Tip #51: The setting

when I think back on the books that grabbed me as a young reader and made me want to become a writer—from Jane Eyre, to the stories of J.D. Salinger, to My Antonia—I now recognize the extent to which the characters in these books were shaped by setting. And the settings were as vividly detailed and idiosyncratic as the characters who peopled them.

http://www.glimmertrain.com/b41watrous.html

Tip #50: Stakes: Don't Go Too High Too Fast

{If t}ensions can't rise because the stakes can never increase... there's nowhere to for the story to go... escalating stakes is a sure way to suck a reader in.

Mixing up the types of stakes is good, as it gives you the ability to pace your story so things keep getting worse and worse... save your biggest risk for the climax, and... build up to that. Waves of low to high stakes, peaks and valleys like a roller coaster.

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2010/12/up-up-and-away-raising-stakes.html


Also see: Low Stakes, Medium Stakes and High Stakes.

Tip #49: Characters in denial

Readers want to follow a character who is smart and perceptive... putting a character in obvious denial so that you can layer in Something That We All Know Will Be Important Later is not the way you’ll earn sympathy and respect for your fictional people. Readers see right through that.
here’s an idea: don’t call the character’s attention to it in such an obvious way.

The art of fiction is the act of making the implausible seem plausible and relatable to readers.

http://kidlit.com/2011/01/24/characters-in-denial/

Tip #48: Should they be yawning?

Do an emotional pass… not for the protagonist, but for the audience. Go through each scene in your script and ask, “What do I want the audience to feel?”. If you can’t answer, the scene’s probably either muddled or unnecessary.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/ #507

Tip #47: Confound expectation

readers... know how this stuff is supposed to go, so use that against them.

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2009/04/tah-dah-big-reveal.html

Tip #46: Showing setting from the start

There are three things worth bearing in mind when a character enters a new location/setting:
1. The contrast between the new location and the character's previous physical location.
2. How the new location fits in with the character's previous experience, and their expectations of the location before they entered it.
3. The character's personality and focus (priorities, how they will react).

H R Filmore's Reminders To Self, January 2011

Tip #45: Everyone's different

Most writing teachers advise you write first drafts quickly with very little self-editing along the way. And yet… some people function better if they do a little editing even in the first draft.

http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/11/comparison-doesnt-work.html

Tip #44: Finding the antagonist

Some questions to ask...
-Who or what has the ability to stop the protag?
-Why are they trying to stop them?
-Who or what has the ability to make the big [bad] thing happen?
-Why do they want to?

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/05/i-have-idea-now-what.html

Tip #43: Surviving a writing career

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got about surviving a writing career was: celebrate everything!

http://www.stephanieburgis.com/blog/celebrations-and-competitions.php

Tip #42: Learning from other authors

Some authors excel in creating labyrinthine mysteries, or plots that astonish, or, like Rowling, are geniuses in audience analysis... one key to deepening your art as a writer is to learn to see the strengths in others’ works. Sometimes, the beauty in another artist’s work isn’t apparent, or maybe it’s something that just doesn’t interest you. No matter. Study it and try to learn from it anyway.

David Farland’s Daily Kick in the Pants—Deepening Your Art - 20th January 2011

NB He does add that " not every novel is worthy of deep study".

Tip #41: Writing the middle

keep asking, "what happens next?" and "what goes wrong?" They'll never lead you astray.
Even if they will lead your protag astray.

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2009/04/plot-thickens.html

Tip #40: Character Voice

[Character v]oice is...a consistent way of expressing him or herself through actions, dialogue, internal thoughts, etc...  attitude. Without one, your character is going to read like a newspaper article

http://www.mywritingblog.com/2011/01/does-your-character-have-character.html

Tip #39: Step away from the screen...sometimes.

I think it's a real misconception that writers are only working when they're writing. In fact, I'd argue that most of my best and difficult work is done AWAY from the computer. What really helps me is to go for a run or walk the dog and just let my brain go free.

http://www.allisonwinn.com/ask-allison/2011/1/11/combating-writing-blahs.html

Tip #38: The Outline

A novel outline is a story plan...  the easiest way to think of it is as a story to-do list.

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2007/09/novel-outlining-101.html

Tip #37: Three types of plot

there are basically three kinds of plots:
A conflict: Two people or forces in opposition to each other. This can be an internal conflict as well as an external conflict
A mystery: Where some piece of information needs to be found out: the name of the murderer, the location of an object on a quest
And a lack: Where something is missing from the protagonist's life at the beginning, and it is earned or fulfilled by the end.

http://www.cherylklein.com/id38.html

She goes on to say that one of the reasons she believes the Harry Potter series works so well is that it has all three, as well as individual plots for each of the books:

The conflict: Harry vs. Voldemort
The mystery: Why Voldemort couldn't kill baby Harry, and how the grown-up Harry can eventually defeat him
And the lack: Harry going from not having friends or family to being surrounded by them at the end of Book 7

Tip #36: Sometimes it's better to tell...

