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creativepromptsforwriting

Masterpost: How to write a story?

Compilation of writing advice for some aspects of the writing process.

How to motivate myself to write more

How to get rid of writer’s block

Basic Overview: How to write a story

How to create a character

Introducing a group of characters

Large cast of characters interacting in one scene

Redemption arc

Plot twists

How to write a summary

How to write romance

More specific scenarios

Slow burn

How to create quick chemistry

How to write a bilingual character

How to create and write a cult

Criminal past comes to light

Reasons for breaking up while still loving each other

Forbidden love

Date gone wrong

Causes for the apocalypse

How to create a coffee shop atmosphere

How to write enemies to lovers

How to write lovers to enemies to lovers

Arranged matrimony for royalty

Paramilitary Forces/ Militia

Honeymoon

justawritingaid

Writing vs Storytelling Skills: Improving Writing

Though “writing skill” is often used to refer to all aspects of story crafting, it best refers to the actual writing and technical skills that create the written word of a novel. Addressed in the previous post: Writing vs Storytelling Skills (link embedded), now I’m here to tell you how to work on that specific writing skill.

1. Study up on Literary Techniques: English class isn’t just for assigned reading and essays if you’re serious about bettering your writing. While essay writing and creative writing are different, the literary techniques and how they’re used and applied is good knowledge to have. Especially because a lot of them overlap with tropes and tie into storytelling!

2. Read a variety of books. Various authors, various genres, the more you expand your examples the better. Variation of reading means you’ll be exposed to more ideas, more ways of thought, more writing styles, more everything that you can draw ideas from and help develop your own skill. Even take up books you may not like. Give them a chance, and if the writing isn’t working for you then keep tabs on why.

3. Critique the writing of others. What did you like? What didn’t you like? How does the writing style affect how the book reads? When you critique others, you identify what makes and doesn’t make “good writing”. While a writer can only critique at a close level to their skill, the more they critique, the higher skill climbs, and the better they get. To become a better writer, you should get used to tearing other’s, and your own, work apart. It can help to keep a journal or some kind of record of critiques because as you gain more skill you may change your mind on some points.

4. Tighten up your grammar. It’s fine to make mistakes, especially in a first draft, but if you have consistent grammar errors then it’s time to tackle the issue. Grammar isn’t optional; it exists to help with clarity of communication and a clearer writer is a better writer. It’s true that creative writing allows for the use of semantic grammar or a more fluid approach to sentence structure, but there’s a difference between using purposefully altered grammar for a reason versus just not knowing how to write properly.

5. Try writing exercises. Many of these exist, from things like The Sprint (link embedded), which can help train you get work done, or The POV Swap (link embedded), which works on distinguishing character voice and perspective. Not all exercises are for everyone because there’s a variation to writing styles, but it never hurts to put in some effort to step outside our comfort zone to see if it could work. Further the benefits of writing exercises by developing a routine of regular use.

6. Read your work out loud. The mind has a tendency to put a haze of glory over some things and one way to help look at your writing realistically is to read it out loud to yourself. Reading out loud helps catch errors, some even grammatical, measure flow, evaluate pacing– it’s an amazing technique that gives the writer a better idea of what they’ve really put down. When reading, don’t be afraid to get into it and put emotion into your voice as long as it’s coming from the flow of the writing itself and isn’t forced.

All that said, there’s no such thing as a “perfect writer”. Brushing up on writing skills isn’t about being perfect, it’s about getting better relative to where you were before (and potentially helping close the gap between writing and storytelling skills).

Keep trying, keep practicing– keep writing.

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Improving Diction

“Diction can be defined as style of speaking or writing, determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer. Diction, or choice of words, often separates good writing from bad writing. It depends on a number of factors. Firstly, the word has to be right and accurate. Secondly, words should be appropriate to the context in which they are used. Lastly, the choice of words should be such that the listener or reader understands easily.” (https://literarydevices.net/diction/)

Diction is just a fancy term for “word choice”, a literary technique that seems so simple yet is easily overlooked for the great effect it has. Diction is more than just something to sprinkle on with a few edits; its power comes from its foundation in the writing.

“Firstly, the word has to be right and accurate.”

Words are chosen for a reason. You wouldn’t describe a basic office pushpin as “big” when it’s actually small– or would you if the perspective was from an insect? The word has to be accurate for the narrator and the message that the author is trying to convey. This is a generally straightforward idea: describe what you mean to. A good start is always to begin looking at the small nuances that words carry.

