Writing Tip #27 - Keep your Secrets

 Seriously. This is something I struggle with myself. Basically, it means don’t give away too much right away. Secrets and mystery are what keep your reader reading.

For example, in a romance, the secret is whether or not the main characters will be together in the end, or in a fantasy, it’s if they will manage to save the kingdom in time.

Those are secrets that could also be referred to as plot hooks. However, there’s a different kind as well.

Character secrets.

Hidden backstory, some strange weapon, something they’re hiding, all of it counts as a character secrets. Something that’s hidden from both the other characters and the readers. These are like the little barbs on the hook, because often, the hook is cliche. Of course the two leads will get together in a romance, that’s how romance works. But, what is she hiding? How will that affect him? What will he do when he finds out?

Secrets keep the reader engaged, pulling them ever deeper on the quest for answers. Because basically, if a reader can put down your book after the first chapter and not want to keep reading, you’ve done something wrong.

Secrets also make excellent foreshadowing, because we never know just how the secret will affect the plot.

That’s all. Give your characters beans to spill, but spill them slowly. If you spill them all at once, it’s a nasty bean mess and no one wants that.

Writing Tip #26 - Wasted Words?

 So, a couple days ago I was trawling the depths of the internet, looking for interesting tidbits of information that I can pepper into my every day dialogue. 

Now, because I look up a lot of writing prompts or whatever when I'm bored, often the algorithms that decide which oddly personal ads we see show me facts and articles that have something to do with writing. 

I came across something that stuck with me, simply because if how absurd this 'advice article' sounds. In all fairness to the author, I'm not ignoring the possibility that it was an unfortunate wording choice. The article itself wasn’t all that bad, though it didn’t really fit with the title.

Anyway, the advice was to make sure that you don’t waste your words, as a writer. To make sure your book will stand as a novel, that you’ll be able to make a full story of it, not just some Frankenstein thing that’s missing bits and has an ear where the hand should be and an arm from the top of its head. You get the idea.

That article stuck with me because of how absolutely absurd it is. Waste words? You can’t waste words. Filibuster taught us that as long as you keep reaching for the words, there will always be more to take. They might stop making sense, but saying a writer can waste words is like saying a geologist can run out of earth. It’s simply not possible.

Rant aside, I’ll explain why.

Basically, what I think the article was getting at was wasting time, which is different than wasting words. I’ve probably written more that 200,000 words in all of my stories combined, and I don’t consider a single one wasted. But, there are stories that I’m ashamed to even look at, which could be classified as a waste of the time I spent writing them. 

That’s like saying someone is a waste of carbon, as an insult. Carbon is something recyclable, something that’s always being reused. It’s the same with my stories. Yes, some of them are not that great, some are downright terrible, but none of them were a waste of time or words. Because I learned from them. I learned to spot cliche, I learned about my style, about characters, about writing as a craft. And time spent learning is never wasted.

So write your dumb idea, the one you’ve been ignoring. Waste time and words, because neither your time or your words are wasted. As long as you are writing, consider it time well spent.

So, words can’t be wasted, and neither can time. Your terrible manuscripts are still valuable, and don’t discount the time you spent on them. Writing is never a waste of time.

Writing Tip #25 - Listen to the Voices

 All right. Anyone who isn’t a writer will tell you to see a doctor if you mention hearing voices in your head.

And yes, this is fantastic advice. At some point, if you can’t tell if these voices are characters or not, definitely see a therapist. Don’t hesitate.

However, these voices are an integral part of my writing process. Lots of writers will talk about their characters taking on lives of their own, characters begging to go a certain way, against the plot. Sometimes even stealing the spotlight. Often, this goes against what you have planned.

Let me get one thing straight, though. I’m not a planner. Not by any stretch. I write with the end in mind and let the story and characters go where they will. But this is still advice that I follow myself, because those little voices in the back of your mind often see more than you can in that exact moment.

So, follow the voices. Even if it breaks your plotted story, if it smashes everything to pieces. 

The voices are a part of you that notices inconsistencies, or is honest about your main character being flat.

As an example, Jillian is currently working on the third book in her series The System. She’s been working on it for quite a while now, and when I asked her why, she told me it was because of one of her characters. Basically, one of them seemed wrong where that person was cast, so Jillian listened to that little voice. Now foreshadowing in the first book makes a lot more sense, not to mention that the series ties together a lot better.

Yes, those little voices can lead to a lot of inconvenience for you, the writer. I’ve had to recast an entire story because of one. But your story is usually better for it.

Anyway, that’s all for tip number 25. Already a quarter of the way to 100! Fantastic. If you haven’t, check out Screenshot on Amazon or as an ebook wherever you get those, and email scribbler.collective@gmail.com if you wanted a free ebook for Unidentified.