July Special Tip Series

- Previous Tips -

Tip for 7/31/2006

“Slide in humor with your characters. Some writers prefer to give a secondary characters characteristics that make them humorous. The dotty old aunt and hard of hearing uncle who constantly mistakes what he's heard are as common as a cliché. But they still work.”
—Sandra Madden – Historical and Contemporary Author
Tip for 7/30/2006

“Exercise spawns creativity. When I hit an area where I shut down or get bored. I head for the gym or go out for a walk.”
—Marcia King-Gamble – National Best selling Author
Tip for 7/29/2006

“The best writing advice I know is "Put your butt in the chair and put your hands on the keyboard." (BICHOK) Write, write, write.

Don't wait until the kids are in school, or until you get a better job, or until next winter when there's nothing better to do - - Just don't wait. Begin writing now.”
—Linda Conrad – Waldenbooks Best Seller
Tip for 7/27/2006

“Persistence is not the same as stubbornness. Believe in your work and make every effort to sell it to agents or editors, no matter the obstacles or how long it takes. That's persistence. Ignoring constructive criticism from experts is just plain stubbornness and will never get you where you want to be . . . in print.”
—Sherryl Woods – N.Y. Times Best Seller
Tip for 7/25/2006

“Believe in yourself! Any icon you may admire has had years perfecting her gifts against the backdrop of her trials and hardships. But, refrain from trying to be a carbon copy. You are the only one who can tell your story in the way it needs to be told because you are the only portal for this inspired creation. The icon can serve as motivation, but you hold the key to your ultimate success as a writer.”
—Michelle Monkou – Harlequin Author
Tip for 7/23/2006

“Read more than you write. Read everything; books you like and books you don't like. Analyze them and determine what makes it good or not so good. Then write a better book.”
—Shirley Hailstock
Tip for 7/21/2006

“Read newspapers and magazines. While truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction, you will never lack for story ideas.”
—Marcia King-Gamble – National Best selling Author
Tip for 7/19/2006

“Know your characters. Go deep into their heads and hearts. Know what they want, why they want it and what forces, both internal and external, block them from achieving what they want. Learn as much as possible about their backgrounds, their emotional make-up, their fears and expectations. Know their jobs. You probably won't use all of this explicitly in the book, but the information will influence their speech, their actions and reactions, and all of the things that make them into 'real' people on the pages for your readers.”
—Mary Stella
Tip for 7/17/2006

“This is something I learned from an editor that seems so simple and obvious, yet I didn't even realize I was guilty of this writing error. When two characters are having a dialogue in your story, it is not necessary to keep repeating their names. The reader should know who's talking from the first two lines of conversation, so overuse of names is repetitious and tedious.”
—Cynthia Thomason – Superromance Author
Tip for 7/15/2006

“Know how to set goals and refuse to quit. If you have these qualities, then the rest will come to you. Set a goal statement and devise a step by step plan.”
—Steve Alten
Tip for 7/13/2006

“Always remember writing is a business like any other business. If you conduct yourself professionally you will always be remembered.”
—Marcia King-Gamble – National Best selling Author
Tip for 7/11/2006

“Avoid comparing yourself to other writers. You'll always find someone who writes faster, produces more books per year, creates original prose, and snags great promotional opportunities. You're doing the best you can. Appreciate how far you've come and how many people aspire to your accomplishments.”
—Nancy Cohen
Tip for 7/9/2006

“Writing realistic dialogue is always tricky. Most writers attempt to use English that's too proper, and not the way we actually talk to one another. One way to test the 'sound' of your dialogue is to read it back to yourself, or read it into a recorder and play it back. Your ear will pick up if something seems stiff or too formal, or just not authentic. You can change accordingly. Also, watch several movies and pay attention to the way characters talk to each other; the language words and phrases that are used.”
—Sandra Kitt – National Best Seller
Tip for 7/7/2006

“One of the complaints I hear often from writers is that they can't seem to find the time to write. Start by making appointments with yourself for set periods of time, and then stick to it! You can either plan to get up an hour earlier in the morning, or to do an hour in the evening after dinner. Or you might decide to write for two or three hours on a Saturday morning before doing other household chores. I like getting up in the middle of the night, say between 2 and 5, to work because it's very quiet. The phone is not going to ring, and there will be no interruptions. Find a system and time that works for you and do it.”
—Sandra Kitt – National Best Seller
Tip for 7/5/2006

“Remember that inspiration strikes at any time. Be prepared. Keep a pen and paper in your purse and by your nightstand. (Electronic keyboards like the Alpha-Smart or the QuickPad are great for this, too.) Did you get a wonderful idea in the middle of the night, while driving, or while vacuuming or washing dishes? Write it down at first opportunity, before you forget.”
—Bettye Griffin
Tip for 7/3/2006

“Making up characters is sometimes a slow building process. The idea is to create a 'real' three dimensional person. To get a handle on physical features it might help to keep a vertical file folder of character possibilities. Look through magazines, catalogs and ads for different types of faces or body types: old, young, children, white, ethnic, fat or slim, etc. Collect images that are varied in terms of hair and eye color, bald, extensions, wigs, wasp, blue collar and working class, professional, etc.”
—Sandra Kitt – National Best Seller
Tip for 7/1/2006

“A huge component of having a successful writing career is discipline. Writing daily is a great way to develop that needed discipline.

After forty books, I still set daily page goals that keep me on track with my commitments.

The best writing tip I ever received was to write every day, even if it's only one page. If I get stuck on a scene or don't know what comes next, I skip a bit into the future of the story and write one of those scenes that have been lurking in the back of my head. I always have a few of those in my mind's eye. Most of us do. Usually the act of getting some words down on paper again will break through whatever difficulty I was having, and once I've written that future scene, I can jump right back into the story at the point where I was having trouble. Even if the future scene doesn't work when I reach that place in the story, it's worth the time I spent on it because it gets me back on track.”
—Gayle Wilson – President of Romance Writers of America