Never replace a word with a synonym unless you’re absolutely sure that synonym holds the proper connotations. Few synonyms mean the exact same thing– any sort of replacement needs to take context into account.

- The vase broke when it hit the floor.

Simply replacing “broke” with synonyms can have some interesting effects.

- The vase ruptured when it hit the floor.

“Ruptured” has a liquid-related context. It’s most commonly used to refer to things like pipes, veins, or dams. If the vase held water and the break caused a leak then it might be an appropriate word (still iffy without more specifics falling into place).

- The vase shattered when it hit the floor.

“Shattered” implies a break into a lot of little pieces. Generally accurate for the way vases break, but if this vase only broke in one small area or into two pieces then it didn’t actually shatter.

- The vase fragmented when it hit the floor.

Technically correct, but not only do the 3 syllables slow down the sentence and therefore the speed at which the vase broke, “fragmented” tends to be used in cases where the “broken” thing can still work in some way on its own. Teams and companies fragment. A sentence can have fragments. A vase once broken, is broken; the individual pieces can’t function without the whole (unless you have a really weirdly shaped vase that broke in convenient places).

Choosing the right word is about staying true to what you mean to happen. Each word has instances where it’s more likely to be used over another and those instances carry tone which guide the reader’s mood and interpretation of events.

Keep reading

justawritingaid

Hello! I love writing short stories, but when I give them to friends to proofread, they tell me that I spend way too much time on details (for example, I make lengthy descriptions of settings and character descriptions) and it causes them to get lost. I've tried cutting down on it, but it's harder than I thought. Do you have any suggestions on what kinds of details I should cut down on or cut out completely when describing something?

This is a fun question because it’s in the context of a short story rather than a full-length novel. So, I’m going to start by going over general description to lay the groundwork for the tips, then narrow it down to short-story specific tips.

Description details in stories are guided by what the narrator is experiencing and by what is needed to tell the story. But, there's also a bit of a difference between POV narration and omniscient narration-- POV writing enforces experience whereas omniscient writing can go beyond if for a different effect. The difference can look something like this:

(Limited POV) The character running through the forest as they flee a bear doesn't have time to notice dewdrops on the leaves or how the canopy filters the morning sunrise so there will be no commentary on it. However, they might get smacked in the face with a branch and notice that it’s wet or find the spotty light makes it hard to know where to put their feet. The description should enforce what the narrating character experiences, which is what’s needed to tell the story.

(Omniscient) This narrator has the ability to comment on beyond what the character is experiencing so they can slow down the scene to describe the dewdrops, sunlight, and other scenery. The key here is: should they? In some cases, yes, despite the chase going on there could be a reason for the narrator to focus on something beyond that. But if there is supposed to be tension and a fast paced scene then lengthy descriptions of scenery in action-based scenes are distracting. The description usually adheres to character experience but has the ability to beyond that if the story needs it.

Description and details in stories need to have a point, like contributing to the plot, the mood, characterization, and/or scene setting. However, the amount of description and where it’s placed directly affects things like pacing, story focus, and the narrator’s voice.

I wrote that extra big because those two points work together to create optimal description in stories. Description may almost always have a point, but it can still be improperly placed in a way that takes away from the scene and story. I’ve seen a bit too much writing “advice” that tells people to “screw the rules and describe what you want as much as you want”, but that’s a very novice way to think because the way you write has a direct effect on the story. Nothing is truly stylistic nor without consequences. Some stories work with extensive description, others don’t, and the way you write matters to how the story will be read.

Here’s an older linked post you should check out: Detail and Description in Writing: The Law of Conservation of Detail. At the very, very core, the plot is what guides all description. Characterization, scene-setting, mood, and other things are very important, but if you had to boil necessary description down to the bare bones then the plot is what you serve. That doesn't mean you have to write just the bare bones, but take some time to identify description that serves the plot vs the other reasons. You can cut down by saving the lengthier description for plot-based description.

Description is guided by what the narrator pays attention to. If a narrator likes clothes then they’re going to be paying attention to outfits, maybe even using the official fashion terms for everything. (It’s still possible to go overboard and have extensive clothing commentary cause hiccups in the story's flow.) The narrator who doesn’t care about clothes in not going to be commenting on everyone’s clothes. Same goes for building structure, food, anything really. They will, however, pay attention if something suddenly requires them to, like the plot. Writing is not a movie and you can’t put up an exact picture to let the audience see it, and an exact picture cannot be replicated in writing (link embedded). Writing gives concepts which let the reader form their own picture. Sometimes over-description can be a sign that you’re trying to get the reader to see things exactly like you do, but that’s a fruitless endeavor because you can’t describe literally everything in a story nor can you take someone else’s imagination away. The narrator dictates which details the reader gets, especially in POV writing where the story is filtered through their mind.

