You hear a lot of advice on what you needto do as a writer… but what about things you shouldn’t do? These are all subjective tips I’ve found online— take as much info as you want from them, and disregard the things you don’t agree with!
1) Never disregard story structure. Even if you’re a pantser or love creative writing without constraints, always keep a basic structure in mind. This doesn’t mean to follow it religiously, but instead… keep it in the back of your brain so that your story can build towards important plot points, the climax and properly develop your characters. Write freely, but never forget the foundation of what makes a successful story.
2) Never abandon your first novel. To become an experienced and proficient writer, it takes time and practice. If your first novel isn’t working out, never trash it completely. After all, first-time projects usually are never going to be as good as later pieces.
Either set it aside for a later time, or use it to practice on. It’s in the editing and rewriting where you can fix it, or decide that it’s not as strong as you’d hoped. In that case, you can take bits and pieces of it and transform it into an entirely new story.
3) Never worry about how you “should” be writing. Not only does this take the fun out of the process, but it can make your writing choppy and unnatural. Everyone writes differently, there is no “one size fits all”. Take time to learn the rules of the craft, the structures, the patterns— but when it comes to the act of writing, don’t restrict yourself.
4) Don’t edit alone. Do the first rounds of editing on your own, but when it comes to a point where you can’t find anything else to fix— consider handing your draft over to trusted friends and family, beta readers and even professional editors if you have the money to do so!
5) Don’t be on the computer too long/neglect exercise. When you work out the body, you’re also working out the mind. If you feel sluggish or sore from sitting all day, your writing will most likely suffer as well! No matter how little, try to fit some kind of physical movement into your days.
6) Never skip the fundamentals. Grammar, good sentence structure, strong vocabulary… don’t ever forget the small, simple things that build healthy stories. You could have an amazing plot, but if your fundamentals suffer, it could drag everything down with it!
7) Never try to write like your idols. If you’re trying hard to copy a certain writing style, you aren’t in the “flow” of things. It’s when we try too hard that we lose the sheer joy of the process. Read and study your favorite authors and naturally you’ll pick up certain habits from them— but never try to force your writing to be similar to theirs. Your own style and voice will come within time.
8) Never write something because the market says so. If horror is the best-selling category but you hate it— don’t feel like you have to write that specific genre to be successful. There are niches and fanbases for every genre and if you truly love what you are writing, it will show in the work that you do!
9) Never let others determine your story’s worth. Not everyone will like your story, but that doesn’t determine if it’s good or not. Harry Potter was rejected 12 times… but look at it now. Never falter because someone might not like your story and never let their opinion dictate if you should be writing or not. At the end of the day, we write because we love to.
10) Never follow the rules too strictly. Yes, that includes this post, haha! In writing, rules are guidelines, and when you pave your own path— that’s when your style and creativity begin to bubble. You still need to learn the rules of course— but if every writer stuck to the same formula… all the novels in the world would be predictable and lacking uniqueness.
Here is some fictional writing tips to reignite your passions and help you experiment with your writing! Keep in mind, advice is subjective and as writers— we all have different preferences when it comes to writing! Take a few or take none at all, here are a handful of tips!
1) Don’t limit yourself into one genre. When reading and writing, consider branching out into different genres. You’ll never know if you’ll enjoy that genre unless you give it a try. Experimenting with adding new genres to your story can make it more dynamic. However, if you don’tenjoy a genre, don’twrite in it. Write what you love to read.
2) "It’s doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction.“ — Jonathan Franzen. Don’t let your precious writing time be wilted by social media, notifications and distractions. But what about research you might ask? Allot a specific time for that, or make a note to research it later.
3) Don’t listen to the market. Write the story you want to tell, not the story that publishers want to sell.
4) Take inspiration from real life. Even if you’re writing a fantasy or sci-fi, we are humansthat are reading the story! Take core functionalities from our real world and twist them to fit your story. Consider crafting your characters from the worst and best people you’ve observed in real life.
5) Read it aloud. If a paragraph or dialogue line is feeling stiff, read it aloud or listen to your story back with a text-to-speech. Listen for the rhythm and naturality of your writing. Sometimes we can only catch rigidness by hearing it.
6) Know your audience. Do not try to appeal to everyone… this can make your story too broad. It will stretch your story in too many directions and it will end up in a mess. A story that appeals to a teenaged high schooler probably won’t be enjoyed by a 50 year old father of three. Figure out who your readers will be and focus on making it the best for them,not for everyone.
