Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #writingadvice
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#WritingLife, #WritingAdvice Taking a moment to remind everyone that there are lots of *different* kinds of writing and they all "count" if they move forward your project. You don't always have to try to "write a bad first draft" to get started. You can . . .
If you're really stuck, make a bullet-point list of every single point you'd like to make, go get some lunch, and come back and organize those into "clumps" of things that "seem to go together" and then spend some time figuring out why. You can . . .
Write memos on the key concepts you will be using in your draft. I got lots of push back on one concept when I sent out grant proposals -- so I now have a 4-page single-spaced memo on what I mean when I use that term. In a draft, that will be 3-4 good sentences. You can . . .
I’ve been reading a lot of first 10 pages lately and I want to touch on something that comes up over and over again: starting your story with summary instead of a scene. #writingadvice
What I mean by this is when a character talks directly to the audience and fills them in on backstory to open a book. This is a tough entry point for readers and is just another way of telling us information instead of showing it to us. #writingadvice
To me, it’s much stronger to start with deep scene work. Place your character in a moment, give them an objective they are trying to achieve for that scene, and then give us backstory and information organically as they interact with some element related to it. #writingadvice
This is a good time to talk out a habitual weakness I think has harmed fiction and especially the fantasy genre as a whole.
The “hero” who is just kind of along for the ride rather than an active participant in his own story. 1
The “hero” who is just kind of along for the ride rather than an active participant in his own story. 1
The setup of fantasy-adventures simply lends itself better to inborn specialness and outside forces conspiring to compel the main character along with no agency or real action of their own. 2
It’s that latter part that’s the issue. Nothing wrong with a character suddenly being thrust into adventure. It’s what they do that’s the real problem.
But it’s a heck of a lot harder to have this setup in a western, thriller, etc. 3
But it’s a heck of a lot harder to have this setup in a western, thriller, etc. 3
📢TEN TIPS to help you find your voice as a writer📢
1. Discovering your writing voice takes time and practice. Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things.
#writingtips #WritingCommunity #creativity
1. Discovering your writing voice takes time and practice. Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things.
#writingtips #WritingCommunity #creativity
2. Read widely and often to find inspiration for your own writing style. Never copy someone else's style, but learn from other writers to figure out what you like.
#amreading #writingvoice #writerslife
#amreading #writingvoice #writerslife
3. Tailor your voice to what you're writing. A contemporary thriller written as ancient Greek sophist probably won't work. But there are no rules and you never know until you try...
#writingcommunity #creativity #voice
#writingcommunity #creativity #voice
CREATING CHARACTERS - Ten tips for writers who want great characters.
1. Characters are the heart of your story. Take time to get to know them as if they were real people. Where did they come from? What motivates them? What do they want? What do they need?
#writingtips
1. Characters are the heart of your story. Take time to get to know them as if they were real people. Where did they come from? What motivates them? What do they want? What do they need?
#writingtips
2. Make your characters memorable and different. You can do this by giving your character a distinctive:
*backstory
*speech pattern
*motivation
*responses
*behaviour
*personality
*perspective.
#amwriting #authors
*backstory
*speech pattern
*motivation
*responses
*behaviour
*personality
*perspective.
#amwriting #authors
3. How many perfect people do you know? Don't be afraid to make your characters flawed. Perfection can be dull. Give your characters imperfections that make them relatable and interesting.
#writingadvice
#writingadvice
TEN TIPS FOR NEW AUTHORS
1. Writing a novel starts with a great idea. Jot down your passions and experiences for inspiration. Read the news, conspiracy websites, chat forums, try new things, meet new people, delve into unusual corners of life.
#writingtips #novelwriting
1. Writing a novel starts with a great idea. Jot down your passions and experiences for inspiration. Read the news, conspiracy websites, chat forums, try new things, meet new people, delve into unusual corners of life.
#writingtips #novelwriting
2. Research is key to writing a captivating and believable story. Understand your characters, setting and world. You don't have to be a pilot, but find out how a pilot might react in a given situation. Research is also a great chance to meet new people.
