Top TipsGot a great tip? Share it with us. You know, stuff like "Prevent sneezing by pressing you index finger firmly between your nose and your upper lip."
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rob, Wed 29 Nov 2006, 16:33)
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Ten tips for budding authors1. Write every day, even if it is only for half an hour.
2. Always keep a notebook / dictaphone handy, at all times - you never know when an idea will strike (I sometimes use the notes or voice recording feature on my mobile for this).
3. NEVER TELL anyone your story ideas! Or if you have to keep it general, i.e. "it's sf / noir / historical etc." If you tell someone your idea, your subconscious will have already told the story, and by the time you come to write it you'll find yourself drained of all enthusiasm for it
4. Join a writers' group. Peer review is invaluable.
5. Be prepared to accept harsh criticism but don't take it personally - unfortunately, this can only be learned by experience.
6. But remember that you don't have to take any and all advice - it's your story, after all. If several people tell you the same thing, i.e., the scene's too slow, plot holes, etc, then you can be pretty sure what to fix, but be wary of listening to too many people. Send your work to a couple of trusted fellow writers or members of your writers' group.
7. Show don't tell.
8. Always stay inside the POV of your character. Some authors don't do this, e.g. Frank Herbert in Dune, but you're not Frank Herbert - yet.
9. Try to avoid cliches - like the plague. Think of new ways to say things.
10. Unless you're independently wealthy, don't give up the day job.
Dr S
(, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 13:30, 4 replies, latest was 15 years ago)
Ahaha!I hadn't spotted that :)
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Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 17:34,
Reply)
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