Tip #312: Sneaky writers

I am a sneaky writer. I like to think of writing less as something that should be done (and done with a capital “W”) and more as something sort of naughty that I absolutely should not be doing because there are other capital letter (and lame) things to do like Cleaning.

http://www.bridgetzinn.com/blog/?p=1245

Tip #203: Start with the antagonist

Conventional wisdom: The hero drives the story.
This is correct, but it's the end point of the plotting: it's what the audience see.  The antagonist is the part of the story that will cause all of the surprises in the story.  The more of the opponant that's hidden, the more plot you have: the more danger, the more surprises and reveals you can spring upon character and audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_mZ-XokOTg

Again, this tip has been paraphrased.

Tip #198: Write for the love of it

this year I’m setting a daily writing goal. My goal is this: “Every day, I will write for the love of it.”... The idea behind this is simple: if you’re having fun doing something, you tend to do it more and more.

http://www.davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=51

Tip #194: Purposes of the first draft

story development separates into two sequential realms: the search for story… following by the rendering of story.

That first realm – the search for your story – can happen in many ways. It can happen in your head. It can happen through a series of drafts. It can happen through an anal-retentive and madly obsessive process of story planning. Or some combination of the above...

an effective... story {is} written in context to a full understanding of the Big Picture from the very first page.

http://storyfix.com/a-mindset-shift-that-can-get-you-published

Tip #143: Play with your tools

experiment, write by hand, write on different types of paper, write using crayons or whatever medium you want and see what happens...

http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/07/video-hannu-rajaniemi-talks-about-mathematics-and-writing-fiction/

Tip #99: Gold

Gold comes out of the ground dirty and ugly. It is by going through the fire that it is purified and made beautiful.

http://www.epic-fantasy.com/

The metaphor can be applied to characters and story.

Tip #96: Resolving conflicts

I tended to resolve... conflicts too early and too easily. Because my characters lived in the imaginary world inside my head, the conflict they experienced made me uncomfortable, and I wanted to relieve them of this discomfort. Tension and {character} frustration, however, keeps readers turning pages.

http://writerunboxed.com/2011/03/14/tough-lessons-from-a-debut-novelist-part-1/

Tip #92: Work ethic

the really successful people seem to be the ones who mix a good measure of work ethic with a good measure of talent or skill or craft or whatever you want to call it.

http://www.adventuresinscifipublishing.com/2011/02/aisfp-113-writing-excuses/

The podcast mentioned David Farland's method of keeping himself going:
Think of the people slaving away in third world countries and ask yourself "can I write another page right now?"
Brandon Sanderson imagines a "phantom cubicle" chasing him - if it catches up, he'll have to get a "real" job.

Tip #91: Living with the story

story ideas... lose their punch over time in your own mind. It’s not until you get them in front of fresh eyes, or pitch them to new ears, that you realize, remember, or understand for the first time in a lightning-strike epiphany that, yes, you’ve really got something.

http://davidanaxagoras.com/2011/03/14/the-joke-is-still-funny/

Tip #84: The loss of potential

Writing is the act of collapsing the... potential of the blank paper sheet down to a single narrative... That’s why some people never get the courage to write their story: they can’t deal with that loss of potential.

http://www.garethlpowell.com/collapsing-the-wave-function/

This is one of the things that most frequently blocks me.

Tip #74: On the dangers of worldbuilding

Once upon a time, I was really diligent about my worldbuilding. I painstakingly wrote everything out. I catalogued every character’s height, weight, age, looks, religion, interest, blah, blah, blah. I had whole file folders full of crap. But all that happened was that instead of writing, I’d spend years creating character cards and fake botany notebooks. I suppose that was great for Tolkien, but I’ve always wanted to write more than a couple books, and create more than one world.

http://www.rantingdragon.com/interview-with-gods-war-author-kameron-hurley/

She goes on to say that she now writes a setting-light first draft and layers the worldbuilding in during revision.

Tip #66: Character-driven story

Most of my stories start with an idea, which usually consists of a person in a situation:  a woman who’s the daughter of superheroes, a werewolf who’s a talk radio host.  The process of writing the story is figuring out how that person got into that situation, and what comes out of it.  The situation... defin{es} the character... What had to happen, what did that person have to do and be like to be in that position?  And how does that situation change that character?  Where is she likely to go next, based on the decisions she’s making in response to that situation?  It’s like an oil painting — you keep adding colors and layers until the picture shines through.

http://www.genreality.net/trying-to-explain-characterization

Tip #65: Remember...

creativity needs stamina and energy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00d5vqc (Interview with Ursula LeGuin)

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 #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