Tone:

It’s important to establish your writing tone in the first chapter.

A brief definition of this is how you say what you say.

It’s also important to make sure your tone matches up with the genre you’re writing.

▪️Let’s take mystery-thrillerfor instance:

Example:

There was a knock at the door.

Danielle walked down the stairs to answer it.

But when she opened the door, she noticed that no one was there.

That was weird, she thought. 

Vs.

There was a knock at the door.

Danielle crept down the shadowed stairs and the floorboards creaked under her weight, spooking her.

When she made it to the bottom she put her hand on the cold knob and slowly opened the door.

No one was there.

This is scary, she thought.

Often times you can use“adjectives”to set your tones.

Example:

Use these adjectives to set a negative tone

▪️Angry

▪️Annoyed

▪️Hurt

▪️Sad

▪️Anxious

▪️Scary

▪️Sick

▪️Awful

▪️Insane

▪️Bad

▪️Black

▪️Embarrassed

▪️Envious

▪️Lazy

▪️Tense

▪️Blue

▪️Evil

▪️Lonely

▪️Fierce

▪️Mad

▪️Terrifying

▪️Foolish

▪️Mysterious

▪️Timid

▪️Tired

▪️Confused

▪️Frightened

▪️Troubled

▪️Crappy

▪️Nervous

▪️Upset

▪️Crazy

▪️Grieving

▪️Creepy

▪️Grumpy

▪️Weak

▪️Cruel

▪️Outrageous

▪️Weary

Prospective:

Have your readers “walk in your character’s shoes”.

It’s attractive to read about a worse situation than your own. Your annoying neighbor next door or your upcoming doctors’ appointment.

One way you can do this is by putting your characters in tough situations, allow the unimaginable to happen to them.

Ideas:

▪️A character loses leg/legs

▪️A character contracts a rare, uncuriable disease

▪️A character is forbidden to ever marry but is desperately in love

▪️A character watches someone close to them suffer and die

▪️A character accidentally kills someone they love

▪️A character’s life is threatened

▪️A character contracts a psychopathic stalker

▪️A character gets amnesia

▪️A character forgets how to speak

▪️A character that’s a millionaire suddenly goes bankrupt

▪️A character is blackmailed into committing crimes

▪️A character is sentenced to death for saving someone’s life

▪️A character loses their job and can’t find employment

▪️A character goes into a coma for five years and suddenly wakes up

▪️A character is cheated on repeatedly but fights for their partner regardless

▪️A character loses their beauty to a horrible accident

▪️A character goes to a mental ward but they’re perfectly sane and can’t prove it

Synonyms for “Walk”:

▪️Theystrolled through the garden hand in hand.

▪️Shetramped through the mud, her legs aching.

▪️Hehiked up the hill.

▪️The cat awoke and moseyed to her food bowl.

▪️Heprowled around the corner as the girl neared.

▪️Hemarched around the school yard, feeling proud.

▪️Sheambled into the kitchen with a yawn.

▪️Hewandered through the hallways, staring down at th map.

▪️Shetrodslowlyacross the old bridge, watching her feet.

▪️Heproceeded on his way after stopping for a drink.

▪️The boys trooped into the locker room after a long game.

▪️The boy and girl sauntered down the road.

▪️Sheplodded toward the house, having finished her jog.

▪️Hepatrolled up and down the street.

▪️The dogs roamed the open meadows.

Describing Setting:

Don’t overload:

The bluebird was singing soft melodies and flapping its wings. The breeze was blowing sweet scents from the flowers that were red, blue, and purple. The sky was clear with only a few thin clouds. The tall dark trees were creaking and echoing against the woods. ✖️

Vs.

The rose-scented wind blew breezes against the forest. Bluebirds sprang into the air with songs of summer. ✔️

Writing Better Books:

▪️Use dialogue to move your story along

▪️write tension: your story should be full of struggle. Even after resolving one conflict, quickly introduce the next. This keeps things interesting for your reader.

▪️outline:I personally don’t use this method but everyone has what works for them. At least have a goal in mind and constantly ask the question “what if”.

If you are like me, ask these questions for each scene:

▪️write detail: don’t forget the senses, especially sound, sight, and smell.

▪️read other books and ask yourself why you like that book or what keeps you interested and try to learn from it.

▪️it’s okay to vary chapter length, it keeps things interesting.

