Tips for Future Authors
Tip Number 1:
Observe everything around you and take detailed notes, even if you are familiar with the area. Always carry a notepad, journal, or cell phone with a note app. Record what you see, hear, and feel. The best stories come from what we as authors observe around us.
Tip Number 2:
Outline. Outline. Outline The key to any great writing is planning. So many young authors are so excited to start writing that they just sit down and start writing without a plan. Some get frustrated and give up. Some end up with a paper that starts out explaining why video games are cool and end up talking about where they went on vacation and how much fun they had riding the roller coasters. Create some kind of outline that works for you to get your thoughts in order. Use a bubble map, a flow chart, a picture storyboard, or maybe you prefer to use headings with bullet points like I do. Once you've got your outline format chosen, decide what events need to happen and where in the story should happen in. You can also use your outline to write down important facts if you are doing a research paper. Decide on the logical flow, or order, of the paper. You wouldn't want to say that you put on your sneakers and then your socks, would you? Not a good idea. Events and facts need to happen in a certain order, or they don't make sense and you end up wearing your socks over your sneakers. Once you have your ideas down and are satisfied with the flow, the paper practically writes itself.
Tip Number 3: Know everything about your characters, from the main character all the way down to a character who is only in one scene. No detail is too small.Even if you don't use it in your current writing piece, it could come in handy in a later one. Create a character outline and list all the attributes that describe your character. Here's the one I made for Stormy:
Name: Stormy Syllis (A nymph-Latin) Summers
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Blonde
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Character Type: Main Protagonist- Fifth grader Character traits: smart, outgoing
Unique things: not a morning person. Uses lots of big words, favorite color is blue, hobby: reading mysteries and nonfiction, favorite author-Kacey Mardons (fiction mystery writer), Secret Star Wars fan-loves X-wings, Favorite place: Library, Favorite drink: Cherry slushy, Grandfather was in the Marines.
Style: Preppy Notice how I have "a nymph" in parentheses next to Stormy's middle name? That's because "Syllis" is Latin for "nymph." Although we hear Stormy's mom call her by her full name in the first chapter of Museum Mayhem, we don't know what the name means or what language it is from. You're probably wondering what the point is of knowing it if your not going to use it. Well, just because I didn't use it in Museum Mayhem doesn't mean I will never use it. Perhaps Stormy's arch nemesis (yet to be announced) will use it to tease her. Perhaps during their studies, her honors class will learn a bit of Latin and Stormy can show off her middle name. There are so many things I can do with just that one name. Don't forget that you can add things to your profiles as you develop your characters.
Remember that character in that one scene I mentioned before? Perhaps they have a small roll to begin with, but in a future writing piece, perhaps they become friends with your main character. Maybe they become the arch nemesis. Or maybe, they are the ones who committed the crime. In any case, you are going to need to know a lot about your character in order to make them believable.
Tip Number 4: Okay, so now you've got your story outline and your character profiles. Now it's time to start writing. A lot of new authors think they are just going to sit down for a few hours and have a masterpiece all ready to go. For short pieces, you might be able to have a first draft done in a few hours. For longer pieces, like a book, it could take weeks to get a first draft. Once you've got the first draft down, don't look at it again for at least three days. Then begin to edit and revise. Find or create an editing checklist and read your writing one time for each item on the list. You could look for punctuation mistakes the first time through. Then look for use of capitals on the next read. After that, you could look a transitions between sentences, and so on until you get through every item on the list. Don't be afraid to have a friend, family member, or even your teacher to have look at it and tell you what they think. As a teacher myself, I am always willing to support my students who want to get published. An outside look can help you find things that you have missed. The hardest things to edit are pieces you've written yourself.
Tip Number 5:
Is your character in a tough spot and you don't know how to get them out of it? Try acting it out. Sometimes it helps to put yourself in your character's place.
