Writing Steps and Tips

1. CALM DOWN!!!! The key to starting any writing is to relax, take a deep breath, and not stress out over what to write. Remember: You will revise a million times before you reach a finished product, so if you don’t get what you want the first draft, it is okay! IT IS A FIRST DRAFT!! That is their function.

2. Okay, now that you are calm and in Zen, you have to decide some very important key points. This is a skeleton. PRE-WRITING IS THE KEY! I always say that any story begins with writing down a stream of consciousness. It only makes sense to you, but if you do not get all of it down, you might forget it. You must always make a skeleton of what you are writing, an outline, for instance. Always answer the most important questions: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW. WHO is the main character(s). What i do is make a character profile with their description and personality traits. this helps in writing reactions to the story. WHAT happens? What does the character go through to make the rising action... What is the turning point, the main event.. this does not have to be detailed. One word works like "DISASTER" or "PLANE CRASH"../ WHEN do these things take place? at what time does the character come in? What time is the setting? WHERE do the events take place? Where is the character? this is basically the setting of the story. HOW do the events take place? What is the specifics that cause the event, the rising action to the climax of the tragedy or happy event. And finally... WHY? This is the fundamental question. Why does this event take place? What is the motivation behind the villain, if you have one. All stories have the why, the whole point of the story. This can be a lesson, the theme, the motive of evil, or something like discovering what originally started an event. This is what my English teacher would call the SO WHAT of the story...

3. Now that you have an outline of what the story is, the major events, you start filling in the specifics of each thing. This is basically extending your knowledge on what you’re writing about. You dig deeper in to the five questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how. For the WHO, if you haven’t made a profile of them, make one. To help describe them, draw their picture, or find a celebrity who resembles them to better convey to the readers what your characters look like. For the WHAT, research events similar so as to get terminology correct. You need to make it believable, or if it is fantasy, believable enough so readers can suspend their belief. You want to have explanations on the WHAT that happens so that the story will make sense to the reader, and not absolutely absurd or they will be disinterested. For the WHEN, research styles and traditions of the time period, if not the present. You don’t want the main character to have an Ipod while in the 1930’s. For the future, all I can say is research technology in the making, or proposed, and HAVE FUN. Imagination is the key in any story. You need to know what is around to describe the setting, and learning proper vernacular of the time period helps as well to create the illusion of believability. If in a time not on earth, USE YOUR IMAGINATION… but as a suggestion, most fantasy novels are set in medieval times... WHERE is pretty much self-explanatory. If you write in a city, get the map of it to have the names of streets and buildings. If you are in a country, get a map of that, and pictures to better describe the setting. If it is in a fantasy world, draw a map of that world. For the HOW, research. If there is a plane crash, figure out how a plane can crash and what causes it, learn terminology. IF fantasy, imagine it all, but explain it… you have to show how this even took place. For the WHY… If a villain does something, you have to have a reason for them to have done it. Simply saying that they are Evil does not cut it. They have to have a motive… maybe revenge, which is popular. It helps to read up on the psychology of evil geniuses. If a person does not do the event, research how events similar to it are caused, and what could have been done to prevent it. It helps to get technical, but not too much… too many big words turns readers away.

4. Now that you have the outline, pictures, and research, you can begin writing. You have to decide how you ware going to structure it. Chapters? Sections? Parts? Don’t worry about length, that decides itself as you write. Now, no matter how you are going to structure the story, you have to make a good start. Unfortunately, all books have commentary that sets up the story so the reader has a foundation to base what they are reading on. This where you introduce the character, explain the setting, and the situation. Take Eragon, for example. It is done in chapters, and for the first few, explains whom Eragon is, where he lives, and shows some day-to-day life. Of course, we all know that something is going to happen to ruin the insignificant life of a farmer boy. This is the arrival of the Dragon Egg. This small event turns the book upside down. It starts the adventure. This is the turning event. Through the book, he discovers where it came form and why, but that is later, and adds to the suspense. Make sure you don’t give anything away to early, and don’t worry about foreshadowing. That can be done after the first draft is written. Now, unlike Eragon, Dirk Pitt novels are based on Earth and always start with some event in the past that triggers the change in the main characters life. This historical event, such as a ship taking Alexander’s Library in secret and hiding it, is the basis for the Dirk Pitt’s adventure. After the historical event, there is commentary to show what the character is doing at that time, and then something happens to push him into the mystery of the historical event. Now, it is your choice on how to start, but here are some suggestions: flashback, action, history lesson, reflection, or the beginning of a day. A flashback is a character remembering an event in the past that has some significance to the events of the story, whether it is action that he remembers leading up to it, or hints on why this action happens. Action is jumping right into the changing event. Maybe the character is running away from something, or a disaster happens. Only you know. The history lesson is bringing a reader up to date on what has happened. Reflection sometimes begins ‘I was crazy to have done___” Or “I remember when___”. Its significance depends on where you want to take the story. Maybe it is a history lesson, or it is a narrator beginning a story from the past. What ever the beginning, the most important thing is to BE CREATIVE AND ATTRACT YOUR READERS ATTENTION!!!! If you do not peak their interest within the first chapter, all is lost. Some people, when searching to buy a book read the first chapter in the store, or the first paragraph. Good books always entrap the reader in this section.

