#HowToWrite

[coffeebeanwriting]

Some Quick Character Tips

Here are a handful of quick tips to help you write believable characters! 

1. A character’s arc doesn’t need to grow linearly. Your protagonist doesn’t have to go from being weak to strong, shy to confident, or novice to professional in one straight line. It’s more realistic if they mess up their progress on the way and even decline a bit before reaching their goal.

2. Their past affects their present. Make their backstory matter by having their past events shape them into who they are. Growing up with strict parents might lead to a sneaky character, and a bad car accident might leave them fearful of driving.

3. Give reoccurring side characters something that makes them easily recognizable. This could be a scar, a unique hairstyle, an accent, or a location they’re always found at, etc.

4. Make sure their dialogue matches their personality. To make your characters more believable in conversation, give them speech patterns. Does the shy character mumble too low for anyone to ever hear, does the nervous one pace around and make everyone else on edge? 

5. Make your characters unpredictable. Real people do unexpected things all the time, and this can make life more exciting. The strict, straight-A student who decides to drink at a party. The pristine princess who likes to visit the muddy farm animals. When character’s decide to do things spontaneously or in the heat of the moment, it can create amazing twists and turns.

6. Give even your minor character's a motive. This isn’t to say that all your characters need deep, intricate motives. However, every character should need or want something, and their actions should reflect that. What’s the motive behind a side character who follows your protagonist on their adventure? Perhaps they’ve always had dreams of leaving their small village or they want to protect your protagonist because of secret feelings.

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[coffeebeanwriting]

Quick Tips on Writing Better Characters

Here are a handful of quick tips to writing stronger characters and understanding them better as a writer.

Give your characters a title. This can help with worldbuilding and placing your protagonist into the environment. What do others call your characters? The emperor, the bastard son, the Grinch, the chosen one, the class clown, the evil witch, the popular girl, etc.

Use your settings to enhance your character. You can use the locations of your novel to mirror or contrast your character. Do they blend in or stand out? What they focus on can say a lot about them (ex. a fearsome character mishearing things on a dark street, a princess in a ballroom only focused on the exit.)

Know your protagonist's motives and goals before you start writing. What is something they need that fuels their actions throughout the novel? Money, freedom, an artifact, food? To protect their sister at all costs and survive the Hunger Games? 

Now that you know their motive, make it more complex. A character's motive can be made more complex by putting them in high-stake situations that force them to make decisions. For example, Katniss wants to protect her sister, a very common motivation. However, present-day conflict makes her to do it in the most extreme way by volunteering in the Hunger Games. The plot forces her to make an extreme choice fueled by her motivation.

Your protagonist should be active. It's okay to have your story's events sometimes happen to your character (this is referred to as the character being passive, ex. a tornado sweeping them away) but your protagonist should be active a majority of the time. This means they should always be making decisions, thinking, reflecting and progressing through obstacles.

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[coffeebeanwriting]

How to Start a Story Idea

Tackling a whole 50,000+ word novel can be a lot. Here are some ways to break down the process to make it a little more digestible.

Choose, research, and enjoy your story's setting. Whether this is a fantasy realm, a lost planet, or a small suburban town, know and research where your story takes place. Think about the time period, cultural details, geography, the laws/rules, etc. This is a world where the reader will be spending hours, so make sure it's immersive.

Place your protagonist in the world and give them a story. You could have the most detailed fantasy world, but that means nothing without a story or character to explore it. Create a compelling main character and give them a story that progresses them throughout the world you created. 

Find your story's theme. A well-rounded story will revolve around a theme or central idea. Some themes include survival, love, good vs. evil, death, war, forgiveness, etc. What do you want to teach your readers or leave them with once the novel is finished? Do you want them to know that forgiveness is important? That war creates wounds only love can heal? That beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Weave these themes and lessons into your plot and story.

Create a cast. Build your protagonist friends and foes that support or challenge them on their journey. Give some of these characters their own arcs/side plots to thicken your story. There are a bunch of character types that you could add to your story such as the love interest, a mentor, an antagonist, minor characters, etc.

Divide your novel into acts. Once you know the big picture of the story you want to tell, break it up into acts. There are three main acts of a traditional story: Acts I, II, and III. Look up and consider following the Three-Act Structure to give your story a fluid motion of beginning, middle, and end.

Know your ending. The ending is the final part that your readers digest, meaning that it will likely stick with them. You don't have to fully understand how your novel will end, but having somewhat of a plan is important. This way... when you write, you're writing towards something.

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[coffeebeanwriting]

Writing Fight Scenes

Here are a handful of tips on how to write intriguing and strong *no pun intended* fight scenes! 1. Give your character a meaning behind their actions. Are they fighting to survive? Are they the aggressor or the victim? Are they defending someone they love or hunting down someone who hurt them? Makes sure the audience knows why this action scene is important to your character. Unimportant and nonmeaningful actions can be boring!

