Writing Gooder

Writing Well Part 1
Writing Well Part 2
Writing Well Part 3
Active vs. Passive Voice
TV Tropes -Courtesy of Blackadder
Writing with Style -Courtesy of cam`
Parenthesis in Fiction
Basic Screen-Writing Info - Courtesy of Eor
Cinergy, freeware script formatting program -Courtesy of Eor
Barron- The Art of Styling Sentences -Courtesy of Raul
Overcoming Writer's Block


I begin with these because they are pretty good articles that can help with your writing, no matter what it's for. The purpose of this thread is for people to share tips, hints and ideas about improving the quality of your writing. Post helpful websites, good books to read, personal experience or anything else that can be useful for this community of writers.

Wordiness

I have a great deal of experience with this. I used to believe that the way to write was to use as many descriptive words as possible to paint a mental picture for the reader. In actuality, a good writer tries to paint that same picture using as few words as possible. My creative writing teacher had a phrase he liked to use: "lean writing". He would tell me to take a knife to my prose and cut all the fat, usually in the form of overly descriptive language. I read somewhere that you should try to eliminate at least one adjective from every sentence in your writing. I try to write by this rule, and I've found it very helpful.

"Show the reader, don't tell us," he would say as well. It took me a long time to figure out what he meant by this, but it also relates to the overuse of words. This example is from an old story of mine:

A soft rustling caught Sheela’s attention. She’d been tracking a wild boar for nearly five hours, following it into the deepest part of the forest. It was always twilight here. The sun’s rays barley managed to trickle through the layers of dense foliage that formed the ceiling. There was almost as much growth on the forest floor, as monstrous mushrooms protruded from the sides of tree trunks toppled by the fierce storms that sometimes visited this region. Children throughout the Ashwan tribe knew of this area as the Black Woods, a place where witches and fantasy monsters dwelled. Although the adults knew that those stories weren’t true, they still only ventured into that place when it was necessary. Ashwan boars were well-known for their violent tendencies, and more than one man had returned from a group hunt missing an appendage.

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The bolded areas are prime examples of telling. What do those sentences add to the paragraph that hasn't already been stated? Didn't I SHOW the reader the twilight of the forest with the description? Does the reader need to know that men returned missing appendages? The stricken areas are simply useless words. They serve no point, so they must go. The italicized areas should be re-written to reduce clutter and improve clarity. Now, here's what a re-write should look like:

A soft rusling caught Sheela's attention. She'd followed her prey into the deepest part of the forest. The sun's rays barely penetrated the dense tree cover. Ashwan children called it the Black Woods, a place where witches and monsters dwelled. The adults feared it for the predators, especially the boars. Huge and violent, they tore through flesh and bone with ease.

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I just went from 140 words to 61, while keeping the same message. This is what you want to accomplish in the editing phase. Don't just look for misspelled words and typos. Take your knife out, and trim the fat where you can. It will make your story flow more smoothly, and maintain your readers attention better, since they don't have to stumble over useless words.

Say what needs to be said; nothing more, nothing less. Alot of writers confuse quality with quantity, and you do not want to be one of them.

Great idea Jam! Hopefully we'll be able to get some of the better writers to post some of their insight on here.

For now, you guys will have to make do with me

I would like to expand a little on Jam Stunna's topic (no offense) and talk a little bit about not only wordiness, but

The Right Wordiness

That's actually a really stupid statement, since there are no right or wrong ways to write a story. What I want to talk about is the importance of words that mean the same thing, but can evict completely different emotions or attitudes from the reader. Being able to choose the right word in a situation is crucial when writing a story.

For instance, let's take a look at this sentence.

Alvin stopped dead in his tracks.

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We all know this means he stopped quickly, but could it means anything else? Let's see, the word "dead" brings out a sense of danger, which is echoed in the rest of the paragraph. The word "tracks" makes it seem like he's being followed, as if these tracks could ultimately lead to his downfall.

But since this phrase is a cliche, and cliches should NEVER be used in a story (unless it's on purpose), none of these things will make any impression on the reader. Well, that's not entirely true, but let's see if we can fix it.

A piece of leather flew off Alvin's boots as they screeched to a sharp, alarming halt.

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Now, this isn't necessarily better than the last sentence, but let's see if it's any different. The action isn't any different. Alvin is still stopping. We can still get a sense of dread and mystery. So what makes this sentence any different?

As you've obviously guessed, it's in the words.