5. Now that you decided on structure, decide point of view: first person, third person limited, or third person omniscient. First person is saying “I”, third limited is saying “she” but the only thing the reader knows is what that character knows, and third omniscient is the same as limited, but you know what others are thinking, what other characters not near the main is doing and you can be inside more than one persons head at once. This is critical. The point of view adds to the mood.

6. Now, you have to decide on the mood, and if you haven’t already, the genre. Is the book dark, or comical? Is it fantasy, science fiction, or romance? Deciding the genre helps to write the book and the plot, and the mood to better put foreshadowing.

7. Start writing. Use your resources to tell the story. Follow your outline, use the character traits, and use the pictures for description. This is your first draft, very rough, and very short. As you write, I guarantee that you will think of new ideas, new twists, and new events to happen. Put these down on paper separately. Also, it would be a good time to think of the BAM at the end of the story. This is the twist that reveals everything, and makes the reader go “oh, how stupid was I” or “oh my gosh.” You want to wow them, and make them think about your story even after they have read it. Here is a tip, be creative and DO NOT SUM UP! It is not good to sum up the “years after” the resolution of the story. Go out while you are still wanted, or like comedians say, “leave them laughing.” If you add too much at the end, they wont like the book, but don’t end abruptly. Write enough to tell the resolution, and maybe a short paragraph at plans ahead. Ending with a one-sentence paragraph is always good, such as “They never saw him again.” DO NOT SAY THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!! Be creative with your ending. If you plan on making a series, say something to keep the readers thinking. In my book, Desdemona, I end with the library opening after years of it being shut, and with the paragraph of not knowing what is going to happen next, but knowing that something will happen. Asking questions are good too.

8. Once you have the first draft, go over the new ideas. These ideas are what I like to call Fillers. These are the little things that give the book substance, and prevent the story from being to rapid. They can be side plots, complications, realizations, love triangles... anything. You have your main plot, but you also have these little things that make the story…. MORE…. You don’t want a story that has a one-track mind. When you outline these Fillers into your main outline and type them, you will have more and more. While Fillers are good, use them in moderation. Too many side plots and actions confuse readers and will not make sense. It helps to have these Fillers meld in with the main plot and contribute to the meaning of it. Also, here is where you can put some foreshadowing. You already wrote what will happen, so put in some clues to them in the beginning, but make sure to reveal how they are related in the end. You don’t want what I call Hangnails. These are little pieces of information that are not fully developed and make no sense whatsoever! Avoid these.

9. After Fillers, and editing Hangnails, you can begin your revision. Go through the story, making sure all the Fillers fit, and that everything comes together, and checking grammar. This is the time to add the major description and details, filling in the spaces. You add more details, hints, twists, and Fillers as you think of them. You are not done at this point. You need to read your story at least 3 TIMES!!!! Read it to yourself, out loud, and to another person. Reading it out loud allows you to hear grammar mistakes and awkward sentences. Reading it to someone else lets them decide if what you write makes sense. REMEMBER!! What you read and hear may make sense to you, but not to others!!!

10. Finally, after these steps, give it to someone else to read to themselves… and give them a red pen. ALWAYS SEEK A SECOND OPINION!!! Make sure the person who reads it is of high intelligence that can spot mistakes and give educated suggestions. Maybe an English teacher, professor, or a close friend who has a degree. The best person, I would say, would be a creative writing teacher, or a friend who also writes stories. Once they have read it, making suggestions an pointing weaknesses out, fix your story. Revise what you have written, taking their view into consideration. Align your story one more time to flow, and then let them read it again. I would suggest getting someone else to read it. The first person already knows what happens and will probably skim it, not read it. Allowing another person to read it will test what suggestions you have taken into consideration. This person, I would suggest, be less educated. Maybe a sibling who reads the genre you wrote in, or a fellow student, or co-worker. If they can understand it, and stay interested, you have a nice story on your hands. (I suggest that you mail your story to yourself, or copyright it before anyone else sees it. This is for your protection. Claim it as yours first. Even the best of friends might betray you if the story is promising enough to make them money.)

Take these steps as suggestions, and USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!!! IF you don’t, blandness will take over. Creativity is the key!