◐ Writing Guide ◑

[Lynnden_472]

WRITING GUIDE

"Welcome to A Written Word's Writing Guide. Here you'll find many things you'll need to get your writing life started. Many of these tips, tricks, and random writing information I have picked up from either writing classes I have taken or books that I have read. Please enjoy."

Please note that some of these links go back to our original guild. So if you post in any of them, make sure they aren't from the old guild.


Contents:
Basic Rules Of Writing
Step 1: Create Your Characters
Step 2: Plotting
Step 3: Begin Writing
Step 4: Revise, Revise, Revise
Step 5: Final Copy
Tips & Tricks
Creative Juices: How To Slaughter Writer's Block
Get Your Words Out
Member's Helpful Hints:
Got Something You Want To See Included In The Writer's Guide?
Even More Help  

[Lynnden_472]

BASIC RULES OF WRITING

Sentence Structure
How you create your sentences is very important. Don't be too repetitive, don't sound smarter than you are (talk to your reader naturally,) make sure all your sentences are full sentences, don't punctuate in the wrong places, there are so many things you have to remember when creating your sentences. (This is why it's a good idea to revise your work so many times.)

The best way to know how not to create a sentence in the wrong way, is to know how the sentence should be created (and read) in the right way.Do some research on sentence structure to help give yourself a better understanding, or, you can just read books! Reading helps you gain the knowledge of how a sentence should be created, worded, sounding, and structured.  

[Lynnden_472]

STEP 1: CREATE YOUR CHARACTERS


How Do I Come Up With A Good Character?
The first step to coming up with a good character is to make them seem real. You can either take someone you know, and twist their life around a little bit (ex. if they are a dentist, instead make them a garbage man,) or you can take someone you meet, run into, or happen to notice and give them a background. (ex. job, personality, ect.)

Give Your Character A New Name
Come up with a good name for your character. If you can't think of one, flip through a baby name book, and old yearbook or Take A Dip Into The Name Bin or Check Out This Naming Guidebook found on gaia!

Not, it is very important that you know your character fully before you begin to write your story. Or, that you get to know them even better as you write. This will provide a character that your readers can really relate to and feel for. You should know everything about your character, as if they were your best friend.

Ways To Get To Know Your Character

Make A Character Sketch
A character sketch not a sketch at all. It's just the answers to a few question. Write the answers to these question on a piece of paper, keep your answers in mind when you are writing, so you can always remember how your character should act, look like, and perform.

Home Made Character Sketch Made By MeeSh_Lynn
Character Sketch

Take A Day In The Life Of Your Character
Act as if you were your own character! Throughout the day, respond to things as if you were your character. Live out the day as they might, in their personalities.

Good Job!
Now you have a character you can work with!  

[Lynnden_472]

STEP 2: PLOTTING

Begin Plotting
The second "pre-step" to actually writing your story is plotting it. This is actually an optional step - if you have a "world" or "character" in mind you can easily just run with those and start writing. However, at some point you are going to have to know what comes next.

Ways To Get Inspired About Your Plot
1. Sit in a quiet place with a notebook. Write as if your characters were sitting next to you, have a conversation with them and see where their lives are going.

"This is a good way to develop your characters personalities as well."

2. Go to sleep. Maybe you'll have a good "story dream."

3. Ask someone you know about there childhood.

4. Go through the newspaper and find interesting stories - re-create them as your own.

5. Choose a writing prompt in our main forum.

6. Read.

"Reading provides great ideas because you can take someone's small one single thought that a character might have had in the book, and develop that small thing into a much larger story of your own."

Write Your Plot Down
Just so you don't forget - make sure you write your plot down along with any thoughts about any scene ideas you may have in your head. The is a good way to remind yourself throughout your writing, what exactly it is you are writing about and aiming toward.
 

[Lynnden_472]

STEP 3: BEGIN WRITING

A Good Way To Start Off...
...is to begin with your first page. biggrin The first page of any story is a very important page - during this first page, during the first paragraph, the first sentence, even sometimes the first word is when a reader decides whether the book is worth their time to continue reading. Again, this is a very important page so make sure you introduce your characters well, make them interesting! You don't need to reveal your character's problems or the rest of the plot if you don't wish to do so, but if your reader cares about your characters, then your reader will keep reading!

Any Ideas?
If you have any of any scenes, at any point in your story it's a good idea to create them while their fresh in your mind. No matter if you write them in order or not! If you are on page two but you come up with a great ending, or a great middle scene - switch and work on that. If your story changes at any point, you can always revise these scenes to make them fit. Make sure you go back later and create your transition scenes in between your "foreseen scenes."
If you don't have any ideas of scenes, just keep writing!  

