100 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, And Bloggers

I used to do these tips in segments. Each segment had 25 tips but since time flew by and laziness overcame me, I figured I would resurrect my writing tips, one hundred at a time.

All of these tips are posted on my Facebook page and Twitter account as well.

Enjoy!

1. A story will tell itself when it’s ready to be told.
2. Deadlines instill urgency. Urgency usually generates productivity.
3. It’s never too early or too late to start writing.
4. Never over explain but never understate. Seek a balance.
5. Write whatever you want. Draw whatever you will. Perform whatever you can.
6. You may disagree but do so respectively.
7. Let your writing speak for itself.
8. You need to write badly in order to learn how not to write badly.
9. When criticizing the work, never criticize the writer.
10. Any amount of preparation is useless if you don’t follow through.
11. Write like every day was your last.
12. Stories make the world go around.
13. Do not aim for perfection. You’ll only be disappointed.
14. Follow the writing advice you give others.
15. Writing a first draft is the only time you can ever settle for anything less than your best.
16. Write like every day was your last.
17. Write something, anything.
18. Never confuse typing with writing. They are not one and the same.
19. Choose every word you use carefully.
20. Say what you need to—nothing more, nothing less.
21. You are allowed to break the rules if you know the rules.
22. A first draft is not perfect. Your job is to perfect it.
23. There is no right way to write. Likewise, there is no wrong way to write.
24. Always propel the story forward.
25. Go back and rediscover why you started writing in the first place.
26. The first step to success: self-trust.
27. Test every chapter, every scene, every page, every word.
28. Concentrate on the process first and foremost. The product comes after.
29. Change your scenery both literally and figuratively.
30. Your job as a writer is to bring the dull and mundane details to life.
31. Search for the unseen in real life and in your novels.
32. You know you’re finished writing when you’ve said just enough. Nothing more, nothing less.
33. Read. Write. Repeat.
34. You can let mistakes drag you down or help build you up.
35. Some of the best stories come from the worst decisions.
36. What you write today is not what you will write in a year’s time.
37. Don’t settle for mediocre. Don’t even settle for good.
38. Listen to what your stories tell you.
39. What is unsaid is just as powerful as what is said.
40. Great writing transcends one individual self.
41. Turn pain into wisdom.
42. Throw every idea onto the page. Surely one will stick.
43. Allow people to read what you write. Let yourself be vulnerable.
44. Pace yourself.
45. The tiniest moment will make for a grand story someday.
46. Numbers don’t matter. Words do.
47. Know when enough is enough.
48. When life gives you lemons, turn them into a story.
49. Start something you know you will be able to finish.
50. In life, you avoid conflict. In fiction, you embrace it.
51. Every excess word becomes a vice, a burden.
52. Hard work knows no limits, no boundaries.
53. The writing life is what you make it.
54. Don’t believe everything you hear. Do your research, employ common sense, and ask questions.
55. Write about the people who fascinate you.
56. Don’t ever let anyone talk you out of writing.
57. You will win if you refuse to lose. You will succeed if you refuse to fail.
58. You cannot write for others. You must write for yourself.
59. There is a fine line between being fancy and being formal.
60. When in doubt, leave it out.
61. You will never use all of your ideas. Your job is to choose which ones you do use.
62. Fiction is a necessity. That’s why writers exist.
63. Never start something you won’t finish.
64. One day your tears, your pain, your hard work will pay off.
65. Never lose focus, both in your life and in your story.
66. There will never be ideal conditions to write.
67. Quality over quantity. Always.
68. Never agonize over a first draft.
69. The best have failed and have fallen but have risen.
70. The first step in becoming a writer is believing you are a writer.
71. Today you may do something you couldn’t do yesterday.
72. The only way you will ever finish any novel is to start it.
73. When you feel like quitting, remember why you started.
74. Never take criticisms personally.
75. Everything is difficult in the beginning.
76. Learn to love writing. Or learn to love something else.
77. Never let your failures affect your future.
78. The only way to turn your ideas into reality is to put them on paper.
79. Ideas can come from anywhere.
80. First drafts are not perfect. Your job is to perfect them.
81. Not everyone will like what you write.
82. Don’t get cocky, conceited, or condescending.
83. You must choose to never give up.
84. You cannot blame anyone or anything for your failures.
85. Being blind to your own mistakes impends your success.
86. Assume that every word you write could be your last.
87. A mind in motion tends to stay in motion.
88. Luck manifests from hard work.
89. All writers learn from trial and error.
90. You cannot rush creativity.
91. Small acts amount to great success.
92. Edit as though the entire world will read what you have written.
93. Every ambitious amateur can turn into an amazing artist.
94. Every artist is a little crazy.
95. Always leave a part of yourself on the page.
96. Genius takes work, time, and effort.
97. You tread on thin ice when you start to repeat yourself, over and over and over again.
98. In order to write anything worth reading, you have to take risks.
99. Short and sweet over long and bitter.
100. If you must express yourself to feel alive, you must keep on writing.

I do realize that writing tips number 22 and number 80 are almost exactly the same so here is an additional tip to make up for my mistake:

• When you make a mistake, own up to it. 

