Thread: A Guide to Good Writing

I just had my story in the rp thingy tured town, even tho i worked SO HARD on it I dont think ll be typing a decent story anytime soon cu i havent got any that wont suck it up :(





























P.S. And i wanted to be an author...

All it takes is practice; keep working at it and you'll improve. That's key in trying to become an author.

Pardon the c/p here, but I posted this in the Plot Bunny Zoo as a response to someone, and I figured this would go just as well in here. These are my personal tenets of writing.

Since I don't believe in unwritten rules, I will write what I consider the central tenets of my writings.

Tenet 1: WRITE WHAT YOU WANT TO WRITE. Be open to suggestions, unless those suggestions are contrary to what you are going for with your fic.

Tenet 2: Be flexible. If something isn't going to work, don't be afraid to shift gears. Oftentimes, unless you say something, people will never know the difference. I had to do this myself in "Legends' Day Off", as my original concept of "their vacations lead into situations that spark their legends" ultimately would not have worked except in one specific instance. Instead, I shifted to a more sitcom-esque idea of putting the Legends in situations they're not used to, and so far, it's worked.

Tenet 3: Be accessible. As mentioned in Tenet 1, it's okay to accept suggestions for things to improve. If someone comes up with a good idea that won't derail your fic, then why not implement it?

Tenet 4: There are no "unwritten rules". Don't let others' expectations ruin your fun. If people are enjoying your work, then that is great. If people aren't for legitimate reasons, that's fine. But if people don't like it for silly reasons like "you broke an unwritten rule" and can't come up with a good reason of why that's a bad thing IN YOUR CASE...forget 'em.

Tenet 5, and the most important tenet: Have fun. If it gets to where it isn't fun writing things anymore, then just hold off and come back when it is. If you're not having fun from the start, then you need to look at things differently. Remember, these stories come from your ideas, even if aided with suggestions by others, so you have every right to have fun with them.

Finally, Tenet 6: Don't stress so much about feeling like you HAVE to make something epic. That can be as draining as capitulating to people who aren't critiquing so much as bashing. Just write what makes sense to you, and odds are, it'll turn out okay. I made this mistake in the last part of "Secret Ambition", but I was able to avoid that for Part 3 of "Legends' Day Off".

I hope that these help anyone who is having trouble getting started with or continuing a fic.

Great writing guide Martin22, very useful! There is however one small thing I don't agree on:

Originally Posted by Martin22

1) "It's just frustrating," Nigel said.
2) "It's just frustrating," Nigel growled, grinding a fist angrily into his palm

The second sentence is definitely the best of the two examples, but personally I would not use the word "angrily". The word "growled" and the fact that Nigel is grinding his fist into his palm is already showing the reader that he is angry without telling them. So I would probably go with the following:

"It's just frustrating," Nigel growled, grinding a fist into his palm.

Or even better, actions can be used to identify the speaker:

Nigel ground a fist into his palm. "It's just frustrating."

But maybe that's just me being nitpicky! :)

Big QUESTION?

I've always been okay at writing stories, but all that I do is advance the plotline, with no real target. (Sorry, I've recently started talking poetically.) In other words... I don't know how to think up a good ending, and your guide doesn't have anything about it. Could you please add a section along those lines?

Y'know, I've actually thought up a few fanfics about other franchises and even some original pieces on my own that I can't think of a decent ending.

I guess you could start writing and then gradually come up with a plot- like a lighthearted fic slowly getting more serious and getting a main plot for example. Or think of what's your character's journey- where does s/he start from end what the end could be.

Personally, I tend to think of the ending near the start. When I think of the idea of a story I first come up with the concept, then the end, then the beginning, then I work on getting from the beginning to the end and that seems to work for me.

Then again, lots of people do different things, so you have to find out what works for you!

ahh ok...

What should I do if my problem is writing the story's middle parts?

like I can easily write each and every major event, but when it comes to the minor things I tend to stall out and lose my steam. Basically, my problem is finding ways to connect the story's major events without it being extensively mundane or boring without losing alol my steam in the process.

Originally Posted by Heirox

What should I do if my problem is writing the story's middle parts?

like I can easily write each and every major event, but when it comes to the minor things I tend to stall out and lose my steam. Basically, my problem is finding ways to connect the story's major events without it being extensively mundane or boring without losing alol my steam in the process.

The best thing for you to do would be to plan out your story's major events, and then how they transition from each place to the next. For example, say Ash beats Falkner, and then beats Bugsy. Along the way, he encounters Team Rocket at the Ruins of Alph, and then meets X Pokémon in the Union Cave.

Make sense?

About that "having a chapter in reserve"...
I improvise a LOT. It might be to do with playing the electric guitar and my obsession with solos, it might not. Right, that was off-topic. Keeping a chapter in reserve...I spend most of my hours daydreaming, and constantly coming up with what will happen next? possibilities. Even as I type this I'm imagining what the hell I'm going to do next (it has something to do with Steven Stone and the main character's younger brother). Is that a substitute or not? I mean, it's pretty easy since I can come up with the events of a whole chapter then screw it all instantly. Should I keep doing that?

*Personal Experience; sharing the wisdom (lOl, kidding)*

Well, I was not born this way and it was ultra hard for me to write news for BN since I'm not a native, which makes it even harder.
Experience makes man perfect and the rest is in front of you. I still have to work on my vocab, grammar etc.
So, new guys; no need to worry. Just try to follow the above guideline (thanks to "Every Breaking Wave") and I'm sure you'll be good to go ;)

P.S: Just to let you know, I'm talking about Bulbanews here 8P

Frankly, when I start writing all I have is one general idea, a few major plot points and twists I'd like to use and a couple of characters I've come up with. The rest is all improvisation.

Just go with it, people.

For my writing, I choose a topic... then improvise EVERYTHING, making fun of every little thing. Sometimes I'll spend HOURS in my room like this- but I found they're only any good when I'm having a blast x3 I write ONLY for fun... if I don't, I suck.

I'm mostly improvising on my current fic, Conpulson./ I've got the main topics for the first few chaoters planned out, and some major events, but apart from that, it's just think as I write. xD

Yay for foreshaddowing! :D