▪️write hand gestures

▪️let your characters’ personalities speak through action.

▪️there doesn’t always have to be a moral

▪️delete “very” and be precise:

instead of “very good”say“excellent”.

▪️delay plot twist reveals, allow suspension to build

▪️avoid clichés

These are common clichés:

▪️show don’t tell

▪️captivate your readers from the start: pose a question:

Mary would never walk again. Why?

Peter’s heart was shattered.Why?

The day he came, my life drastically changed. Why? Who?

▪️use similes when appropriate

▪️don’t stress it, you’re doing great ☺️

Clarity:

She went all the way to the store by the way of a car in which she had just purchased. ✖️

Vs.

She went to the store in a car she had just purchased. ✔️

He very much loved the sounds that the cars made as they made their way passed his house at a very fast pace.✖️

Vs.

He loved the cars’ sounds as they quickly passed his house. ✔️

▪️Avoid run on sentences:

He bought a dog from the shelter because he wanted to give a homeless dog a nice new home and that made him feel like a good person. ✖️

Vs.

He bought a dog from the shelter because he wanted to give a homeless dog a nice new home. This made him feel like a good person.

▪️Cut out “was” when possible:

Courtney was smiling. ✖️

Vs.

Courtney smiled. ✔️

▪️Try using one sentace paragraphs:

She liked how the rain felt on her bare skin.

So, she chose to walk home, her feet crashing through puddles.

It took longer than it would have in a car.

But she didn’t regret it.

▪️Try shorter sentences:

Ann’s heart felt sad.

She didn’t know what had caused it.

All she knew was that she woke up one morning feeling sad.

▪️Be conside:

I like carrots. Carrots are better than broccoli.✖️

Vs.

I like carrots better than broccoli. ✔️

▪️Be Specific:

She ate a snack.✖️

Vs.

She ate peanut butter crackers. ✔️

She went out for entertainment.✖️

Vs.

She went to the theater.✔️

▪️Paint pictures:

The sun was yellow. The sky was blue.✖️

Vs.

The sky was a blanket of gold, fluttering through the pale blue. ✔️

▪️Express don’t impress:

Scintillating gold fulgrated across the sphere it was a quintessential evening.✖️

Vs.

Sparkling gold mixed through the navy sky. It was the perfect evening. ✔️

Best Writing Tip EVER:

• If it’s boring to you, it’s boring to your reader.

Otherbest writing Tips:

▪️Write what you love

▪️throw away guidelines (if you want to write about a character that passes out every five seconds for no reason, GO FOR IT)

▪️stop writing for other people

▪️stop worrying ☺️

▪️fall in love with your story, characters, and setting

▪️allow writing to be fun again

▪️don’t write for money, popularity, or anything other than YOU (you’re not an accountant, you’re a writer! But if money follows your passion, yay you!)

Questions to ask yourself:

If bores me, why am I writing it?

What do I love? Hobbies, places, food, subjects, events, eras, etc.

What do I not love? Don’t write it.

What do I know? Homeschooling, raising animals, career, art, cleaning houses. (You’d be surprised what others don’t know and how interested they would be to just read about a character that mops floors for a living )

Am I writing about a subject I’m unfamiliar with?

Do I love my book?

Does my book excite me?

Do I love my characters?

What books do I like to read?

Testimony:

Once upon a time, a writer that loved to write couldn’t write any more.

She tried everything in her power but ended up hating her book just as much as a runny nose and sore throat.

She wondered why this had happened to her.

She realized she had been writing for others, what she thought they wanted and liked.

But in reality, her stories were boring like watching rain out the window.

Especially to her.

So she decided to take a break from internet writing and wrote a private story for herself.

She quickly realized she had never lost her writing gift and she felt so happy that she finished an entire novel and published it.

Many people loved and commented on her book, telling her it was the best book she had ever written.

Now she realized that her own passions also interested others so she kept writing for herself. And others enjoyed it, too!

Now she writes for a living, it’s not boring, and she has fun everyday.

Theend.

Writing Snacks:

Sitting down to write with a bag of chips or a slice of cake is… well, let’s face it. You’re probably going to eat too much. And yes, I have been very guilty of this.

Here’s an alternative:

▪️sliced veggies + dip

▪️yogurt(non-dairy is my fav)

▪️pretzels

▪️smoothie

▪️your favorite nuts (almonds!!!)

