How to write a good/better story + tips

The Do's and Dont's of writing.

Do's and Don'ts of writing.

Don't- Use 'what if' in a description. It's old school, and boring. What if you don't use it? It's not going to be the end of the world.

Do- think of non-cliché things to write. Instead of 'tap, tap, tap goes the rain' or whatever. Write something like 'the rain sounds like an Irish tap dance party of the roof'

Don't-See a good picture and use it as a cover, even though a few hundred other people have it.

Do-search for something no one has. If need be, find several pic's and edit them. Or find someone to do it for see.

Don't-use a name for a story that's a song name, or used a million times. Get creative.

Do-ask someone else if you can't think of a name. Find a dictionary if need be, and find a word that means something like you want. Instead of Rebel, you can use unorthodox (found using a thesaurus)

Don't- do something because you want to. Think idea's through, is it in character, is there a point. Is there a better way to do something.

Do- make a quick draft of what's going to happen, making several different routes. It can give you new idea's which you can use to make new paths until you find the right one.

Don't-rush ahead with a half thought out idea because you haven't updated for a month. Use a fill chapter, it can get your readers more attached to the character before you drop the bombs.

Do-break up sentences. If you have a lot of long sentences, throw in some short one. Or visa versa.

Don't- think because you only have 20 hearts, that you should stop writing. Everyone started off with that, or less.

Do- check out others stories, to see what people want. Don't copy, but if you get a feeling for themes, or ways people write, you can try to make yours more appalling.

Don't- get snappy when people try to help. I know it can feel a little harsh, especially when you've tried to fix it. Take it in stride, and think before you write, because you might upset someone trying to help.

Do-challenge yourself. If you always write strong willed protagonists, try with someone who's swayed easily.

Don't- make every story the same. Think completely different plots, different settings, everything DIFFERENT. If you always write fan fiction, write a romance story with your own characters.

Do-take chances. If you think of any idea you like, run with it. If you get a few chapters in and no one wanting it, scrap it.

Don't- set things in concert. Just because you want it that way, doesn't mean you won't change your mind.

Do- think of things to tie a story together. Even if you're stories not a mystery, make people say or do things that are a TINY clue that shows you they're the bad guy.

Don't –get lazy and not edit. If you don't want to edit that, leave it for a day before rereading and polishing. It really helps.

For the future and real publication:

Do-think about what you want from writing. If you wanna be an author, write two stories, one for serious publication, one online. They can both go online while you write, but make sure the one you want to be published is very THOUGHT through. Everything I've just mention? Ten times more serious than before. Never write a chapter before know where it needs to go.

Don't-push editing aside. You're whole manuscript needs to be edited at least twice, if not more. That means, once after you write a chapter. And again when you finish the whole story. Editing 5 or 6 times can make a huge difference.

Do-look around for potential publishers. It can take hours to find the right publishing house that offers unsolicited authors (someone without a represent looking for them). Find similar books at a bookstore/library and look at where they were published. Write a list and check.

Don't-be afraid to search up how to write a cover letter, or a synopsise. Take it to a teacher, or friend if you want, and get them to read over and give their thoughts.

Do- write a several synopsis's. It outlines the start, middle and end. Write one when you start the story, in the middle, and in the end. See what differences have occurred? Did the character change like they're supposed to?

Don't-expect to write a story, and offer it to the first publishing house and get a yes. Harry Potter was turned down 10 times-seriously. Be prepared to send it off several times. If you don't get a letter back, don't wait around for extra weeks. Send it off somewhere else.

Do-prepare to make a contract. You can't publish a book without one. Make sure you know what royalties you will get, and how much a it costs for each book to be made-paperback, hardcover ect.

And by all means

DON'T- loose hope because you've submitted it 10 times and you get nowhere. It can be you're age keeping you from getting published. If you are under 18, you have a 1 in a ten thousand shot of being published. That is a low number.

Do-enter writing competitions . There is no better way to get your name out there than to say you won 'yadda, yadda and yadda' and came runner up for 'yadda and yadda'. A few hours' work for each and you can say you've done stuff. Forget about the ones you entered and didn't win, just point out the ones you did.