7) Let your readers use their imagination. Don’t spoon feed them every single little detail. Instead, give them key details that are needed for them to fill in the blanks and imagine the world as they see it in their head.
8) Even if you’re not using the Three Act Structure, it can be helpful to familiarize yourself with it. Every good story needs some kind of back bone— a beginning, middle and end. Discover different kinds of structures and once you have a firm grip on them, pick and pull from them, break them, follow them or just use them as loose guidelines. Even if you’re free writing without structure, I think it’s important to knowthe structures.
9) Do not send out your rough draft. Make sure to revise it as many times as it takes to make it the best that it can be. The better quality that it is when you send it to editors or beta readers, the more concrete their advice can be. (ex. you don’t want them focusing on minor spelling errors or very thin, detail lacking paragraphs that you know you would’ve fixed in the first or second revision. Instead, you want all that stuff to be as wrapped up as possible so that they can focus on critiquing the best version of your writing.)
None of these are required, but if you’re still debating the purpose of a character or want to add a new one— here are some archetypes to consider that can strength your theme and the story you are trying to tell! There will be a part two as the list continues!
It can also be a really neat exercise to dissect your favorite books to see which archetypes appear in there! The Hero might be easy to pinpoint, but a character archetype like The Guardian might be harder to find.
1) The Hero
The main protagonist, the focus of the story. The person we follow as they adventure out into the unknown and learn new things, meet new people. It’s vital that this character develops on their journey and the audience should want the hero to achieve their goals.
This is Katniss Everdeen, Harry Potter, Neo from the Matrix.
2) The Mentor
The mentor teaches the hero important skills that they will need to survive on their adventure and in the new world they’re emerging into. Typically, the mentor is very prominent in the early stages of the book, but will fade away as the plot progresses and the hero becomes adept and ready to take on their own obstacles.
There can be multiple mentors for different stages of the characters journey, but I would put a limit on it. For example, Hagrid leads Harry into the wizarding world and introduces him to the basics of being a wizard, but Dumbledore is the one who mainly councils Harry throughout the story.
This is Haymitch and Cena, Dumbledore and Hagrid, Morpheus.
3) The Ally
The trustful friend of the hero, one who listens and supports them. They can be used as an outlet for your character to share plans, thoughts and secrets to— thus revealing them to the audience at the same time.
The ally can be really strong as an opposite of your hero. If your hero is impulsive, the ally could be cautious and tentative. Or if your hero is reserved, the ally could be bold and loud. This can be great for balancing the story as both characters make up for the others shortcomings. There can be more than one ally.
This is Peeta and Rue, Ron and Hermione, Trinity.
4) The Innocent
Typically the innocent is a child, but regardless of their age, they see the world as rainbow and sunshine. Something occurs that will change their perspective and as they go throughout the story, they learn lessons and are forced to do some growing up.
This is Hermione, this is Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
5) The Herald
This one is really interesting that I just discovered by reading the source article for this post. The Herald is the person who brings the invitation into the new world or the threat that rockets the hero out of their everyday live and into the adventure.
The Herald doesn’t have to be a character, but can be a physical letter or form of message. If the herald is a character, they usually never appear in the story again— UNLESS, they fill one of the other rolls.
This is Effie Trinkett who officially brings the Reaping to District 12 and pulls the names from the bowl, this is Hagrid who tells Harry Potter that he is a wizard and Trinity who introduces the Matrix to Neo.
6) The Rebel
The character who will not settle for how things are, who wants a change and will make it happen. They have an immense sense for justice but this doesn’t make them a hero/good guy all the time, sometimes they can be an anti-hero and do bad things in order to achieve justice.
This is Han Solo in Star Wars, this is Katniss, this is Robin Hood.
7) The Trickster
The trickster can bring comedic value to the story and lighten the mood, while at the same time bringing light to serious issues. They will make you laugh but also raise very significant and important questions.
This is Haymitch who makes us laugh but also shows us a dark side of winning the Hunger Games. This is Hagrid who represents the prejudice against half-bloods, while also offering comedic relief along the story.
8) The Shapeshifter
The shapeshifter has a few different routes you can take. But ultimately, they betray the hero at one point or another.
• An ally who is revealed to be a secret betrayer— but wait! In the hero’s time of need, this shapeshifter ends up helping the hero— sometimes resulting in their own downfall or death.
