Right, I’m going to leave you here for a while and you can write me a story.
‘But I don’t know what to write about!’
If you need to kick-start yourself into writing a story, don’t get bogged down with worrying over what it’s supposed to be about. Just start writing something anything! and pretty soon, ideas will start to form. You might just start with something really ordinary, like describing a visit to the supermarket; then let your imagination lead you the rest of the way. Or looking at a picture can help spark off ideas or even drawing one.
‘I’ve started a story about a boy called Harvey , but I don’t know how to finish it.’
Think about Harvey : what is his problem at the beginning? (There has to be a problem! Remember: if it’s all fine and hunky-dory, you haven’t got yourself a story.) How do you think that problem might be solved? How (and this is very important) does Harvey himself act on the situation to make things better? And how does he change as a result? Does he learn from his experience?
‘My story’s got a very long beginning, but a really short middle and end.’
Well, you got bored with it, didn’t you? One of the most important things to remember is that any story usually takes a lot of re-drafting (even for experienced writers!) Don’t expect the whole story to emerge perfect and fully-formed on the first go; chuck stuff out, add other bits in. And remember: if you’re bored, your readers will be too!
‘What if I don’t have time for re-writing? The other day in class I had to write a whole story in forty minutes!’
In that case, you do have to think hard about the entire plot before you write it out. Hopefully you will have a piece of scrap paper on which to write notes first.
‘I tried to fill the forty minutes, but I was finished by halfway through.’
Any story, even the simplest one, needs to be well told. You may well have got your beginning, middle and end written in fifteen minutes flat, but how interesting is it? Would it stand up to re-reading a second, third, fourth time? The key is in the details; think of it as filling in the colour on a black-and-white line drawing. Use sharply observed description, and try to say it in an original way.
‘I want to be a writer when I grow up, because writers get famous and make a lot of money.’
Give up. Not only are you doing it for the wrong reason, but you are going to be disappointed anyway! The vast majority of writers do not make much money, and an even vaster majority, if not all, have to go for a certain period initially (could be several years) without making any money from it at all. Nobody’s going to pay a first-time author for something they haven’t written yet! So you would probably have to do some other day job to make ends meet.
‘I want to be a writer when I grow up, because I’m mad about books and I love writing stories.’
That’s more like it! This is the only reason to do it. You need a certain amount of talent as well, but it often takes a lot of work to hone that talent.
‘I never get an ‘A’ for my creative writing. How can I improve?’
OK. Here are my Twelve Top Tips for Successful Writing:
1. Read and Write. A lot.
Every writer will tell you the same thing, so apologies for being so unoriginal.
2. Do Stuff.
Have a life too. Everything from a trip to the movies to a family wedding to pony trekking across the dales can inspire. Yes, you need to read widely, but I’ve found that for me, inspiration comes from many other random sources as well, and it may be the same for you.
3. Pay Attention at the Back!
Are you a Skimmer or a Plodder? Skimmers skip along from one exciting bit to another, and frequently sneak a look at the ending. Skimming can be a useful technique, but Skimmers sometimes do themselves a disservice if they miss too much relevant detail about the characters’ motivation and so on.
I have to admit I’m a bit of a Plodder; not as fast as I’d like to be. This may be because I’m so visual; I’m always playing out the movie in my head, and it takes time to get the details right. Then there are the times when I’m not that absorbed, and I find myself compiling shopping lists. If you’re a Plodder, you could try learning speed-reading
4. Join a Reading Group.
Or start one. No, it’s not nerdy; it’s cool, because I said so, and I’m Way Cool. I am. Check out Chatterbooks, a reading group scheme aimed at kids; it encourages members to read a variety of different books, visit the library and develop their confidence in expressing personal views on reading.
It’s OK to disagree with each other about a book; you needn’t fall out over it. That would be silly.
5. Don’t Copy Your Favourite Writer’s Style.
Although to start with, you may not be able to help it! Don’t worry too much; just be aware of it, and look to develop your own voice.
6. Show Don’t Tell
You may have done this in class. It’s not enough to say `.and then he rode away on the dragon’s back and it felt amazing.’ Well, what sort of amazing?! What are the physical sensations? Is it hard to grip onto the dragon’s scaly back? Does his stomach lurch and his heart pound? What are his thoughts as he’s climbing higher and higher? How does everything look? Really paint a word picture for the reader; otherwise the writing can be flat and boring.
7. Kill Your Darlings.
As I have mentioned you need to edit your work; you cannot be precious about it. That’s what ‘killing your darlings’ means: sometimes we tend to write something we think is really great, and we hang on to it, even when it has no place in the story. Be ruthless: if it doesn’t belong, chuck it!
8. Have a Beginning, a Middle and an End.
Some writers do lots of planning in advance, others pretty much make it up as they go along. Both approaches are OK, and have their own advantages; go with what works for you. But make sure you have a satisfying story arc, and there’s a logical progression from one part of the plot to the next. For example, if you start a story about a boy and his pet dragon, don’t go wandering off into some other story about his sister and her magic dress. That’s not to say you can’t have her, but there has to be a reason for her to be there, and if the boy is your hero, then make sure she doesn’t take over. Unless you get bored with the boy, in which case see tip no. 7!
9. Throw Obstacles in Your Hero’s Way
As I have said, if it’s all fine and hunky-dory, you haven’t got yourself a story. Well, this is hunky-dory part two; it’s not enough to have your hero start out in a difficult situation, only to end with, ‘.and then they got hold of the police and the baddies were caught and Harvey was saved!’ Keep making it really difficult for Harvey every step of the way. Especially right near the end, just when triumph looks to be within his grasp.
10. Never Use Two Characters Where One Will Do
If you are getting bogged down with lots of characters, ask yourself if you need them all; the chances are you don’t. See if you can combine the actions of two into one.
11. Never Use Two Words Where One Will Do
Try to avoid using adverbs, for instance; find a better verb instead. Instead of saying, ‘he smiled sarcastically,’ you can simply say, ‘he smirked.’
12. Take Criticism
.Except from anyone who just says, ‘that’s rubbish’, or ‘that’s boring.’ Only show your work to people who know what they’re talking about and can give you constructive criticism. But please DON’T send it to me! I’m sorry; I just don’t have the time! Also, please don’t ask me for personalised tips; that’s why I’ve put this on my website – so you don’t need to do that! Here’s a great book that can help if you want more detailed advice