Great tips for soon-to-be great writers
When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know you’ve done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer’s tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make the adjustments.
When I first heard about Stephen King’s how-to book, On Writing, I didn’t even check it out. I figured a horror writer couldn’t teach me what I needed to know about writing.
I was wrong. Turns out, his book is chock full of common sense, easy-to-understand hints about how to write a great novel, be it literary fiction, historic, horror, or any other genre. King just seems to get it–the twists of plots, the fascination of characters, the uniqueness of settings.
Here are seven of his tips. For more depth on them, visit the Positivity Blog:
- Get to the point
- Write a draft. Then let it rest
- Cut down your text
- Be relatable and honest
- Don´t care too much what others may think
- Read a lot
- Write a lot
I just had a tough round with my writer’s group last Monday so I’m especially happy to read #5.
What’s your favorite?
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Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, an IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, she’s working on a techno-thriller that should be ready this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
worddreams.wordpress.com 
Remember what Steinbeck said: “Time is the only critic without ambition.”
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I hadn’t read that quote. It’s perfect. Thanks!
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Great advice, and for any form of writing too. Whenever I write scientific manuscripts, I especially favor #2. Sometimes I get so tied up after hours of writing, I can’t see the wood for the trees. Amazing how helpful it is to sleep on it!
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I have to say, considering the source of these tips is a horror writer, I find them so down-to-earth. I often ‘sleep on it’ also. In fact, I’m about to do that with my latest WIP draft (which I hope is the last one).
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