• An ally who outright betrays the hero.
• An antagonistic force who helps the hero in the end.
This is Seneca Crane who is an antagonistic force against Katniss but also allows for her and Peeta to win the games— resulting in his death. This is professor Snape who is falsely portrayed as a villain, but has secretly been aiding Harry through the story. This is Cypher who outright betrays Neo and the group, having pretended to be an ally for the majority of the movie.
9) The Guardian
Not the main antagonist, but a huge obstacle in the way of the hero’s goal. The hero must get past the guardian in order to get closer their goal. The guardian does not have to be a character, but can be creatures or physical obstacles.
This is the modified beasts who Katniss most overcome before her interaction with Cato, this is Harry Potter’s uncle who is always trying to sabotage Harry’s connecting to the wizarding world.
10) The Shadow
The main opponent of the hero, the antagonist. The Shadow tries stopping the hero from achieving their goals in many different ways. The antagonistic force typically does not lighten up or give mercy to the hero.
This is Snow, this is Voldemort, this is Agent Smith.
Part 2 with more character archetypes — Coming Soon.
Does your character start the story in the midst of rock bottom? Or does the plot itself bend and break them? Here are some tips on how to write a convincingly broken character, because it can be hard to nail that emotion.
1. If your character begins the story already broken from a past event— don’t infodump it onto the reader. You want to slowly reveal the trauma bit by bit to the reader. This will not only keep them guessing and intrigued by the characters reasoning for being the way they are, but it’s a more natural way of opening up.
2. Research mental illnesses and disorders. Your character is broken, but do you know if they have a condition from the trauma they suffered? PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc. How does your character act because of said condition? Are they actively fighting against it, seeking help, or just living with it? Maybe they don’t even know that they have it themselves.
3. Relatability. You’ve heard it a thousand times. In order for a character to receive sympathy from the audience, they have to be relatable in some way. Everyone has been broken one time or another in their life, no matter how big or small it may have been. Figure out how you can relate your characters brokenness to the readers.
4. Hope. Hope is one thing that can really tug on the heart strings of a reader. Some broken characters may be extremely hopeful, only to be let down time and time again. Others might refuse to hope all together— or may accidentally let a tiny sliver shine in. Either way, as the author you can use hope to make a broken character more relatable.
5. How do they react to being broken? Some people become bitter and mean after hitting rock bottom while others turn to drugs. Some people become very shy and reclusive while others might just throw themselves into parties in hopes to distract from the pain. Heavy trauma can totally change a person’s personality. Is who they are now a result of the event that broken them? Do they hate themselves or has the trauma actually made them a better person?
6. Emotion. A face full of tears can be just as strong as a lip twitch. Everyone reacts differently to situations and you can use this to your advantage when writing a damaged character. Figure out how your character would react to hard times as a result of being broken.
7. Consider making them sympathetic despite their situation. They have lost everything and anything yet they still give to others.
8. Give them a side character that contrasts them. If your character is very unstable, gloomy or broken— it could be helpful to have a stable, happy or put-together character to balance the mood. When writing a broken character, sometimes your story can begin to feel very melancholy. This might not be your intent though, so consider lightening the mood with other characters.
If you find yourself lacking in inspiration or motivation, create a scrapbook! This can be so good because whenever you’re feeling drained, you can flip back through it and be refueled. Debatably, this can be better than a Pinterest board because it’s a physical journal and you’re not limited to a screen. Not to mention, once you finish the scrapbook, it will be much more meaningful for you.
You don’t have to be good at drawing to scrapbook, nor is it only for females and artistic people. All you have to do is get a sketchbook and begin writing, doodling or pasting in things that remind you of your WIP. Seeing our ideas in a physical manner can help immensely with inspiration and the understanding of our work.
Step 1) Buy any kind of notebook, big or small, cheap or expensive.
Keep your WIP in mind. Are you writing a dark fantasy? Maybe get an all black sketchbook. Are you writing a magical fantasy? There are old, frayed leather journals you can buy. Or maybe you’re just getting started and don’t know the direction of your novel— just buy any kind of notebook that you can start pasting in! I would recommend blank pages over lined, but ultimately it’s whatever you want or can get your hands on.
Step 2) The Supplies
You honestly don’t need anything to begin your scrapbook aside from the book itself and a pencil. However, here are some supplies— all the way from your basic ones to the more flowery kinds— you can consider getting.
