Here's creative writing tips shared by smwritesalot
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this chapter are my own and may not reflect the sentiments of other writers or writing experts/coaches. Take it with a grain of salt if you like.
★ Research, research, and research.
As writers we have the liberty of making up stuff, but more often than not, researching things can be very beneficial! Whether it’s your character’s profession, story setting or something that affects the plot which you aren’t particularly familiar with, research. Look up subjects your character could have studied in their profession, check the general weather reports, cultural and local events of that setting. Using google maps won’t hurt either on getting ideas about naming streets, and don’t be afraid to look at floor plans for ideas about house or dorm designs.
★ Making dialogues natural
One thing I highly recommend is speaking out loud and even acting out your dialogues. There’s so much besides words that make dialogues natural. Observe how you speak in different situations and with different people. What words do you shorten? How much do you stammer? How often do you pause or slow down?
★ Learn the language
No, not the language you will write in (like English or Urdu or Bangla or Tamil or any), but the language of the tale. Every genre uses a particular language that adds richness to the story, which is essentially adjectives or metaphors that relate to it better. For example, if I’m writing a horror story, I won’t describe rain as melodious pitter patter, rather I might use ominous, foreboding dripping. Pay attention to the writing of whatever genre you’re reading and you’ll see the differences!
★ Read!
It is very much possible to be a writer without reading, but it is so much better to be a reader while being a writer. Read books for reference, read to increase your vocabulary, read to learn. Reading can enrich your writing so much, so read good books!
★ Multiple documents
We all have our own ways of managing our writing, however I am a big advocate of having your WIP in multiple documents. I tend to recommend having one as a working draft, one as plan, one as blurb and excerpts, and one for random scenes or cut out passages. I have also seen some writers having a document for quotes only.
★ Be adventurous.
Although I always recommend writing about topics and situations relatable to you (because they make the story so much more special!), I find it really neat when writers choose to explore new themes. It doesn’t have to be as out there as scifi, but it can definitely be something new to you! When the writer is learning something new, they tend to write about those things with more excitement.
★ Editing software & guides
There’s no shame in reading how-to guides about writing, relearning where all the commas, speech marks and fullstops go. Allow yourself to use softwares/extensions like grammarly to provide alternate words or sentences. And always spell check!
★ Writing by hand
When I tend to get a writer’s block or feel particularly unmotivated, I like to change the medium of my writing. Something new can help spark inspiration, so try writing by hand on a loose sheet of paper, you have the liberty to cut out and go.
★ Interact & Support
If you don’t already, I would highly recommend having writer friends or being in writing groups. There’s so much you can only talk to another writer about. Beta reading and quick texts of, ‘hey, does this sentence sound okay? (insert screenshot)’ can make such a difference.
★ Notes & Synching Documents
I don’t always recommend writing on your phone because it only adds to screen time, but I find it very convenient having my drafts on my phone. Sometimes we get a spark of inspiration or certain dialogue we can add to the story before losing it.
If you can’t sync documents, try apps like Evernote or Google Keep.
This goes without saying that there’s no right or wrong way to write, especially in the first draft, so don’t obsess over these tips if you don’t agree or rather want to dive in without planning. Do what suits you best, in’sha’Allah =)
Happy writing!
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First of all, thank you, author. For taking some time out to pen down this, even when you had so much on your platter.
I personally will try the tip of writing by hand. My writer's block is frequent, like once in a month.
Once again, thank you!
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The Secret To Creativity ✓
Non-FictionWhen you read a book, what attracts you the most? Book cover? - most of the time Reads? - maybe, maybe not. Plot? - It depends. I'll say it's Storytelling which attracts readers the most. It is writer's imagination, choice of words that keep us hook...