▪️juice

▪️sliced apples with nut butter

▪️dark chocolate

▪️popcorn

▪️dried fruit

▪️seed mixes

▪️hot tea

If your anything like me, you’ll sit down at your laptop for hours at a time working on your story… so it’s good to prepare your snacks in advance, so it’s an easy grab and go option.

How To Write Paragraphs:

To make interesting paragraphs you need an even balance of the following:

▪️Conjunctions:(But, and, etc.)

▪️Short sentences:She went to the store.

▪️Long sentences:She went to the store, hoping she could get the bread she wanted on sale.

Example:

What would happen?Lily had never been left alone before, because she had super bad anxiety. But this time, her mother felt it would be good for her.No. It was the worst mistake.

Vs.

Lily had terrible anxiety and didn’t want to be left alone. But this time her mother felt it would be good for her, so she left to the store. This was a bad idea and a horrible mistake.

Lily had terrible anxiety. She didn’t want to be left alone. Her mother felt it would be good for her. She left to the store. This was a bad idea. This was a horrible mistake.

Spice up your dialogue:

“I can’t,” she said.

Or you could say…

“I can’t,” she said, slowlyand moved away from him.

“Will you come?” He asked.

Or…(adj.)(Action)

“Will you come?” He asked, timidlywith his head down.

Balance your tags like this:

Tags: pink

Adjective: orange

Action: blue

“I’m tired,” Mia said with a yawnand crawled into bed.

Daniel lowered the book he was reading. “It’s too early for sleep.”

Two seconds later, Mia’s snores echoed through the room.

“Oh well.” Hechuckledand turned off the light.

Prompts:

She said, softly and looked down.

She said, timidly stepping away.

She said, robustly and met his eyes.

She said, angrily with a flushed face.

She said, quivering and fell to the ground.

He said, laughing and holding his stomach.

He said, stiffly and turned away.

He said, bitterly and his jaw flared.

Eye Color:

Baby blue

Cobolt blue

Slate blue

Blueberry colored

Sky blue

Misty blue

Ocean blue

Navy blue

Rich blue

Indigo blue

Electric blue

Powdery blue

Midnight blue

Royal blue

Diamond blue

✏️

Earth green

Sage green

Emerald green

Pine green

Jade green

Mint green

Meadow green

Grasshopper green

Basil green

Evergreen

Leaf green

Army green

Valley green

✏️

Oak brown

Chocolate brown

Charcoal colored

Beige

Caramel brown

Tan

Penny colored

Camel brown

Autumn colored

Desert brown

Acorn colored

Clay colored

Night colored

Leather brown

Dusty brown

Cocoa colored

Marble brown

Nut brown

Copper brown

Apple brown

Blazer brown

Cranberry brown

Rosy brown

Chestnut brown

✏️

Elephant gray

Fog gray

Metal gray

Silver

Ash colored

Slate gray

Charcoal gray

Dolphin gray

Cloud colored

Cinder gray

Smokey gray

Castle gray

Steel gray

Lilac gray

Tin gray

Whale gray

Ocean gray

Thundercloud gray

Shoreline gray

Rocky gray

Marble gray

Stone gray

How to Have Confidence in Your Writing:

▪️post your story online for feedback

▪️read everyday

▪️write everyday

▪️put your story aside and then come back later (this helps you see it more clearly)

▪️read writing tips

▪️download Grammarly (there’s a free version)

▪️try not to edit as you go (this slows you down and makes you question everything. It can be quite frustrating. So, it’s better to wait until the end of the book to edit.)

▪️keep in mind that no one writes a perfect first draft - they are going to suck.

▪️actuallyfinish a story. (This builds confidence like crazy. You’ll feel so accomplished.)

Word count: 13,140

How is yours going?

Dialogue Tags:

▪️He explained. ✖️

▪️He advised. ✖️

▪️He warned. ✖️

▪️He confirmed. ✖️

▪️He accused. ✖️

▪️He babbled. ✖️

▪️He said.✔️

Although these tags aren’t always bad they can be overused and redundant to the reader.

Let me explain.

▪️“You stole my cookie, Linda!” Roger shouted.

(We already know Roger is accusing Linda and don’t need to say “Roger accused”.

It’s better to keep your tags basic.

