I absolutely adore your story TAC, and I was wondering if you could give me some writing tips since I am indeed an aspiring author. I was thinking about writing when Wally fell ill and May had to take care of him, something that's contentedly angsty if you know what I mean?
Thank you!
There is no clear-cut magic guide to good writing--and there shouldn't be! Writing is a process, and different things work for different people.
I can describe a couple things that have personally helped me in the past, though these tips may not work for you!
For one, I like to do a lot of prewriting. For TAC (and it's sequel, which I'm working on), I drew out timelines and made a variety of other notes to help me keep everything straight while I developed the plot. Making outlines for chapters was also helpful.
I also finishing up most of my writing before I start publishing. Publishing chapters hot of the press, while immediately rewarding, locks you into place. If it's already published and I'm working on a new chapter, and I realize there's a plothole I need to fill or something I want to change in a previous chapter, I'm stuck.
Writing everything on one document is also great, for me. Each of TAC's four parts were done on four documents, rather than 33 different documents for each chapter. This makes it easier to go back and add things like foreshadowing, and it makes it easier for me to jump ahead and write scenes that I want to occur in the future. It's OK to write out of order, too!
The best way to develop your skills as a writer, however, is to write. Read, too, since research shows voracious readers tend to be better writers. I know many people get frustrated with their skill level and decide not to write because of that--don't! Writing, and writing a lot, will help you become the writer you want to be.
















