IBP Day 7: Writing Tips
This is Day 7 of the Indie Block Party Blog Hop, where participants would be sharing writing tips with newbie writers. Here are some things you can keep in mind.
Attempt first, ask later. I had one writing newbie approach a writing group I’m part of and say: “I have 4-5 lines worth of a story idea. How can I write a book with it?” You can’t. It doesn’t work that way. Put whatever you got to put on paper, even if it means you have a raw, unedited script as the outcome. Others cannot get into your head and write your story for you.
Read a lot. Okay, that’s cliched with a capital ‘C’. But, why am I stressing it here? Because reading other authors is like reading a recipe book that contains 10 different ways of cooking the same dish.
Watch movies even more. The reasons we like movies are the reasons we need to watch them in order to write great books – well-made movies are great story-tellers, they are great suspense-builders, and they make us feel part of the story. It doesn’t hurt to know how to make that happen.
Don’t bother looking for that “original” story. Many writers vacillate endlessly thinking they need to have that totally untouched, original storyline, and end up missing out on a perfectly good story. Seriously, any story idea worth expanding on would already have been. So, sit down, take a deep breath, and give your storyline your own twist.
Shoot yourself before giving up. This is another of those things you’ll hear ad nauseum in the writing world. And there’s a reason for that. Writer’s block seems to affect newbie writers more. It’s simply a question of creative stamina. And cast-iron will. Keep pegging away, even if you feel your parrot in the cage is coming out with more words than you, and you will be rewarded.
You don’t write to be published. At least, don’t start out that way. That’s the surest way of finding the shortest way to writing hara-kiri. If you write with the sole intention of getting published, you lose the chance to grow as a writer. Also, you will get weighed down by your own expectations and will not be able to take publisher rejection (which happens a lot more than you think, and yes, it will happen to you too!) when it happens. Instead, focus on learning the ropes first, and gradually build up that expectation within yourself (to see yourself published) when you feel you’ve hit the levels expected of to-be-published authors.
Good luck!