The amount of words it takes to describe directly conveys time passage and how much focus the narrator is putting on the thing being described. Extensive description can sometimes be a result of “Show, don’t tell” being taken too far and can lead to a Overly-Fixated Narrator, who seems really intent on looking around and describing everything rather than conveying a story. If you take 2 words to describe Person A and 20 to describe a Person B, then your narrator was staring at B for much longer. A full paragraph of description for Person C and your narrator is likely getting creepy with their unflinching focus-- I sure hope the situation makes sense for that kind of hyper-focus and pause in the flow. Word count = Time = Pacing = Flow of the story. Lengthy character descriptions, or any descriptions, pause the story to paint the scene, which isn’t always good for what a scene needs. Character description should start with the general and a few major points, then the rest of it can be woven in over time (link embedded). Writing good description often means weaving it throughout the rest of the story rather than having it in blocks. (An omniscient narrator can better get away with lengthy character descriptions since they aren’t a person in the story, but you still have to be careful to avoid description-dumps that harm flow.)

Overall, description helps create visuals to tell a story, but visuals are not the story. You may be able to ask those beta readers what they specifically think can be removed, as a start. If they don’t know the specifics, then let them point out where they start getting lost. That doesn't mean you have to cut anything immediately, but you’ll at least be able to see where the problems tend to be.

Description consolidation (useful for short stories & full-length novels):

Lengthy description that loses readers may be able to be consolidated by:

Removing filler words and phrases: ”Very”, “he felt”, unnecessary adverbs and phrases that add length but not substance.

Eliminate redundancy. Cut out description, or parts of it, that repeats what’s already been stated or implied.

Using better diction: (link embedded) One precise word can sometimes cut down on full sentences. Good diction can also help create mood efficiently, cutting down on additional mood description.

Ask: Do they have time?: Fast-paced moments and scenes should avoid most lengthy description because the narrator usually has no reason to pay attention to their surroundings, at least not in detail. If writing Omniscient, then the narrator still needs a reason to choose to convey those details because it still affects pacing.

Ask: Do they mean to stare?: Question what the narrator chooses to describe and how many words are used because that focus says something about them, whether you mean it to or not. If writing Omniscient, then the narrator still needs a reason to choose to convey those details because it still affects pacing.

Detail weaving: Pacing details and weaving them in to optimal moments rather than in paragraph blocks isn’t just for exposition. Weaving also allows for more detail to come out of a scene without making the narrator stare at things for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Setting exists throughout a scene: A type of detail weaving, setting is usually one of the things that can get blocky in a story, typically at the start of a new scene. While it’s important to provide context, consider saving some of the details to be expressed as the scene/plot is moving rather than dumping it all at once.

Short Story-specific description tips:

Short stories are... short. (Usually 1,000 to 4,000 words, however some have pushed up to 20,000) They use fewer words to convey a full story, which often means the descriptions get cut. Description that can be labeled as “scene setting” or “for other reasons” in a full-length novel often doesn’t fly as well in a short story. It’s very common for short stories to be lacking in general description compared to full-length novels, often to a point where they can look bland side-by-side. It’s normal, though. The plot needs to show through in a limited space.

Use all those description consolidation tips, but more severely. Short stories need to show their point and description can take away from it if the point and plot aren't strong enough. Sometimes lengthy description can hide plot-substance problems with short stories (and long ones, but it’s more apparent in short stories) so make sure your plot is solid as a foundation.

Good luck with your description!

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justawritingaid

What do you do when you’re stuck in one scene? I have everything that comes after that scene planned out but I can’t get past this one.

Depends on why you’re stuck...

When you know what needs to happen but aren’t sure how it should play out:

You have what comes before and what comes after, and have an idea of what needs to exist in this scene, but the exact details are muddled. Skipping the scene would leave a hole in the story.

Jot down the facts of what’s required for the scene, then look at the surrounding scenes to give it context, especially paying attention to what should logically be happening. You’re going have to take some time to brainstorm and test ideas out. I recommend outlining multiple versions of the scene since writers usually get stuck for a reason, and that reason is typically easier to pull out and tackle when you approach the problem from multiple angles.