▪️He said. ✔️

▪️She said. ✔️

▪️He asked. ✔️

▪️She asked. ✔️

▪️He yelled. ✔️

▪️She yelled. ✔️

But don’t overuse your tags.

“Hello,” Linda said.

“Hello,” Roger said.

“How are you?” Linda asked.

“I’m fine,” Roger replied.

Omit tags when readers can assume who is speaking.

Linda put her arm around Roger. “I love you.”

He smiled. “I love you, too.”

Use action instead of tags.

“I’ll miss you,” Roger cried. ✖️

Vs.

Hot tears swelled in Rogers eyes. “I’ll miss you.” ✔️

Rules to finding your writing style:(writing voice)

▪️don’t copy someone else

▪️stick with one POV (point of view)

▪️play with different styles

▪️keep it natural

▪️edit instead of changing your voice (your writing voice usually isn’t the problem)

▪️try adding more description to your writing

▪️stay consistent

▪️writeevery day

▪️write what you love

Reverse Dictionary

Take advantage of this site, it’s super helpful when looking for similar and different words or phrases. Yes, you can type whole phrases and get alternatives. Way to spice up your creative writing

Hint, click on any word to get its definition.

Reverse Dictionary

Write in the Morning☕️

Obviously, this isn’t feasible for everyone and I totally get it. But here are some benefits:

1. You write better just after a good night’s sleep as your mind is fresh.
2. Less distractions.

Here are some tips to make this happen:

Grab some coffee, tea, whatever you like.

DO NOT check Facebook, email, or jump on any other social media. (You’ll get easily distracted for hours.)

Make a routine. Write at the same time every morning and your body will adjust.

Set an alarm. I like to wake up around 4AM and write for 2-3 hours. (Don’t recommend, but it works for me and that’s just what my body wants to do ‍♀️)

Side note:

Write whenever your schedule allows. I used to write well into the night and made excellent progress on my novels. But now days I’m too tired in the evenings.

Share what works best. If you decide to start a morning routine, I hope these tips help ❤️

Ideas for Writer’s Block

• Search Pinterest for photography relevant to your WIP. I find “nature” and “character inspiration” help a lot. Visualizing your character, their house, their car, can really help you break through writer’s block as it opens your mind to detail. You can just start describing what you see!
• Listen to music.This often sets the “mood” for writing. Not for everyone, but definitely works for me! I like to pretend my character is the voice singing and then ask questions, why, what, where, and who.
• Read, read, read books. I find that reading gets me in the mood for writing. I’ve gone through months of writer’s block and then the moment I pick up a book and start reading, I’m like “okay, where’s my laptop?”. And then a whole novel is spat out in a matter of days.
• Newspaper. Sounds old and boring, but I tried it the other morning and it worked. Just read through the columns and see if anything stands out. A lot of times, I use them to help me think up book titles. Magazines work just as well.
• Just let it flowand don’t stop. Don’t overthink it. Set a timer for 30 minutes and just write until the timer goes off. Sometimes we get caught up trying to make each sentence immaculate. That’s what editing is for later. The longer you hang up on a chapter or scene the worse is gets. Just write. Move past it. And don’t look back.

I hope these tips helped! Good luck! If you’d like to share your tips for writer’s block, please feel free in the comments below. ❤️

Specific Traits

~Hair~

Hair color is fun to describe but it’s not very telling or unique. Two, three, or four characters in your book might have blonde hair. You could easily describe them as having different shades like yellow-blond, white-blonde, and dark blonde. But you can be far more effective if you describe hair characteristics.

Here’s what I mean:

Style- do they wear their hair in a bun, ponytail, or long and wild down their back? Do they straighten it or curl it?

Texture- is it thin and wispy or heavy strands that curl under at the ends? Is it glossy in the light or coarse and dull?

Smell- you can get away with this one as long as you don’t overuse it. For instance, does your character shower with coconut shampoo or wear hair mist from Bath and Body Works?

Use the examples above to broaden your description of hair.

Example:

Kandace’s glossy blonde hair smelled like honeysuckles, reminding me of summer.

Describing Eyes

The eyes are often called the “windows to the soul”. They tell so much about a person. That’s why describing the eyes of your character will give passion and detail about them as well as paint a picture in your readers’ minds.

