If you’ve got 5 minutes, I’ve got 10 writing tips for you.
I’ve been writing novels since I was 7—that’s over a decade—and I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way.
1. How to Make a Reader Cry
Here’s how to make a reader cry.
First, create a supremely lovable character. Give them likable qualities, and balance those with relatable flaws. Second, do something terrible to that character. Make them suffer, make them lose, make them sacrifice their life to save someone they love. You can use contrast and irony to make their downfall hit harder; maybe they’re cracking jokes moments before disaster, or they’re betrayed by someone whose life they saved, or tragedy strikes on a beautiful day. Finally, give other characters a moment to react and, in a sense, commiserate with the reader.
I’m kind of joking… but that’s also kind of how it works.
2. Symbolic Imagery
You may be overlooking one simple way to add an entire level of depth to your writing.
We all know symbolism, right, where an object or image is used to represent a larger idea. For instance, the mockingjay is a symbol of rebellion in The Hunger Games.
While you can create meaning for a symbol just within the confines of your story, you can also tap into real-world meaning. Many symbols have rich histories that you can reference and draw from. Think about the etymology of words, the meanings of names, the historical context of certain iconography.
For example, if you use the symbol of a snake in your story—like I am in my current book—look into the symbolic meaning of snakes from different cultures and eras. Even if you’re ascribing it new meaning within your story, including references to the real-world meanings of a symbol can add a layer of thematic richness.
3. Crafting a Main Character
Here’s how to create the perfect main character for your story. It all starts with the theme. What question or idea do you want your story to explore? Once you know that, create a character built around that theme—they should have a personal struggle with it, an internal flaw that will make it difficult but important for them to reckon with the theme. So in my book Catalyst of Control, I wanted to explore the theme of control, and when the pursuit of it turns from a virtue into a dangerous vice. I created a protagonist whose traumatic past has given him an intense desire for control. Everything from his personality to the way he dresses and talks is informed by his deep-rooted connection to the book’s theme. Building your main character around your story’s theme will ensure they’re the perfect character to tell your story.
4. Why Great Prose Is Musical
Your prose should flow like music. Here’s how.
Great writing has a musical quality to it. It has dynamics and phrasing. Individual words are used like notes to string together the story. Paragraphs are like measures; some sparse, some dense, to create variation and emphasis. Chapters are like movements, each with its own narrative arc and place in a larger whole.
Write like a composer. Vary your sentence and paragraph length to emphasize important moments. Play with recurring themes and ideas the way a song plays with recurring motifs. Treating your prose like music can help you avoid writing something that’s, well, one note.
5. Rough First Drafts
Your first draft sucks. Probably. And it should. “Writing is rewriting” is such common advice that it’s practically a cliché. But it’s true. Your first draft is allowed to be rough, non-linear, confusing, filled with plot holes. If you see a problem with the story, make note of it and move on—unless it’s a problem that’ll affect future events, in which case you should fix it before progressing. But if you try to write every sentence perfectly the first time around, you’ll never make it to the end. And you’ll be able to revise more efficiently and effectively once you can see the whole picture.
6. Trust the Reader
One of the worst crimes you can commit as a writer is insulting your reader’s intelligence. It can be tempting to explain plot details or a character’s motivation to make sure the reader understands. But stating everything outright in the text is a great way to sap all the subtlety, intrigue, and subtext from a story. Leave questions unanswered. Don’t repeat information unnecessarily. Trust your reader—let them read between the lines and connect the dots. That’s way more engaging than handing them the answers on an expositional platter.
7. Scene Transitions
Scene transitions are an often overlooked part of writing, but they can help turn your story into a page-turner. Here are a few ideas for how you can transition from one scene to the next:
End one scene with a question, and begin the next with an answer in a different time and place.
End one scene with a certain image, and start the next with a similar or opposite image. It’s like a match cut in filmmaking, but with words.
End one scene right after the climax of a sequence, and start the next with the aftermath.
And sometimes, the best transition is no transition. You might want to drop your reader straight into a new and unfamiliar setting, and let them figure out how it connects to the previous scene. But if you want each scene to flow into the next, think about how you can write a smooth transition.
8. Creative Experimentation
If you want to be a better writer, you need to experiment. Try writing in different genres, with different styles and methods. Try writing with an outline and without. Try writing different POVs, different lengths and formats, different story structures. Creative experimentation is key to finding your voice and pushing your artistic limits. And it can be a lot of fun.
9. Compelling Exposition
If you’re not careful, exposition can be the most mind-numbingly boring part of your story. But it doesn’t have to be.
Of course, usually, you should show, not tell. But when it’s more economical or logical to explain something instead of showing it, there’s a way to do it that’s still compelling and doesn’t grind the story to a halt.
Conflict, stakes, and shifting character dynamics can turn a flat delivery of information into an engaging reveal. If you’re writing a scene where Character A needs to explain something to Character B, add tension between the two, or attach emotional significance to the information being conveyed. Even if it’s something as dry as the mechanics of a piece of technology, you don’t have to communicate it in a dry manner. Use a ticking time bomb, literal or metaphorical, to add momentum and stakes to the exposition. If you can, make the information immediately relevant to the plot. Weave exposition into your story and make it matter to the characters; don’t dump it like an anvil on your readers. Or you can, I guess. It’s your story.
10. Write What You Love
If there’s one thing that’ll ruin a book, it’s a lack of love. And I don’t mean between characters—most stories don’t need romance. I mean the writer’s love of the story. Even if it’s poorly written, you can tell when an author’s heart is in a book—and when it’s not. If you’re writing a story just because you think it’ll sell, or it’ll impress someone… it’ll show. Writing the story you most want to read will not only be more fun, but it’ll also be more authentic and attract like-minded people. So write what you love. Whatever genres, whatever tropes,
whatever ideas capitate you most. Your passion will shine through the pages.
If you found something useful in there, or you’d like me to explain something in greater depth, let me know in the comments.
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– Grayson Taylor
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