Fitting, isn’t it? You may be wondering if I did that on purpose. Well, I didn’t. It was a complete accident. Sorry about my previous error in judgement.

Links to similar posts:

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 2)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 3)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 4)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 5)

Until next time everyone! (Next time being about 100 or so days from now.)

Catching Errors Before And After Print

Catching an error before print is an amazing feeling. Catching an error after print is the complete opposite. Moral? Edit before, not after. Logic? You need to have written in order to have edited.

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 6)

A long overdue post on tips and tricks about writing (well, mostly).

Once again, I post these on my Facebook and Twitter as well.

Enjoy and have an awesome day.

1. All wonderful things take time to cultivate. Novels are no exceptions.
2. Be proud of what you write.
3. Shock your readers. Scare them. Make them cry. Anything. Make them feel something.
4. Writers must learn to forgive themselves.
5. Open your heart. Open your mind. Let everything into your life.
6. Give the readers a reason to read on.
7. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Don’t let a negative opinion bring you down.
8. Every writer started somewhere. Find your start, know your finish, and work hard from beginning to end.
9. Leave your readers wanting more, not less.
10. Filter everything. Filer information, voices, and opinions. Keep what’s useful and discard what isn’t.
11. If you continue to work, you will eventually succeed.
12. No piece of writing should contain unnecessary words or sentences.
13. You can fix your first draft later.
14. In the writing world, you need compliments as much as you need criticism.
15. You are a writer, not a miracle worker.
16. As confusing as grammar is, it’s even more confusing when you don’t employ proper grammar in your work.
17. Something is better than nothing.
18. Never fear making mistakes. Your fear will only hinder your creativity.
19. Write to please yourself but to satisfy your readers.
20. Make every paragraph meaningful. Make every sentence matter. Make every word magnificent.
21. When you write, you spew. When you edit, you craft.
22. Persist and you shall succeed.
23. Failure is preparation for success.
24. Anyone can write but not everyone can do it well.
25. Never underestimate the intelligence of your audience.

Links to previous posts:

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 2)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 3)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 4)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 5)

Feel free to comment down below and tell me which one resonated with you the most.

5 Things Editors Aren’t (But Sometimes Are)

What you need to know before you read this article:

1. I awoke at some ungodly hour in the morning.
2. I played with said idea in my head while semi-conscious.
3. I wrote this post while the sky was still black.

At this point you might be wondering why I’m sharing this information with you. Why in the world should you care?

Because most of my posts are written on at least 6 hours of sleep, conjured when conscious, and penned with the help of natural light.

On to matters that matter.

Editors:

• They aren’t your “fall” guy or girl. First of all, if anyone ever says to me something along the lines of, “You were my editor yet you failed to catch this error”…I’ll secretly murder you in my next book. You can’t blame your editor for anything because it’s the writer’s name that gets slapped on the front, back, and center of a book—not the editor’s. It’s your responsibility then to be an editor as much as it’s your responsibility to be a writer.
• They aren’t your friend first and foremost. Their job is to break you and your writing. Your job is not to be broken by it. If it crushes your ego to seek out advice from editors, why are you in this business? Editors are editors. While you may think they are your friends, when it comes to editing, both the writer and editor must put aside that friendship temporarily.
• They aren’t holding a gun to your head, forcing you to change something. Maybe you envision your editor doing so, but really, you’re the writer of the article. Therefore, you  must write the story the way you want it to be written.
• They aren’t holding your hand, walking you through the process. Editors weren’t put on this earth to solve all your problems.
• They aren’t miracle workers. Then again, sometimes they are.

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 5)

Sorry for the delay.

Part five of my 25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, And Authors experienced some technical issues but now everything is fine and fixed.

As always, these tips are posted on my Facebook and Twitter.

1. When you focus too much on yourself, you miss out on valuable opportunities around you.
2. You don’t read anything? You can’t write anything. You read everything? You can write everything.
3. Know where you are going before you get there.
4. Get the words on the page first. That’s your top priority.
5. The most painless way to become a better writer: read.
6. Emulate the best but don’t ever copy.
7. You learn the most through finishing things. Finish your stories, your poems, your novels.
8. Write with an audience of one in mind.
9. Unused ideas and notes don’t have to go to waste. They may serve a purpose later on.
10. Words don’t magically appear on the page—you have to put them there.
11. Never write to please.
12. Write like no one is watching.
13. Don’t be scared to ask for help, especially when first starting out.
14. I write because it is the only thing I know how to do.
15. Writing is a passion filled with agony.
16. You will learn a great deal through the act of finishing more so than only starting.
17. Don’t try to please everyone. The minute you do is the minute you’ll fail.
18. Find editors you trust. You can’t always trust what you write on the page makes sense.
19. If you don’t have a specific reason why it is there, leave it out.
20. Common sense and the writing mind are not friends. Imagination is.
21. I think more when I am writing than when I am reading yet I learn the most when I read.
22. I can’t stress the importance of titles and headlines enough. Always invest time into them.
23. The backstory should be in the back, not front and center.
24. Embrace all forms of criticism. Learn to grow from your mistakes.
25. Remember: you are a writer. Your muse lurks in your subconscious.

