps your creativity.

22. Write in active voice, avoid passive voice.

23. Eat well. Seriously. :-)

24. Keep all of your old stuff – you never know.

25. Blog, follow blogs, review books and comment. It’s how you get your name out there.