Still stuck even after you've acted out the scenario? Try working on a different part of the story or just leaving it alone for a few days. If you're not on a deadline, step away. Let your brain do something else for awhile. During your break, inspiration can hit. You could also try researching what you're stuck on. For example, let's say your setting is taking place somewhere you don't know much about, like a certain museum, perhaps. Research it on the internet or even better yet, go there if you can. You just might find that little tidbit of information that can get you going again. Now that I'm working on book 2 of the series, I have found I need to do this every now and then, even during my outlining phase. It's okay to step away when needed. Just make sure you do get back to work sooner rather than later. Otherwise, that masterpiece you were going to write will begin gathering cobwebs.
Tip Number 6: Never write more than a page of solid text. Break up your writing with dialogue. Even if it's only a line or two. Otherwise, it can look too intimidating to read, especially for younger readers.
Tip Number 7: When writing dialogue, make each character have their own unique voice and way of speaking. No one will want to read something where the characters all sound the same. The way a character talks and the things they say can tell a reader a lot about them. We can see where they may come from and what is important to them just by reading what they have to say. Stormy uses lots of big words. This shows that she is smart and knows it. Gabriella hardly ever uses contractions and you can tell she holds manners as highly important by the things she says, especially when she is complaining to Stormy about Cassie being late to a meeting. Cassie has a more laid back yet tough, straight to the point way of speaking and tends to talk a lot about sports, marking her as touch girl who know what she wants and can beat the boys at anything. Each girl has their own distinctive style that sets them apart from the others. It keeps the conversation interesting and moves the story along.
Tip Number 8: There is a difference between EDITING and REVISING. A lot of people use these two words interchangeably, but they really serve two different purposes in writing. When you revise, you are changing sentences, words, whole paragraphs, even chapters. You are adding or deleting details and words. In this stage, just focus on the content and telling your story or information. Editing is where you look for the mechanics of your writing. These include capitals, punctuation, and spelling. When editing, check for each thing individually. If you are focusing on more than one area, it is likely you will miss something. You need to do both, perhaps more than once, to produce a good piece of writing no matter what the genre. WARNING: Never use spell check alone!!!! If you do, you could be sorry. The English language is full of words that sound that same, but have different spellings and meanings. If you use the wrong one, your sentence won't make sense. The computer only checks if the word is SPELLED correctly, not if it is USED correctly. Spell check is fine, just make sure you always go back and re-read everything you write. For example: "I got a new car." vs. "I got a knew car." Both of the words are spelled correctly, but... "New"= something you just got or was just made "Knew"= to have information See the difference?
Tip Number 9: Keep organized files. I've said before that you can use something later instead of when you find it, like Stormy's middle name. All the research you do has to go somewhere. Have a flash drive, a filing cabinet with folders, or even an binder and organize everything in a way that will help you find what you need later easily. I have folders on my flash drive broken down by settings, names and ethnicities, room designs, sports, even clothing styles. In my settings folder, I have research about the Arizona desert, the museum I used as a model forMuseum Mayhem, and research on places I would someday like to send Stormy to on another field trip or maybe even a family vacation. I also don't know much about sports or fashion, unlike Cassie and Gabriella, so I have folders that cover different sports so Cassie can know what she's talking about, and folders for fashion with pictures and descriptions for Gabriella. It also helps me decide what kinds of clothes a girl like Cassie or Stormy would wear. Having a picture of what the style looks like in front of me as I am describing it helps me paint a picture in words that my readers can use to help them see what the character looks like. The internet is a great place to find information quickly, but always make sure you find a reliable web page. Just because it's on the internet doesn't make it true. Check out your local library and second hand book stores for nonfiction texts to help in research. Interviewing people is also a form of research. Let's say you have a character who is a teacher and you want to talk to a real teacher to learn what it's like so you can put it into your story. Any notes you take are research. Even if you are writing a fiction story, unless you are completely making up everything in a fantasy world, check your facts. The more real and believable your facts are, the more believable your story is.
