Red Like Ruby (Mostly RubyxDyrroth)

The Mischievous Her's Guide to Writing

The Mischievous Her's Guide to Writing

*Read, read, read. Watch, watch, watch.
I usually draw writing inspirations from the books or online novels I read on multiple platforms or the shows I stream. It doesn't matter what novel you read as long as it has good grammar and solid storytelling it will be good for you. That's how I learn to make my stories.

*Make a draft.
Write down what you want to happen from the beginning, middle, and end. Figure out how you want the story to begin. Then create a way to progress the plot. Have a definite ending so that you can always see what you want to happen.

*Define your characters
Make a character board for your characters to define their personality, desires, goals, and experiences. It doesn't have to be very detailed at first you can build that up as you write the chapters. This storyboard will help you predict or write how your characters will respond to a given situation. 

*Use the settings, objects, and even gestures to imply something. 

Example:
"Dark clouds rolled over the heaven preventing the light from touching the land. Ravens gathered as piles of corpses litter the ground like the leaves in autumn. The blackbirds sang a hideous song that honors the death of the fallen, a song that narrates their defeat at the hands of the vicious and merciless demons. The elves fought bravely to their last breath, even the feeble and insignificant leonins gave their best to defend their homeland but all their efforts were in vain as the mighty forces of darkness poured upon them. 

Dyrroth walked through the path of corpses never minding the putrid scent that reeks from their rotting flesh which the scavenger beasts feasted upon. He was counting the bodies of the fallen, both his soldiers and foes, and found amusement due to the fact that not even one demon died in the attack."

(Imprisoned by the Tyrannical Demon Lord, Chapter 16: The Trickster) 
This passage shows a rather dark setting implying the tragedy that happened. 

"Ornaments broke and vases shattered, furniture are overthrown as people poured into the room curious about the commotion. Cecilion accepted all of her anger and rage, he endured her cruel and painful words as lethal as her punches and didn't dare fight back nor restrain her as Carmilla begged for her to stop. Ruby was eventually pulled from the singer by Aurelius and she cried in his hold not noticing the mischievous smile on his lips as well as the key that fell from his pocket. 
(How to Tame Your Demon Prince, Chapter 19 Secret Romance) 
The key displays that Aurelius had orchestrated everything from the beginning and even this small detail is enough to imply a huge chunk of the actual situation. 

*Your story doesn't need a moral lesson but it is also good if you have one. It all depends on how you deliver your lines. 

*Don't always use "said" to imply who is speaking.  "Said" is too neutral for me and overused. There are a lot of other verbs you can add to your novels that better project the emotion you want to show. Here are some examples of alternatives for said. 

Strong Emotions (cry out suddenly, especially in surprise, anger, or pain) 
Exclaimed
Yelled 
Screamed
Cried out

Formal alternative for said:
Declared
Proclaim
Announce
Express
Stated 
Uttered 

Whispered= speaking in a low voice
Mused= say to oneself in a thoughtful manner 

Reply to a question statement 
Answered
Replied
Agreed
Retort
Respond
Corrected

To prove a statement wrong
Disagreed 
Refuted
Rebutted  
Retaliate

Offered
Suggested 
Proposed
Volunteer

Make fun of or attempt to provoke
Teased
Joked

Mumbled= say something indistinctly and quietly, making it difficult for others to hear. 
Muttered= say something in a low or barely audible voice, especially in dissatisfaction or irritation
Scoffed 
Stuttered

Talk foolishly, mindlessly, or excessively
Blabbered 
Prattle
Chatter
Babble
Ramble 

To give a question 
Asked
Inquired
Questioned
Interrogated 

Note: You can also follow up the dialog with the action that you want your characters to do so you don't need to put "said" or anything to indicate the dialog. 

*Try to be simple yet meaningful. 
You don't need to use extravagant and fancy words. Sometimes simple is better because you can communicate your story more efficiently to your readers. Also, try not to be too detailed. If you spend a lot of time listing out the details of a scene rather than progressing your plot it gets boring. I don't know if some find this great but for me, I get bored with too much description about the symbolism of objects and their personification. It's not bad though so don't think that I completely rebuke it. 

*Each chapter should contain 2.5k or 3k words. 
Okay, this is based on my research and experience. People today have a very short attention span so I make my stories bite-sized except if it's a one-shot. Plus it's an achievement to finish each chapter so hooray! 

*Be your worst critique. 
Consider every scene and think whether the details you put in make sense. A common mistake is distance covered per time. You can't cross an entire mountain within a day of walking. That would be too cruel. 

*Do your research. 
This one is pretty basic for authors but I just want to bring this up. This will help your story be realistic, informative, and accurate. Also, so that we don't look like ignorant fools in this pedantic world. 

*Use Grammar-checking tools. 
I usually use Grammarly, the free version, to help me correct errors I fail to detect during my writing process. Then I will copy my work and paste it on Google docs or Microsoft word because there are things that Grammarly can't pick up. If I'm feeling hard-working I would also input my work into a read-aloud app so that I can listen to it. 

*Don't just tell a story, give your readers an experience.
The most important thing about writing is that you can connect your feelings, intentions, and messages to your readers. By being able to feel the emotion you want to project while writing you can make the reader feel the same emotion you are having. Sometimes I laugh when my characters are being silly, get angry when they are being slighted, and cry when I kill a beloved character.

Note: Might add more info later. Someone requested this from me and I wanted to help so here feel free to use it guide in your writing career. Love yaaa~