Writing for Dummies (Tips and Tricks)

The Gifts Keep Coming

Make your title and characters; use generators if needed.

"The Gifts Keep Coming"

Heather Chan

Rosie Copeland

Charlie Greer

Seiverill

Question one:

How the actual heck did these idiots get themselves in this situation? AKA, the beginning/intro.

Question two:

Who dies? Kill off someone if wanted or needed, or just to cause sadness, pain, and anguish. And self happiness! (My reasons) If it's not a horror, you are writing the wrong genre. Leave. Just kidding but please don't read this tutorial if you're writing a comedy-

Question three:

Plan out the ending. Yes, ending before middle. It helps keep a stable ground and balances everything together.

Question four: 

Do your characters have TOO many problems? Listen man, give them problems. Do not make them happy 24/7 or have a perfect pristine life. Or they could, that would shake it up. But also do not give them depression, anxiety, OCD, ADHD, trust issues, trauma, and more issues all in ONE just to 'sHakE IT uP' or to use it as an excuse for their bad behavior. It will make everything flop in the end, and everything will most likely be circled around that. So DON'T. Give them a couple of negative flaws, insecurities, mental illness, but not all of them in one.

Question five:

Finally, what's the middle ground? Where do your characters stand in the middle of the story; is it absolute chaos (it probably is) or is everything peaceful right now?

Question six:

Lastly, if your characters have any relationships, DO NOT REVOLVE IT AROUND THEM. That makes it boring (unless your story is a romance or chick-flick or whatever, because then that's like.. the whole point); but if its a horror or anything, do not make it revolve around that.

TIPS:

Space out paragraphs, like this:

He ate his mother for dinner. He didn't know it yet. It wasn't a very nice meal, but he sucked it up and down it went. He didn't really want to know the ingredients, and he didn't want to think about it, in fear he might puke.

"Do you like it? It was my grandma's recipe." His father asked politely as he sat down and dug a fork into his mother's left arm. 

"Yes." He responded softly, and ate his mom's eye.

Make sure that most conversation is spaced out enough to understand what's happening.

Don't over exaggerate or under exaggerate. 

Over exaggerating:

His silky hair was blowing in the soft summer breeze, as she looked into his milky brown eyes staring into her soul. Butterflies of blue, red, and orange danced in her stomach, probably doing the tango. He was sitting with her on the dock of the Mississippi river. They were staring down into the deep waters, blue and black swarming the river water. He planted a quick kiss on her cheek, leaving a tingling sensation as she blushed a deep red burgundy.   

Under exaggerating:

His hair was blowing in the breeze, as she looked into his eyes staring into her soul. Butterflies swarmed her stomach. He was sitting down with her on the dock of a river. They were staring into deep water, as he planted a kiss on her cheek, leaving a tingling sensation.