Links to previous posts:

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 2)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 3)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 4)

The most recent post:

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 6)

22 Reasons You Should Not Participate In NaNoWriMo

I just had to. It’s only fair I weigh the pros and cons equally.

Have you read 22 Reasons You Should Participate in NaNoWriMo?

22 reasons. NaNoWriMo talk. In a list format. All things I love.

1. You might hate it (you’re entitled to your own opinion).
2. It’s not for everybody (so by all means, work at your own pace).
3. It is work (which many people shy away from).
4. It is a time consuming activity (allotting an hour or more a day to writing).
5. It requires sacrifices (are you willing to give up TV, friends, sports, etc.?)
6. It produces crappy first drafts (unless you’re not human).
7. It is fast-paced (30 days is not much time to write a novel).
8. It can affect your sleep patterns (on different levels).
9. It rushes you (especially during the final stretch).
10. It doesn’t give you much room to breathe (if you make writing a priority).
11. It can make you grumpy (I’m warning you).
12. It may destroy your confidence levels (ouch).
13. It could make you doubt yourself (on multiple occasions).
14. It doesn’t allow for extensive editing (unless you’re a machine).
15. It is not easy (ask anybody who has tried it).
16. It is daunting (writing 50,000 words sounds like a walk in the park, right?)
17. It can seriously damage your relationships (don’t let that happen).
18. It will put other things on hold (walking the dog? feeding yourself?).
19. It adds unnecessary stress (something everyone wants more of, am I correct?).
20. It hurts everything (your brain, hands, wrists, neck, you name it).
21. It may not feel all that amazing to you (everyone’s different).

22 Reasons You Should Participate in NaNoWriMo

I love the number 22. I also love NaNoWriMo. So I figured why don’t I combine them together in a beautiful list, another thing I love by the way.

1. It’s a wonderful experience (most of the time).
2. You’re writing (oh my!).
3. You’re writing something (not everyone can say that).
4. You’re writing something you want to be writing (I hope).
5. You’ll have more than you started off with (yipee!).
6. You’re not the only one doing it (look online for support).
7. You get the fire lit longer (assuming you don’t quit after day 1).
8. You’ll get a lot out of it (trust me on this one).
9. you will get a taste of the writer’s lifestyle (assuming you don’t quit after day 1).
10. You won’t have to worry about any leftover Halloween treats (if you have a sweet tooth).
11. You’re helping the coffee industry (or whatever your drink of choice may be).
12. You’ll know Microsoft Word like its the back of your hand (after staring at it for an hour or more every day for a month).
13. You’ll be doing something in your spare time (how exciting is that?).
14. You won’t ever feel bored in November (you’ll have not time to feel this way, my friend).
15. You will appreciate every minute in your life that much more (see for yourself).
16. Your life will change but it won’t be too drastic (no one would ever ask you to forgo sleep, that’s just crazy).
17. Your life may be altered forever (imagine publishing the book you wrote for NaNoWriMo).
18. You can back out of it any time (NaNoWriMo isn’t mandatory).
19. You won’t regret this decision (you can’t regret pure bliss).
20. You may want to try it again next year (yes, again!)
21. You can tell your grandchildren about this (some bedtime story that’ll be).
22. You might come to understand its awesomeness (yay!).

Have you read 22 Reasons You Should Not Participate In NaNoWriMo?

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 4)

25 writing tips complied together from my  Facebook and Twitter.

1. Make up rules as you go. But don’t make them too rigid that you can’t break them if need be.
2. The perfect novel should reflect who you are and who you want to become.
3. Don’t suppress your most painful memories. Relive them.
4. Write about everything that has ever affected you in a way that will affect somebody else.
5. When it comes to writing, ignorance is not bliss. The more you know, the better you can become.
6. Exaggerate everything. Only then will your story be interesting.
7. Chase your dreams. You’ll never know where they’ll lead you if you don’t.
8. If you write consistently, you’re a writer. It’s as simple as that.
9. Never use too many words. It’s just as bad as not using enough words to get your point across.
10. Forget bliss. Writing is one part pain and two parts frustration.
11. Grammar isn’t a set of rules made to inflict torture. Grammar was made to simplify the English language.
12. If you are not easily distracted, you already have an advantage over most writers.
13. Writers and readers are sadists. Writers inflict pain on characters. Readers enjoy the agony.
14. Write as much as you can, whenever you are able to. But try to write when you are most productive.
15. Relying on spell check leads to doom.
16. Having a strong ending is as important as having a strong beginning.
17. Writers: you aren’t not paid by the word. So stop using unnecessary words.
18. Omit until every word serves a purpose.
19. Choose a style you like, and stick to it.
20. If you care about your credibility, avoid distracting your readers.
21. Give yourself permission to suck. Accept it.
22. Creativity must be demonstrated not stated.
23. Develop an attitude of deep skepticism about every word you write or say.
24. Write through feelings of fear and doubt.
25. People telling you that you aren’t good enough will keep you hungry.

Click on any of the links below for more writing tips:

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 2)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 3)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 5)

25 Writing Tips For Writers, Editors, and Authors (Part 6)