Writing Tips from a Creative Writing Major
- Write your rough draft in one go if you can
This sounds crazy! I know. But it works so well! I used to write my rough draft in segments of about 500-1,000 words and I found that my writing was very choppy and disconnected. There were more plot holes and awkward breaks that I had expected. Not to mention, my quality of writing waxed and waned each time I took a step away. Now, I’m not going to lie, sometimes I still write in segments like this. And you know what? I can TELL that there is a difference from when I crank out a piece in one go.
It’s perfectly reasonable to knock out a short story, a poem, a chapter, or a blog post in one sitting given you’ve set aside some time to do so. (I’m not suggesting you write a whole book in one go. That’d be impressive, although highly impractical).
Short stories and blog posts are my most common forms of writing. This means that it is entirely possible for me to write a rough draft for each in one sitting. Doing so keeps my writing fluid and allows me the opportunity to avoid plot holes or odd sentence breaks.
When writing a book, I write a chapter at a time or at the very least, a scene at a time. I don’t take breaks between scenes and often try to push through even if I feel stuck or have writers block. I can edit and revise later. But the best way to maintain a similar linguistic style, hold the voice of my narrator, and avoid choppy writing is to just write it in one go.
- If you can’t write in one go, write down a summary/major plot points
You read that right. Do NOT under any circumstance write a partial scene or partial story if you don’t have the time to curate the whole thing. If you don’t have the time, write down a summary and be sure to include major plot points. Think of this in a similar way you’d jot down dreams in the morning. You want enough detail that you remember the story but you don’t have to write out the whole thing.
Writing down a summary/major plot points ensures that you won’t forget the story later on when you actually sit down to write it. You can go back and view this as notes and use them as a sort of guide or outline for the story.
This action has helped me SO much! I often have dreams or story ideas during times when I’m super busy or unable to sit and write and it helps to jot down the important points so that I’ll have them for later. It’s also nice because after a while, I’ll have a build up of story ideas and outlines that I can fall back on if I’m stumped, have writers block, or just want to write.
- Once draft one is finished, leave it alone for three days
This rule is actually something that I’m still new to doing and it absolutely KILLS me to follow it! I like to get things done, and I like to get them done quickly. I hate putting projects off, especially if I’m super invested in them. However, this rule has been life altering.
I picked up this rule after scrolling through Pinterest on topics about writing techniques (I know, I’m a nerd). I don’t remember which writer/author suggested this rule, but it’s one that stuck with me.
The idea is that if you leave your rough draft alone for three days, then when you come back to read it, you’ll view the story with fresh eyes. A big problem for writers during the revision process is that they tend to over-revise to the point where draft two or three is worse than draft one. They manipulate and alter the story a bit too much. I know I’m a victim of this. Essentially, if you leave the draft alone, it’s thought that you’ll come back and pick out only the errors. You won’t spend too much time trying to revise one word and will focus more on the story itself.
This is kind of a complicated rule for me to articulate, but the general idea is that you’ll revise and edit with a fresh state of mind and go into your writing with clearer expectations.
All I know is, this works wonders. I really enjoy coming back to a story after a break and then implementing my revisions. It feels fulfilling and it makes my writing more vivid and lively.
- You don’t have to love your story/assignment, just write
So this rule is more directed towards writing majors than passion writers. But I also think there is some benefit to writing things you don’t necessarily love. For example, fiction writers may be appalled at the idea of writing a nonfiction essay. But writing is writing! And you know that rule about being a good writer coming from writing? Yeah this is that rule in practice.
Write. Write. Write.
That is how you become a better writer. You WRITE. And that includes writing on topics you don’t necessarily care about. So long as you’re writing, you’re improving and it’s beneficial.
- Journal EVERY DAY
This goes along with that “if you want to be a writer, then you have to write” rule I mentioned above. Journaling is an amazing hobby/skill to get into. It’s therapeutic, introspective, and beneficial to your writing.
I have a blog post here dedicated to the benefits of journaling and how to get into it.
When you journal daily as a writer, it helps you in a number of ways:
- you can jot down story ideas and outlines for later
- You can develop character sketches and traits
- You can create lore and history for your stories
- Copy down sites and articles to reference for later
- Begin a story/write a short story
- Write a scene
- Jot down dreams
- Form a creative nonfiction narrative
Honestly, journal entries are endless! I hope the list above helps you get started or continue (if you’re a seasoned journalist). I journal twice a day. Once in the morning: either to jot down dreams, plan my day, or reflect on my morning reading. And once at night: to reflect on my day, jot down any thoughts or stories that are at the forefront of my attention, and to create a list of to-do’s the next day.
My daily journaling isn’t always exciting. If anything, my exciting stories are the ones I write randomly throughout the week when they take my attention. Some days, I’ll pick up my journal midday and write for an hour or more.
Journaling is a writer’s must-have and is by far one of the best practices for any creative writer.
Check out my post for a beginner's guide to journaling! It's a life-changing habit, well worth getting into!
Check out my post for a beginner's guide to journaling! It's a life-changing habit, well worth getting into!
- Talk to yourself/someone else. Tell your story out loud. Listen.
This rule/suggestion is a bit obscure and unique. This is something that I’ve found to be truly beneficial, though others might find it a bit odd. Talk to yourself (or someone else if you’re worried about appearing crazy) about your story.