1. Glue or tape 2. Scissors and a ruler 3. Colored construction paper 4. Washi tapes or stickers that match the vibe of your WIP 5. Old magazines (to cut and paste in) 6. Textured and decorative items such as ribbons and yarn, faux fur, fabric and leathers, glitter or sparkles, thin plexiglass and plastics, etc. 7. Colored pens, paints, pencils, markers or crayons (be wary of pens/markers bleeding through the paper) 8. Tabs and dividers if you want your scrapbook to have sections/organization
Step 3) The Beginning Pages
It’s time to begin. You can jump right in and start with whatever you want! Maybe there is a dialogue conversation eating away at your brain— write it down and dedicate the page to match that conversation’s mood. Or maybe you want to start off creating character profiles for your main cast.
Either way, jump in. You can plan out the order of your pages chronologically or design them freely as you please. Don’t let organization and neatness hold you back. The great thing about scrapbooking is that you can go back to the page and fill it out more whenever you please.
Step 4) What To Scrapbook
1. Textures. What textures remind you of your WIP? Does your story take place during the heart of winter? Maybe faux fur, ripped up cotton balls for snow, twine, wood bark, etc.
2. Your overall setting and specific places that your characters visit. Find interior and exterior photographs online that capture the mood and essence of your setting(s). Or take your own photography.
3. Dialogue / important character quotes. Consider doodling the characters expression or designing the page around the mood of the conversation. Are two characters injured and arguing as they storm the dark castle? I’m imaging the dialogue text centered on the page— and photos all around it of a dark castle. A close up of a broken window, a running pair of boots, lips that are yelling. Maybe red marker or paint smeared across the page.
4. Characters. Create character profiles or dedicate a page to the aesthetic of your character. Anything that reminds you of your character, paste it in there!
5. Creatures and items. Does your story have unique jewelry, weapons or armor? Interesting creatures or animals? Find images online or doodle your own rendition of them.
6. Nature. Take real nature and press it into your scrapbook (flowers, petals, leaves, bark, dried mud) or take photos of the weather, sky, sun, moon, etc. that remind you of certain scenes.
7. Abstract photography/art. Instead of scrapbooking specific, realistic items or things— paste in some unique, abstract shapes or patterns. Nothing realistic, just purely colors and shapes that remind you of your story’s mood.
8. A map of your land. This could look really cool in the opening pages of your scrapbook. There are free online generators or really simple beginner YouTube tutorials on map creation.
9. Your magic system. You could design a scrapbook page like an actual scroll of laws or rules. Or for example, if your magic system is like Avatar: The Last Airbender’s, you might have doodles of fire, water, air and earth around the page.
10. Quotes from authors and outside inspiration. You can also step away from the actual content of your WIP and instead paste in quotes from famous authors and also screenshots of movie scenes or book pages from your favorite media for inspiration.
I’ll give my two cents / research some good answers for you guys regarding writing. Ask about your WIP issues, structure/plot problems, scene questions, character arcs, etc. Or just ask some writing questions in general if you struggle with something specific. ☕
A loose cannon is a type of character— one who can typically be seen as unstable, emotional and ready to blow at any moment. When their breakdown occurs it screws up the plans of your characters.
Why could adding in a loose cannon help your story?
A loose cannon can add a ton of suspense,stakesandconflictto your story. If you effectively drop small details here and there about the characters instability, unreliability or fear, the readers will sense that something bad may occur because of them. This increases tensionsurrounding them and their occurrence in the plot.
Who can be my loose cannon?
A loose cannon can be anyone from a minor character to a side character and even someone as major as the antagonist themselves. Pretty much anyone. Your loose cannon can be a highly loved character or a side character no one cares to think twice about. Your loose cannon should make the characters (and reader) a bit nervous until they eventually break and screw everythingup.
Your loose cannon can be nervous, jittery and cowardly. Or, they can be an average person with doubts and fear. They can even be very intelligent and diabolical— like The Joker. The Joker classifies as a loose cannon. He has intentional plans, but is spontaneous and brings abrupt chaos wherever he goes. He doesn’t care who he inconveniences or hurts.
Depending on what you want/need in your story, some loose cannons don’t have to offer anything except a breakdown that intensifies the conflict of the story.
A loose cannon example:
Your characters are storming a dark castle when your loose cannon gets their foot stuck in a sand pit. He begins to freak out… after all, he’s been telling the group for days that this was a terrible idea and that something was going to go wrong. When a beloved character tries to help him out of the pit, he pulls them in out of desperation. Both begin to sink and before their demise, the loose canon screams— effectively letting the whole castle know where the group is.
