IMPROVING YOUR WRITING.
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"we've all got a monster inside of us, clarke. and we're all responsible for what it does when we let it out." -lincoln
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okay, so obviously my writing isn't anywhere NEAR perfect. and i can't miraculously make you an amazing author just through you reading this chapter. but i CAN give you some tips, and advice that definitely help me.
here we gooooooo... (off to neverland)
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✿ GENERAL WRITING TIPS:
1. READ BOOKS. i know this sounds obvious, but reading books is probably one of the best things you can do to become a better writer. you learn new words. you learn how to structure. it's like immersion, learning a language. when you immerse yourself in something you want to be able to do, you will be way better equipped to do it. for example my favourite book EVERRR is 'the book thief' by markus zusak. i've read it probably like 4 or 5 times just because i literally love it but also i just want to like soak up his writing style. obviously i don't want to copy him exactly but even if my writing reflects his a teeny bit, i will be proud lol.
2. WATCH THE SHOW. if you're feeling uninspired to write your 100 fanfic, watch the show. it will get you hyped. also, it's good to get a feeling for the characters on the show, so when you're writing your story, you keep them in character. this will help you prevent them from doing things they would normally never do, or saying lines that would sound awkward for them to say.
3. PRACTICE. go to a coffee shop with a journal, and write down descriptions of what you see, or conversations that you hear (ik this sounds stalkerish but trust me it's not ur cool). write down poetry or short stories. keep a journal that you can write it. try free flow writing, where you set a timer for a certain amount of minutes and just write whatever the hell comes to your mind. i've even heard of young authors physically typing out a chapter or section of their favourite book just to get a 'feel' of what it's like to write well. some of these tips may sound weird but they're actually super cool and helpful. trust fam.
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✿ BASIC SPECIFIC WRITING TIPS:
1. choose the perspective that you want to write from. most commonly books are either written in first person or third person. i'll put an example of each using Octavia.
☞ first person:
My heart wobbled in my chest as I stepped down into the grass. For a split second my voice caught in my throat, but I threw my arms up anyways, my fingers brushing through the air. I couldn't contain my excitement.
"We're back bitches!" I screamed, loud enough that all 100 of the delinquents behind me could hear. I didn't care if they thought I was crazy. Maybe I was.
☞ third person:
Octavia's heart wobbled in her chest as she stepped down into the grass. For a split second her voice caught in her throat, but she threw her arms up anyways, her fingers brushing through the air. She couldn't contain her excitement.
"We're back bitches!" she screamed, loud enough that all 100 of the delinquents behind her could hear. She didn't care if they thought she was crazy. Maybe she was.
☞ so yeah, that's a practical example of 1st person vs 3rd person. it's really up to you which one you want to use. both are awesome, and both will work fine. although i do have to admit, with a storyline like the 100, with so many different characters and side plots etc, i personally find it easier to write in 3rd person. but again, both are awesome and its totally up to you!
2. choose the tense you want to use. you can choose from present tense (i.e., it's happening now) or past tense (i.e., it happened in the past). again, i'll do a practical example below, using Raven as my guinea pig.
☞ present tense: Raven kicks the metal giant that sits in front of her, venting out the frustration she's feeling. How the hell is she supposed to fix this thing in 20 minutes? If they find her, they'll float her for sure. Her heart races, she doesn't have time to be mad.
☞ past tense: Raven kicked the metal giant that sat in front of her, venting out the frustration she felt. How the hell was she supposed to fix this thing in 20 minutes? If they found her, they'd float her for sure. Her heart raced, she didn't have time to be mad.
☞ hopefully that's pretty straightforward. one thing i'm notorious for is flipping tenses. (i.e., i'll be writing in past tense then randomly flip to present tense). i think it's something that all authors are guilty of. make sure that when you're editing your writing before you publish it, you make sure all your tenses are right!
3. dialogue. one mistake i notice a lot in fan fictions is the dialogue layout is totally messed up. the golden rule that you have to remember is this: a new character speaking gets a new paragraph. i'll show below.
☞ NOT RIGHT:
"Finn," whispered Clarke, a look of horror in her eyes. "I hate llamas, no matter what I do, I have nightmares about them." "That's not good," replied Finn. He was worried about his friend. He held her hand tightly, refusing to let go. "Maybe you should face your fears, like Bellamy said earlier. I'll help you find a llama you can kill, then you'll be cured." "Thanks Finn," Clarke smiled, grateful to have a friend like him on this cold, llama infested world.
☞ RIGHT:
"Finn," whispered Clarke, a look of horror in her eyes. "I hate llamas, no matter what I do, I have nightmares about them."
"That's not good," replied Finn. He was worried about his friend. He held her hand tightly, refusing to let go. "Maybe you should face your fears, like Bellamy said earlier. I'll help you find a llama you can kill, then you'll be cured."
"Thanks Finn," Clarke smiled, grateful to have a friend like him on this cold, llama infested world.
☞ (excuse the randomness of this dialogue. its late at night and i'm sleep deprived lol)
4. SAID SHOULD BE DEAD. not actually. said is a great word. as long as you don't use it after every flipping time anybody says anything. again, i'll use another psychotic example to prove my point.
☞ NOT GOOD:
"Bellamy," said Octavia, "I'm hungry, want to grab pizza?"
"Nope," said Bellamy, as his eyes stayed glued to his video game. "I'm a little busy, O."
"Fine, I'll get some myself," Octavia said. "Don't expect me to share."
"Whatever the hell you want," Bellamy said.
☞ GOOD:
"Bellamy," sighed Octavia, "I'm hungry, want to grab pizza?"
"Nope," muttered Bellamy, as his eyes stayed glued to his video game. "I'm a little busy, O."
"Fine, I'll get some myself," Octavia replied. "Don't expect me to share."
"Whatever the hell you want," Bellamy rolled his eyes.
☞ some extra words that can be used instead of said:
- whispered
- screamed
- muttered
- hissed
- yelled
- spat
- laughed
- cried
- shouted
- mumbled
- groaned
- giggled
- huffed
- and there's like 8,00000 more i just don't have the time to list them all!
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okay, i feel like that's a lot to cram in your guys brains, so i'm going to end this chapter here. i probably will do another chapter on writing tips/advice, so if you have any questions or requests do not be afraid to comment them or message them to me. love u all!
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screw fear. | THE 100
Random"You don't have to do this alone." || WRITING GUIDE. a book where i make my best attempt at helping you write a kickass fanfic for the 100. [writing tips, the 100 facts, face claims, book recommendations, etc etc etc]
