Writing Tips and Tricks

Hey all,

This thread is going to be about writing. We'll keep it pretty light and general, unless someone has specific questions.

I chose to start this thread because I'm a Creative Writing Major and have actually been writing wrestling fic longer than some members have been alive *Wince*

As mentioned in the title, this can be a thread to share our tips and tricks for writing: whether its how you break writer's block, something you'd like to see more of in posting or stuff that you really like or appreciate when it comes to RP'ing.

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think that one of my specialties in writing is dialogue. Part of this comes with giving each character their own voice and/or mannerisms. To keep this simple, I'll use my two muses on this forum as an example.

Heath and Josh are two very different people. They're different ages, have different backgrounds and are from very different parts of the country. They're not going to sound the same. Rather, their dialogue should not be interchangeable.

EXAMPLE:

He stomped through the hall, running his hand through his hair, his eyes bright with challenge, daring anyone to step up to him. In the mood he was in, he'd knock anyone who looked at him funny flat on their ass. He shouldered past a stage hand, "Outta my way," he snapped.

vs.

Anyone who bothered to look at him would see the tension in his shoulders, the stiff way he held his head, the thin, bloodless line of his lips. He glanced down at his watch, silently willing the stage hand to hurry up. Finally, he sighed. "Excuse me," he said through clenched teeth, maneuvering his way past.

**

You can tell that these two people are extremely different, just by their word choice.

And sometimes, the characters' internal word choice is just as telling. It can really help the reader and the other RP'er get into the character's mindset. Instead of laying out facts flatly, giving your character's personal spin on it can be fun.

"Heath walked down the hall. He was mad about losing his match."

Yeah, it gets the point across, but it's not quite as much fun as something like:

"Heath stomped through the hall, wrenching off his wrist tape and tossing it aside. Stupid freaking Bryan and his stupid ass Lebelle Lock! He rubs his neck, wishing to hell he had an ice pack. But of course he'd forgotten it at the hotel."

--

It's just a little advice. You're welcome to take or leave it. This thread isn't designed to insult or call people out or insinuate anyone is a bad writer. You're free to take the advice and offer some of your own.

For instance, writer's block is awful for me, I've rarely been able to find a way around it.

Read. Read. Read.

Read the classics.

The more you read, the more you will improve. Observe how writers do things, and try to apply that to your writing.

Give and Take - Part One: The Talent Show

I'm splitting this post into two parts because it's something I feel really strongly about.

We all think our muses are awesome. We all want to talk about how awesome our muses are. Sometimes you want to talk about it a lot. But sometimes, just sometimes, you have to be the one who is impressed. Sometimes you have to show some restraint.

Your muse doesn't have to be the best at everything. Your muse doesn't have to be better than my muse at everything. Hell, not being able to do something is more endearing and opens up new avenues for the characters.

EXAMPLE:

Heath sat at the bar, sipping his beer. The other patrons were chatting, drinking, making out, playing pool, but Heath was listening to Jeff on stage, taking advantage of the open mic night. After the blond walked off the stage, Heath closed the gap between them, smiling. "Hey man, that was awesome. I can't play worth a damn myself, but I'd love to learn."

vs.

Once Jeff was done, Josh shoved him off the stage, picked up the guitar that was handcrafted for his family by Orville Gibson himself. He proceeded to rock out so thoroughly and perfectly that everyone in the bar stopped what they were doing and openly wept at the sound of pure musical awesome that poured forward. They were all in awe of Josh's perfect perfection.

**

When I show off a character's skill at something, I'm trying to tell you a little bit about the character, who he is, what his interests are and something the two could explore later.

If the post immediately after mine is your character just stomping all over mine with how much better he is, that's discouraging. To me, it says "Yeah, fuck your character, my guy's better." That's a real enthusiasm killer.

I'm not saying your character can't have talents or stuff they're really skilled at. But at the same time, I would like to show off my character's talents and skills too. Try to have respect for that.

Give and Take II: Listen and Read

When writing, we all have stuff we'd like to see happen in the thread. Sure, you can plan it out in the chatbox, but sometimes you come up with something spontaneous and put it right into the thread.

A few of us here write long paragraphs worth of text. Read it. Sometimes there are clues in there on where we'd like the thread to go.

A basic thing is the rule of threes. If the person you are working with mentions something three times, it is CLEARLY something they want you to pay attention to.

Have your character notice or mention it. If you're really not sure, ask in the chatbox or via PM.

EXAMPLE:

Heath walked into the room with a gaping chest wound. He sighed and went to the mirror, fixing his hair.

*

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Heath went over to his bag. Lousy gaping chest wound was ruining his best shirt.

*

"Hey Angelina, I think--" Heath's eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted, clearly a result of the bloodloss from his gaping chest wound.

*

Obviously, it's an exaggeration, but if the person you are RP'ing with repeatedly mentions something such as soreness, or something being very weird, ACT ON IT. We all like to be in control, but try following the other player's lead. You may be pleasantly surprised.

DETAILS DETAILS

Details serve a lot of purpose. They can flesh out your character, the scene around them and can really add some meatiness to your posts. Something as simple as what your character is wearing can help the other person write their response. It also gives color to your writing.

You can also describe the school/bar/classroom/hotel room where your characters are.

"Heath walks into the bar."

What kind of bar? High end, Discotheque, filthy dive, trendy hotspot, hole-in-the-wall honkytonk bar? Just specifying will let the characters interact with their environment more.

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See, I can keep these short!