2. Short sentences. Generally speaking, longer more detailed scenes slow the pace of your novel down. This is because the reader has to take more time to read and absorb all the details. Quicker, brief sentences make the pace move faster because there is less for the audience to read. Most fighting happens quickly and instinctively— without too much thought or anticipation. When things are happening fast, we have less time to take in details.

🏃‍♀️ Fast-paced with minimal details: "He punched me in the cheek, my back molars ripping open my fleshy skin. By the time the next punch came, I was already choking on a mouthful of blood."

🐌 Too many details/thoughts that slow down the action: "His large fist hurled towards me with insane speed. I could hardly believe it. He punched my cheek so hard that my sharp, back molars ripped open my fleshy skin. It hurt so bad, but I couldn't stop the next punch from coming. Blood filled my mouth, the irony taste causing me to choke and for my face to wilt."

3. Use all five senses. When adrenaline is pumping, the body can become hyperaware! Touch and sight are the senses that most people focus on... but don't forget about smell, hearing and, taste. Does your protagonist hear dogs approaching? Do they taste the blood from their busted lip?

4. Don't' slow down the pace by adding too much detail. Try to keep an ebb and flow in your action scene. When the action is happening, keep the details quick and short— no one has time to think about their next move when in the heat of danger. However, you can balance the scene out by giving your character a chance to breathe and think and observe

5. Research/study. Watch famous fight scenes in movies or anime to see what is realistic and what is exaggerated. Pay attention to the pacing or what keeps you on edge. When does the character get a chance to think or come up with a plan? What makes this action scene so enthralling?

6. Consider what is at stake. Stakes always make a scene more tense. What does your character have to lose and how does this affect their mental state? Does it aid in their energy, or does it distract them from the fight?

7. Develop characters/the plot. Consider how this action scene will either further your character in the plot or set them back. Does this scene give them a lasting injury that follows them throughout the story, or do they lose an ally that they desperately loved? How does this affect them moving forward?

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[coffeebeanwriting]

Crafting a Villain - Some Quick Tips

1) Give them a relationship or connection to your protagonist. Voldemort is quite literally connected to Harry magically. Katniss becomes a symbol of hope, threatening the control Snow has over the Districts.

2) Let them evoke emotion in your reader. Whether it’s anger, laughter, or sadness… a villain's actions and how they affect your protagonist can warrant an emotional response from the reader. Think about all the times you may have felt anger because the villain gains the upper hand against the protagonist.

3) Make them relatable… or completely unhinged. The goal of your villain can make them relatable to your readers: are they acting out of revenge, self-hatred, sorrow, revenge, or fear? Humans can relate to all of those feelings. Or... are they just downright evil and otherworldly?

4) Their goal. What does your villain seek to obtain? Just like your protagonist, your villain should want or need something. This is why they exist in the story: to antagonize your protagonist and achieve their diabolical goal. Food for thought: Why do they have to be a 'villain' or 'evil' to obtain it? What made them that way?

4) Make them iconic. Most Disney villains are easily recognizable… whether it’s their outfit, voice, or personality. Consider giving your villain something that makes them notably unforgettable. A wardrobe, way of speaking, a quirk?

5) Think about the traits of your villain. What labels them as the villain? Selfishness, violence, insecurity, obsession, fear, ego, ignorance, entitlement? Or maybe they're just misunderstood.

6) Their backstory can make them believable. As the author, the more you understand and know about your villain's upbringing, the more convincingly evil or tactical you can write them.

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[coffeebeanwriting]

How To Hook Readers (Pt. 1)

What exactly is a hook? A hook is a sentence or scene at the start of your story that grabs your reader's attention. Most authors believe that your first sentence should be a hook. Here are some techniques you can use when writing the start of your story.

1) Raise questions that your readers NEED to figure out. In my opinion, this is the strongest way to hook readers. The Hunger Games has one of my favorite examples of this. In the very first paragraph, Katniss thinks about how “this is the day of the reaping.” 

This mysterious event is unknown to the audience and intrigues them to read on. In short, you want your readers constantly wondering what will happen next. If you keep up this pattern of questions (and eventual answers), you’ll always be feeding your readers a steady flow of curiosity and then satisfaction once you answer the questions. 

2) Create mystery surrounding your characters. Don’t reveal everything about them right away. Instead, reveal their secrets, fears, lies, faults, and insecurities slowly. If a character walks with a limp, don’t give away the reason behind it right away. If a king is known to be the most feared in all the realm, drop hints and tease the reason— but reveal the full reason why later on.

3) Have the inciting incident occur as soon as possible. The inciting incident is the event that launches your character into the story— something that changes their lives forever. Katniss volunteers as tribute at the beginning of chapter two, and we feel compelled to read further because her whole life has been uprooted, and we want to know how she will deal with her situation.

4) Create a first line that either confuses, startles, or amazes your reader. 

5) Don’t over describe— know what to leave out. While your hook can be unfolding action or a surprise, your hook can also be a mystery. Don’t info-dump or over-explain at the start of your novel. Deliberately leave pieces of information hidden so that your reader’s are hungry to find out the answers.

