- Always take out what you can from your stories without losing the sense of them. It’ll make your writing tighter and quicken the pace. Less is always more.
- Get into your characters’ heads as quickly as you can. Can you sum up their main characteristic in one or two words? Can you sum up your story in a line or two? Are your characters different so you can tell them apart? Do their voices sound different so nobody is confused as to who speaks?
- Moments of weakness in a character can be used to strengthen their portrayal. We all have moments like this - fictional characters should reflect that. It is then what real and fictional people do after having such moments that can add or make a story.
- Rejected stories can always be reworked and resubmitted elsewhere.
- Are you enjoying your writing because if you don’t nobody will? Are you committed to writing regardless of whether you get published or not? Are you willing to write, rewrite and keep doing so until your story is right?
- Can you answer questions about the world and characters you’ve created? Can you imagine them living on after the novel/short story you’ve written? Do they seem as real to you as the real world out there? No. It’s not a sign of insanity but a sign you’ve thought your world out properly.
- Does your society have rules? The answer should be yes. Even a society seemingly based on anarchy will have someone in control of it all. Do your rules work? What happens when these are broken?
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AuthorI'm Allison Symes and write fairytales with bite, especially novels and short stories. Archives
October 2019
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