The goal is to tell your story out loud. Throughout history, most stories had been passed down orally and were created for oral tellings. Humanity is highly influenced by oral story tellings and it's a wonderful way to become a better writer. There are a few key points I want to share about this rule so I’ll divide them up a little bit.
- Telling yourself the story
This is such an amazing practice and I encourage every writer to do this. Tell yourself your story. Start from the beginning and talk to yourself as if you’ve never told this story before. Include the details, talk about the characters, talk about the plot, character desires, setbacks, world-building, etc. Talk about ALL OF IT! This will help you to further develop the story in your mind and will help you to create a more in depth and responsive memory to your story.
I don’t know the science behind why this works so well, but it works in the same way as giving yourself positive affirmations in the mirror or telling yourself your to-do list. For some reason, this helps retain the story in a greater fashion than when you write it down. AND it helps you grow more personal to the story.
It can be a tricky thing to get used to if you don’t normally talk to yourself in this manner and that’s okay! Just keep trying and reap the benefits of this practice!
- Telling someone else the story
If you do nothing else on this guide, at least do this one. Writers love telling their stories. I mean, that’s the whole point isn’t it? Talking about your story is super important and even healthy for you. Get those words out of your head and off the paper. Find someone trustworthy, and vent. Get the whole story out if you can.
This is beneficial in a number of ways. Like above, telling the story out loud is a great way to grow closer to the characters and plot. Additionally, telling the story to another person is a fantastic way to further develop the story narrative. By this I mean, it’s easier to find and fix plot holes and to come up with solutions to things you’d never considered in world building. A listener will ask questions you’d never thought of as they attempt to understand the story. They’ll ask why things are the way they are, why a character might act a certain way, or why the society in the story holds a certain belief system.
I like to think of this as a Tolkien-esque writing experiment. That man had every single detail configured for his story. You should too! You should know EVERYTHING about your story, it’s characters, and the world they live in. Having a listener will help you develop that further.
- Retelling a scene from someone else’s work
I’m not going to lie, this is actually something I hated (and may or may not still despise) from my fiction writing classes in college. I hate retelling scenes from other people’s writing.
Now to be clear, I love to retell stories I’ve read to my friends and family. But the retelling I'm talking about is VERY different than giving your friend a quick rundown of what happened in a book or ranting about why you’re upset that your favorite character died.
Retelling a scene as my fiction classes had me do is...interesting. First, you have to retell the scene as if it’s happening in front of you. Let’s say I’m going to retell the scene where Harry Potter first steps into the great hall at Hogwarts.
This is how it would go:
Harry is standing in front of these large wooden doors just before Professor McGonagall opens them. He’s surrounded by other first years, including Ron Weasley, his new friend. Ron wears hand me down robes and has messy red hair.
And on and on we go.
Ideally, you want to talk in present tense as if it’s happening right in front of you. You also want to mention as many details as you can that incorporate sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch into the scene. Be super specific!
You also want to focus on where everyone is spatially. Are Harry’s classmates clustered together? Are Ron and his shoulder touching due to the clustered first years? How far is Harry from the door? Etc.
This is about what you see in your minds eye when reading. I might see Harry about five feet from the door while someone else sees him much further away. Unless the author specifically mentions how far he is, the distance is left to the readers interpretation.
The whole point of this practice is to become an effective storyteller and to be as descriptive as possible. It’s about comparing what you saw in the story to what another reader saw (as this practice is usually done in groups). As much as I hate this practice, it’s super beneficial for writers to reflect on what they’ve read and to compare elements of another’s storytelling to their own.
(And though I didn’t include this next tidbit as a rule, I consider it highly valuable:
Analyze other stories and writing. Have philosophical discussions with people about the story. Analyze the voice and characterization. Annotate works you love. Really dive deep into hidden meaning and language. This will help you grow as a writer.)
- Talking/reflecting with yourself about what you’ve written and what you’re going to write
This goes along with talking to yourself but reflecting on what you’ve written or planning your writing (you typically do this in a journal entry) can really help you to move your story along. It helps you identify problem areas and gives you goals to reach.
- Use the “take a place” method! (Something college taught me)
This is one of the simplest and yet most meditative things in writing. In my fiction classes, typically towards the end of class right before we journal or begin writing for a short story, the professor would have us “take a place.” Essentially, the professor would use guiding sentences and techniques to help you curate a scene.
Examples include:
- imagine a place in front of you, what do you see? Is it dark? Light? Rainy? Sunny? Indoor? Outdoor?
- Are you alone? Are there people with you?
- How do you feel in this space? What is the physical temperature? What are your emotions?
- Is there an object in this space? What is it? What does it feel like? Sound like? Look like?
And of course this goes on. It’s a really meditative way of building a scene. You focus on where the scene takes place, who is in it, what are they doing, what are they feeling, etc. I really enjoy “take a place.” I often use it in my own meditations where I build a little safe haven/sanctuary for myself and my thoughts.
I highly recommend doing this before you write a scene. It really helps you to focus on the senses used in the scene and to understand what is taking place and what is worth taking note of.
And that's all I've got for now! I hope these writing tips are helpful and you can begin implementing them into your every day writing gigs!
If you like this post, check out some similar posts of mine below:
Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know if you'd be interested in more Creative Writing tips!
You can also email me with questions or concerns you may have at info.amelia.wilson@gmail.com
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Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored.
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