6) Treat your title as a hook. Some authors will say you need to hook your reader in the first sentence, but really you can start as early as your title. What about your title (or book cover) will cause a passerby to pick it up? Use an intriguing combination of words, or leave them questioning what kind of world is inside the cover.

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[filmcourage]

Why Is It That Some Writers Never Get Writer's Block? - Billy Van Zandt

Watch the video interview on YouTube here.

[amcarterwrites]

I'm so excited to share my first blog post on Practical Advice on Literary Device for Beginner Writers! I'll post every other Wednesday and hope it helps you drop the shame on your creative writing journey.

[sellingforstartups]

[theeccentricraven]

I like this, especially the ironic villain tip.

Crafting a Villain - Some Quick Tips

1) Give them a relationship or connection to your protagonist. Voldemort is quite literally connected to Harry magically. Katniss becomes a symbol of hope, threatening the control Snow has over the Districts.

2) Let them evoke emotion in your reader. Whether it’s anger, laughter, or sadness… a villain's actions and how they affect your protagonist can warrant an emotional response from the reader. Think about all the times you may have felt anger because the villain gains the upper hand against the protagonist.

3) Make them relatable… or completely unhinged. The goal of your villain can make them relatable to your readers: are they acting out of revenge, self-hatred, sorrow, revenge, or fear? Humans can relate to all of those feelings. Or... are they just downright evil and otherworldly?

4) Their goal. What does your villain seek to obtain? Just like your protagonist, your villain should want or need something. This is why they exist in the story: to antagonize your protagonist and achieve their diabolical goal. Food for thought: Why do they have to be a 'villain' or 'evil' to obtain it? What made them that way?

4) Make them iconic. Most Disney villains are easily recognizable… whether it’s their outfit, voice, or personality. Consider giving your villain something that makes them notably unforgettable. A wardrobe, way of speaking, a quirk?

5) Think about the traits of your villain. What labels them as the villain? Selfishness, violence, insecurity, obsession, fear, ego, ignorance, entitlement? Or maybe they're just misunderstood.

6) Their backstory can make them believable. As the author, the more you understand and know about your villain's upbringing, the more convincingly evil or tactical you can write them.

Instagram: coffeebeanwriting  

[danniswrites]

Wattpad Adventures - Writer's First Steps - Part 14 Editing (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1481278200-wattpad-adventures-writer%27s-first-steps-part-14?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=DannisWrites Now that I've been active on Wattpad for a few months, and a writer and author since 2009, I thought I'd write down a few words of encouragement. It's not easy to be a writer, or to get your words in front of people. All too many quit posting and/or delete their accounts here! Please, don't give up! I'll share some thoughts that have kept me going this long when I wanted to quit.

[danniswrites]

Wattpad Adventures - Writer's First Steps - Part 13 Genre (on Wattpad)

What’s a genre, anyway? And what kind of stuff am I writing? Maybe you’ll find an answer here.

 https://www.wattpad.com/1481267055-wattpad-adventures-writer%27s-first-steps-part-13?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=DannisWrites Now that I've been active on Wattpad for a few months, and a writer and author since 2009, I thought I'd write down a few words of encouragement. It's not easy to be a writer, or to get your words in front of people. All too many quit posting and/or delete their accounts here! Please, don't give up! I'll share some thoughts that have kept me going this long when I wanted to quit.

[fictionandreality]

How to Write the Best Heroes: Why Every Hero Needs Something to Save

[danniswrites]

Wattpad Adventures - Writer's First Steps - Part 12 Book Cover (on Wattpad) 

So, how do you make a good book cover? I’ll show you how I make a book cover and point you to some good sources to help you. #book cover design #book cover #software #artwork #photographs #public domain

https://www.wattpad.com/1476680668-wattpad-adventures-writer%27s-first-steps-part-12?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=DannisWrites 

 Now that I've been active on Wattpad for a few months, and a writer and author since 2009, I thought I'd write down a few words of encouragement. It's not easy to be a writer, or to get your words in front of people. All too many quit posting and/or delete their accounts here! Please, don't give up! I'll share some thoughts that have kept me going this long when I wanted to quit.

[danniswrites]

Wattpad Adventures - Writer's First Steps - Part 11 Other Mistakes That Lose Readers (on Wattpad) 

https://www.wattpad.com/1476422416-wattpad-adventures-writer%27s-first-steps-part-11?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=DannisWrites 

It’s important to know about these mistakes that might be in your writing, but never let it get so overwhelming that you quit!

Spend most of your time writing and editing, and a little time on each category of mistakes. No one writes perfectly, not even the pros!

 Now that I've been active on Wattpad for a few months, and a writer and author since 2009, I thought I'd write down a few words of encouragement. It's not easy to be a writer, or to get your words in front of people. All too many quit posting and/or delete their accounts here! Please, don't give up! I'll share some thoughts that have kept me going this long when I wanted to quit.