Just A Few Common Writing Tips.

[icewo1f]

First - This is not true in a few cases, but mostly it is - The key to writing a good romance, is to keep the two main characters apart until the very end, no matter what it takes, even if you need to kill one of them and have him/her raised as a zombie (but please don't use that scenario lol) Sure they can have a few clicks in the beginning, then perhaps work, or other problems pulled them apart after a few chapters, then, you have the whole rest of the story to bring them back together. Just use your imagination.

Second - Quoting Terry Brooks - "A wise man once told me that you can tell an amature story when it has no smells in it."

This is almost metaphoric - details can turn a english class fiction into a best selling novel, Details are everything. Though even this has its limits. To many details may distract the reader from the story. Or even the writer.

Edited March 12, 2008 by icewo1f

[Guest Savaial]

I have an addition to this. All the senses are very important, but unless the author recognizes that they can't be in two places at once, it's all for shit.

For example:

You write in first person. This is I. I, I, I. I wondered what she meant by that. I felt sad. I wanted to get my rocks off. Blah blah blah,.

You write in second person tense. This is YOU ARE. You wondered what she meant by that. You felt sad. You wanted to get your rocks off.

You write in third person. He wondered what she meant by that. He felt sad. He wanted to get his rocks off.

Third person is what a lot of people choose to begin writing with. I say try first person and evolve from there. As long as you can put yourself in your main character's place, you can keep first person narrative.

[greenwizard]

Yeah... pick a tense and stay with it. That's always a good idea. And make sure you know basic grammar rules. There have only been two books I've ever met that I didn't like. 'The Chocolate War' because in my opinion, it was just fricken stupid. My classmates loved it because of all the cuss words.

The worst however, was 'Cry, the Beloved Country'. All I can say is OMG..... I swear the author was probably rich because he would have to self publish that crap. The plot itself was good, but the author switched pov's and didn't follow grammar rules. He also went into overkill with detail if I remember right. Now, I have a reading disability where I sometimes have trouble understanding what I read. There's a faulty connection between my eyeballs and my brain. Usually, if I read slowly I usually don't have too much trouble. But that book... there was no point in me even trying. I nearly failed English because of it.

[Guest Zyx]

First - This is not true in a few cases, but mostly it is - The key to writing a good romance, is to keep the two main characters apart until the very end, no matter what it takes, even if you need to kill one of them and have him/her raised as a zombie (but please don't use that scenario lol) Sure they can have a few clicks in the beginning, then perhaps work, or other problems pulled them apart after a few chapters, then, you have the whole rest of the story to bring them back together. Just use your imagination.

I disagree SO much... though I suppose my romance stories are a bit too sweet for most people >_>

soulless bastards (no one in particular)

[Guest Savaial]

I see your point, Zyx. Still, there is something to be said for building tension. I'd rather have the ST strung out forever than get three paragraphs into a fic and read about a slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am.

I don't think there is any set standard for when to do the nasty in a fic. It all depends upon how you've paced everything to that point.

[shinigamiinochi]

I'm actually worried about this. In the book I'm writing, my main character falls in love, gets seperated, thinks the boy was a figment of his imagination, but half way through the book, they find each other again. I really like my main character and the two boys are like puppies together, so I'm not really sure that I want to seperate them for a second time or have them go through some terrible relationship issues, but perhaps the tension would be good for the story? I really don't know... I think the part of the problem is that both characters have been so abused that at this point, their relationship is really doing them some good and I don't think that they would let some dumb argument screw with that reliance they have with one another. That, and considering that one of the characters is a werewolf with dissociative identity disorder/ptsd, they don't have the luxury of having these little arguments or a big blow out. Some of the best romance stories are those in which the pair are kept apart for so long, you just have to read the whole way through for a little bit of gratification, but Solstice is part Romance, part Action, part Horror, so I don't know if I can do that or if I even need to do that.

[Guest Zyx]

I'm actually worried about this. In the book I'm writing, my main character falls in love, gets seperated, thinks the boy was a figment of his imagination, but half way through the book, they find each other again. I really like my main character and the two boys are like puppies together, so I'm not really sure that I want to seperate them for a second time or have them go through some terrible relationship issues, but perhaps the tension would be good for the story? I really don't know... I think the part of the problem is that both characters have been so abused that at this point, their relationship is really doing them some good and I don't think that they would let some dumb argument screw with that reliance they have with one another. That, and considering that one of the characters is a werewolf with dissociative identity disorder/ptsd, they don't have the luxury of having these little arguments or a big blow out. Some of the best romance stories are those in which the pair are kept apart for so long, you just have to read the whole way through for a little bit of gratification, but Solstice is part Romance, part Action, part Horror, so I don't know if I can do that or if I even need to do that.

Keeping characters apart is a crude tool for people who don't know how to write about relationships. There's plenty of other things you could do to keep their relationship interesting. Even if people love eachother infinity much, there is no perfect medium for expressing that love. So they'll never be that sure of the others love. This is what makes relationships prone to arguments and stuff. And if you take that doubt out of the mix you'll make them into a single character, which isn't very interesting at all. To keep relationships interesting you should ignore the fact they ever got together at all. You have to keep repeating that first "I love you" like it still means as much every time they say it and do it without letting the reader know you're just repeating stuff.

on a pretty much unrelated note: wow, I should do this for moneys : D

[Guest godvoltaire]

I see this sort of stuff, sometimes. It can really throw a pipe wrench in the works.

Throne, not thrown- A throne is what a king sits on.

Through, not threw- You walk through a door. You threw something.

Quite, not quiet- You are quite angry, not quiet angry. If you were quiet angry, no one would know, lol.

Then, not than- “If you wish it, then I will obey.”

Would have, not would of- “I would have done it.”

Where, not were. “Where were you?”

Their is possessive. There signifies a placement. “That’s their right.” “You need a quotation mark there.”

Wander and wonder are not the same word. You wander to a place, or wander around. You wonder what’s going on. “As she wandered, she wondered about the place.”

Your is possessive. “This is your pen.” You’re is a contraction of You Are. “You’re a real nasty piece of work.”

Know, not no. “I know what you mean.”