main tipping origins in print legals fun+games writing links HOME
		TIPS: GENERAL
		Here are some basic tips that every writer should keep in mind, if you want to get published. Some of these may be a little pedantic, but others will greatly improve your work! I strongly encourage you to read them all and think about them.
		Show, Not Tell
		The new generation don't want to sift through pages of description. We want action! We want things to be happening. So try to fit your descriptions in with some action. Don't just say "there was a chair in the corner" - say "Zorro saw a chair in the corner". Not much of a difference, but when you're describing the entire room, it helps if your character is moving around and looking at things. Same thing goes for a character. Instead of something boring like "Julia was a pretty girl, with a round face and long red hair..." try to work it around some action. This might also help describe the character and the setting:: eg. "Julia flicked her fiery red hair at the boys. They drooled over her and she milked their lust..." -or- "Julia hid behind her long red curls. The boys' leers were disturbing. What would they do to her given half the chance?"

	Give the Reader Credit!
	You're a pretty smart person right? You can figure things out yourself? You don't need every single little detail explained in full, do you? So don't think everyone else does! Don't be scared to launch straight into your story without fully explaining everything about the setting. Do we need to know the world's history to understand what the character is doing right now? Drop hints and explain a few things, but we don't need a full detailed description like a history book. Let us find out things bit by bit through conversations or actions. Think about Harry Potter - did JK Rowling tell us straight out all about Voldemort, who he was, what had happened, Dumbledoor's involvement and what exactly Harry did to cripple the guy? Nope! We first found out about him when Harry did. We were told what Harry was told and it grew from there.
	Passive Voice
	Try to use as little passive voice as possible. It's not as strong as active voice, and really degrades your writing. So what is passive voice? The passive voice occurs when something is done to the subject of the sentence. (So what's the subject? Check the subsection below) Active voice is when the subject of the sentence is what is doing the action. For example, "John likes Shirly" is active, because John is the subject and the action in the sentence is John liking Shirly. BUT if we were to say "Shirly is liked by John" then the action is still the same, but now Shirly is the subject, so it's passive voice. Sounds better in active, doesn't it?
	SENTENCE SUBJECT
	The subject of a sentence is the thing the sentence is about. John likes Shirly (subject = John). The table was shattered (subject = the table). The drowsy day was cold and wet (Subject = the drowsy day) It was fun (subject = "it" undefined) So pretty much the subject is the first thing in a sentence. Sometimes not
	Emotive Language
	This might sound obvious, but once you're aware of it, you'll notice just how much you don't use it properly! Always think about what message your language is sending to the reader. Obviously if you say "The place was a dump" it gives a completely different image than "The house was a palace". So on the same thread, in you general narrative, try to use words that reinforce that idea. eg. to reinforce the dump image: "rags dripped from curtain rails over the grimy windows" or for the palace image "velvet curtains flowed before crystaline windows". It really is amazing how much of a difference you'll notice in your writing once you start thinking about this while you're writing. Suddenly your imagery is so much clearer!
	Along the same line, try and use words that fit in with your settings. Don't ever use scientific word in a fantasy story. Science doesn't exist in fantasy! Way back in the past they didn't know about electricity or psychology or atoms or compounds or machines, so don't mention anything like that. Don't use "consciousness" or "geography" or "electricity", instead try "mind" "landscape" and "power/lightning". For a sci-fi, you'd want to use a lot of scientific words, just like consciousness and geography and architecture (building) and things like that. Also, remember that germs have no place in fantasy. Up until only a few decades ago, no-one thought there was anything in air. If we can't see it, there's nothing there, right? That was the thinking back then, before microscopes. So always think about these things.

LAST UPDATED 14 Oct 2004