We have a new effect of sorts (we're using CGI in a short story!). A piece of leather flew off Alvin's boots. Why would I add that? Does demoncaterpie just like adding pointless descriptions? Didn't Jam Stunna just warn against this?

Oh, but I have a point!

Why would leather fly off a boot? Boots are strong, sturdy, they can't be damaged easily. But let's say someone was running for a long time. But they weren't just running, they were sprinting! They were going as fast as they could. And than, for some reason, they decided to stop. The force of the stop would cause someone to almost skid on the ground. A piece of leather could come off of a shoe than. Not a lot, but a piece.

You're probably wondering "But demoncaterpie, how could we assume that? You're assuming the reader is too smart!" That's a fair statement. You never want to assume, because it makes a donkey out of you and me. But I backed up my statement!

Alvin's boots (who were apparently personified, though I'm not sure their sex), screeched to a halt. They screeched! When I think of screeched to a halt, I think of a traffic accident, or some Nascar racer. When they stop, they make a loud sound because they were going really really fast. Well, Alvin's boots were the car in this situation. So, it would only make sense (exaggerated sense) that they would screech if Alvin was going fast, thus further showing what's going on.

The other two important words, sharp and alarming, add the final dimension to the sentence. Sharp, as you've guessed, further proves that the stop happened suddenly. Alarming could mean "with alarming speed", as in a compliment to Alvin (or his shoes, I'm not sure which at this point).

But alarming also means "causing alarm or fear". Maybe the narrator is alarmed at the fact that Alvin stopped. Maybe he's trying to say that what Alvin did was stupid, that he shouldn't have stopped. Whatever may be the case, what Alvin did was both powerful (as in screeching) and surprising (as in alarming).

Phew, that's a lot of analysis for just one sentence! Now you know why you shouldn't rush your stories until the last minute (do as I say, not as I do). Now you know why writers will often spend months or years on a single book. They want to get every single word perfect.

There are other things to take into consideration (such as character and tone) when thinking about word choices, but you've probably had enough of all my jabbering by now.

For fun, try replacing the words in the new sentence with other words (like skidded instead of screeched, sudden instead of sharp, or surprising instead of alarming) and see how this changes the sentence.

Class Dismissed!!!

Shizam! Thanks alot for these. They will help me out alot (considering my writing sux).

Characterization

There are many elements that go into writing a story, but the most important of all of them is characterization. Setting, style, message, even plot all take a back seat to the importance of characters: all those elements only set the stage. Ultimately, it is the characters, their actions, interactions and personality that either compels us to keep reading or sends us looking for a new book. With that in mind, we can see why it's key that our characters are developed fully and believably. But how do we do that?

Introduction
How do you introduce your character? As the writer, that's entirely up to you. But there are things to keep in mind when you show your reader a character for the first time. What does it say about the character if the first time we meet him he's in a bar? Or a church? Or an amusement park? This gives your reader their first impression of the character, so be sure to utilize it effectively.

Description
You do NOT have to describe your character in the same paragraph that you introduce him. In fact, I would strongly recommend against it. Let the narrative reveal all the important information about your character as opposed to sticking an expository paragraph in the middle of your story. Also, you must determine what information is actually important. Does it really matter how much your character weighs? Finally, never describe more than one character at a time. I've read several stories where the writer will introduce a group, and then painstakingly describe everything about every character in that group. This is extremely boring for the reader, because all they are reading is a list. Spread out your descriptions throughout the narrative to maintain the reader's attention.

Narration
Oftentimes, the writer must get inside of the character's head. This should only be done when necessary, and the writer should say only what needs to be said. Allow the character to express his own feelings, which brings us to...

Dialog
This is the most important aspect of characterization. Dialog is the primary way that the reader learns about your character. Don't tell the reader that your main character is obnoxious, show the reader through his interactions with other characters. Dialog drives character development and plot, so it should be the area where you focus most of your attention.

How your character speaks is as important as what he says. It's dialog: most of the rules of English don't apply, so be creative. But be sure that the words match the character. Would the old sage greet the intrepid travelers with, "Yo, what's good?"? Dialog should enhance the believability of a character, not detract from it. People, in general, do not speak as if their life is an anime. So if you're not writing an anime, don't use anime language. If you're writing a 19th century crime novel, make sure that your characters sound like 19th century figures.

