1. “You don’t really understand an antagonist until you understand why he’s a protagonist in his own version of the world.” – John Rogers
2. When you are stuck, make a list of what would happen next. More often than not, the material that gets you unstuck appears.
3.Putting it on paper only allows you to start fixing it. If a perfect idea stays in your head, you’ll never share it with anyone.
4. IGNORE YOUR INNER CRITIC. Write first- edit later.
5. Hemingwayapp.com is a writing tool that lets you past in your text and suggest edits for you. It highlights sentences that are hard to read, alerts you of phrases that are written in passive voice, keeps count of your adverbs and tells you the grade reading level of your writing.
6. Words to use other than “said”: demanded, asked, shouted, muttered, whispered, yelled, bellowed, begged, thought, wondered, told, screamed, gloated, argued, cried, whined, pleaded.
7. FIVE simple steps- don’t over think it. 1- Develop. 2- Plan it. 3- Draft it. 4- Re-draft it. 5- Edit & proof it.
8. Give your character opinions. A character being passive or malleable is easy for you as a writer, but it’t poison to your audience.
9. “Writers must be fair and remember even bad guys (most of them, anyway) see themselves as good- they are the heroes of their own lives. Giving them a fair chance as characters can create some interesting shades of grey- and shades of grey are also a part of life.” – Stephen King
