Okay, so I’m not Jackie Collins or my fave, Julie Garwood. But, I have learned a plethora of tips and techniques to make my writing the best it could be. Though I don’t follow writing etiquette to the letter while writing fan fiction (as opposed to the medieval novel that I aspire to have published someday - when…don’t ask! LOL), a course in creative writing, in addition to critique groups I used to meet with once a month, has been a valuable tool in perfecting my skills.

Since I began posting fan fiction, I have been surprised with e-mails about my stories, not to mention the wonderful feedback. I’ve gotten questions about whether I write for a living as well as advice I could give on getting started. That prompted me to put together this little ‘cheat sheet’.

Please bear in mind that the following points have been taught to me through classes, how-to books and critique groups and not necessarily my sole opinion.

With that in mind……..read on. I hope you find it as helpful as I still do!

1. Read, Read, Read!!!

This is probably the biggest learning tool for new writers. I’ve been a voracious reader for years and have read various types of authors. This helped me to learn the meaning of what an author’s voice is. If someone were to rip off the cover of a Julie Garwood novel, I’d knew it was her as soon as I started reading it. Your ‘voice’ is the style in which you write – how you describe your characters, their feelings, how you use dialogue, etc. Once you learn what kind of ‘voice’ you want to convey, you’re on your way!

2. Learn Balance

You’ve just conjured up an absolutely original, mindblowing plot. However, your writing style, or, your ‘voice’, could be what keeps readers from salivating while waiting for your next chapter to be posted. Nothing is worse than long, drawn out narrarative – especially in the opening chapter or two-. The first two chapters are the most critical because this is where you grab your readers attention. How you continue after that determines if you keep their attention.

3. Show…..Don’t Tell, With Action.

The best way for me to describe this would be to give you an example with a scene. One shows and the other tells.

This one tells……

The doors to the church sanctuary opened and the bride made her way down the aisle which was lined with candles. She held onto her father’s arm with one hand while she held a bouquet of white roses in the other. Everyone in attendance gazed at her with awe, She was attired in a cream colored silk organza gown with a chiffon overlay that had hundreds of pearls and beads sewn into it. Her veil was chapel length and a piece of the sheer material covered her face, allowing her to keep her eyes on her intended and notice his smile of approval. She wished she could read his mind right this moment.

Now……..the same exact scene written in a manner that shows:

The doors to the church sanctuary opened and everyone in attendance was hushed by the site of the lovely bride. She fragrant scent of her white rose bouquet wafted through the air as she floated down the aisle on the arm of her father. The intriquitely hand sewn pearls and beads in her cream colored silk organza gown twinkled off the candlelight that lined her path. Her eyes peered through the whisper soft material of her chapel length veil as she cast her eyes of her intended who awaited her at the alter. She fervently wished she could read his mind at this moment, however, the look upon his face told her all she neeed to know.

Now….be honest. Which one makes you go zzzzzzz, and which one makes you feel as if you’re one of the wedding guests witnessing this? No doubt, the version that shows with action flows much better than the version that tells with narrarative. I’ve conveyed what the bride wore, the atmosphere of the church, the flowers, the reaction of the guests and her first look at her intended without describing it as if it were a catalog item. Incorporating a character’s looks, clothing, facial expressions, etc. with action not only gets the point across, but also makes the scene flow smoothly.

4. Show….Don’t Tell…With Dialogue

I LOVE writing dialogue – the sharper and wittier the better! Dialogue can help the reader truly interpret the character’s personality. Whether your character is a stuffy, pompous political science professor, or a cool surfer dude with an eye for the chicks, you can convey a character’s personality just by what he or she says - without even knowing what they look like. I also try to weave facial expressions, body language and observations made by the other person into a dialogue. And......always find clever words to use instead of ‘he said’ and ‘she said’. I’ll give an example of the pol-sci professor and the surfer dude:

“Young man, you need to do well on your test to pull your grade up,” the professor said. “You are not doing well in my class.”

“I know, but I didn’t think going to college in California would be this hard,” the young man said.

“Why is that?” the professor asked.

“Well, the beach, that’s why,” the young man said. “Those waves just call out to me. Since I learned to surf, I just can’t stay away from the beach. And the girls aren’t too bad either.”