Here are some words to consider using when describing eyes:

• Dark

• Icy

• Piercing

• Cold

• Hard

• Deep

• Loving

• Passionate

• Severe

• Kind

• Scary

• Confused

• Intense

• Twinkling

Use these even when describing color like: Her deep parrot blue eyes.Or,His intense brown-eyed stare. These are words commonly used when describing eyes and give depth to your descriptions.

Eye Shape:

This is a very visual aspect for your readers to grasp on to. Does the character have squinty eyes or large round eyes? Here are some shapes to consider:

• Round

• Almond-shaped

• Protruding

• Wide

• Downturned

• Deep-set

• Hooded

• Thin

• Upturned

• Big

• Small

You could say: Her round blue eyes glistened.Or,his intense deep-set eyes were navy.

Frequently consider, color, description, and shape. This is a great start, and your readers will love it!

When describing eyes, don’t be afraid to let your creativity shine through. Think further than color and shape and consider attaching thoughts and emotions to your description. I’ll show you:

Instead of:

Her round blue eyes glistened.

Try:

Her round blue eyes glistened like they were afraid to cry.

Instead of:

His intense deep-set eyes were navy.

Try:

His intense deep-set eyes were navy. The kind of blue that screamed to be noticed.

Be careful not to get caught up describing one thing and one thing only. If all you ever do is pick a color off the color list then your description will be lacking. Instead, try to use a balance. Not every sentence has to be deep and crazy. Here and there, you can get by with “she had blue eyes” or “his hazel eyes teared up”. That’s fine. Just make sure there’s a balance.

Be unique! Be different! And don’t suppress your beautiful creativity. ❤️

-from my upcoming book “How to Write Charcters”.

(Hehe)

Did you write today?

How about yesterday? Or the day before that?

Don’t worry if you haven’t! Even if it’s been a few weeks. The most important thing is that you get back into the groove of writing.

This means opening up that WIP that you’ve been stalling on and write a few words. Here’s a tip if you find that task to be extremely difficult: (trust me, I’ve been there.)

• Use imagery - this can be anything! Google or search images on Pinterest and find something relevant to your story. Try searching under “character inspiration” or “nature”. I find this to be most helpful.

My current WIP is a historical fiction and I can’t tell you how many images I’ve searched under “castle” “medieval” and “nature”. It helps so much when you’re feeling stuck or can’t seem to visualize your scene/setting.

If you look up characters, try to describe the character being as descriptive as possible. Discern the emotion on their face, hair color, the little freckle on their left cheek. And if you want to take it further, you can describe their past or what secrets you think they’re hiding. This is a great way to get the creative flow going again. 

Good luck ☺️

Start your Book by Describing Detail

It can be anything. A cup of coffee with milky swirls. An emotion like fear or anger. The way a soft blanket feels in bed. Just begin describing something in detail and let it guide you into the next paragraph and see what you come up with. This can be helpful with writer’s block as well.

Watch as I describe a sweater:

I loved that red sweater. Not the balled-up fabric that felt scratchy against my skin. But the memories soaked into the material. The sleeves stained with mascara tears.

-from my upcoming book ❤️

Describe Vs Explain

You’ve probably heard “show don’t tell”. This is another way of phrasing that. And a lot of writers have found that it clicks better. ☺️

Describe don’t explain!

Writing Tip of the Day:

• Read what you want to produce.

When you read suspense, you’re teaching yourself how to write suspense. When you read romance, you’re teaching yourself how to write romance. And so on and so forth.

Here are some tips for learning while you read:

▪️Study the sentence structure.

▪️Study the paragraph.

▪️Study the dialogue.

▪️Ask yourself what makes you like to read this book? What keeps you hooked? Captivated?

▪️What words or positioning of words builds suspense.

▪️How does the author describe characters?

▪️How does the author describe scenery?

▪️How does the author describe emotions?

▪️Study the pacing of the story

Keep in mind, just by reading (without purposely studying) your brain is going to work learning how to write.