Also, sometimes writers get stuck on scenes when their plan turns out to be not such a good plan once they start writing. Sometimes plot holes are exposed, other times the planned events was a lot better in your head, but ultimately you may have to tweak other parts of the story to really help this scene align. If this is the case, then know that it’s a normal issue to run into, even for more advanced writers.

When you don’t know what needs to happen but there needs to be a scene there:

You have what comes before and what comes after, but the bridge is an unknown void. Skipping the scene would leave a hole in the story (or so it seems).

Ask yourself what logically should be happening in the scene, especially paying attention to cause-effect strings between the planned scenes. You’re building a bridge and it needs to connect. If the plot logic exists, then the ideas will come if you think creatively enough.

Not having any idea of what bridges two scenes can be a sign that you have a plot disconnection. Plots run on cause-effect strings so if there’s no logical bridge then that overall plot might need tweaking. Sometimes external factors can start affecting a plot in a way that adds to the cause-effect, but if that external factor isn’t important enough to affect the scenes after it then it’s likely not a good one.

There’s also a chance that you’ve convinced yourself you need a scene there, but in reality it’s no more than a placeholder. This happens more often with writers who tell themselves they have to write a certain number of scenes, a certain number of chapters, or are otherwise trying to force-fit a story into a mold. In that case, you may me more in a situation like...

Stuck on a scene because you're just filling space between two events:

You don’t need this scene; skip it. Filler scenes should only exist in fanfiction, and even in fanfiction, they should only exist when the writer has an idea for the filler. You want scenes based on substance, not numbers nor a preconceived setup that’s not doing the story any favors if it’s forcing filler.

In the case that it’s more of a “transition scene” where something small or something not worth crafting an entire scene for happens, this would be an appropriate time to use “telling” and attach the info to the scene that comes before or after it.

Good luck with your scene!

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justawritingaid

How do you write a tense scene? I'm trying to write a scene about a character who has to choose between breaking his companion out of jail and risking his own freedom or leave his companion and continue on to achieve his previous goal alone. I can't figure out how to make this a full scene with real tension beyond just having him make the choice and dealing with the aftermath. Unless that's what you're supposed to do, I don't know.

Writing a tense scene is about more than just the moment or what comes after it; the real strength is in what leads up to the moment and how invested the reader is in the outcome. Don’t just focus on the immediate scene and what follows, but on what happens before the story even got there.

1. Setup is key.

Majority of tension in any scene comes from the setup. Current happening matter, but it’s like building pressure in a kettle on the stove. The tea kettle can’t whistle if there isn’t any heat underneath, so you need to build the tension over time before the scene even happens. That usually looks like:

Previously establish relationships. The characters’ relationship should be good enough for that choice to be a reasonable choice. Some characters put saving others over everything else, but many don’t, and the reader should be aware of how the characters tend to operate. It needs to make sense that saving the person vs moving on would be a believable dilemma for the character.

Previously establish stakes. The reader should be aware of why the choice would matter based on how the story has gone so far. What is there to gain and lose? If your plot makes sense and is easy to follow, part of this is already done for you.

2. Craft the tense scene to highlight the stakes.

Bring the previously-established stakes to the forefront. Readers should be invested in what the character has to lose or gain by making that choice, so it doesn't hurt to put a reminder in. This doesn’t mean you write a huge monologue explaining the options because the reader should already have an idea of what each one may imply, but give the choice a bit of pause to show weight. If it’s genuinely a hard choice, this pause will come naturally as the character makes the decision.

Additional tension can also come from how the scene plays out, with things like (but not limited to) time restraints, dramatic irony, and/or immediate situational factors like if they’re running from someone.

3. The choice should be hard to make.

You can still have a tense scene with imbalanced choices, but because you’re focusing on the choice, the real tension is going to come from how it’s hard to choose. How much the character dwells on this depends on who they are and how much time they have to dwell, but generally you don’t want to be churning out a choice analysis essay.

It should also actually play out like a choice for optimal effect. Another character, or force of the universe, shouldn’t swoop in and take away the choice or make it easier. Choices are part of character agency, and a high level of agency tends to lend itself to more tension. (In some stories, the external intervention would help highlight something about the character who failed to make the choice in time, but that doesn’t seem like the situation here.)

4. The consequences should be guessable (to a point).

Part of making a hard choice is deciding which set of consequences you’d rather deal with and choices with more tension tend to be understood in terms of implications. Choices can lead to unforeseen consequences, but it’s rare for a character to know literally nothing about what they’re choosing. You can have tension with unknown and barely guessable consequences, but that often comes off as a dice roll instead of the character having a real choice.

