Now for the good part...
You have an idea, plan and outline, so now its time for some fun, or work, which depends on you mindset. Here are some tips to make you first draft as easy as possible. Remember, get a note book, it is a necessity for all aspiring authors.
Plan your time
Planning time is essential. It is possible to write your first draft in a month, (I did it), but you have to plan your time. Take a break every your so you don't get a headache, but when you write, WRITE. Don't daydream and go over each sentence 20 times. That is what the editing stage is for. Print off this calender and write down word count goals and allot free time for yourself to write.
| writers_calender.docx |
Make Space
Do yourself a favor and don't do your writing in the kitchen. Find a private space, whether it is a desk in your room, on a beanbag chair, in your backyard, or in an attic. It doesn't matter, just as long as you can concentrate there. Post some motivational posters and notes to help you get through your first draft.
Avoid these evil words at all costs
Big bad boring words makes your writing look like something your dog would leave behind. Avoid these words that look more innocent then they are, and it will save you allot of trouble in the editing process
seems
sense
thought
dead body
fun
general public
feel
must
of course
on
about
both
but
different
that
until
sense
thought
dead body
fun
general public
feel
must
of course
on
about
both
but
different
that
until
just
nice
few
even
every
get
big
know
of (most over used word in the English language)
put
also
as
by
quite
there
unique
nice
few
even
every
get
big
know
of (most over used word in the English language)
put
also
as
by
quite
there
unique
It may be hard trying to write without some of these words, but trust me, your future self will thank me when it comes time to edit.
Not to sound cliche...
Avoid these phases at all cost, sometimes they slip out so keep a careful eye on them.
- as luck would have it
- back to the drawing board
- beats me
- better half
- better then ever
- big as life
- bite your tongue
- blind as a bat
- but seriously
- calm before the storm
- clear as mud
- easy as pie
- have a nice day
- hold your tongue
- I beg to differ
- In a pinch
- It was a dark and stormy night
- Keep it down
- knock on wood
- know the ropes
- last but not least
- lay down the law
- life and limb
- lighten up
- luck of the draw
- mark my words
- nip at the bud
- on thin ice
- one in a million
- party pooper
- rags to riches
- road to hell is paved with good intentions
- safe then sorry
- sigh of relief
- set the record straight
- shouldered his way
- screeched to a halt
- slept like a log
- splitting image
- spring to life
- start from scratch
- the same old story
- think outside the box
- tough luck
- twist of fate
- under the same roof
- unexpected twist
- watch your tongue
- when push comes to shove
- words fail
- worst nightmare
- wrong side of the bed
Writing Exercise
- Write a short story using as many cliches as possible, try to fit in at least 20, the trick is to keep your writing good
- create a character that talks only in cliches
Show don't tell
What makes writing more fun the homework? The showing! The idea is that you want to make something appear before the readers eyes without telling them what to see, hear, feel, taste, smell, or even anticipate. But often, budding writers tell because it is easier. But really telling is super boring, and who wants to write a boring book?
Tools to show
Description
Use actions to describe, not adjectives and god-forbid, the dreaded adverbs. Description is boring, so break it up with action, dialauge and interior monolauge. Make sure that the character's voice comes through and that you try to integrate symbolism. Never, ever, ever describe something that does not deserve to be described, that is called purple prose and it sucks.
Here is an example of poor description:
The magnificent sun shone brightly into the young boy's watery hazel eyes. YAWN
Or the infamous it was a dark and stormy night.
"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a
violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops,
and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness." -WHO CARES!
So description is important, but use it wisely
Action
Action is what people do so it is absolutely necessary to a story. But like description, use it wisely. People care about a character jumping off a bridge. People don't care about a character making tea.
Actions is extremely useful for description. "The sun danced and played against the curtains" is much more interesting then "the sun was bright"
It is also useful in dialogue, to show how a character would say something without describing it.
This: He scratched his head,""I don't get it."
Not this: "I don't get it," he said, puzzled
Action is intense, so break it down into short paragraphs, so the reader doesn't get lost in the action.
Dialogue
One of the best tools for showing. Dialogue can reveal allot about a character, by the way that they say things, and what they reveal about themselves. But dialogue can get carried away. Remember, like anything with your book, dialogue must have a purpose, and there must always be conflict in dialogue. And leave out accents. Nothing ees more annoying zen trying to figure out vat a charactor is saying because they have an accent. Convey an accent by changing sentence structure, not by changing words. Most of all, never underestimate the power of said. It is not a big bad boring word because it leaves so much open to the imagination.
Writing exercise: Have an interview with your protagonist in only dialogue.
Interior monologue
The thoughts of a character. It is easy to get lost here, but for a story to happen, the character must stop thinking and start doing. This is almost NOT showing, so use it sparingly and wisely. "I thought," or "he wondered" are to be avoided like the plague.
Interior Emotion
This is showing haw a character feels. "I am sad," doesn't count, that is telling. The difference is that you describe the feeling of the emotion without actually saying what it is. This is an example of interior emotion from my novel, Hudson By the Day.
"My body was numb and searing, thawing and freezing at the same time."
This is powerful, but be careful with it. People don't want to be in your character's head too long.
Use actions to describe, not adjectives and god-forbid, the dreaded adverbs. Description is boring, so break it up with action, dialauge and interior monolauge. Make sure that the character's voice comes through and that you try to integrate symbolism. Never, ever, ever describe something that does not deserve to be described, that is called purple prose and it sucks.
Here is an example of poor description:
The magnificent sun shone brightly into the young boy's watery hazel eyes. YAWN
Or the infamous it was a dark and stormy night.
"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a
violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops,
and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness." -WHO CARES!
So description is important, but use it wisely
Action
Action is what people do so it is absolutely necessary to a story. But like description, use it wisely. People care about a character jumping off a bridge. People don't care about a character making tea.
Actions is extremely useful for description. "The sun danced and played against the curtains" is much more interesting then "the sun was bright"
It is also useful in dialogue, to show how a character would say something without describing it.
This: He scratched his head,""I don't get it."
Not this: "I don't get it," he said, puzzled
Action is intense, so break it down into short paragraphs, so the reader doesn't get lost in the action.
Dialogue
One of the best tools for showing. Dialogue can reveal allot about a character, by the way that they say things, and what they reveal about themselves. But dialogue can get carried away. Remember, like anything with your book, dialogue must have a purpose, and there must always be conflict in dialogue. And leave out accents. Nothing ees more annoying zen trying to figure out vat a charactor is saying because they have an accent. Convey an accent by changing sentence structure, not by changing words. Most of all, never underestimate the power of said. It is not a big bad boring word because it leaves so much open to the imagination.
Writing exercise: Have an interview with your protagonist in only dialogue.
Interior monologue
The thoughts of a character. It is easy to get lost here, but for a story to happen, the character must stop thinking and start doing. This is almost NOT showing, so use it sparingly and wisely. "I thought," or "he wondered" are to be avoided like the plague.
Interior Emotion
This is showing haw a character feels. "I am sad," doesn't count, that is telling. The difference is that you describe the feeling of the emotion without actually saying what it is. This is an example of interior emotion from my novel, Hudson By the Day.
"My body was numb and searing, thawing and freezing at the same time."
This is powerful, but be careful with it. People don't want to be in your character's head too long.