Finally, remember that dialog carries the plot, so make sure that it is brief and to the point. Fight the urge to throw in "filler" conversation. Your characters shouldn't be discussing the weather unless it has something to do with the plot. Wasted words are just that, regardless of whether they are narrative or dialog.

Authenticity
Is you character believable? Is he a fleshed out, complex individual that the reader can relate with? Or is he a two-dimensional caricature, the standard "good guy" or "bad guy"? The best descriptions and dialog cannot save a character that is divorced from reality. If he's going to embark on a journey to save the world, what are his motivations? Your characters have to be recognizable to your audience, or there will be no connection and no reason to read about your character's journey.

Also, make sure that your character behaves in an understandable and realistic way. Would you trust an enemy soldier who claims he wants to switch sides? So why should your character? Fantasy worlds are only believable if the people that populate them are believable. Keep that in mind.

Nice job Jam! I agree with everything you say about characterization!

I'll probably post another tutorial thing here later on today, so look out for it!

Active vs. Passive Voice

This is the hardest literary concept for me to understand, because I don't even realize when I'm writing in the passive voice. Whenever I get my stories edited though, it always pops up. This website is an excellent source for learning how to write in the active voice instead of the passive voice:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_actpass.html

I don't really have anything else to add, because I'm trying to get better at this as well!

This is great Jam!
This'll really help my writing skills. Though itll take a while for me to fully understand it(im just that stupid) but Im going to be a major writer on Creativ Minds(all in due time, all in due time) Mwaa Ha Ha

Ok, that was a really lame line, but whatever, thanks for the advice again

Wow, great idea Jam. Good stuff for all involved in this.
If I may recommend a site though, this can really be both a fun read, and prove usefull for ones writing skills and such:

TV tropes

Don't be fooled by the name, it's expanded well past just "TV tropes" now.
The site is basicly filled with the cliche's of writing, and tropes of writing.

It basicly sums up everything that a show or book or game is made of up, showing things such as stock characters, typical storylines, more stock charcters, insight on genres, what's a good thing and what's a bad thing in writing, ect.

It may look and sound a little silly, but I found it invaluable with my old story thread (Which I'll be picking up again soon, OooOooOo).

It's a good read, should be interesting, and can help writers.
Or, at least that's what it is for me.

Hope no one minds me recommending it.

Wahoo, cant wait for your story, I was reading for a long time, and I was wondering why you had stopped...

Great! It seems that the writers of Creativ Minds are finally coming back. I was worried, cuz Right now I have the longest story (which is not a good sign), I like competition and to be able to read other stories as well

This is such great news!

SuperLinkBrothers said:

Wahoo, cant wait for your story, I was reading for a long time, and I was wondering why you had stopped...

Click to expand...

In all honesty, so was I.
I just sort of...lost track of it, with school starting up and all.
Plus it seemed I only had about 3 readers, so my morale was on low. But 4 is good, really. At least some people liked it.
Promise I'll kick it up again soon! XD

SuperLinkBrothers said:

Great! It seems that the writers of Creativ Minds are finally coming back. I was worried, cuz Right now I have the longest story (which is not a good sign), I like competition and to be able to read other stories as well

This is such great news!

Click to expand...

I'd noticed this also. Seems the room just died a while back.
I'd love to see some of Demon's stuff, I really would.

Blackadder said:

In all honesty, so was I.
I just sort of...lost track of it, with school starting up and all.
Plus it seemed I only had about 3 readers, so my morale was on low. But 4 is good, really. At least some people liked it.
Promise I'll kick it up again soon! XD



I'd noticed this also. Seems the room just died a while back.
I'd love to see some of Demon's stuff, I really would.

Click to expand...

I need to go back and read all of these stories I missed out on first

I'm trying to rearrange my schedule so I have time to write more stories. I'll let you know how it turns out

I wish for an x-wing.

*tosses story into well*

Oh. Wrong well.

Nice tips! It'll help me to improve my writing skills.

One question... graphics (images) are really needed?

Finally, some good writers.

although, Im now very dissapointed. It seems that I totally suck at writing now with all of these great writers. Maybe im wrong, but um, wow, I feel so weak and worthless

on the other hand, Blackadder replied to something I said, thats a good sign that people actually read what I say

oh, and Demoncaterpie, I agree with Blackadder, You should start up a story again.

