Writing Tips
#1 of Writing Tips
Tips for Aspiring Writers
I don't consider myself an expert by any means, but I have learned a few things that can help anyone who is looking to get into writing.
First off, use a decent word processor! Writing in things like wordpad is fine, but you'll be much better off downloading something like Open Office. It's 100 percent free, and has essentially all the same features as the expensive Microsoft Word program.
Use the spell check feature, and re-read what you've written. It also helps to have someone else read over it before you post it. Everyone makes mistakes, it's when they don't fix them that it gets irritating. Spell check won't catch incorrectly used words, and a second pair of eyes really helps. Sound things out in your head as you read. Does it make sense?
Save your work periodically as you write. There is nothing more frustrating than writing a great scene and then having some random error delete it on you.
Don't do the two things I just did. Avoid using numbers as part of your writing (unless it's a really long string of digits.) It's not strictly improper, but it doesn't look as good as typing it out as a word. Also, avoid editing as you write! It's a bad habit, one I sadly cannot break. You are far better off putting down what you want to write, then coming back and fixing the mistakes later.
Use paragraphs to spread things out. People love to see white space, it's easy on the eyes. It's easy to fall into the trap of writing large blocks of text. Try to find places that it makes sense and insert a space. My usual habit is to use single spaces for small time gaps or action shifts, double spaces for a scene change or larger time lapse, and double spaces with an indent and bolded first word for large time lapses. Find whatever spacing method you like best. Also, whenever you have dialog sections, insert a paragraph or at least a line break between the speakers.
Example: "How did you know it was me?" asked John.
Sally smiled. "You always wear that same spicy cologne when you're feeling romantic."
Watch your tenses! There is nothing more irritating than reading a passage that flips its verbs all over the place. Poor verbs! They don't know what's happening, and neither do your readers. Again, sound things out in your head. Is the action happening presently? Is your character ABOUT to do something? Did they do it two seconds ago? What is wrong with this sentence?
She brought the car to a stopped, jumps out and started scream for help.
Everything is wrong with it. Pick a tense and stick with it until the end of the sentence, don't switch midstream. It is okay if you change tenses in a following sentence, as long as it keeps the consistency. In some cases, with longer, more complex sentences, you can switch before the period, but you must have a comma in between to break up the switch, and the tenses need to follow a logical order of progression.
Example: "Oh no!" she shouted as she ran out of the store, starting to wave her arms frantically.
Try to use lots of different words. If you keep using the same terms to describe things, it starts to sound really dry. Use a thesaurus if you are unsure of what else to put down, or rethink your sentence. You can also do things like using CAPS and italics for emphasis on certain words. It lends a nice bit of flavour to your writing, and makes it pop and sizzle.
Know your punctuation! Punctuation is your friend. If your characters are talking for more than a minute without a single pause, there's probably something wrong. Think of how you would say it. Commas indicate the short pause, periods the end of a sentence. Are they asking a question? Are they getting excited? Maybe they have odd speech patterns, you can chop words with apostrophes. If you are writing descriptive or narrative text, watch how long the sentences go. In some cases, such as action, short sentences can work very well. In other cases, a longer sentence is better, but still needs the appropriate pauses.
Perspective matters. Who's telling the story? If it's first person, they won't know what's going on inside other characters' heads. If it's third person, how much knowledge do they have? Are they omniscient? Or are they still stuck in one character's viewpoint? You can also spice up your story by having multiple viewpoints from different characters. Just make sure you have some kind of separation between them. I don't recommend switching the narrative perspective though. That might work for some people, but I personally am not a fan of it. Try it if you wish, but I advise sticking with a single narrative view throughout the story.
Action Sequence Tips
Action scenes are one of the harder things to write. The trick is to strike a balance in how much description you have. You want to avoid being overly descriptive, as blow by blow gets old really fast. However, you also need to give your readers a good idea of what is happening. Some people like to write in completely abstract form (using names of sword forms for example.) Others prefer to use straight up description. It's your choice, find what works for you.
Know exactly how you want the scene to play out before you write it. Keep a clear picture of the action in your head and describe it accurately. Remember, if you can't picture what's going on, neither can your readers.
Watch your pacing. Don't have objects magically appearing out of nowhere. If someone gets a sword, describe them drawing it or otherwise picking it up. If they are suddenly just swinging a sword around, it's a bit jarring. Also, watch your relative positioning. Are characters suddenly vanishing? If someone walks through a place where someone else had been standing, make sure the other person isn't suddenly no longer taking up physical space.
Description of where the people and objects are is key. If you want to give a good idea of what is happening, make sure your audience knows where the characters are in relation to each other. What are their surroundings like? Is it a one on one on a beach? A battle scene? A shootout in a warehouse? All these things are going to factor into the action.
Sex Scene Tips
Try not to get too *ahem* distracted as you write the scene. If you can't focus on the writing, it's going to get messy, in more ways than one. Take care of business first if that is the case.
Are you going for detail or abstraction? Decide in advance. An abstract or implied sex scene can be just as hot as one with lots of detail. Which kind fits better?
If you are going for detail, vary your language. Sex scenes that repeat the same words over and over are tedious. Use all sorts of different terms for the involved body parts and the sensations the characters are feeling. If you are unsure of what terms to use, just look up the part in question on urban dictionary or something. Pick a few that sound good to you.
Know your body parts! Don't have things randomly sprouting from places or things being jabbed into impossible locations. A little research goes a long way. If you are unsure what something means, look it up.
It doesn't have to go on for pages and pages, but try to have at least a few paragraphs of description. Three hundred words is a good minimum target length for any sex scene. Of course, having it go longer is perfectly fine. If you are writing a long scene though, try to include things like foreplay or multiple positions. Several pages of straight thrusting gets old fast. Have the characters talk during the scene too, and vocalize their feelings.
In closing, everyone has at least a bit of creativity in them. Looking to write, but just can't get an idea? Write anything! It can suck, and it doesn't matter. Just put words down on paper, the ideas will come. Before you know it, creativity will be spurting out of you all over the place! Eww, I just squirted a bit! Hope it didn't get on you, it's very hard to clean creativity stains out of the clothes! If you need something to start you off, try reading something someone else has written, and write one of their scenes in your own view.
Have fun!