Any tips for aspiring writer?

Question

I am currently writing a 'novel/short story' (Not sure yet. Depends on plot) and was wondering if anyone had some tips or tricks. I am not very good with grammar, punctuation or wording sentences correctly, so they are what I need help with most. Also if there is anything that inspires you when writing, what is it?

Thank you in advance. :)

Answer 1

Read what you have written aloud to yourself or to others. Where you stop to draw breath is normally a place where you require punctuation. If your text can be read aloud smoothly and easily, that is normally a sign that it has been well written.

Good prose sentences, like lines of poetry, should have a cadence and rhythm all of their own.

Answer 2

Word processing software really opens up writing as a hobby for people who, like yourself, need to improve their grasp of the English language and its many many rules. For example Microsoft Word will automatically offer corrections to both spelling and grammar, as well as informing you of possible sentence fragments.

Another invaluable tool is a thesaurus, one of the most frustrating things when writing is trying to avoid repeating the same words within a short space. This is particularly true when working on descriptive narrative and a thesaurus provides you with plenty of different words with similar meanings, which of course also allows you to expand upon your vocabulary.

With regards to actually writing many people have different approaches. Some like to plan out their story first and then build it up, 'filling in the gaps' so to speak. Others, myself included, have a very rough idea in their head but their best ideas just come to them when they are writing. As far as inspiration goes, it can come from just about anywhere. Personally I like to read a lot of books in the genre to which my work belongs; not only does this inspire me to crack on with my own work it also helps with learning how to structure the work.

Writing is a constant learning experience, and you shouldn't worry too much about how good it is, as producing something of publishable quality should not be what you're thinking about when you're doing it. As you get into the story you will find yourself constantly going back and changing things. For example I've been working on my novel on and off for the best part of four years and I am still changing words, adding and removing sentences etc. from the first few chapters.

You become better at writing the more of it you do and it feels good to look through your work thinking "I did that".  

Answer 3

Usually when i write, i take events (boring or interesting) and just exagerrate them. Either that or i think of something any random thing that sounds interesting and create a story around that. Um as for the grammar, punctuation, and sentance wording you just could leave that and if you want to eventually get the story published they'll work that out for you, hope this helped.    = )

Answer 4

Well, first off, every writer has their own style. Most styles aren't grammatically correct - I think there's really only one, and that's Fitzgerald I believe.

Anyway, don't worry about any errors you might make, just write.

For me, if I have a good idea for another twist in my novel, I'll think it over and sometimes write it out. The following day I might delete the whole section and rewrite it with a change in plot that fits and suites the characters much better. Nothing in permanent until it's in a book, I say, so don't worry about mistakes, etc, etc. Okay?

Now - for inspiration. It varies with author. I might find inspiration in a song, or string of lyrics, a moment between two people, a sudden emotion in a person's voice or something I say. It also depends on your story and what's happening and what it's about. I don't worry about inspiration, unless I've been procrastinating and need to crank out a story a day or two before class, but even procrastinating is a good inspiration. Haha.

Well, good luck. The only trick/tip I can say about writing is that it has to be your passion to be a good piece of work. And, chances are, if it's your passion, you're probably rather good at it.