"Do this... Unless you're doing this..."

I need to apologize for nearly every post I've put on here where I say one thing and then say "unless it's like this..." I realize that might be getting kind of annoying but that is only because there are so many possibilities and I don't want to be discouraging you from writing things your way.  That is how a lot of stories are written: going against the grain, things that don't normally happen (even in a story), just happening.

Similar Things

I touched briefly on this in the How to Write a Fight post but now I'll cover it a little more thoroughly.
As you write your book or play (or whatever it is you're writing) think up a list of movies and books that are similar to yours.  Maybe it will give you some new ideas but don't do things exactly the same and especially if it was very popular and you have similar things happening in your story make sure it differs enough that people won't instantly think of it as a remake.  Make sure the plot is different, unless of course that is exactly what you're trying to do.  For instance from what I understand Gnomeo and Juliet was trying to redo Shakespeare's famous play and turn it into a comedy.

What Makes a Hero?

The Main Character:

Your main character should be a hero, even some odd stories and movies like Gru from Despicable Me, was the hero in a way.  In the story the hero is the one you should be rooting for (unless it’s someone like Scrooge).  Make your hero someone your reader cares about.  Show them doing things, they don’t necessarily have to be heroic deeds, but things that will make your reader see them as being good and as someone worth reading about.

Purpose:

In order to give your story meaning it is best to have the hero learn something and therefore teaching the reader something, (that is how Scrooge could be the hero and have it work: based on what he learned he became a better person in the end).  Everyone wants to have purpose and without purpose life becomes very dull, this is true with books as well.  Don’t simply insert a random lesson to be learned in the end but have pieces of it appearing steadily throughout the story.  Make it clear in the very beginning what the story goal is (what should be accomplished by the end of the book).  It should be clear that the bad guy needs to be defeated somehow or the mystery solved for the story to end, it’s the how that keeps people reading.  Make it unexpected but not random.

More on this subject (and even more subjects) can be found in the writing curriculum One Year Adventure Novel by Daniel Schwabauer.  Find it at: http://www.oneyearnovel.com/

It is kind of expensive but it is worth it!  If you're not sure if you'll like it on their website you can request a free dvd that tells about the course and includes the first lesson as a sample.  I've been taking this course and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in writing a novel (whether you already know what you want to write about or you're interested in writing but don't know where to start this course will be perfect for you)!  I haven't tried out their science fiction and fantasy course yet but I'd really like to sometime.

Conversation

Only write things that you would say if you were in that situation, unless for some reason you need a character to say something unusual.  If you’re not sure how it went, re-read your conversations and make sure they flow naturally.  Try not to have frequent repeated words like: "typically," simple words like: "the" that appear quite frequently in everyday speech usually don’t apply.

To liven things up try giving someone an accent.  Make sure it’s familiar enough to you that you can write it without to much trouble (if you’re trying to write an Scottish accent make sure you don’t accidentally switch to Irish).  If you do try this make an effort to throw in words that is used in that accent to make it all the more authentic (just don't over do it).  Things like holiday instead of vacation for an english accent, or "Oy mate!" for "Hey you!" in an australian accent.  You get the idea.

Research

I know this word might imply the word boring to you, on the contrary you might find it quite the opposite.  Think of it this way: if you’re researching a topic to make something you love it probably won’t be all that bad, maybe even enjoyable.  When doing research for your book you don’t have to go into depth but it is usually best to know as much about the subject you’re writing about as you can.  Field trips or hands on learning is probably the best way to go.  For instance I wanted to learn about piloting aircraft, it just so happened that at an airport in a nearby town they offered a free flight program called Young Eagles (for more information and to find a Young Eagles chapter in your area go to: http://www.youngeagles.org/ ) and I took advantage of this.  I was fortunate enough to be co-pilot and was allowed to take the controls a few times (I can’t promise the same experience for everyone but it will probably be a great one none the less).

If you can’t participate in a program there are many volunteer opportunities.  To learn about horses my sister and I volunteered at a school to help kids with special needs ride horses.  Another good thing to try that will help get you involved in lots of good activities is 4-H.  They offer such things as Horse riding, shooting sports, arts and crafts, woodworking, and to many other things to try and list here.  Not only are many of these activities fun to do for research but they also build relationships with many people even if you aren’t much of a people person like me.

