Fiction Writing: Tips That Might Help or Be Completely Useless

Okay, so I have been writing a lot lately and I wanted to post some of these writing-related posts back in November for Nanowrimo but I never got around to it. But now is a better time than never so I figured I'd post a few tips for anyone else out there who has an interest in writing fiction.

Keep in mind, this is just advice. The same things don't work for everyone, these are just things that work for me. Also, I'm (obviously) not a published novelist or anything, so you know, there is that to consider.

So here, we go, some maybe useful tips for you to consider while writing.

• Don't wait until you're inspired. I mean, yeah, you definitely want to write when you are hit with inspiration, but don't just wait for it to come around. The thing about writing is that it's really easy to put off and blame on "writer's block." Trust me, I would know, I have done it so many times and will do it more in the future without a doubt. But writing gets done because you sit down and commit to it. You work through the writer's block and even if your words are crap for the day at least you have words to work with later on when you edit.
• Listen to music. I have playlists set up for each of my projects with songs that remind me of what I'm writing or that just put me in the mood for a particular scene I'm working on. I also use Zen Writer and will sometimes listen to the music options it offers which are soothing and unobtrusive. I have also found that SoundDrown has some great relaxing options including the sound of rainfall, a crackling fire, a coffee shop, and white noise.
• Don't always write in the same place. I try to switch up where I do my writing on a regular basis. There's something about new surroundings that I find mentally refreshing. It's easy if you have a laptop, but even if you use a desktop that you can't move around, take a notebook and pen somewhere new and try handwriting a few things. People always poke fun at the writer-in-a-coffee shop cliche, but there's a reason we end up there. It's nice to be out of the house and in a place with good coffee, low music, and new faces to look at.
• Try not to edit yourself while writing the first draft of anything. I am guilty of this but it's a habit I am trying to kick. It's so easy to go back and reread and try to fix what you've already written before you finish the first draft, but seriously, try not to do it. Editing is a problem for future-you. Just keep moving forward so that you can get the story done, then worry about fixing it.
• Find someone you can bounce ideas off of. I always find myself more inspired to write after I have been talking to my best friend about our respective stories. We are both very passionate about what we write as well as what each other is writing. She hasn't even finished a novel and I am already emotionally attached to her characters. And she's always giving me great ideas or recommending me songs that she thinks fits what I'm working on.

So that's it, that's all I've got. This is what works for me and maybe it will work for you. Maybe it won't. It's worth a shot though. And I'd love to hear any tips you have for writing, so leave them in the comments if you've got any!

x

Hmmm...

I am not ready to come back to blogging full-force. Honestly, I think my blog is going to be a bit different when I do anyways. But that's to think about later. For now I figure I'll just post some updates every now and then. Not worrying about posting all the time is nice but I miss feeling connected to my lovely blogging friends -you know who you are. I am at a place in my life where I really need my friendships, even my internet ones. They're important to me.

So anyways, things are okay on my end. A bit emotional. I am working my ass off trying to find a job. It's hard, I am not in an area with a lot of opportunity. But I am filling out applications and looking everyday. I heard back from an arts & culture magazine today about writing for them which is exciting. It doesn't pay a lot, but it sounds interesting and would look great on my resume. Hopefully I'll be writing a few preliminary pieces for them to see how they go over and if they like my work then I'll have a job. Fingers crossed!

I've also been working a lot on planning my novel for Nanowrimo. I really wanted to do a whole fiction writing series here on the blog but I just can't bring myself to put the work in right now. I have so many other things on my mind. I will probably post a lot about my own nano-progress though and hopefully I can get to the fiction writing series again in the future.

In the mean time I am researching fun stuff like necromancy, voodoo, american geography, motorcycles, and weaponry. Because that's the kind of stuff that goes into the books I like to write.

Speaking of books, has anyone else read The Raven Boys (and The Dream Thieves) by Maggie Stiefvater -they are sooo good. They're the first two in The Raven Cycle series and I highly recommend them. And how can you say no with writing like this?

“How do you feel about helicopters?"

There was a long pause. "How do you mean? Ethically?"

"As a mode of transportation."

"Faster than camels, but less sustainable.” 

I love witty characters. It's my weakness. I would follow well-written witty characters to hell and back. If, you know, that was even possible. 

And with that rambling I am off to clean up my house a bit, possibly paint my nails, and fill out some more applications.

Manda Rave

Fiction Writing: Begin at the Beginning

So you want to write a novel? Okay. Let's begin.

When it comes to fiction writing, the beginning can be anywhere really. It can be the first sentence, the last chapter, a fight scene in the middle, or a random piece of dialogue to be said by a character whose name you haven't even decided on yet. There are no rules on how to start writing a story. Well, I mean, people make "rules" all the time for themselves, but it's nothing enforced upon the whole of the writer population. That would be silly.

A lot of people start to write because they are seized by an idea -whether for a plot, a setting, a person, or a just a genre in general. It's different for everyone. Usually when I get inspired to write something new it's because a character walks into my head and then makes themselves comfortable. Typically my story goes from there as I weave their world and put them into a series of situations. In my latest endeavour though (the one I will be working on during Nanowrimo) the setting came first. That's never happened to me before so it was exciting to explore. The characters didn't come until I had fleshed out the workings of the world and even then my main character only came out of the woodwork a month or so ago. Keep in mind, I've had all this in my head for almost a year now.

Once you're overtaken with an idea, it's a good idea to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and start brainstorming. Things you want to address pretty immediately are characters, setting, and story line. These are the backbone of your novel and should be given a lot of attention. Coming up with a rough outline of what you want to write can be helpful in this beginning stage, but it depends really. Sometimes when I write I don't have an outline at all and I just let the story go as it wants. Other times I meticulously plan out all the major events and jot down all the minor in between stuff with notes on how the characters should be feeling along with potential dialogue. Do whatever feels right.

When it actually comes time to sit down and start letting the words pour out of you, though, you want to make sure you're prepared. You should research your setting thoroughly and have a good handle on who your characters are and how they act. You will also need to decide on are a point of view to write from.

Points of View

• First Person: Writing as the main character of the story -"I, me, mine, my." Some people find this difficult but personally it's my favourite POV to use. It's a great way to really get into your main character's head and experience the story through them.
• Second Person: This POV is weird and not very popular mostly because it's kind of awkward to write and read. It uses "you" and "your" as if the narrator is saying that the story is happening to you as the reader. "You look into the cave to find it dark, but you go in anyways. Your heart is beating loudly in your chest."
• Third Person Limited: Written as an outsider looking in, allowing the reader to only know what's going on inside the head of one character. Harry Potter is written in third person limited.
• Third Person Omniscient: Also written as an outsider looking in, but allowing the reader to get into the heads of multiple characters.

Piece of advice: try to make sure you choose the right POV from the beginning. Deciding you want to change it and then going back and editing everything you've written is such a pain in the ass.

Coming up next in my fiction writing post series: Talking to the Voices in Your Head (Character Development)

Manda Rave

Some Stuff to Look at in the Meantime:

• Creative Writing Prompts
• My Writing Tumblr
• Prompts & Pointers (a tumblr blog)