Sometimes it’s better to tell instead of show...
let’s just say that a lot of convoluted, cliche stuff happens when a writer desperately tries to avoid telling (like hammering hearts and foot-tapping gestures, instead of just saying, “She was nervous,” or “He hated when she was late,” or whatever).

 http://kidlit.com/2010/06/23/when-to-tell-instead-of-show/

Tip #35: On critiques...

Trust the intuition of your readers to know where something doesn’t work – but don’t trust their advice on how to change/fix it.

http://writeanything.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/21-tips-for-writers-of-all-ilks/

Tip #34: Naked in the middle of the woods

Feel free to take every amount of support and help away from your character until you’ve left him or her standing in the middle of the woods completely naked in twenty below temperatures. But do this one layer at a time.

http://fictiongroupie.blogspot.com/2011/01/writing-teen-angst-guest-post-by-author.html

Tip #33: When to stop editing

How do you know when to stop rewriting? Ask yourself:
A) Is it getting better with each draft?
B) Do I still care?
If you answered in the negative for either question, it’s time to step away and reevaluate.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/

Tip #32: If it's awesome...

If it is awesome, and your readers like it, write it.

http://johndbrown.com/2010/05/excellent-advice-from-author-larry-correia/

Tip #31: Introducing your characters

Show them in the act of attempting to achieve a goal, prevent something bad from happening, et cetera... I don’t really care what it is, just show them trying.
The conflict itself forces characters to respond. In watching their responses, we learn about them.
Create mysteries about your characters... don’t explain. Let us wonder.
illustrate a personality trait that is at the heart of the arc you’ll be putting that character through.

http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/how-to-establish-your-characters-openings

Tip #30: Never give up on an idea

Never give up on an idea. File it away for later, and you may find the missing piece of the puzzle comes to you in time.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/

and a bonus tweet from @Merc_hyn_di:   

Dear self, it helps to have notes that actually tell you how to resolve your own plot, when you want to come back to a story a year later.

(5:25 AM Jan 2nd, 2011)

Tip #29: Generating Ideas

Generating ideas is easy: open a blank document and write down everything you can think of that you personally enjoy in other people’s writing. Use screenplays, novels or any other kind of fiction. Be as specific as you like.
Now read over the list. Maybe mix and match a few entries. You’ll be amazed how many new ideas hit you.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/

Tip #28: Is your conflict engaging?

There are many ways to hook a reader who opens your book--a great cover, a catchy title, luscious descriptions, an endearing character portrait, a captivating hook, and so on.
Yet all too soon, much of how well the story grabs a reader will depend upon whether your conflict is engaging...
two main strategies that we can use to introduce conflicts... Think of them as notes on a scale: A) mystery, B) conflict... we might go with a line like this: A, A, A, B. A, A, A, B. In this example we might create a sense of mystery for five pages to lead to the revelation of a major conflict—which in turn leads to more mysteries and an even greater conflict in chapter two.
But of course you can create any variation

David Farland's Daily Kick in the Pants - Opening Strategies, 10th May 2010

Tip #27: What is conflict?

Conflict, in novel-writing terms, is any situation in which a character’s goals are impeded by something. Could be an explicit antagonist trying to mess up the protagonist’s plans. Could be a physical obstacle, a raging river that was only marked as a stream on the map. It could be a situation, not enough dinner to feed the family and the surprise guest/business associate the thoughtless husband brought home. The obstacle could be internal, as in the interviewee’s lack of knowledge of how to get around the streets of Chicago.

http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/how-to-establish-your-characters-openings


Also see: Tip #2: The Six Standard Antagonists

Tip #26: Just when your heroes are celebrating...

Take a cue from videogames and slasher flicks and give your antagonist a ‘final form’. Just when the protagonist thinks the bad guy’s defeated, bring them back as the worst, most threatening version of themselves.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/

Tip #25: High Stakes

High stakes have consequences that will severely change the protag's life. The decisions made have far-reaching consequences and failing here will change who that protag is. Common high stakes include choices where the protag must make a sacrifice about something they care deeply about... It's about how that choice and the consequences of that choice will irrevocably change the protag forever.

Given example:  choosing to walk away from someone you love because it's the only way to save their life.

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2010/12/up-up-and-away-raising-stakes.html