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writing tips – J.E.S. Hays http://www.jeshays.com Author, Worldbuilder, Wordsmith Fri, 11 Jan 2019 20:27:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 http://www.jeshays.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-sitelogo-32x32.gif writing tips – J.E.S. Hays http://www.jeshays.com 32 32 10 Sure-Fire Writing Tips & Tricks http://www.jeshays.com/?p=2437 Fri, 11 Jan 2019 20:27:21 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=2437

Are you having trouble sticking to your writing goals for the year? Here are some tips and tricks to help keep you moving along.

  1. Make a schedule. Try to set a specific time to write, whether it’s the same time every day or not. Carve out time and don’t let anything get in your way except a true emergency. Train your friends and family to treat this time just as if you were at a “normal job” where you cannot be interrupted.
  2. Take notes. Your best ideas probably won’t come to you while you’re writing. Use your phone’s notebook app or carry a small journal and pen with you to jot down those ideas that spring up at odd moments.
  3. Have some sort of outline. Even if you don’t write out a formal outline for your work, have a firm idea of what’s going to happen when, and how everything’s going to turn out. Jumping in with no clue at all is a recipe for writer’s block.
  4. Set a writing goal. Figure out when you want your work to be completed, then decide how many pages or words per day you’ll need to accomplish that goal. Don’t set yourself an impossible goal, though – you’re probably not going to be able to churn out several books in a year like some experienced authors do – just make a reasonable attempt at a timeline. You can always adjust the goal as needed.
  5. Use your search engine. The internet is a fantastic resource for writers. You can visit the places your characters visit and have a far more detailed setting in your book. You can research something like “green eyes” and click the “images” tab to see some example photos that might spark your imagination for character ideas. You can even “surf” your way to new ideas by typing in a question or keyword and just clicking links to see where that idea leads.
  6. Use a beta reader. Find someone who reads the sort of work you write and ask them to read over your work and offer constructive criticism. A beta reader is invaluable, especially for new writers, and can really help improve your work.
  7. Look for additional ideas. Try checking Amazon.com for examples of works in your genre. Use their “Look Inside” feature to actually skim through part of that book and see what others are writing in your genre. You can also read reviews to see what your readers are looking for – what things they like and don’t like.
  8. Don’t write and edit at the same time. This is something we’ve already talked about, but it bears repeating. When you’re writing, don’t stop and go back to “fix” something. Just jot down a note and keep writing until you hit your goal. After you’re finished writing, you can put on the editor’s hat and go back over what you’ve written, but if you try to do both, you’re never going to finish that work.
  9. Try a name generating website for your characters. If you’re having trouble with character names, try one of those name generators or even a baby name website. Another good place to find names is the credits screen of any movie.
  10. Back up your work. This can’t be repeated often enough – don’t just depend on one computer for your back-up. Use an external hard drive, Dropbox, or email your manuscript to yourself. Have a back-up that you use frequently and you won’t be devastated if an emergency arises.
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Short-Short: Writing Advice http://www.jeshays.com/?p=792 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:50:09 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=792

HERE are some great quotes from the masters for you.

WP_Create

 

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Short-Short: Tips and Tricks for Writing Fast http://www.jeshays.com/?p=787 Sun, 26 Oct 2014 13:31:35 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=787

HERE’S a great article on writing fast (and professionally)!

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Short-Short: Character Writing Tips http://www.jeshays.com/?p=785 Sat, 25 Oct 2014 11:34:16 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=785

HERE’S a good tip sheet to see if your characters make the grade!

WP_Writer_Sick

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Short-Short: 34 Writing Tips http://www.jeshays.com/?p=783 Fri, 24 Oct 2014 11:26:59 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=783

HERE’S a link to a good writing tip page – 34 tips to make you a better writer!

