Are there good tips on being a better *creative* writer?

1. Read more
2. Write more

I also strongly recommend National Novel Writing Month. Not only will it give you a boost of confidence to finish, showing you that you actually are capable of writing something resembling a novel, but it should also give you a nice (very) rough draft that you can either burn and use for inspiration on #2, or spend some time crafting into something readable.

Find someone who doesn't know you to read your work and give feedback. A local writing group is great if you can find one, otherwise you can find them online.

Check out some writers' blogs - John Scalzi has a good one where he often talks about the act of writing, and I'm sure there are plenty more.

posted almost 14 years ago

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Jon Renaut‭

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I would say that if you're a coder by trade, then creative writing is very similar to creating a complex piece of code.

If you woke up tomorrow morning and decided to write a word processor in go (or some other random language you didn't know) It is unlikely that you're first few iterations would be anything to do with the word processor you want to write. It would be small test pieces to help you understand how the language worked.

Then once you had a decent grasp of how the language fitted together, you'd probably start planning the structure of the program, perhaps using the various source control and methodologies that are available.

So when you start writing a story use the same methodology you would use to write code. Pull out your favourite agile management tool (etc) and start creating a plan just as you would a piece of software.

So decide what the overall purpose (plan) of the story is, what does it need to convey from beginning to end. Then break that down into smaller pieces, maybe using a beginning / middle / end layout.

It is as much about understanding your approach and process as it is about sitting down and writing. If you're a coder you already have a very strong set of methodologies that you should be extremely familiar with. This is head and shoulders above what most writers can bring to their first pieces.

Mostly though, take your time, get to know yourself, and your own style, use the tools you have available (I actually store most of my writing in Github - it is a fantastic resource for managing creative writing) In time your confidence with this new language will develop and it will all compile a little more frequently!

posted over 9 years ago

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Michael B‭

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Sure there are :) Here's some resources I've found to be extremely helpful:

• Orson Scott Card's Character and Viewpoint is one of the best creative writing books I've read. He talks about character creation and "interrogating" you character for detail and color; about coming up with story concepts with "why," "how," and "what might go wrong" questions; about how and when to convey "boring" detail, and lots of other great stuff. It's the most insightful and inspiring books on writing that I've had the pleasure to come across; I really cannot recommend it highly enough.
• Jim Van Pelt teaches creative writing, and he's got a great blog over at LiveJournal. He's particularly good at simple exercises for constructing plots - like his plot daisies or his seven-sentence stories. Very worthwhile.
• Mette Ivie Harrison has great advice on what makes stories work, about strong romantic relationships, and about the importance of dedication and persistence. You can read her column at IGMS, and/or her LiveJournal (where she also gives a unique take on some other interesting subjects). She writes about writing in a frank, practical, down-to-earth manner which I find both refreshing and helpful.

Also, there's a cool site addressing all kinds of questions about fiction-writing right over here :P

posted almost 14 years ago

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Standback‭

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The Writing Excuses podcast. These guys cover topics related to composing good narrative fiction. It is by far one of the best resources that I've found.

posted almost 14 years ago

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RobotNerd‭

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The Lester Dent Pulp Paper Master Plot! It would be pulpy hyperbole to say that this is the very essence of entertaining and exciting genre fiction; but there's nothing wrong with a bit of pulp. It's a short piece that reads like being constantly punched in the face. That's because there's a lot to it. It's a "how" piece of writing but the depth is contained in the "why".

posted almost 14 years ago

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One Monkey‭

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