Cant wait for it

Can you guys ckeck out my two stories, I need to know what I'm doing wrong, because I know there is something very, very wrong

Now, of course, I know that I often switch from present to past tense, Iv'e always had that problem and have tried to fix it numerous times, but in the end, it just doesnt work...

oh, and, Im going to go check out The adventures of Kip

If you want to check out my two stories, then just look at my sig.
I have had Nintendo Adventure for quite a while but The Dark Day is a new one
Please note: The Dark Day is often very silly, well, so is Nintendo Adventure, but The Dark Day is extremely silly

SuperLinkBrothers said:

Finally, some good writers.

although, Im now very dissapointed. It seems that I totally suck at writing now with all of these great writers. Maybe im wrong, but um, wow, I feel so weak and worthless

on the other hand, Blackadder replied to something I said, thats a good sign that people actually read what I say

oh, and Demoncaterpie, I agree with Blackadder, You should start up a story again.

Cant wait for it

Can you guys ckeck out my two stories, I need to know what I'm doing wrong, because I know there is something very, very wrong

Now, of course, I know that I often switch from present to past tense, Iv'e always had that problem and have tried to fix it numerous times, but in the end, it just doesnt work...

oh, and, Im going to go check out The adventures of Kip

If you want to check out my two stories, then just look at my sig.
I have had Nintendo Adventure for quite a while but The Dark Day is a new one
Please note: The Dark Day is often very silly, well, so is Nintendo Adventure, but The Dark Day is extremely silly

Click to expand...

I've been writing some lyrics for my new band (as of now our name is Cl*t-tastrophy), so I might post that. I'd rather wait until we actually record some music

I could write a fan-fiction. Those are fun to write! In any case, I'll try to post more stories on here.

And I'm gonna start reading your stories soon Super Link! I'd love to see you write something other than a "choose your own adventure" story as well. It'd be a cool change of pace

I'm not trying to be mean, I'd just like to see every aspect of your creativity!

of, course, I alreaddy have done two non choose your own adventures.

This one has been gone for quite a while,but it's called The Food Wars. A star wars spoof but everything was food

The other is still up, Smash Island, I wrote the first three chapters, but I enjoy writing Choose your own stories more because people actually respond

Who knows, maybe Ill try having three stories at once, Ill try making a good fanfic, just wait, itll come in due time

SuperLinkBrothers said:

Finally, some good writers.

although, Im now very dissapointed. It seems that I totally suck at writing now with all of these great writers. Maybe im wrong, but um, wow, I feel so weak and worthless

on the other hand, Blackadder replied to something I said, thats a good sign that people actually read what I say

oh, and Demoncaterpie, I agree with Blackadder, You should start up a story again.

Cant wait for it

Can you guys ckeck out my two stories, I need to know what I'm doing wrong, because I know there is something very, very wrong

Now, of course, I know that I often switch from present to past tense, Iv'e always had that problem and have tried to fix it numerous times, but in the end, it just doesnt work...

oh, and, Im going to go check out The adventures of Kip

If you want to check out my two stories, then just look at my sig.
I have had Nintendo Adventure for quite a while but The Dark Day is a new one
Please note: The Dark Day is often very silly, well, so is Nintendo Adventure, but The Dark Day is extremely silly

Click to expand...

*Points at bolded text in quote*
I would hardly say you at all suck compared to all these "Great writers", 'cause trust me, that's how I feel in the current Nano WWYP contest. All those orange names! What's a fella gonna do?

Seriously though, I wouldn't get overly downhearted. A lot of the writers here have proved very nice over time, and none of them will bite you.

I'll be checking your stories soon as well! I have too much time on my hands anyways, I need a distraction.

*points at other bolded text in quote*
And there's no need to check out my story, as it's got 21 or so chapters going for it now. Unless you are really bored. REALLY bored.

Also, I lol'd at Demon's band name.

Blackadder said:

*Points at bolded text in quote*
I would hardly say you at all suck compared to all these "Great writers", 'cause trust me, that's how I feel in the current Nano WWYP contest. All those orange names! What's a fella gonna do?

Seriously though, I wouldn't get overly downhearted. A lot of the writers here have proved very nice over time, and none of them will bite you.

I'll be checking your stories soon as well! I have too much time on my hands anyways, I need a distraction.

*points at other bolded text in quote*
And there's no need to check out my story, as it's got 21 or so chapters going for it now. Unless you are really bored. REALLY bored.

Also, I lol'd at Demon's band name.

Click to expand...

LOL! I've been meaning to check back up on your story Blackadder! I'll get on it ASAP!

