WRITING TIPS

Whether you are writing a novel, a play, or a short story certain guidelines apply:

 1) In the first draft let it all hang out. Don’t try and get the structure right the first time. Establish who is telling the story and stay in their point of view.


2) Introduce your major conflict and characters by page one if possible.


3) Develop character histories. Know your characters as intimately as you know a friend or lover. Your plot will come from your characters.


4) Don’t write a story because you think it will sell; write it because it’s the story you absolutely have to tell.


5) Keep your readers curious about what will happen next. Do this by creating questions in the reader’s mind.


6) Make sure your dialogue does more than just give information. Dialogue should be true to your character.


7) Exclude irrelevant details.


8) Write as if you’ve never been hurt or rejected. Write with your heart and your brain.


Try this exercise: Write a minimum of two, a maximum of five, double-spaced pages without stopping about some tangible goal your main character wants, and why he, or she wants it.

 

 

ARTICLES FOR WRITERS:

1. The Unspoken Rules of How The World of Agents and Publishing Works, and how you can improve your chances of success in it. (PDF File)

 

 

 

 


Carol Roper is an award-winning writer who has written for and worked with Academy Award-winning actor, Robin Williams. She has taught writing at the University of Southern California, and at the University of California, San Diego, Extension. Her first novel, God's Bread (Baked Fresh Daily) was published by Emerson Press in 2000, to generally favorable reviews. She is a supporting member of the American Academy of Poets, a member of the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology and a lifetime member of the Writer's Guild of America. Her plays include: "Memorial Day Weekend," "Alligators," and "Walking Backwards Through Time." She is available to speak at your writer's conference or group.

 

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