Well, shit… that’s rough, but also juicy as hell.
But, do you NEED a loose cannon?
Nope! But adding in one (or taking an existing character and making them into a loose canon) can be extremely fun to write. They can also offer great tension, suspense, conflict and higher stakes.
Some magic systems become more realistic if there is a consequence brought onto it’s user. Sometimes this can be as simple as balance— if you heal a life, another life must be given. Here are some ideas to get your mind churning on what consequences your magic could cause to its user.
1) Pain. If the magic is brute and aggressive (fire, lightning, mind control in a negative manner) the user feels all of that same pain they exerted onto someone else.
2) Emotional disconnection. The more the user plays with their power, the less emotion they can feel. Eventually, this could lead to complete disconnection from everyone they love and a decay into pure evilness.
3) Headaches. If the user has a mind-related power, giving them headaches could be a simple yet effective consequence. The headaches could make their power unstable, chaotic and truly dangerous.
4) Years off their life. Every time they use their ability, it slowly takes days, months and years away from their life. If they’re immortal, they risk mortality.
5) Slip into madness. The power either gets to their head or it has an evil origin thus causing them to become mad and insane overtime.
6) Freedom. The power is actually an entity of its own and while the user thinks they have control over this awesome ability— it’s really controlling them. Over time, it forces them into doing things or hurting people and one day they just become a soulless puppet. (Makes me think of a parasite )
7) Increased aging. The speed at which you age is increased, but the user doesn’t realize it until they start seeing grey hairs or wrinkles.
8) Blood loss. The magic draws upon the users blood and they have to wait for it to restore before using their abilities— if they don’t, or use a large surge of their ability, it can drain them of blood.
9) Memory loss. The wear and tear on the users mind causes them to slowly forget their lives until they have nothing left to remember. Alternatively, maybe the power needs to use these memories as source of energy.
10) Decay. The users body slowly begins to wither. Nails rotting, skin peeling, eyes drooping, knees weak… mama’s spaghetti.
11) Extreme exhaustion or tiredness. The power keeps them up at night and takes a ton of energy to use. This renders the user constantly exhausted which can lead to death either from exhaustion, or from making fatal mistakes because they’re so tired.
12) Sacrifices. The power requires some sort of sacrifice to the gods or else they take their power back. An animal, a conjuring of different herbs and items, blood… a life.
13) Addiction. Similar to foods or drugs, magic can become addictive and deadly at high dosages.
14) Bad luck. The magic brings upon bad luck. The more magic you use, the worse luck you’ll receive.
Some interesting power + consequence combinations (from the top of my head and from literature/movies):
The healer who is constantly bleeding internally.
The rebelled servant who has finally gained his freedom but becomes slave to the magic itself.
A magical ring that brings someone back from the dead. Every time this person comes back from the dead, they lose their compassion and humanity bit by bit. (The Vampire Diaries)
A witch brings someone back from the dead and as a consequence, the person begins to see dead people and can interact with them. (The Vampire Diaries)
The power induces OCD— after using their power they feel a compulsion to do something. Sometimes it’s as small as drinking a beer and other times it’s as intense as breaking their own bones. (Darker than Black)
Magic gained from a celestial source (the moon, a star, etc) causes earth to become painful to the magic users. In extreme cases, they are pulledtowards that celestial body and need to weigh themselves down/tether themselves to something or else they will drift upwards. (The Anubis Gates)
Pt. 2 — Coming Soon! Because it’s really fun to just sit here and brainstorm and research magical consequences! I feel like the possibilities are endless!
tfw ur trying to write plot but ur brain only provides you with out-of-sequence snippets built on vague ideas and an endless number of potential outcomes that develop and branch out unnaturally over an unspecified timespan
That’s why you write it all down. All of it. Everything. Ideas are formless in your head, so define them on paper, and suddenly you can edit them. Physically, you can cut up pieces of printer paper and reorder the ideas into a storyboard concept. Digitally you can shove it all in a notepad and reorder it with copy paste. Or use ywriter which gives you reorderable scenes for free. Seriously. Ideas aren’t solid. Writing them down makes them solid. When they’re solid, you can change them in a real, visible, tactile way. Write everything. No answer is wrong. This is literally what brainstorming is. You’re having a brainstorm.
