Before I begin, I'd like to point out that I am not an expert によって any means. I'm not a 書く guru または a master advice-giver-person. I am simply a fellow writer who wants to pass on what she's learned; and if there's something I 発言しました あなた don't like, あなた don't have to follow it. Just take what あなた can use and leave the rest.
Alright, here we go! Strap on your seatbelts, kiddies!
Dearheart's Do's and Dont's:
DON'T ever use textese!! (Example: "ill tlk 2 u l8tr.") I can't stress this enough...and yes, I am looking at YOU, preteen people. Just. DON'T. Too many so-called "online writers" do it. It's very, very bad (not to mention a slap in the face to the English language) and it shows that you're too lazy to bother 書く something decent. Use proper spelling and grammar, break every idea and every new line of dialogue into its own paragraph and always proofread your stuff before sharing it. It's simply common courtesy for writers; there's no excuse for not doing it.
DO avoid Mary Sue-isms (and check out my 前 記事 if あなた don't know what a Mary Sue is)...but also, give your character a good balance of virtues and flaws, strengths and weaknesses. Deepen and develop her character, and make her believable - someone your readers can truly care about and relate to. 表示する how she struggles to overcome real-life obstacles like everyone else. The もっと見る human and believable she is, the better.
Having 発言しました that, あなた don't have to go to extremes and make her totally boring. It's okay to give her a talent または two and add a little spice to her. As long as she's a real person and not some angsty warrior princess from heaven who's half エンジェル and is destined to save the universe blah blah blah...well, あなた get the idea.
DON'T start out your story with a 説明 of your hero/heroine's appearance, personality and specialness. BIG MISTAKE. It's boring, predictable, amateurish, sounds like a driver's license, etc. Focus もっと見る on her character than her appearance. Don't go to great lengths to describe the way her "raven-black hair shimmers in the moonlight while her starry バイオレット eyes sparkle and her flowing ガウン flutters in the breeze", etc. It makes her look extremely Sue-ish. A little romantic, poetic language is nice here and there...but really!
DO 表示する how each character is different. Show how they think, talk, act and respond differently. Develop your characters and add depth to them によって letting their virtues and flaws 表示する through sometimes.
DO use body-language and 表示する what your characters are feeling. Use actions to tell the emotions. Like instead of 書く "She was really scared", say something like "She shrank back against the wall, trembling, her eyes wide with fear". Instead of "he was angry", say "his eyes grew stormy and his jaw clenched in silent anger".
DO use good verbs to 表示する the action (this is where a thesaurus comes in handy). Instead of "She walked up to the counter and took the vase", 表示する the mood of the scene with better verbs, like this: "She snuck up to the counter and grabbed the vase." または this: "She waltzed up to the counter and hugged the vase." :-) A good strong verb can do wonders for you!
DO use the other four senses to describe things. Anyone can describe what they SEE...how about what they hear, smell, taste and feel? If あなた were blind and taking a walk in the forest, how would あなた describe your experience?
DON'T mess around with POV (Point Of View) if あなた can help it. It's annoying and distracting when あなた see the words "So-and-so's POV" and "end POV" stuck right in the middle of the story. Try to keep to one character's POV per chapter. If あなた want to switch POV in the middle of the chapter, try to do so without directly saying so.
DON'T use cliche phrases. Avoid them as much as possible, especially the ones like "It was 愛 at first sight", "Believe in yourself", "Follow your heart", and "Maybe everything will be okay after all". They're nice, but very Disneyish and way too "warm-and-fuzzy-feelyish". We've all heard them before. Warm fuzzy feelings are okay, but after a while it leaves あなた wanting something もっと見る solid. I want the story to stop SAYING those things and 表示する how the characters are DOING them. Put away the jars of "baby-food" and gimme the "meat and potatoes", baby! I crave substance!
DO try and paint a picture of words for the reader. Use good imagery when describing what things look like. For instance, instead of saying "they watched the pretty sunset", say something like this: "They gazed up in awe at the painted sky above them. Stretched across the heavens in swirling Colors（色） was a sunset of dusky purple and fiery ゴールド that set the mountains ablaze with orange. Delicate clouds of magenta whispered against the bright, fierce gold, as though the brushstrokes of a skilled artist had put them there..."
DON'T try to be Shakespeare. または JRR Tolkien. または ANYBODY. If あなた try too hard to be uber-poetic, toss in tons of fancy words and create jungles of adjectives, your 書く will sound gushy and ridiculous and you'll be in trouble. Be yourself and use your own style...and if you'd like to try and emulate someone else's style, that's fine. It's fun to do, now and then. Just don't try too hard.