And, in case anyone cares, I'm a guest writer in that series

I wish we could keep that band name. Sadly, it's only temporary

Nice stuff Jam...very nice indeed.

hmm...

Ill think of a reason for posting this response in a sec...

hold on...

let me think...

...

...

...

...

I've got it! well..no...I dont

...

...

well, Blackadder actually talked to me again and so did the amazing...Demoncaterpie!

ok, ill stop now, but seriously, Ive got to think of a reason for posting this...

...

...

Demon, I like you band name as well, and I checked your thread about Global Warning, good one

Also, my story only has 29 chapters on it...so yhea

Alright, I guess I have nothing else to say at the moment, I just felt like it was required that I said something now. It just seemed appropiate, oh well

Edit: Wow, this thread has basicall just become a reunion session for Writers, lol

Thank you very much, Jam. You helped me a lot.

you shouldn't be so ready to cut down your writing like in the op. the paragraph goes from bad to worse-- could you imagine reading a whole book of text like in the revised paragraph? Sentences need to connect. Pointblank line after line is not fun to read. It is important to use descriptive language. It's fiction, not a scientific abstract. etc..

you should not decimate your writing unless its called for. extraneous information is not intrinsically bad-- it may be bad if it breaks rhythm or reads like crap, but not everything has to serve the plot. fantasy novels would be very, very short if that were the case ;p

http://www.harmonize.com/probe/aids/manual/style.htm
emphasis on the first paragraph: your subject material must always come before your language. authors are praised for their language only in how it corresponds to the groundwork of their novel. if you can't find a compelling story don't even bother trying to put it to words.

^Agreed. It was just an example of how to cut out unnecessary words. Whether you should is totally up to the writer, although I would say it's better to have too little than too much.

Parenthesis

I wasn't going to post about this, but it's definitely become my biggest pet peeves on these boards. Please, for the sake of my sanity and your writing ability, do not put parenthesis in your fiction writing! There are only a very few situations where parenthesis are okay (they are NEVER good or preferable), and that is to reveal something about the characters' state of mind, not plot, character or story details. No one here has used them correctly, so don't use them at all. If you can say it with parenthesis, then you can say it WITHOUT parenthesis. They break flow, they are ugly and they have no place in fiction. I've been harping on this seemingly ever since I came to these boards, so I'll just shut up and let you read this:

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/fiction/2006/07/parentheses_and.html

*casts Life 2*

Editing/Revising

This is a tricky subject. I've had the tendency in the past to write a story in one shot, then never look at it again. Of course, when you do that, even basic spelling and grammatical errors can come through in your writing.

On the other hand, any artist is always his or her own worst critic. It's very easy to fall into the trap of constantly editing and revising your work, and it may get to the point where you actually never finish the piece. This is definitely something that you want to avoid.

The best advice I've read on this is to write first, edit later. However, you may be like me: I hate the sound of my own voice. When I re-read my writing, I can hear myself the same as if I'd been recorded. If this is the case for you, I would suggest having someone else read your writing. Look for someone who will give you more than a simple, "I liked it", that doesn't help you. For example, another writer on these boards has been helping me by editing my work, and I've done the same. On the left is my story that he edited, and on the right is his story that I edited:



Take the time to edit someone else's work on the boards. That's a major problem here: people post without helping each other out.

Great to see you're still going with this thread Jam.
I'm going to assume you're going to keep updating for some time now, which is wonderful. I rather like reading "How to" guides for things like this.

But I wanna know if you're going to write about how to write in certain genres? Like a little bit of how to do Horror, Comedy, Romance, ect?

Any plans to do so?

I just checked on my post about TV Tropes. Lord knows what time I wrote that, but there are so many errors.

I'll try my best to do so Blackadder, but to be honest with you I'm not very skilled or experienced in many genres. I'll do some research though, and at least post some links in the coming weeks!

I'll agree with you on the revision part, though the guy I talk to doesn't actually do any editing, instead just reads it and explains certain things. Maybe he'll do more IF HE GETS ON AIM unlike being the jerk he is. I'll know you read this, stop hiding.

Anyways, I don't know if this would help anybody, but I've recently gotten into screenwriting, and I've been going to this page for information on the formatting and some basic information on it (http://www.screenwriting.info/). To help get started, I've downloaded the freeware script formating program Cinergy (http://www.mindstarprods.com/cinergy/scripteditor.html), which I've been using as well. I've been enjoying it, not sure if I'll continue or not.

