Ask Me Questions

Take It From Me . . . Or Not

I'm writing this for everyone who thinks I'm such a great writer. I'll admit I've improved over the years, but am in no way perfect. No one is perfect, we're human. We're not meant to be perfect. But as I mentioned this is for everyone, especially those who have asked questions and those who are too scared to ask me questions.

This is my writing advice. It's things I've realized in the time I've been writing. I'll try to cover everything I can think of, but if I miss something and you're curious, ask.

Tip #1 -- Read

To help improve your writing, you need to read. I'm serious. It's a must. I know some people aren't all that big of readers, but read. It will help your writing so much. Reading helps expose you to different writing styles, ways to go about explaining, words you never knew before, and it will help engage your imagination.

I've noticed a huge improvement in my writing from when I first started writing when I was 13 to now. I've improved so much in these four years, but you know what else has improved in the past 4 years? I read so much more.

Create reading goals for yourself. Write them on a piece of notebook paper, make a note on your phone, make a Goodreads account.

Personally, I use Goodreads, if you want to be my friend on there PM and I'll send you the link. I think Goodreads is the best option for me personally because of the yearly reading challenge they do and that you can see your friends reading challenges too. Also, it will show you how far through a book you are percentage wise. I can rate books on there, and see others ratings so I can determine if I want to read a book or not. It also helps me keep track of books I have read and books I want to read.

But as I was saying (typing), make reading goals for yourself. They can be minor goals (probably minor compared to me). Make it a goal to read 20 pages a day or if you're reading on Wattpad make it a goal to read 2 parts a day (depending on the size of the parts). Or make it a goal to read one book a month whether it's a book you own, a book you're borrowing from the library or friend, a Wattpad book. Make a goal. That's another place Goodreads comes in handy if you're going with a certain number of books a year, because it will keep track for you.

Along with reading more, branch out more. Don't stay in one or two genres. I love science fiction and fantasy, but I branch out from that to romance (although I tend to hate strictly romance books), to nonfiction, to general teen fiction, to horror, to thriller, to mystery, to classics. Get out of your comfort zone. The same thing goes for fanfiction. Don't strictly read fanfiction either, even if you cover different fandoms from different genres. Get out there and explore more.

If you don't know what to read, PM me. If you're looking for something on Wattpad, look at my story called "Wattpad Must Reads". If you're looking for something off Wattpad look at my story "Book of Reviews". If you still don't know what to read or nothing catches your interest, PM me. I'll be more than happy to help you find a book or series. Just give me a general idea of what you're looking for or a genre.

Tip #2 -- Outline

Outline your stories. Don't wing them. I've tried this and then I get lost on where the story is going or was going. Outlining is so important. Write down the small details you want to happen in your story. Your outline can always change later. I changed FIRO's outline halfway through. It's an outline, it will help keep you on track with your story so you're not adding unnecessary things.

I would suggest really going into depth with the outline too. I'll tell you how I do my outlining. Of course, you don't have to do it this way, it's just a suggestion.

First, I take note cards or paper and cut them into strips. I also take a handful of strips and cut those in half (I'll get to what these are for in a bit).