Whew, I think that's all I have for now. (And hey, it worked! My concrete writer's block is slowly turning into ice-cream! There's hope for me yet!) I hope some of my tips were helpful, and again, please don't feel like あなた have to follow all of them. Again, I'm not an expert...and there's plenty もっと見る for all of us to learn, me included.
How'd I learn all this stuff? It was a combination of my own experience and a WONDERFUL book called WordSmith. It's によって Janie B. Cheaney and I highly recommend that book. It's extremely eye-opening, easy to read and lots of fun to go through (Janie has a great sense of humor, that's for sure).
So, boys and girls...say no to drugs, don't drink and drive, don't play with 火災, 火 and most of all - KEEP WRITING! :)
Chapter 3: Moments of peace
Jack was handsome man.
His blue eyes were so strident, deep
as a sea.
He was a professor of mathematics.
He loved numbers and logics of knowledge,
but he wasn't patient with children, though.
Ignorance and inattention could break that small dose of humor he had.
What he wanted from children is to pay attention.
Sometimes he would come ホーム all grouchy.
Dana would leave him be 'till he cheers up.
She was very compassionate.
Peace was very important to her, that peace
inside and she wanted to keep it.
Feeding her baby, watching her while she's sleeping were the most precious moments.
Dana was wonderful mother, very sensitive and caring.
Jack enjoyed in every moment spent with his wife and Gwenny.
Jack was handsome man.
His blue eyes were so strident, deep
as a sea.
He was a professor of mathematics.
He loved numbers and logics of knowledge,
but he wasn't patient with children, though.
Ignorance and inattention could break that small dose of humor he had.
What he wanted from children is to pay attention.
Sometimes he would come ホーム all grouchy.
Dana would leave him be 'till he cheers up.
She was very compassionate.
Peace was very important to her, that peace
inside and she wanted to keep it.
Feeding her baby, watching her while she's sleeping were the most precious moments.
Dana was wonderful mother, very sensitive and caring.
Jack enjoyed in every moment spent with his wife and Gwenny.
Life, he believes, is not a dream
As black as the wise men say they are.
Often a gray morning
Foreshadows a pleasant afternoon and soalhenta.
Sometimes there are dark clouds
But it is only on certain days;
If rain makes the バラ bloom
Why mourn and not smile?
Quickly, happily
The soalhentas hours of life go by
Thankfully, excitedly
Enjoy them as they go flying.
And sometimes when Death appears
And the best that あなた have gone?
And when the pain deepens
And hope it sinks won?
Oh, even then, there is hope of rebirth
Unconquerable, never die.
Happy with his golden wing
Strong enough to make us feel good
Boldly, afraid of nothing
Face the Judgement 日 coming.
For gloriously, victoriously
Courage can overcome despair.
As black as the wise men say they are.
Often a gray morning
Foreshadows a pleasant afternoon and soalhenta.
Sometimes there are dark clouds
But it is only on certain days;
If rain makes the バラ bloom
Why mourn and not smile?
Quickly, happily
The soalhentas hours of life go by
Thankfully, excitedly
Enjoy them as they go flying.
And sometimes when Death appears
And the best that あなた have gone?
And when the pain deepens
And hope it sinks won?
Oh, even then, there is hope of rebirth
Unconquerable, never die.
Happy with his golden wing
Strong enough to make us feel good
Boldly, afraid of nothing
Face the Judgement 日 coming.
For gloriously, victoriously
Courage can overcome despair.
A child huddles in a corner,
dirty and tired and alone.
He's too skinny, too tired, too pale.
But nobody notices.
His ハート, 心 breaks
as he watches the blurry-shaped people
walk past,
without glancing at him.
Screams echo off the cold walls surrounding him.
Not just his;
There's a few voices in that howl.
But they fall on deaf ears.
Hours pass. Days pass. People pass.
Still, nobody glances his way.
Darkness begins to creep in,
Bringing two 天使 with tear stained faces and heavy wings.
Silence has brought this,
and によって the time people notice
it's too late.
The three 天使 have already left.
dirty and tired and alone.
He's too skinny, too tired, too pale.
But nobody notices.
His ハート, 心 breaks
as he watches the blurry-shaped people
walk past,
without glancing at him.
Screams echo off the cold walls surrounding him.
Not just his;
There's a few voices in that howl.
But they fall on deaf ears.
Hours pass. Days pass. People pass.
Still, nobody glances his way.
Darkness begins to creep in,
Bringing two 天使 with tear stained faces and heavy wings.
Silence has brought this,
and によって the time people notice
it's too late.
The three 天使 have already left.