An important concept in editing is to remove yourself from the story/essay. Finish it and get it out of your mind for a day or two and come back to edit it later. You'll find errors that you would not have had you edited your story right after you finished it. Why? You, having just written the story, know your intention in your words.

Spacing out your editting helps make sure that what you write is cohesive and understandable.

As for developing characters, my 12th grade AP Lit teacher gave me an outline that was used for character analysis in every novel and play we read. This guideline has served me well in developing complex characters in my stories and hopefully someone'll find use for it here.

A. Character
B. Current Occupation:
C. Objective/Motivation:
D. Related experience (actions that he or she contributes to the work through background experience)
E. Education (knowledge that he or she has that others may not- where did this come from?)
F. Achievements (actions that make character’s opinion respected)
G. Weaknesses (flaws and mistakes)
H. References (people that will vouch for the character and why)
I. Enemies
J. Verbal Ideas (quotes)

Hey! That's my stuff! Awesome. I wish I had been on this forum more, for I would not have found such helpful readers, such as Jam, and others. I have to agree that regardless of whether I liked a story I read, I always did my best to help edit it for the author. We're all trying to become better writers and that's why this thread and this forum is so helpful, especially to some one who considers themselves serious about writing.

As you can see, Jam and I are currently helping each other out and I encourage more of the members to do the same. I'll never think less of you if I read and edit a piece for you and find lots of mistakes. If I didn't find anything wrong, I didn't do my job. Jam has made great suggestions and they have actually led me to continue my story rather than end it as I had. So this can be a great technique to help each other for it can be a point of inspiration. And all it took was a simple Private Message. Thanks again Jam!

I myself use several tools when I write, and they seemed to have helped me out quite a bit. However, they are not substitutes for what a proof-reader/editor can do for you. I encourage all those to follow the example Jam and I have set, but feel free to chck out these tools as well:

1.)
I may be slightly biased, but not only is this book a great read, it has helped me redefine myself as a writer. I orignally started out writing fan fics, using already create characters. This book has helped me not only develop my own characters, but make them more human, make my plots more mature and got me away from bad word choice. Of course, there is always room for improvment, but I feel this book can help out alot of writers. Stephen King knows how to tell stories, and in this work he helps you to help tell your story.

2.)
Like Jam and myself, I am sure many of you are familiar with this book. One of the most influential books on writers in the last who knows ow many years, it has changed my understanding of grammar, sentence structure and the list goes on. It is a must have. I do not know if I could ever have made any improvments to my work without this book. It opened my eyes to what I thought was good writing and what IS good writing.

3.) http://www.amazon.com/Art-Styling-Sentences-Ph-D-Longknife/dp/0764121812/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198387155&sr=8-1

This is a link to Barron's The Art of Styling Sentences. Sadly, I have forgot the lessons this book has thought me. And that is the beauty of this book and all the others mentioned. I am constantly referencing them, always learning something new.

I encourage all authors to check these tools out, but I still stress that you should do as Jam and I have done. Read each other's work and get in contact with each other. Who knows the possibilities it could bring?

Good work on the thread, Jam. By the way, I'll some revised stuff for you soon.
-Raul.

I like this thread. Writers need to get together and help each other out. Usually we're so secretive and proud, hiding our pieces away like rare stones. Showing our work to other people and getting opinions is the most important thing we can do.

And yeah, if anyone ever wants me to review a story, just PM me and I'll add it to my HUGE to do list (yes SuperLinkBrothers and Blackadder, I will get to your stories soon).

demoncaterpie said:

I like this thread. Writers need to get together and help each other out. Usually we're so secretive and proud, hiding our pieces away like rare stones. Showing our work to other people and getting opinions is the most important thing we can do.

Click to expand...

I feel small here, 'cause I really haven't written any stories I feel are that good yet, and I have no real tips and stuff to help out with this thread.

Yet.
Yet, I say! I'm thinkin' of wraping up my current little thing and starting on a new one. Featuring HOMICIDAL MANIACS THAT JUST WANT TO HELP!
...I did clearly state I'm not a great writer, y'know.

demoncaterpie said:

And yeah, if anyone ever wants me to review a story, just PM me and I'll add it to my HUGE to do list (yes SuperLinkBrothers and Blackadder, I will get to your stories soon).

Click to expand...

We're sure.