If you use the internet compare with other sources to ensure you have accurate information.

Remember to go about your research with a plan, not just looking up information that you think you might, maybe, possibly, somehow use at some time or other and have so many books to read you don’t know where to start.  A good rule of thumb is simply research one thing at a time and learn it thoroughly.  However you don’t want to let a good learning opportunity pass by.  If there is some kind of special conference (especially if it’s free) about something you think you might need, go for it.

Never stop learning.  Always carry a small notepad and pencil with you for taking notes in case you happen to learn something or see something interesting that you might add into your book (better to be safe than sorry).

How to Write a Fight.

The best thing I've found to help you write a fight scene is to see how others have done it.  Let's take sword fighting for example.  Read a book with a a good sword fight in it, say for instance C.S. Lewis' prince Caspian, chapter 14.  There are a few more sword fights scattered through out the Chronicles of Narnia books and I highly recommend them (available at probably every library).  A quick note of caution: do not rely only on others work or you will find yours sounding much the same.  Try throwing your own personal flare in.  Use your imagination.

If you want to make your fight as accurate as possible you can take a class or order instructional books or dvds.  Usually buying used books online is the least expensive way to go.  Back to sword fighting I was able to pick up a great instructional book on the subject in good condition for around $5 including shipping costs.  I believe it is called: Sword Fighting, an Instructional Manual for Actors and Directors.  This book is illustrated to help you understand the techniques and what the different types of swords look like along with many other helpful bits of info.  For martial arts if you aren't taking a class on it and don't want to spend the money check at your local library for do it yourself books.

If you are developing a new kind of fighting but don't know how to write it simply find whatever fits it the closest, study it, then modify it.

A good exercise to practice writing your fight scene is to watch a movie with the style (sword fighting, martial arts, boxing, etc.) that you want to write.  Pretend like you're describing what you are seeing for a blind person.  Write it down if you want to.  Play back the movie clip you just wrote and read along with it to see how it compares.  Make any changes you might need until you have perfected it.  (Hint: if you find it hard to describe a part use your imagination and come up with something else that is just as exciting but easier to describe).

Think over your fight.  Imagine it like you are watching a movie or actually taking part in your story.  Once you know exactly what is supposed to happen start writing.  If you think of something better don't be afraid to change it, that's part of writing: tweaking, rearranging, removing, etc. in one word: change (or editing, whichever you prefer).

Another thing I've found if I get stuck on a fight is to act it out using sticks as swords or sparing against an imaginary kung fu expert.

So to recap quickly:
Read and watch similar things until you get comfortable writing it yourself.  Use your imagination and have fun!

The Ugly Details

When describing something don't bore your reader with details.  If you're unsure whether it's boring or not get the opinions of friends.  Don't ask them specifically if it was boring or not but have them speak their mind about it and not hold back anything for the sake of your feelings and make sure to take it patiently on your part.  You need critisism, for the most part people are only trying to help imporve your work, not cut it down.

Decide if you even need certain details at all; read the following paragraph for an example.

Jaquline or Jacky for short, tossed her long blond wavy hair out of her face that the wind simply blew back in to her blue eyes.  She looked down at her grass stained sneakers and shoved her hands deep into her denim jean pockets.

Now I might have over done that a little bit, but you as a new writer may find it very easy to do and it sounds really good while you're doing it so make sure to go over your work often to check for things like this.  You might take out "short for Jacky" and simply have a friend call her that in a conversation at a later time.  You could also remove unnecessary things like "denim jeans," "blue eyes," "blond hair," things like that.  Unless for some reason the reader has to know what the character looks like for some reason you can usually leave it up to the reader to imagine your characters.

Don't get me wrong, details are very important and essential for good story telling and there are certain times when you SHOULD go into lots of details just make sure you don't over do it.

I hate to admit this as much as I love the book but if you read the old version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea this is a good example of a bad example of what I'm talking about.  It seems like half the book is describing the names of fish and their subspecies, etc. etc.  Now I know some people like these things but not everyone so try and leave the unneeded details out.