Feral Heart

Off topic => Discussion Board => Topic started by: Tifu on February 26, 2017, 10:15:25 pm

Title: Tips for writing?
Post by: Tifu on February 26, 2017, 10:15:25 pm
Hello everyone who happened to click on this post!
I'm getting into writing stories, once again, but I always struggle whilst making one. Eventually, once I AM done, I just leave it there, and not finish it because I don't ever have a plot.
To be honest, sometimes I don't even know how to start off my story...

So, are there any helpful tips for writing that I should really take note of?
Title: Re: Tips for writing?
Post by: Enoki on February 26, 2017, 11:04:24 pm
*magically appears from a cloud of green, glittery smoke* 'Allo! I'm y'er Writing Fairy. Let's get started!

Start with an attractive character! No, I don't mean look-wise, but a character either y'er attracted to in relatability, their thought process and emotions (the soul or "character" of y'er character). Next, figure out how they'd act, speak, do the daily motions. With that information, create an appealing backstory that ye find interesting, yet realistic. The job right now is to keep ye interested and invested in what y'er making. Because, if ye don't even find them interesting, why would y'er readers? Even if ye never fully give out their backstory in the book- things like they had an aunt who was a magical sorcerer who helped the innocent, or perhaps had a cousin who cursed a village, it still models and shapes the character they are at that moment and ye can still use that information in a later book.

With y'er main character born and ready f'er action, ye'll need side characters to help him along in his dangerous quest to save the Purple Raccoon of Wisdom- or just finish high school. Now, ye won't need to go as deep with these characters as y'er main man (or woman) of action, but it never hurts to delve in there and make them special. Why is Mr. Peterson so strict as a principle? Perhaps he lost a student in an accident caused by his neglect of being the teacher and not the friend? Giving side characters some depth may just help out in the long run and may even turn out to be more of a main character later on.

The universe is as big as y'er imagination, so be creative with y'er world! Even if this isn't some high-fantasy or sci-fi adventure, making more of a world than South Lake High and Timmy's bedroom will help get readers involved with y'er story. The world is bigger than the two locations ye hang out the most, right? So don't f'erget the details! Make a map of y'er world if that'll help ye. If y'er using Earth as home base of operations, design a town instead of using one already made- it'll give ye more range to do things.

Main character, ensemble characters, setting, now to the nitty gritty of writing- the plot! The plot is basically the backstory of y'er setting. What has happened to y'er world to make it the way it is today? Are their super villains running amuck? Perhaps y'er story is animal based and the world is completely filled with garbage of the past. Where'd the garbage come from? Why is new garbage appearing and who is dumping it there f'er y'er furry friends to deal with? A plot is not simply the present- 'tis also the past and future. Plan ahead, and plan behind! Ye'll never know when a good prequel will jump out at ye.


I hope m'advice will help ye along the way of y'er writing travels. One last bit of advice I can give ye is to find a writing community to share y'er work with and receive support from! This can be around where ye live or on the internet. I use Wattpad f'er publishing books f'er people to read. 'Tis free and ye don't 'ave to worry about people stealing y'er novel ideas due to copyright options built in f'er ye to pick the best copyright label f'er y'er stories.

Best of luck! If ye ever do happen to join Wattpad, feel free to look me up @Dreaming_Fantasies and send me a hello! I'd be happy to help ye further in y'er endeavors as a writer, so don't hesitate to ask f'er assistance. Anyhoo, I can't wait to see what ye come up with in y'er stories.
Title: Re: Tips for writing?
Post by: forks on February 27, 2017, 11:28:52 pm
I just want to say that everything Enoki has said above is 100% true! Like they said, Wattpad is absolutely great! If you do get it, you could follow me at @juniperxcrimson if you like!

Anyways, so what do I have to say...I had a lot of trouble (and still do) with sticking to a story. I'd write a chapter or two and then ditch the entire thing. I've done this for years and it's truly a bad habit, especially considering the fact that some of the ideas are actually good.

Writing FanFiction helps a lot. I'm currently writing a piece of FanFiction at the moment. I'm actually at chapter ten right now and it feels amazing.

Don't pressure yourself into writing. If you don't feel like doing it, then you can't. However, if you do feel like it, and are at a point where you can, do it. You don't want your ideas getting away from you.

Be sure to be descriptive, but not overly so. Make sure that your sentences aren't too long or two short, and that they flow nicely.

Always always always edit your writings. Even if it seems right now, it might not be when you look back at it later.

These are just a few things I've learned over the years...I hope you find something that's useful! Best of luck in your writings!