#research #writingadvice
#research #writingadvice
3. Try to write regularly. Set a realistic daily or weekly goal and stick to it.Consistency is key. 500 words per day will give you a first draft in 150 to 250 days.
#writinghabits #novelwriting
#writinghabits #novelwriting
Curious about becoming an author? Check out the 8 reasons why it's your best gift to humanity 🎁 Tap to learn more!
Being an author doesn't mean having all the answers or writing perfectly. It's about sharing your story and highlighting your unique perspectives!
Writers are made, not born. It takes more than talent & skill to become an author - it's a mindset. We all have the potential to be writers – recognize that power in yourself!
It's a new academic year and we're sharing our authors' best professional advice, ranging from maximizing #postdocs to boosting enrollment w/ a mock trial program, setting #writing goals, becoming a #twitterstorian, writing a book proposal, & going on the job market w/ a partner.
In "What Are Work Plans, Why They Are Useful, and How to Create One" @lmchervinsky explains how to craft a work plan for articles, books, and fellowship and grant applications. #writingadvice clioandthecontemporary.com/2022/01/14/wor…
New to Twitter? @DetroittoAccra's "Becoming a Twitterstorian: Social Media, Scholarly Communication, and Professional Practice" discusses how to engage as a #twitterstorian in an intentional way, ensuring that your actions reflect your purpose.
clioandthecontemporary.com/2019/10/14/bec…
clioandthecontemporary.com/2019/10/14/bec…
1/ Writing tip: Let the robot voice help you.
Most writing software programs have a text-to-speech (TTS) feature. Use that for one of your story edits. You'll catch awkward transitions, irregular pacing, odd word choices, and even some grammatical mistakes you've missed.
Most writing software programs have a text-to-speech (TTS) feature. Use that for one of your story edits. You'll catch awkward transitions, irregular pacing, odd word choices, and even some grammatical mistakes you've missed.
2/ In MS Word, it's called Read Allowed. Mac has it in system preferences. Go to accessibility to enable it. If your program doesn't have TTS, yWriter is a free download. You can read your document aloud, too, of course. I'd recommend recording it and then listening to that.
3/ You'll uncover contrived dialogue and improper pacing. However, if you're reading your own work, in my experience, you'll gloss right over some grammatical errors, especially if you've been looking at the same doc for weeks or months. Robot voice won't miss those errors.
Over on Goodreads, someone asked me for advice for people who want to be authors. That's a pretty broad question, and comes up in one form or another pretty routinely. So I'm gonna break it down into bite-sized chunks and post stuff as I have time and inspiration. #WritingAdvice
1. Why are you asking me?
I'm not saying you shouldn't ask me for advice, but why are you? Do you know anything about my career or what I write, or are you taking a shotgun approach and asking anyone and everyone you can find? #WritingAdvice
I'm not saying you shouldn't ask me for advice, but why are you? Do you know anything about my career or what I write, or are you taking a shotgun approach and asking anyone and everyone you can find? #WritingAdvice
My advice will be based on my experiences and my goals, which won't be the same as yours. Recognizing those differences can help you know when to follow -- or not follow -- my advice. #WritingAdvice
I do guest creative writing workshops at universities. One thing that strikes me time and time again is that the students are bright, switched-on and creative. But often, their manuscripts are pretty much unsellable. THREAD>>
#WritingCommunity #amwriting #writingadvice
#WritingCommunity #amwriting #writingadvice
Although well-written, they tend to lack the one thing readers need in order to connect: a reason to care.
Over and over, I've been presented with epics about wars between good and evil kingdoms, unlikeable anti-heroes, and exotic fantasy races. And while the worlds are meticulously built, there's just no reason for the audience to give a crap about any of it.
Great tools on character relationships in this episode of @WritingExcuses.
From @howardtayler: 2 examples of power in character relationships are Personal Power and Position Power. Personal Pwr comes from charisma and social worth within the group. Position Power comes from the hierarchical structure of the organization. #writing #scifi
Inteteresting conflict arises when a character believes their Personal Pwr grants them Positional Pwr (the popular guy who acts like the boss). Or when a character believes their Positional Pwr grants them Personal Pwr (the boss that thinks she's everyone's friend) #writingadvice