Your readers should be aware of what the implications of the choice are, and that info should mostly come from them following the plot and already knowing the stakes involved. You can add some more info in the scene to drive the implications home, but you don’t want it to become an essay.

5. The aftermath is cause-effect.

If the readers are invested in the outcome due to previous setup then it’ll help make what comes after this scene more intense. Because this isn’t a choice made at the climax, there will be plenty of time for cause-effect consequences to unfold. The character will deal with the aftermath as they see fit.

6. The writing matters too.

This is a bit of a “no shit” kind of thing, but it’s possible to botch tension by writing poorly. Since this is the first attempt and therefore the first draft, it’s not a problem if you don’t get it since editing exists for a reason, but writing with tension means utilizing things like (check out the included links):

Pacing. Good pacing helps create dramatic effect due to how the text is read. One-sentence paragraphs can be a good choice for poignant lines and the speed of the scene is directly related to how it’s written. A choice-related scene typically has a moment of pause when making the choice.

Diction. Word choice tends to be more important during important scenes. Having clear meaning can help drive the points home and can even convey emotion in scenes where the character doesn't have time to extensively emote.

Language structure. Shorter sentences are blunt. Longer sentences have a sense of flow and can be calming if written with certain words, or jarring if the end on a very different tone than they began. The way you structure your language can affect how a scene is read and interpreted.

Good luck with your tense scene!

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justawritingaid

Hey, so I have this book series that I’ve been working/thinking about for a long time and really want to get it out there for people to read someday. I’m just scared that since I’d be an unknown face, it wouldn’t get the recognition that I dream it to receive. Should I work on other stories that I could possibly get published to get my name out there before pursuing what I’m actually passionate about?

I’m going to preface this by saying that there are a lot of “if”s in the situations you’re looking at. The journey of an author can be very individualized and you can’t fully plan for a lot of the details that have the power to drastically alter the path you’re on. The publishing industry is a business and businesses are well-known to have unpredictable twists that require adaptation and/or fully predictable twists that the individual can only do so much about. It never hurts to have a plan and have clear goals, but stay flexible!

Most authors are unable to rely on their name being a big marketing tactic, unless they’re already a highly successful author like Stephen King, a recognizable celebrity, or public figure. That’s not to say their name and reputation doesn’t play a role, but rather that most authors are far from a household name and publishers won’t ignore a good story just because you aren’t well-known. When books are published from new authors, much like books from existing ones, they launch a marketing campaign designed to inform the book’s intended audience that it exists. Marketing is all about reaching a target audience who will buy a product, and if a publisher picks up a book then they already have an audience in mind. While there are a few authors who gain recognition from their first book, it’s far from the norm, but there are also many authors who never gain real name recognition at all, despite steady sales.

That said, I’m not dismissing the fact that name and reputation can play an absolutely huge role. When you’re already well-known, the marketing is already half-done and there will be bigger sales. However, that’s still a varying scale of recognition between celebrities (or authors with really big names) as opposed to authors who are just previously known. So, the real question is how big is that “recognition” you’re looking for? Having an existing fan base will raise sales, but the exact degree of that varies based on the existing success.

This may sound a bit weird, but starting a career by publishing the story you want to publish is the only way to make sure it’s published. Being an author doesn’t mean you just publish whatever you want; each story has it’s own contract and you have to convince publishers to let you write it for them. There is no such thing as a guaranteed story for publishing, even if you’re already an author. Some authors also get pigeonholed into a certain genre or story role and publishers show no interest in their other work. There’s a chance that your other stories will define your reputation and career, so it’s best if they’re in the same genre of your big story or you’re running the pigeonhole risk. The only way to fully control what you get published is to be such a big name that your publishers give you free reign, or you’d have to self-publish.

So, if you start your career with that big book, then the recognition depends on the success of marketing and if the content of the book is what people currently want to buy. Having a name would have helped, but a well-funded and good marketing team can make up for some of that.

If you write other stories first, you’d have more fans which often leads to more sales, but you also risk not being able to publish that big book based on the success of the previous stories and how well it aligns with your existing image. To mitigate that risk, the other books should be in the same genre because it’s rare for readers to jump genres for an author. Some will, but not nearly enough for it to mean higher readership from that alone. A name can carry, but the true marker of success is the individual book product.

The publishing world is a business and the business world is no guarantee for anything. Both paths have different struggles, but an individual’s publishing path can’t be best determined by a stranger on the internet. I hope my answer gave you some valuable info, but there is no real “best choice” without context.

Good luck with your publishing journey!