Read what you want to produce! It’s a great way to stay inspired and keep you in the writing mood ☺️

Poetry:

1. Write what movesyou

2. Choose a one-word theme as your guideline

3. Line break (writing in shorter lines)

4. Use metaphors (saying one thing is another)

5. Use similes (comparing one thing to another)

6. Use repetition

7. Write in “pictures” using imagery and figurative language ▪️this can be achieved with similes, metaphors, and the five senses

8. Keep a synonym dictionary handy

9. Keep your topic in mind while writing

10. Avoid clichés (“busy as a bee”)

11. Read poetry. Read poetry. Read poetry. 

12. Paint in bits, never stop the flow to dump information/description

13. Remember, poetry does not have to rhyme!

Inner Thought:

▪️gives reader a deeper insight into your characters’ personalityandmotivations

▪️reveals characters’ true feelings

▪️moves story forward

▪️increases plot conflict

Read this example:

“You know you’re basically just keeping the

kids out of the way, right?” The chief’s tone

was calm, but his eyes were wary.

Avery stiffened.

“Yeah,” she said through a mouthful of fried

egg. “I know.”

He chucked her shoulder. “Don’t be like

that. When you’re of age, you can show off

your detective skills. Until then, we do things

by the book.”

Avery looked away.

Vs.

“You know you’re basically just keeping the

kids out of the way, right?” The chief’s tone

was calm, but his eyes were wary.

Avery stiffened. She had been on more miss-

ing-person searches—unofficially, as she was

underage—than most of the officers on her

father’s staff. But being sixteen kept her on

“kid patrol,” basically babysitting while the

adult volunteers tromped through the forest,

potentially ruining scads of evidence while

pretending they were a bunch of television

CSIS, no doubt.

“Yeah,” she said through a mouthful of fried

egg. “I know.”

He chucked her shoulder. “Don’t be like

that. When you’re of age, you can show off

your detective skills. Until then, we do things

by the book.”

Avery looked away, thinking about her

mother, about how she would zing the chief in

the ribs and remind him not to be so serious.

“By the book,” she would mock in a terrible

baritone. “I’m the big, bad chief.”

Example excerpt taking from “The Escape” by Hannah Jayne. She started off on wattpad ☺️ you can check out her book here -

https://amzn.to/2OVNt4e

Dialogue is so so important! If your reader sees that you know what you’re doing, they’re more likely to read your book ☺️ this book is only 4.99 on amazon, link posted below! Happy writing!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0910355142/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0910355142&linkCode=as2&tag=annalec16-20&linkId=81d40db14361a21eef2c9c5d7234faad

Also, this is a treasure! Especially for my fellow wattpaders out there. If you want to successfully publish on wattpad, this book is a necessity. Good luck! Link posted below…

https://amzn.to/3908Qbg

POV’s

▪️Third person Omniscient:

The narrator knows everything and can jump between multiple characters’ thoughts, feelings, and perspectives.

Pronouns:he, she, they, it

Example:

She stared at his face but didn’t know what he was thinking. But he thought she could read the jealousy on his expression.

▪️Third Person Limited:

The narrator stays with one character’s point of view at a time.

Pronouns:he, she, they, it

Example:

She stared at his face but didn’t know what he was thinking.

▪️First person:

There isn’t a narrator. The story is told from an individual’s or group’s point of view.

Pronouns:I, we

Example:

I stared at his face but didn’t know what he was thinking.

▪️Second Person:

The story is told from the readers’ perspective.

Pronouns:you

Example:

You stare at his face but don’t know what he’s thinking.

Writing advice you will probably hate:

▪️DO NOT edit until after your work in progress is finished

Reasons:

1. You will quench your creative flow

2. You will get frustrated

3. It will take 10 years to finish your book and you will still hate it.

4. You’ll beat yourself up

5. editing is more productive once your work is finished.

Ways to avoid this:

1. Keep writing and don’t look back

2. Finish from beginning to literally “the end”

3. Remember, becoming a good writer isn’t magically writing everything perfect the first time around. It’s learning to edit. And edit. And edit again.

Don’t worry, you got this!☺️

Clarity

Writing clear sentences can be hard so follow this example and I’ll show you how to make it easier.

Vs.

It can be hard to write clear sentences. But I’ll show you how to make it easier. ✔️

Words to cut:

▪️Which

▪️By the way of

▪️Of

▪️Incidentally

▪️Because of

▪️Clearly

▪️Obviously

▪️felt

▪️heard

▪️smelled

▪️therefore

▪️was(to be verbs)

▪️words ending in “ing”

▪️words ending in “ly”

The car roared loudly down the street. ✖️

Vs.

The car roared down the street ✔️

(“Roared” already says the car was loud and we don’t need to add “loudly” so watch out for your adjectives ending in “ly”.)

