Teen Chic Magazine Issue #1 September 2013

Writing Tips

Hey, farhana here and I will be giving out some writing tips for you all! Yay! *cheers*

Okay, have you ever come across a story here on Wattpad that made you want to rip your hair out? Like, literally rip your hair out?

Because I've come across so many stories that would have been the reason I became bald and blind. But thank God, I wasn't either bald or blind.

It's a physical pain for me to read books that are not properly written. And if they are, they have no life behind it.

Like no feelings. Almost as if the author was bored with their own story. An example:

"Why won't you love me?" I said, crying.

"I'm sorry." He said as he walked away.

THAT HAS NO FEELINGS! They have the dialogue of robots! Here is something that could bring feelings into it:

"Why won't you love me?" I whispered, feeling the tears well up as my heart broke.

"I'm...sorry," He said quietly as his eyes met mine with sorrow and pain. Like, he really was sorry.

THERE, you can FEEL how sad the moment is! Seriously...*shakes head*

Before I can talk about the different ways to write scenes, I'm going to go over the BEGINNING of how to start writing.

For all those who are new to writing, I warmly welcome you to the lovely world of imagination and I hope you love it as much as each of us do!

Now, you get an idea as you see....a random dog run after a little girl. That inspires you to write something about what you just saw.

Maybe the dog's owner is a little boy who meets the little girl after the chase and that becomes their past?

Maybe the dog suddenly turns into a little boy? (Don't ask me, the ideas are endless!)

Tip 1) Immediately jot down the idea. Write it down on your bill, a random notebook you found in your bag, the back of your hand...wherever! Just write it down. You need to catch the idea and preserve it!

Okay, once you have the idea, now you start thinking about what happens in the story. Do the two fall in love? Do they realize they are related? Does she realize that the boy is a creepy dog-human? Do they hate each other and then fall in love?

Okay, and if they do? What events do they go through? Is it an action? A romance? Somewhere between a romance and horror? A Fantasy?

Tip 2) Find out your genre and put it down beside the idea. The plot will come to you once you allow your hand to do the movements. Take an empty piece of paper (or a blank Word Document) and start typing or writing a little bit. You'll find out that the plot will quickly unfold if you don't put too much thought into it. Use your feelings to guide the plot. Don't worry about the audience just yet. This is YOUR world, you choose what happens.

Okay, now you have the plot. What's next? Characters. You need your characters. How many do you want? Always remember, introduce your characters slowly. Don't immediately throw in a bunch of characters and expect your readers to know all of them.

Tip 3) Plan out your characters, let them develop. Main characters first! Plan out their appearances, their personalities, their good and bad sides, their weaknesses and strengths, their history. Always do your main characters first and then go onto the less important characters. Remember, you should feel connected to your characters. They are all a part of you.

Now that you have your characters, what's next?

That will be said in the next issue! So, stay updated and I hope to see you guys soon!

The three tips I mentioned so far:

Ideas.

Plot

Characters

Remember to always have fun and have faith in your characters and ideas. You are original! Your characters are your own. Be happy with them and have fun!