For those who wish to have their stories reviewed by someone, I have plenty of time to do it. Outside of helping Jam and working on my pieces, I could def take a look at others as well. All I ask is that you email it to me and I'll send you corrections via AIM or email. Just PM me and I'll hand over my email address and screen name for all those interested. It won't be a bother, but rather a pleasure to help out where I can.

I offer my services as well, although how fast I edit your piece depends on how nice my son is to me!

Writer's Block

Any serious writer has dealt with this at some point, where it seems like the well has simply run dry. Many people never get past this bump and the road, and an episode of writer's block can easily sink an otherwise promising story. There are several different techniques for dealing with writer's block, which include:

-Putting the story aside for a few days
-Taking a walk to clear your head
-Working on another project
-Reading to draw inspiration

Here is a website that has both standard and unorthodox suggestions for dealing with writer's block:

http://www.43folders.com/2004/11/18/hack-your-way-out-of-writers-block

Another way to overcome, and perhaps avoid, writer's block is to have clearly defined goals. It can be simple, like finishing the paragraph you're stuck on, or long-term, like having your first draft complete by a certain date.

I had an experience with writer's block. I wanted to expand upon a story I submitted for a writing contest here, but I couldn't continue past a certain point in a satisfactory way. I was working on the story at my job today (by working, I mean it was lying on the counter), and an older woman asked me about it. I told her that I was trying to write a novel. She told me that she was 69 years old, and had written several stories and was working on a book that she hadn't finished yet. I told myself, "That's not going to be me", and I finally sat down and hammered out a paragraph that I liked.

You never know where inspiration is going to come from, but rest assured that it will come. Make the most of it, and get over that hump!

Peer Review

I saved my 900th post just for this rant.

WHY IS NOBODY REVIEWING ANYONE ELSE'S WORK?!

Just look at the front page of the Creative Minds section. The amount of reader feedback is abysmal. For example, take a look at the first six stories :

Legend of the Emeralds: 41 views, 2 replies
Edit this please!: 45 views, 5 replies
Uncharted Waters: 96 views, 5 replies
Nintendo Adventure: 3,476 views, 252 replies
Starlight: Genesis: 57 views, 5 replies
A War of Dreams: 32 views, 1 reply

With the exception of Nintendo Adventure (which has a choose-your-own-adventure setup), no other story has more than five posts, and those aren't even all reviews. People are looking, but they are not commenting. This board cannot possibly be useful under these conditions. I don't want everyone to start reading everything, but just take a little time out of your week to review at least ONE piece. The whole point of this section of the forums is for writers to share and receive feedback. If you're posting your own stuff, the very least you can do is extend the same courtesy to other writers that you hope to receive. No excuses like "I'm not very good" or "I don't know how to review", just do it.

For those of you that really think you don't know how to review anyone else's work, here's a website to check out:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Peer-Review---Let-Me-Down-Easy&id=318050

Now get reviewing, damn it!

Thanks! All this information is helpful.

...now I'm going to practice =D

:O

i will review more people work, Jam. you're right.

but i'll do it after i get some sleep.

Jam Stunna said:

No excuses like "I'm not very good" or "I don't know how to review", just do it.

Click to expand...

...It's taken me a while to post this, because I'm really still in the "Nonono..YOU teach ME" stage of writing practice but I'l try out and help whenever I can. I'll see what I can do.

...Just not any fan-fic, even if it is awesome.

I've been sitting around thinking about somethings and I noticed I have alot of issues with word choices used not only in people's work, but my ow as well. I think part of this was installed in me by me English Major friends, but I've also always been slightly picky with words and vocabulary.


I don't know if this has been touched upon, but I cannot stress the importance of reading in the development of vocabulary. I'll use myself as an example, so I know me better than any of you and you know yourselves better than I do...I think.

I'm sure many of have you have done this. I used to constantly hunt the Thesaurus when I was at a loss for a word. My advice to all is to NOT do that. I urge all writers, which I am sure many of you know, to read. Read alot, read often.

Do not stick to one author as I did. For those of you that don't know, I am huge Stephen King fan. I read only his work and then I realized that wasn't good. So I tapped into similar writers in the same genre and thus I started reading:

Dean Koontz
H.G. Wells
Timothy Zahn
H.P. Lovecraft
J.R.R. Tolkein
Richard Matheson
Ernest Hemingway
John Jakes
John Grisham
and so on.

Now I know not all are in the same genre, but the idea is I expanded my readings. I think it will help alot of writers to spread out in their respected genre and hopefully it will help them develop their vocabulary and keep their faces out of the Thesaurus.