WP_Create

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Short-Short: Writing Tricks http://www.jeshays.com/?p=666 Fri, 22 Aug 2014 13:52:38 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=666

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HERE’S a link to a good article I just found – “Tricks” of Writing

 

 

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21 Rules For Writers http://www.jeshays.com/?p=597 Fri, 25 Jul 2014 13:49:42 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=597

Here are some more guidelines from the masters

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Keith Waterhouse’s Ground Rules for Writers

  1. Use specific words (red and blue) not general ones (brightly coloured).
  2. Use concrete words (rain, fog) rather than abstract ones (bad weather).
  3. Use plain words (began, said, end) not college-educated ones (commenced, stated, termination).
  4. Use positive words (he was poor) not negative ones (he was not rich—the reader at once wants to know, how not rich was he?).
  5. Don’t overstate: fell is starker than plunged.
  6. Don’t lard the story with emotive or “dramatic” words (astonishing, staggering, sensational, shock).
  7. Avoid non-working words that cluster together like derelicts (but for the fact that, the question as to whether, there is no doubt that).
  8. Don’t use words thoughtlessly. (Waiting ambulances don’t rush victims to hospital. Waiting ambulances wait. Meteors fall, so there can be no meteoric rise.)
  9. Don’t use unknown quantities (very, really, truly, quite. How much is very?).
  10. Never qualify absolutes. A thing cannot be quite impossible, glaringly obvious or most essential, any more than it can be absolutely absolute.
  11. Don’t use jargon, clichés, puns, elegant or inelegant variations, or inexact synonyms (BRAVE WIFE DIED SAVING HER SON is wrong; wife is not a synonym for mother).

Words are facts. Check them (spelling and meaning) as you would any other.

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Jane Yolen’s 20 Rules of Writing:

  1. Eschew the exclamation point!
  2. Go easy on the adverbs.
  3. Don’t let characters float on the page. Anchor them with action. No talking endlessly!
  4. Make this your favorite thing to do! Have fun writing and illustrating!
  5. BIC = Butt In Chair. HOP = Heart On Page. PNF = Passion Not Fashion.You may never be the best but you can always get better.
  6. If you’re allergic to writing – accept it!
  7. No one expects a happy ending unless it’s a fairy tale. We need a meaningful ending. It may not be easy. Hard choices are good.
  8. Beware of stop sign words. Fall through the words into the story.
  9. Not everything should be simplified. Complexity adds richness.
  10. Words are important. Keep writing till you find the right word choice.  “The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter–it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” – Mark Twain
  11. It is not the line, but where it leads. It’s the DNA of fiction. Rewrite and find it. You will know it. It will carry the book.
  12. Exercise the drawing/writing muscle! Don’t get flabby! One page a day and you have a 365 page book by the end of the year, or that many picture books. Exercise!
  13. Every artist and writer is nurtured or a nurturer. Very few are both. Do what you have to do, there is no time fairy. Partnerships are a trade off.
  14. What about Editors? What do you want or need? Truth. Hard questions. Love letters. You want a journey with your editor. They are your voice in the industry and your cheerleader. They are not your best friend. You NEED an editor. Editors will make you good. You need tough love. Never enter into a revision angry. You must love the process. Read the editorial letter, put it down, re-read the next day. Call a friend, share it, take a bath.
  15. Yags Law – Money flows toward the author not away! You should not have to pay for publication. Something is wrong if this is happening.
  16. Too many writers ignore the landscape to their peril. Look! We often miss small things or large immovables. Observe it (your world)! Observe it carefully. Details must be precise as if you have been there. Learn to hear.
  17. Read what you have written out loud. It will help you to see what you have missed.
  18. Dealing with the dreaded writers block. It is all in your mind. The solution is to stand up, walk, eat, do other things! Distract yourself. If that doesn’t work, start a new writing project. Don’t go read a book, you will get that authors voice in your head instead of your own.
  19. Not every project will be completed. Moaning about this is for sissies.
  20. An Amuse Bouche. A small bite to awaken the palette, awaken your writing palette!
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WikiAnswers http://www.jeshays.com/?p=420 Sat, 01 Mar 2014 14:14:49 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=420

As some of you know, I’m also an Answers.com supervisor, over at WikiAnswers.com. My categories include “Learning Tips and Study Habits,” “Idioms and Slang,” and — of course! — “Creative Writing.” The latter also includes sub-categories such as Fiction Writing; Fan Fiction; Characters and Dialogue; Plot and Setting, Style, Mood, and Tone; and Narrative Viewpoint.

Here’s my profile – you can check out my qualifications, read some of my previous answers, and see a few of the awards I’ve accumulated over the years as a supervisor. I’m particularly proud of my “WAmmy” awards – WikiAnswers that have been voted particularly helpful. You can probably tell that I like the Answerthons, too, though I haven’t had the time to compete since I started writing professionally.

