Writing can be hard. Here are some guides and articles which may make the written word easier to master.
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Scared: A Guide to Writing Horror by doughboycafe, literature
WRITING ADVICE: Pattern Recognition by Jon-Wood, literature
Literature
WRITING ADVICE: Pattern Recognition
"Look," Alex said furtively to Patty, as the teacher droned on. "Who are you going to take to the dance?"
"Don't know," Patty shrugged, twirling a pencil between her fingers thoughtfully. "Haven't decided who to ask yet."
"Well, I hear the janitor's free," Carlos said from behind her, smirking malevolently. "You could always ask him."
"Ahahahaha," Patty laughed in a forced-sounding way.
One common mistake writers make is falling into patterns. The story that inspired this kept writing dialogue the same way every time.
"First part of whatever is being said," character said adverbly, as they and/or someone else did several different thin
Five Character Inspiration Tips by tie-dye-flag, literature
Literature
Five Character Inspiration Tips
When writing a story, the characters carry the plot. No characters, no plot (though this rule is flexible). However, the task of creating memorable characters can be a daunting one. Sometimes we just need a little inspiration to get over the intimidation, and this tutorial will help light that spark you need, whether it’s making a character from scratch or simply refining an existing one.
1. Break Stereotypes
Stock characters that fit into a mold are predictable and boring. However, they can make a handy springboard of inspiration. Challenge yourself to tackle a stereotype, and create a unique new character from it.
For example, exam
Writing Advice: Verbing adverbly by Jon-Wood, literature
Literature
Writing Advice: Verbing adverbly
"You know what I hate?" u63r said angrily.
"No. What do you hate?" Alex queried curiously.
"Said bookisms," u63r answered peevishly.
"Said bookisms?" Alex parroted quizzically, scratching their gender-indeterminate head.
"Said bookisms," u63r confirmed, nodding. "It's like the writer is afraid to just say words like 'said' or 'asked'. And it just ends up being intrusive."
"Hold up," Alex interrupted, raising a hand. "Was there something specific that set this off?"
"Yeah, this one fanfic," u63r admitted. "Not only that, but he combined it with that redundant narration I mentioned earlier, where the dialogue 'tags' tell us information we
Writing Advice:How not to write group dialogue by Jon-Wood, literature
Literature
Writing Advice:How not to write group dialogue
"All right, team, let's huddle," Dad said.
They huddled, made their voices low and quiet.
"Junior, you keep him busy, keep him distracted," Mom said, as one hand fiddled with her pearl necklace.
"Got it," the elder son said.
"Gladys, beans and macaroni and sausage for dinner. When it's time for bed, read him a story," Dad said.
"Right." Grandma nodded.
"I get to stay up watching television, and I get two deserts," Junior said.
"One desert," Dad said.
"One and a half deserts," Junior said.
"This is not a negotiation." Dad pulled back the cuff of his suit, and said "We have to be there in...twenty minutes."
"So...What you're saying is
How to Write a First Draft Without Perfectionism by illuminara, literature
Literature
How to Write a First Draft Without Perfectionism
Maybe you’ve heard that first drafts are supposed to suck, but what does that really mean? What does a sucky first draft look like? How do you allow yourself to suck? Why would you even want to allow yourself to write something that sucks in the first place?
Because otherwise, you’ll most likely be crippled by the writer’s arch nemesis: perfectionism.
Did you just cringe? We all experience it when we sit down to write, arrange everything just so, type a sentence or two (or a bit more if you’re lucky), and then it strikes—your inner editor. It smacks you across the face and demands that you fix that grammar mist
Writing Advice: Cause and Effect by Jon-Wood, literature
Literature
Writing Advice: Cause and Effect
Have you ever watched a movie? A TV show? Animation? Literally anything with a narrative?
...Yes?
Great, so you've seen a reaction shot. When someone says or does something, and they cut to someone else looking shocked, or surprised, or happy.
And?
Didja ever see one that had "in response to what said" on the screen?
No?
Great. So why do you do it when you write?
If someone reads
Alex looked grim ."The President...has been hit with a pie."
Bobbie gasped. then it's pretty clear that Bobbie's gasping at the news, not, say, Alex's tie. You don't have to write
Alex looked grim ."The President...has been hit with a pie."
Bobbie gasped at
Character Creation Tips by QuixoticApricot, literature
Literature
Character Creation Tips
My favorite thing about writing has to be creating characters. I love coming up with their backgrounds, figuring out what makes them tick, and throwing them into situations that are completely over their head. I thought I might share some of the tips and tricks that I find useful when it comes to making characters. Of course, there’s no end-all, be-all guide to creating characters; these are ideas that help me, and maybe will inspire you.
Start with a concept.
I always start with a concept for a character before anything else. For instance, my character Alexis was based on the idea of a “rough and tumble librarian”. He’
Writing Tips: How not to write spookedness by Jon-Wood, literature
Literature
Writing Tips: How not to write spookedness
Earlier, I kvetched about first-person stories that are really just third-person stories with pronouns changed, where the POV character sounds suspiciously like a writer.
I've noticed this problem a few times on /r/noSleep, and I happened to stumble across a highly recommended story that's supposedly written by a private investigator. Now, the stories on NoSleep are fake. Everyone knows they're fake. But when a detective is on a stakeout for some sort of late-night creepy stuff, it's quite possible to oversell it.
I head off to his place that night and park my car on his street in a location in which I can see his front door and the gate lea