6 Tips on the Art of Writing – With Links

As an emerging author, I have often gotten stuck in my writing. My writing feels bland, the words are flat, the dialogue is going nowhere, the story slumps in the middle, the ending is too abrupt, or my writing is just not ‘sparkling.’ If you are like me, you spend hours trawling websites, or reading ‘How to write’ books – time that I would rather be spending on the craft of writing. I have found myself at the bottom of the proverbial ‘mountain of information’, and no path forward. So here are some links that both myself, and others, have found to make that search a whole lot easier, and to shine the way, so to speak. Enjoy!

1. How to Start Writing When You Just Can’t
Marianne Richmond has 4 tips on how to start writing your story when you feel bogged down, ensnared, or trapped, and you need to break loose and move forward.

Kristen Kieffer over at She’s Novel has written a great article on how to overcome writing doubts.

2. Developing Characters
Kris Sheather has some great hints on how to develop well-rounded characters.

Kris has also written this blog post on further developing your characters.

C.S. Larkin also has some great tips about using the setting to help bring out your themes, drive your plot, and reveal character.

Kristen Kieffer, over at She’s Novel, has written a number of articles on character development. Here is one on creating well developed characters, with links in the article to others.

Here is a couple of great articles by Jen Storer over at Girl and Duck on developing great characters and dressing your characters.

3. Dialogue
Jen Storer shares some pearls on the 5 Main Uses of Dialogue.

Dee White shows us different forms of modern dialogue and how to use them.

And there are a few more tips over on Creative Kids Tales on Writing Dialogue.

4. Ways to make your writing sing
Literary Devices
Jen Storer has written a great article on how to Zhoosh up Your Creative Writing.

Emotionally Charge Your Writing
Jacqui Johnson, a guest blogger on my website, has shared how to emotionally charge your writing – I’ve inserted links to other helpful sites, and two stories are included for your reading pleasure.

Use the Senses
Jen Storer has written an easy to follow blog post on how to engage all our senses to immerse the reader into the story.

The Opening Page
Here is an article from Penguin Random House about the various qualities that editors are looking for on the opening page.

Use Active Verbs
I found this great Active Verbs List has proved invaluable. Change your passive sleepy, dull verbs to bright, happy, bouncy ones that are full of energy

5. Developing scenes
Dee White has written a wonderful blog post on developing scenes – it also has great information on story arc’s, with an illustration for those that need visuals.

6. Dealing with Problems in Your Manuscript
Here is another article from Dee. This time on dealing with problems in your manuscript.

Extra:
There are tons of advice that Mem Fox has shared on her blog post, Even More Advice.

I hope this helps, and happy writing.

Feel free to leave links that you have found helpful with the above issues, and they will be added.