WikiAnswers is a fun site. Not only can you find the answer to whatever you want to know, but you can just browse the site for fun questions, additional information, or just see what pops up that strikes your interest. I like to scroll through my categories periodically to see what sorts of questions have been asked and answered. Sometimes, I add my own remarks. I also like to try to personally answer anything that’s been sitting there for a few months, because I know how frustrating it is to have a question and not be able to find an answer anywhere.

You can get started on the site here – it’s a walk-through guideline – or you can just pop in and start asking and answering.

Do you have a favorite information website? Tell us all about it!

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5 Tips for Anthologies http://www.jeshays.com/?p=417 Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:44:26 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=417

Got word of a new anthology coming out in the Wolf Creek series – they’ve thrown open the submissions to anyone within the Western Fictioneers, so I’m going to see if I can get my foot in the door with a short story. I like the books, and it would be nice to create a character and do some collaborative writing with these folks.

Here are some tips for submitting a story for an anthology:

  • Do your homework – see what’s already on the market from that publisher, see what other stories have made their anthologies, see what sort of thing they’re looking for before you start your own story.
  • Know the world – if you’re submitting for a shared-world anthology, do your homework there as well, and find out about their world. Read some of the other stories set there and some of the books already published. Show them that you understand the world they’ve created.
  • Do your best – a short story is harder for some people than writing a novel, so be sure you craft your best. Have a tight, logical plot with believable, sympathetic characters. Keep the action moving and don’t skimp on the emotion. Make sure the story flows, and that the ending is satisfying.
  • Do your editing – fine-tune your story until it purrs, then edit one more time for spelling and grammar. If your work has easily-spotted errors, it’s going straight into the circular file.
  • Follow submission guidelines – this should go without saying, but so often new writers will submit something totally unacceptable, or something the editors or publishers are just not interested in. Read the guidelines and follow them to the letter.

Have you had stories published in anthologies? What tips would you add to the list?

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10 Basics for Writing Success http://www.jeshays.com/?p=403 Sat, 01 Feb 2014 21:53:46 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=403

I’ve been writing for nearly thirty years now, and I think that qualifies me to give out a little advice. Here are a few of the tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years:

  • Keep a notebook with you – you can only store about seven things in your short-term memory at any time, and that for only 20 or 30 seconds at a time. If you don’t write that idea down, there’s little chance you’ll remember it by the end of a busy day. I like those little pen-and-notebook combos you find in the bookstore.
  • Write every day – if you slack off, it’s harder to get back into the habit, plus, the more you exercise your craft, the easier it becomes. You don’t have to produce a prodigious amount, but you need to be working on something daily.
  • Read – study your favorite authors and see how they do it, analyze your favorite books, and just absorb the craft by reading for relaxation!
  • Practice – especially when you’re having trouble with a project, try working some exercises, rather like keeping fit even if you’re not training for an athletic event. I’ve got some good links on the Writer’s Tips page for you to try out.
  • Work at your most creative time – if you’re a morning person, try getting up an hour earlier and writing before you head off to your job; if you’re a night owl, try staying up a little later for the same reason. Do your most creative work at your most productive time, if that’s possible.
  • Keep track of your progress – check your daily and weekly page counts or word counts, make colorful charts and graphs, or just keep a running total so you can see how far you’ve come. Keeping track helps motivate you, and it also keeps you from that “this is going nowhere” thinking which strikes us all during a project.
  • Learn the language – if you need to, take a good basic English class, or invest in a copy of The Elements of Style and learn proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
  • Carve out a space – have a spot in your home that is just for your writing. Having an “office,” no matter how small, gears your mind up to work when you settle into that space.
  • Know when to let go – you should edit your work at least three times before submitting it to an editor or agent. If you’re self-publishing, you should hire a professional editor to fine-tune it after your third proof-read. Producing poor-quality work with lots of errors gives readers the impression that you’re a slip-shod writer who doesn’t care about quality, and they’re less likely to look for your name when they’re looking for a good read.
  • Remember, the first draft is supposed to be crap – don’t agonize over your writing. Just get it down, then you can go back to edit later. One of my writing teachers puts it another way: first, get the dirt out of the hole, then worry about shaping the well.

Start with this basic structure, and you can build a solid writing career.

What are your favorite basic tips and tricks?

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