9 HINTS FOR SUCCESSFUL WRITING

1. KISS IT – Keep It Short and Simple. One problem aspiring writers run into is their effort to explain their thoughts in too much detail which leads them to use over-extended descriptions, run-on sentences, and just too many words.

Keep your writing crisp and to the point. Don’t use too many adverbs or repetition which tends to bore the reader. Remember, one of the most powerful forms of poetry is the smallest - haiku. A little goes a long way.

2. VERB TENSE – Be aware of your verbs! Keep your writing in a consistent tense. If you start in the present tense, don’t change to the past tense (unless, of course, you are using flashbacks). Within dialogue, or in different sections or chapters, this rule can change, but be very wary of what you are doing and keep it consistent throughout.

3. DIALOGUE – Cut down on the he said/she said! A good writer subtly indicates who is speaking by the use of indentation, paragraphing and quotation marks.

4. QUOTATION MARKS – Single quotation marks are used around dialogue in the UK, double marks in the U.S. Either is fine as long as the use is consistent. The use of single quotation marks around a particular word or phrase to set it off is discouraged if double marks are being used for the dialogue.

The opposite mark should be used for a quote within a quote. Consistency is important. Check the details.

5. READ ALOUD – Read your writing, especially the dialogue, out loud. Does it sound like real people talking? Real people speak using contractions – “I’m going” not “I am going”. They often use slang terms, swear words or poor grammar. Within the quotation marks, those things are permissible. They add character and believability to a speaker.

6. ING – Don’t (or else very seldom) start your sentences using a word ending in “ing.” This can lead to misplaced modifiers, confusion and poor sentence structure. Once more, read your writing aloud. Do the words flow naturally? Is it easy to read? Does it sound real?

7. NARRATOR – If your story is written in first person narrative style (i.e., with the use of the “I’ as narrator), you must keep to the “I” point of view unless you change chapters or sections and begin in another style. The exception to this rule is for generalizations, like “you wouldn’t believe…”

A third person narrator can give more information about a situation. First person is limited to what only you know. In that case, added information must come from dialogue with someone else, or repetition of what someone else thought or said.

8. SPELLING - A spell check will not pick up homonyms such as wondered/wandered, its/it’s, your/you’re, through/threw etc., so be very careful when typing these words.

9. READ – Read current best sellers. Know what is popular.  Imitation is the highest form of flattery but beware of PLAGARISM!! Good writing, like dancing, is a learned skill. Use the internet to find helpful writing sites. Go to writers’ workshops. Learn how to write well. Keep at it! Revise, revise revise!

"True ease in writing comes from art, not chance,
As those move easiest who have learn'd to dance."
-- A. Pope