Top Five Fiction Writing Tips
Posted: Friday, May 11, 2007
by David Silva
We've compiled a few of the best fiction writing tips on the Internet. These won't provide all the answers you may be looking for to improve your fiction writing. If you're truly serious about the craft of writing fiction, then you should try an online course or seek out the guidance of a professional writer. A few quick tips can only take you so far on your journey to write good fiction.
1: Start Writing Only After You Know These
Some writers love to outline the novel in its entirety before they write a single word. Other writers prefer to sketch out a few notes and jump right in. Either way you choose to approach writing your novel, before a single word goes on paper, you need to know these:
- Who the story is about
- The primary driving conflict of the story
- Who or what opposes the story's main character
- How it all turns out
If, at a minimum, these four issues are clear in your mind, then you can feel somewhat comfortable in getting started on your writing.
2: Don't Write A Novel, Write A Scene
The idea of writing a novel can be overwhelming. Don't let it overwhelm you. A novel isn't written all at once. It's written scene by scene. So approach it that way. Write one scene at a time. Don't worry about the rest of the story, just focus on getting that one scene completed.
3: Use Your Own Voice
It's tempting to try to mimic the voice of a writer you admire. Most writers are readers first. They come to the craft by way of appreciation for the talents of others. So it's not uncommon to try to write in the same voice as someone you've been reading. However, you're doing yourself and your readers a tremendous disservice. The world doesn't need another Stephen King or Ray Bradbury or Janet Evanovich. Readers want new voices, fresh voices. Give them what they want.
4: Write
Out of all the fiction writing tips that I could offer, this is the only one that truly matters. If you want to write a novel, you have to write. Not occasionally. Not only when the muse strikes you. Not only when the rest of the family is out of the house. No, you have to write everyday. Even if it's only for fifteen minutes. You must sit down and apply words to paper each and every day. Write!
5: Edit With The Story In Mind
One of the most difficult tasks you'll encounter as a writer is editing your work honestly. You'll know when you encounter a passage or a scene that doesn't move the story forward, that you know you could cut without affecting any other elements. But do you have the toughness to cut it? What if it's beautifully written? What if you put your heart and soul into it? Could you still cut it? It's hard to cut your own work, especially when you're proud of what you've written. Bottom line: does the passage contribute to the story? If it doesn't, face up to it, cut it and move on.
There they are, five top fiction writing tips. I truly hope you've found something here that was worth your time. However, I will repeat, tips are fine, but a good fiction writing course will not only help you write better fiction, it will help you to write it faster.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)David, I like your style of advice. It's amazing the number of things writers can find to do - that MUST be done NOW - instead of writing. Cheers, Hannah
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