▪️something (try to be more specific)

She felt something strange.

Vs.

Her stomach twisted in a knot.

▪️cut out unnecessary words.

Note:

Some of the words listed make your sentences clearer. If so, leave them be. Delete the words I listed when it makes sense.

Good luck!❤️

4 TOP TIPS for Relatable Characters:

▪️Give them GOALS:goals drive your characters forward and the sooner you establish their goals the better off your story.

Goals can be anything from sadness, wanting to win an award, trying to overcome anxiety, wanting to open their own restaurant etc.

▪️make them FAIL:if the guy gets the girl by chapter 3 it doesn’t make for a good story. There has to be struggle, conflict, and failure.

▪️Make them VULNERABLE:everyone has flaws. If you make your character flawless then you risk your readers not being able to relate. The vulnerability can be something secret and buried deep within like past hurt that shows up in the form of jealousy and so on.

Vulnerabilities can be an addiction, lust for power, vanity, anger, anxiety, dishonesty, etc.

▪️Give them FEARS:fear is one of the most relatable traits and can range from fear of dying, fear of certain insects, fear of the dark, fear of falling in love, the list goes on.

Also, your characters’ fear more than likely will tie into their goals. Their fears will prevent them from reaching their goals or be the very problem their trying to overcome. This makes for a good read☺️

Check out these books for more “character” ideas and help:

https://amzn.to/3tHZbhK

Build Better Characters: The psychology of backstory & how to use it in your writing to hook readers (Creative Academy Guides for Writers Bo

Introducing Characters:

1. Introduce your characters with action,mannerismsanddialogue:

I was running, panting, sweating but I knew my lean body could take it. It’s what I had been training for my entire life. I punched with my arms harder and harder, feeling my lungs burn as they begged me to stop. Then, suddenly pain shot up my leg and into my hip and I watched the world spin into hues of dark green as I collapsed and hit the ground. ✔️

“D-Don’t hurt me,” she cried with a trembling lip as she backed against the wall. ✔️

“If you hurt me you’ll be sorry,” she said, crossing her arms and glaring at the intruder. ✔️

▪️This is more effective than describing your character’s hair and eye color:

My hair was dark brown and my eyes were pale blue and that day I was wearing a red sweater with blue jeans which looked great on my figure. My skin was tanned from the long summer and I had just gotten my hair highlighted.✖️

My best friend walked up beside me with her brown hair curled perfectly and her red lips smiling. She was wearing a tight white shirt and a blue-jeaned skirt. Her skin was pale and freckled and her eyes were the color of the ocean.✖️

2. Focus on character traits:

I chewed my nails, watching the doors. What if someone came in to attack me? What if something exploded outside? ✔️

My best friend covered her mouth let out a boisterous laugh. “Let’s prank your sister!”✔️

I watched the girl pass me in envy and wanted to ruin her perfect little day. But how? ✔️

▪️we learn so much more about a character when we learn who they arenotwhat they look like but physical traits are important too.

▪️Try “sneaking” physical traits in with mannerism and action:

I watched the girl pass me in envy twisting a long lock of my brown hair. I wanted to ruin her perfect little day. But how? ✔️

My best friend covered her mouth and her blue eyes widened as a boisterous laugh escaped her lips. “Let’s prank your sister!”✔️

3.Read books by your favorite authorsandpayattention to how they describe characters☺️

Writing Hooks

• Start your book with an onomatopoeia: (Sounds words)

Bark!

I jet up in bed with a racing heart. Why is Luna barking at this hour?

Bang!

The sound echoed through the woods, birds hurrying into flight.

• Start your book with repetitive phrases:

No. No. I stared at the torn picture in unbelief.

“Where’s dad? Where’s dad?” I asked, tears running down my face.

• Start your book with ADJECTIVES:

White swirls covered the top of my salted caramelcoffee.

Agiant blue wave crashed over the little blonde-headedgirl.

• Start your book with a personal experience:

I always loved the way rain sounded on a tin roof; it would lull me fast to sleep.

When I was five, my big brother had punched me in the nose. He used to always get away with bullying me.

• Start your book with SETTING:

The neighbors’ house was dark, always shadowed even on a sunny day. The black iron gate that surrounded the mansion kept everyone out and what was in, stayed in.

The park was full of children and their pets, racing back and forth through the sandboxes and dewy morning grass.