Writing A Good Book

Tips

1. Go online and look up the meanings of names to come up with names for your characters. This is a good thing to do if you can't come up with a name to fit a certain character. For example, if you have someone who is a hunter in your story, look up under "Meanings" the word "hunter." It will most likely give you a list of names that fit this description. The name Chase means "hunter," so this character in your story could be named Chase, instead of a cliche Hunter.

2. Edit, edit, edit. Check punctuation, spelling, grammar, and sentence sense, of course--but don't ignore the big questions. Are your character's actions and responses plausible? Have you taken a shortcut on the plot, making it mundane or superficial?

2. If you are easily influenced by other people's writing, don't read too much. Stick to books you are familiar with and study how the author develops characters, the plot, and the goals over time. However, don't pigeonhole yourself either.

3. Build on your character, and remember, the character can't stay the same age forever, so as they grow up, their mood and sometimes personalities change, and they can get moody and agitated more easily. Get a good age span for your character that you can relate to.

4. Take experiences from your life as an inspiration for a story.

5. Minimize those little dialogue tags (ex. "Andrew said" or "Molly whispered"). Wondering how you're supposed to tell who's talking? By giving each character a unique voice and by grounding the dialogue in the scene. People move when they speak. Things happen around them. Use cues from that context to show who is speaking. If you really need to use "said," go ahead (confusing the reader is worse), but if you really picture the scene, often you'll find it's not needed. Employ slurred words, an accent, an authoritative tone, a submissive tone, or very clipped speech and show it through the word choices. Be very careful of using dialect. If you must use it, use it sparingly. When you know your characters well, you'll have a good idea of how they would sound, the way they express themselves, and the things they'd never say.

6. Know what you want your main characters to be like. Don't give a nerdy kid a cool phrase if you know he/she wouldn't say it. Know your characters like you know yourself. Live inside your character's head for a day.

7. People don't generally talk in full sentences. They give one-word answers. So occasionally use lazy words such as "Yeah, hmm," etc. Do not overuse them! Good dialogue doesn't actually sound exactly like real speech: it's real speech with all the boring parts cut out.

8. Look to improve your wording. Find the exact word you're looking for: is the character upset or agitated? Research and think about the connotations of words. Try manuals like "The Elements of Style" so you can learn how to say what you want in a way that's clear, effective, and uniquely yours.

9. Make sure the plot isn't too confusing, if too many things are happening at once, stop. Take a small break and clear your mind. Reading over the story from the beginning is always a good idea, it usually gives you a new perspective and helps you think of where to go next.

10. Don't copy things from other books. If you have writer's block, look for inspiration.

11. Use sensory language. This is key in pulling your reader into your story. Make sure your audience can "see, smell, and hear" their surroundings. Paint a picture through your words — you don't want the book to be boring or blunt, but rather, you want your reader to imagine what everything is like. Then again, unless you're the next Marcel Proust, don't describe every leaf on every tree or you'll make the plot drag on.

12. Think long and hard about your characters (who they are, what they're like, what they want, what they're afraid of), setting (time period, location), and conflict (person versus person, person versus society, person versus fate). They make the story interesting.

13. A. If you don't know where to take the story next:
Try writing whatever comes into your head. Eventually, you'll be back on a roll with some good ideas, and you can use them to edit/replace what you just wrote.

B. Go out for a walk; listen to some inspiring music; ride the bus somewhere unusual, or even just go do some daily activity to get your mind off of the story for a short time. After a while go back and try writing again. Soon it will come to you. Ideas seem clearer if your mind gets some rest every once in a while. You would not want to stress over it too much. If you try to finish it in one sitting, you will get tired quickly and your excitement about writing to story will go downhill fast. So breaks are good to take about every half an hour or so, depending on your mood, and how long you can sit without totally going blank, but you are not supposed to wait until you go blank, so take breaks, as they help a lot, both with the story and with your personal liveliness.

C. Maybe you've painted yourself into a corner. Is the plot really going the way you want it to? Is the scene you're writing necessary? Get to the action (it's there, happening in your head) a different way.

D. Get your mind up and running. Play word poker: grow a collection of single words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) that appeal to you. Write each on a small piece of paper. When you've got a lot of them, put them in a box and pick five out. Make a cohesive sentence or two using these words. Soon your ideas will coalesce.

14. When writing, for example, a book, it is a good idea to put in around an hour of each day writing to keep fresh on where you were, are, and where you want to go.

15. A thousand books before writing one. Embark on a brave, focused journey to read authors who intrigue you from all over the world. Remember to choose books that may relate to your story, and take note of how the author keeps the pages turning. If you want to write a deep, thrilling novel, read some of J.K Rowling's books for a good example. Notice what style gives each book its meaning, and what about it fascinates you. Do the characters have psychological depth? Does the author use sensory language? Always keep this in mind, but also remember to maintain your own style of writing as well.

16. Keep a notebook with you wherever you go so you can write whenever an idea comes to you. If you have a spare moment, take out your notebook and write the first thing that comes to mind.

17. When writing, do not leave off at a place where you can't think of anything. If you do, you may never finish your story. Stop at a place where you have a plan in mind.

18. Don't start editing your story right away, as you're less likely to see errors or plot holes. Wait a few days until you can look at the story with fresh eyes.

19. Do drafts before you do the final copy. This helps a lot with editing.

20. Dialogue and details are key to writing an astonishing story, put the reader in your characters shoes.

21. Sit down and just think about how the plot of your story will lay out. Then write, while creating plot twists that lead up to the big climax.

22. When writing a story, make sure to focus on the main character, but leave room to tell about her/his friends' stories. Each main character needs time to show off, and a time to let her/his friends take part, too!

23. Do not take yourself too seriously.

24. When creating character dialogue, make it interesting. Everyone has a particular way of speaking, and often their speech can identify who they are as a character. Dialogue adds interest to stories, and if it seems too staged and perfect, the whole point of the dialogue will be lost. When you're out and about, eavesdrop on conversations; you will be amazed by the variety of different words and topics each person uses, which can make the person distinctly different from the others. An elderly woman would speak differently from a child, and differently from a soldier, or even a sassy gum-smacking teenager. Take all of the differences and variations into consideration, and your dialogue will be spectacular.