[Lynnden_472]

STEP 4: REVISE, REVISE, REVISE

Why Is It Important?
Revising your work is very important because it's best to get it right! Get every word right, make every paragraph fit together - make sure every little detail is correct and is the way you want your story to be portrayed.

How do I begin revising?
Begin by reading! After you've finished your first draft, let your words and your pencil (pens, or keyboard) cool off for a few days. Then go back and read the entire thing! Make sure everything fits together and every word is perfect. Make sure that it sounds right when you read it (the best way to do this is to read out loud, or let someone else read it, or even let someone else read it to you.)

Then What?
Fix and edit everything that doesn't sound right, or that seems a little off. (Don't forget your grammar and spelling!)

How many times should I revise?
As many times as it takes to get it perfect!

Things To Doublecheck:
1. Make sure you have continuity! Make sure everything in your writing is constant. For example, don't tell your readers that your main character lives in Florida, then describe their Christmas as "a snowy afternoon."

"A good way to avoid "un-continuity" is to make a list of all the important details, like your characters names, best friends, where they live, favorite foods, and important dates in your story, addresses, ect."

2. Grammar and Spelling.

3. Punctuation and run on sentences.  

[Lynnden_472]

STEP 5: FINAL COPY

Your final copy should be flawless!
This is a difficult step because it may take a long time to achieve but if you want your work to be the best it can be, you have to get to this point.

After My Last Revision What Should I Do
Read your work one last time to make sure everything is perfect. If you find one flaw, you should probably rewrite, then reread again. (At least the chapter if it's a huge book.)

"TaDa You Are Finished!"

 

[Lynnden_472]

TIPS & TRICKS


Paragraphs
Believe it or not, the shape of your paragraphs makes a big difference in the world of writing. For example, have you ever read a paragraph that is two pages long? You go into reading this paragraph with dread, because their is no breaking point between one thought and the next. Keep your paragraphs short, just as sentences, you want to divide them up wherever possible.

Writing A Long Story
Everything in your story or book should have a point to being written. In your final drafts, you should not have something written that has no reason for being there.
An easy way to eliminate this during the writing process is to write the BIG SCENES first. If when starting out you can see where you want the story to end, write the ending scene. If you can see a scene that is somewhere in the middle, write that scene down. Link your scenes that you have foreseen (lol) with scenes between them.

"I've done this, it makes it a lot easier when writing longer stories." - MeeSh_Lynn

Create Your Own Character Sketch
Think you've got a good idea of questions you'd like to ask when you create a character in order to get to know them better? Make your own character sketch, save it on your computer. Use these questions as a default whenever you create a new character. Make sure you save each character's description, you never know when you might need to look back, or use this "actor" again.  

[Lynnden_472]

CREATIVE JUICES: HOW TO SLAUGHTER WRITER'S BLOCK

Visit These Threads And Sites For Tips On Writer's Block!
A Written Word: Writer Blockage Tips!

Writing Prompts
A Written Words Writing Prompts. Grab a sheet of paper, pick a prompt and let your mind wander. Write down everything that comes into your head whether it seems to make sense at the time or not.

More Writing Prompts

Keep A Writer's Journal
If you happen to see something interesting on the side of the road, or come up with a unique thought while your traveling in another country, always keep a writer's journal with you. Write down your thoughts, random things you see, or things that happen to you during the day. You can look at these later and make something more from them.

"My highschool teacher Mr. Jamison had us do this in all of the writing classes I took with him. It is very effective and I strongly recomend it." - MeeSh_Lynn  

[Lynnden_472]

GET YOUR WORDS OUT

By reading books like "The Best Of The Magazine Markets For Writers" and other such books you can get your words out in the world. I am still hunting for a good publisher to write a story, so if anyone can find a good one, let me know. biggrin  

[Lynnden_472]

Got Some Things You Wish To See Included In The Writing Guide?

PM me and I'll be glad to include all your ideas and thoughts and helpful hints!  

[Lynnden_472]

Even More Help

Looking for even more help to solve your writing woes? Check out these websites, threads, and other whatnot to further your learning more.


Characters
How Do You Create Your Characters?
What Makes A Great Character?


The Process Of Writing
Where To Start? (Your Story)
Plot
Inspiration

Types Of Writing
How Do You Feel About Short Stories?

Criticism From Others
Constructive Criticism
Chapter By Chapter Criticism

Share Your Work With Other Members!
Share Your Poetry!

You, The Writer
Strenghts & Weaknesses: Know Yourself
Writing For Yourself Or Others?

Random Tidbits
Writing With Music
Poetry - Favorite Topics When Writing