Writing Tips

[Spink]

Post all of your tips and tricks you may have for someone who would be newer at writing stories/poems/or even songs!

I'm no good at Poems or Songs, so I will start off with my own tips for people who may wish to write a Short Story (commonly known as a "SS" =P)

What I say is that you should go for an original idea that interests both you, and perhaps may get the interest of some people. When you get your idea, try typing up the SS with all of the turns and twists along with the characters. When you finish this "Draft" you can reread over it and fix any errors, or straighten things out.

If you feel like you have to restart it don't worry! That just means that your idea was probably great, but you just need to touch up on some of the story's material in order to make things flow together and sound like a great story.

Use your imagination, and (you can if tempted, I tend to do this a LOT when I write) try not to use already done ideas so much. (This is not such a big thing as it can be fun, just if you're ever trying to be different, or make something very original up, have this in mind)

If you don't get reviews don't worry! Just keep writing and someone is bound to notice and guess what? If this person thinks you're a very talented writer, maybe they'll go and tell their friends and soon you may become MLNO's most well known author! It can happen, anything can happen when you put your mind to it.

So, what would your own tips for aspiring writers be? It can be tips on any genre, form, or even just parts of a story (Plot, characters, anything that would be a vital component)

I can't wait to see what some of you have to say, and I truly hope this helps anyone who is new to writing. ^^

[Rakoua]

Nice tips!
Honestly, I need more tips about writing in english then writing itself...
But I manage.
Here's a tip:
Don't be afraid to post your story! It may be bad, but as Data once said, an author needs accurate feedback to make his stories better.

[The Host]

Epic/Novel length Stories:

-Make a basic outline of your plot and main characters before you even start to write. Without these, your story is bound to go the wrong way.

-With the basic outline, begin to developpe an idea, which should be returned to at many points in the story. As for your characters, developpe specific traits that make the characters unique and likeable.

-Begin writing, and use DETAIL. Short stories don't rely on detail, but as an epic, your story needs detail and character developpement to pull through.

-Write about something that you find interesting. If you don't like it, but you're doing it to get other people to read it, you're lieing to yourself.

-Have fun writing, and express yourself.


More to come in the future, these are the basics.

-ZLS

[Destroyer Behemoth]

Augh Spink I was gonna make this.

Here's a tip or two for any old story:

- No one, and I mean no one, has ever started a story with getting inspired by another source first. Be it a song, a poem, a quote, a person, an animal, another book, a celebrity, all authors never just get ideas from plain imagination. They look for something to loosely base their work on, and make it seem original. Look for something that inspires you. Anything at all.

- Don't go off saying "This happened and then this." First, all stories need some sort of transition into the next part, so everything is a smooth surface. And, you need detail. You want people to picture what's going on, as if in a movie. BUT, don't overdo detail, or else the reader can't create an image that's seemingly perfect for them.

- Fanfics and Songfics are great to write about. You take what you already know from a certain story or lyrics, and make it your own. For just a few minutes.

- Write about whatever the heck you want. Just cuz all your buddies like Realistic Fiction, and you're a Fantasy freak, doesn't mean you have to write Realistic Fiction to please them.

- Admit it. You need well-developed characters and settings.

- Publish it. There is no spoon.

...More to come....

[Magical Girl Mimi]

Official, so it can't die.

- Don't be afraid to take ideas from places most others haven't before. You got your idea from a dream you say? Go ahead, write that down if you can remember it.

[Legodac]

Fantastic advice, from all of the above, so I won't try to top, if I did, I might Flop.
 
    You may have figured out what I'm going to share, though if ever in doubt, just pull up a chair.
That's not a great rhyme, but it makes a little sense and it only took 1 minute, I speak of rhyme poetry.

    Don't ever think you can't do it or that it's kind of a gift, like song writing. Some of the stories I've read in MLNO leave me asking how they do it. The answer's always the same. Right step confidence, left step practice. "You must believe bot!"

    In grade school I found rhyming to be interesting, so I stuck with it in a small way over the years. Like in SS telling, you need a theme, what are you talking about. Important, don't be afraid to be alusive, just because one reader doesn't "get it", doesn't mean, it isn't great. This is only advice for the timid, If you are inspired or impressed by creative writing in the form of poetry, then it is for you. If you think it's childish and not worth your time then ....more to follow

[Maplen13]

 Well, I have been too long in school to know doing many repeats of drafts and drafts again... But I do have some other tips other than the above.

To prevent Writer's Block happening, remember that inspiration comes all over with anything, around the street to something naturally boring. There is always a story WAITING to be told in your perspective.

If you don't have any ideas or stuck in a page of writing, just take a break with music. It is really effective, for giving inspiration in rythm, and takes you to a wonderful story to be told.

Another one is for essays or narratives to teachers. They most importantly, want to hear your voice in the writing essay of your choice which you need to master when deliving imagination of your tale or story towards any reader, even teachers.

Put very interesting facts, and twist it as you will to make the reader connected to real life, and add combinations of action/drama or comedy/mystery to give some complicity of the story. You also want the reader to feel disired to read more of your story, make it tooo boring or long, he doesn't want to read. Mostly they see if its good by it's catching sentence or paragraph which tells the reader if it's good or not.

One more thing, just like movies, make a trailer or poster of the story, seems odd but it makes the imaginative part of the story to be illustrated in a poster. Make it in a banner, flash animation, or lego stop motion, to let it give feel and image of the story. It might seem very hard, but making a story needs time, patience, and work on a desirable story, that is a passion.

Make it clean, simple, really enjoyable for the reader, be imaginative, have voice, complex vocabulary, and have fun with it.

[Voukor]

I've got one!
Never, ever, EVER, go and think that your story is great, it will give you overconfidence and will make you careless. Trust me, I know this from experience. I once wrote something, read it a while later, and I felt gutted!

[lionytai]

Tip: always give your writing to someone lese to read...they can help you improve it. Every person's feelings are different.

[Voukor]

Here's a piece of advice from a real published author:
For your first draft, write it like you hardly care, just write it! Don't feel too concerned at the time!
Actually start putting proper effort in when you begin your roughdrafts!

[lionytai]

Tip: do not focus on mistakes. just write. yuo can chnage the mistakes later