Writing tip #36

Think of writing a lot like exercising your muscles. When you start, you’re going to need to shape and tone your writing skills and it’s going to be difficult, strenuous work. You type and note and create until your metaphorical writing muscles ache from the strain and then once you reach a level you’re satisfied with, you keep working, because if you don’t then you’re committing yourself to a life of being that one guy who goes to the gym once a month to do 5 minutes on the treadmill. That is, you might as well not bother at all.

written? kitten!: positive reinforcement at it’s finest and most adorable. for every 100 (or more) words written, you’re rewarded in the most charming fashion imaginable, so get writing. 

Writing tip #35

It’s extremely easy to (unintentionally) write a fictional story all too autobiographical. Try making your main character drastically different from yourself in one way or another in order to free up your imagination and ensure you’re delivering crucial details and information to the reader. 

33 ways to stay creative (x)

Writing tip #34

Sketch your characters and actually create their physical identity for you to refer to. Sometimes you can create characters simply as they occur to you, at other times they’ll be variations of people you see, meet and know. Some of the best sketches are inspired by people you don’t really know but get a brief view of, like someone sitting in a restaurant or queuing in line at the supermarket. 

Writing tip #33

People are going to criticize you, your ideas, your writing, and there is absolutely no avoiding that. You’re going to need to develop a hard outer-shell and take these things on the chin. Absorb only the hardships from which you can learn and teach yourself to cast any others aside.

Writing tip #32

If you’re ever feeling at the end of your tether- as though you’ll never make it, what’s the point, might as well give up now- just remember that Harry Potter was rejected by a dozen publishers before making it into the big bad world, and many other creditable works many more times than that. 
Also take solace in the fact that you are not one of the publishers who rejected the billionaire writings of Miss Rowling!

Writing tip #31

Compress your writing as tightly as you can. Read through and eliminate any parts you question. If the piece reads just as smoothly, leave out the excess. Condensed sentences pack more of a punch.

Writing tip #30

Don’t be the person who wants to write. Be the person who writes. You’re an aspiring author? Wow, cool, so is that guy, and her, and him over there, the milkman, your teacher, the… you get the point. 
You won’t get anywhere by wishing (no matter what Peter Pan might promise). 

Writing tip #29

Take your character out and about with you. If you’re on the bus, imagine he/she is sat opposite you, but try not to think about it too hard.
What are they doing? Are they chewing their lip, biting their nails, drumming their fingers, do they smile at strangers, ignore strangers,  lean their head against the window and close their eyes?
You can learn a lot about your own creations by letting them live in the real world this way.

Writing tip #28

Don’t forget about your minor characters. Don’t introduce someone occasionally into your story and forget to give them any sense of prospect or background. Do this and you might as well be introducing your protagonists to cardboard cut-outs rather than additional characters, for all the de pth it will give the story. 

Writing tip #27

Don’t completely shy away from your stereotypical characters (at least not with every figure). Readers of books are accustomed to loving the somewhat familiar, and a character with no common relatable characteristics or traits will be too foreign for most people to fully appreciate. Have the stereotypes, have your a-typical Sue from down the lane, but give her modest quirks and differences which will have her ever so slightly, but noticeably, breaking the mold. 

Writing tip #26

Write a book that you, pe rsonally, would like to read. If romances aren’t really your cup of tea, but you’d like to include love interests in your book, immerse it in the genre that you most enjoy. How can you write something that other people will like if you’re not really that into it yourself?