Tip Number 10: Make sure you are writing for your target audience, or who is going to read your story. If you are writing for kids, be sure to create a main character who is a kid around your target audience's age. Most people don't like to read about someone who is much older or younger than they are. Readers like to identify with the main character and be able to root for them. That's sometimes hard to do when the characters and reader are different ages. Also, use great word choice. Choose interesting verbs, and avoid using too many adjectives or adverbs. The thesaurus is going to be your best friend here. If you wanted to use the word "fun" to describe an event, you could use "exciting," "amusing," "enjoyable," etc. Ex: "We had a fun time at the park." vs "We had an exciting time at the park." See how just changing that one word makes the sentence more interesting?
Tip Number 11: A book is a series of mini climaxes before you get to the overall climax of the plot. There is never just one problem the hero(es) have to solve. If there is, it can make for a boring story and wasted opportunity. There is a main problem, but along the way hero runs into smaller issues that have to be dealt with first. For example, let's say your hero has to find a hidden treasure buried in a cave. First, they have to get to the cave, which is thousands of miles away. They have to find transportation, like a horse or plane. Then maybe they lose it along the way and have to continue on foot. At some point in the plot, they run into bandits and traps or difficult terrain. Maybe they get captured by the antagonist and have to escape. That's all before they even make it to the cave, let alone the cave itself and actually fining the hidden treasure inside. The cave could contain a maze with twists, turns, traps, and guards. Maybe the maze can even change as the hero makes their way through it. Think about the twists and turns you can put character through. Be careful, though, and make sure anything you through your hero's way moves the plot along. Never trap your hero just to trap your hero. There is no value in that. Perhaps you can have another character come along and rescue your hero, then join them on their quest. Or maybe your hero finds something, a bit or helpful information or item, after they escape. Perhaps the trap slows them down enough for the antagonist to move forward with their plans and create more problems for the hero to solve.
Tip Number 12: Start the action as soon as possible. Think about the last book you read. What kept you reading? I bet the action started right away. You were hooked into reading. Books with slow beginnings are often the ones left of the bookshelf to gather dust.
Tip number 13: Dialogue: Dialogue helps move the plot along and is a great way to show who or what your character is based on their word choice. It also conveys the emotions your characters are feeling and helps the reader connect with them. One thing to keep in mind is that dialogue is different than real conversations. Those are pockmarked with "ums," "ers," and "you knows. " Observe those around you and take notes on not only what they say, but how they say it. What emotion is behind the comment? What is their body language saying? How fast are they talking? What is their tone of voice? If you can answer these questions, your dialogue will be successful.
Tip Number 14: Rituals are important. When sitting down to write, each author has their own style. I don't mean writing style. I mean HOW and WHERE they write. Some authors like to use pen and paper. Some use a typewriter. Others, like me, can't imagine using anything but a computer. Some need absolute silence in order to concentrate. Others can't think without music or the TV on. Some authors can work in organized chaos with a filing system no one but them can understand. Others need to have everything in a labeled folder or drawer. As a writer, you need to figure out what kind of environment works for you to get those creative juices flowing. If you're not sure what works, just do something. If it doesn't work, do something else until you find the right combination for you. It's out there if you look for it. When I first sit down to write, I have to have a glass of ice water in the summer or a cup of hot tea in the winter. I have an extra-comfy office chair at my desk that I settle down into. Then I have to open all my files for whatever project I am working on. For Stormy Summers, I have internet tabs opened to Google so I can look up any information I may need. I have my character profiles, book outline, and the book file open and showing on both my laptop screen and my second monitor for easy access. If I am working on a Star Wars quiz book, I like to have all my resource material in a neat pile in the corner of my desk. It also helps to have a little background noise. Sometimes I'll open my sliding glass door and listen to the wind blow the chimes.
What works for you?
Tip Number 15: Procrastination is a writer's worst enemy. Don't do this to yourself. Make a start, even if it's not a good one. You aren't carving your ideas into stone. Write every day, even if only for a few minutes. This will help develop your unique style as a writer.