The fact that the ‘dude’ is more interested in surfing and girls than school is the only thing that’s conveyed. Nothing about their personalities or expressions are revealed. Now....the same conversation, but a little more revealing:

The pompous looking professor pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and pursed his lips as he regarded his student.

“Young man, you need to do well on your test to pull your grade up,” the professor warned. “You are not doing well in my class.”

The young man jerked his head back to flip his shaggy, unkempt hair out of his eyes. “Yeah, I know professor,” the young man agreed. “But....man, I didn’t know going to school in California would be so hard.”

The professor rolled his eyes to the ceiling, which helped him to avoid looking at the young man’s concert t-shirt and loud, Hawaiian style shorts.

“And just why is that, young man?” the professor huffed out with impatience.

“Why?” the young man asked. “Isn’t it obvious professor? I mean, the beaches, the waves, the girls.”

I think you pretty much get the point in this one. Of course, the best education on how to master this is to read how other’s weave it into their craft and then practicing your own.

5. Keep Within The Element Of The Story

Whether you’re writing a novel set in medieval times (like me!), a western, or….even writing fan fiction (da Leps!), always keep within the element of your story. That means…..if you’re setting is medieval times, don’t have the hero pull up in front of the maiden’s castle in a Trans-Am! Yeah, I know…I know…a little drastic. But, you have to always keep the element and setting of the story in mind when it comes to trends, clothing styles, dialogue, etc. If you set your fan fiction back in 1979, don’t have the guys attending a Nirvana concert (okay, a little drastic again too, but you get my drift!). Also, if you’re writing Lep fiction, remember….these guys are British so incorporating American slang into their dialogue won’t fit the story too well.

I remember when writing Like Father, Like Son, Ty’s band, Crossfire, consisted of him, two British mates (Randy and Mark) and one American (Kevin). I had to be very careful with my dialogue so that Kevin’s speech and mannerisms were more American than the other three. I’m also running into the same challenge now with my story How To Tame A Rock Star with Mark being the only British member of an American rock band. I need to keep it consistent by making sure Mark sounds British and the other guys sound American.

Hey, nothing sharpens your skills more than a challenge!

6. Incorporate Factual People, Places And Things Into Your Story

There are about 3 authors on the fiction sites who’s stories really come alive and make me feel as if I’m in the room with the characters because they sometimes center a fictional story around factual people, places and things. Depending upon the era of the story, they’ll usually introduce members of other bands from that era, or have the characters eat at some famous L.A. hotspot, etc. I try to do that as often as I can. And….the ‘net is a GODSEND for finding what you need.

In my story, Icon, I had Joe and Nina visit a CD store while the band was in Baltimore for their gig. I wanted an actual place, so I typed in ‘Baltimore Record Stores’ in my search engine and found Flashback – a wonderful antique/oldies record store, which I incorporated into the story.

Factual tidbits carefully scattered here and there lends a more personal touch to the story, I always feel. Of course, when you just don’t have the time to surf the net, its perfectly okay to make something up. After all….it is fiction.

7. Be Realistic

This pretty much applies if you’re looking to write seriously for future publication. In fan fiction land – we know that anything goes (vampires anyone?)

If you’re an established author on the group who’s work is a staple amongst the readers, then you can pretty much get away with any premise. However, if you’re a new writer, and feedback is VERY important to you, then you may stand a better chance at pulling in new readers with a premise that’s more realistic.

I would never want to squash anyone’s creativity. If we all thought alike…..ho-hum. So…..if you’ve got a story brewing in your head about Joe taking up ballet, doning tights ( now there’s a visual!) and joining the company of the Nutcracker, then by all means….write it! Who knows – it just may become the hit of the fiction group – especially if its cleverly written.

However, if you doubt your writing skills, but still want to take a stab at fiction, and feedback is very important to you as a new writer, then may I suggest a story of a more softer nature (like a simple, modern day love story, perhaps?) that will draw readers in and introduce them to you and your style. Once you get an audience, and sharpen your skills along the way, then go all out with your imagination.

8. Don’t Give Up!!!

Very, very important. Keep trying. Always keep trying. As I said above, nothing is a better educator than practice. Keep reading authors who’s style you admire and try to incorporate that into your own voice.