Sergio Said:

what are some writing a book tips?

We Answered:

Keep writing. You use different sides of your brain, handwriting versus typing, so keep working to get your ideas out. Since I don't know anything about your story, I don't know what you might need advice on. I'll include a website that has a section with a lot of great tips and well thought-out answers written by published authors and editors.

Guy Said:

Any Book Writing Tips for a Kid?

We Answered:

- Set a time limit to write every day. Like 1:00 to at least 1:30 you HAVE to write, if you go beyond that, that's great.

- Don't edit until you are done. Then edit into you can't stand to look at it, leave it alone for awhile, and then edit again. Then get the opinions of others.

- Write down everything that you hear, see, think, and so on, though out the day in a notebook.

- Outlines don't always work for a writer. Some writers love them, others don't bother with them. Try both ways to see which works best for you.

- Don't make your characters to perfect, no one likes a Mary Sue.

Sidney Said:

I'm planning on writing a book, any tips or ideas?

We Answered:

Age doesn't matter in publishing. They're looking for well-written work whether you're 9 or 90.

Since you're under-aged, your parents will have to sign any contracts for you. Get a Social Security number for tax purposes. Writing is a small business, you are the sole owner.

DO NOT submit a book until it is finished.

Go to the 808 section of your library which has all the books on writing and publishing. You need to read them all.

Then you need to read the whole library. Do specific research on your topic.

Obey YOG'S LAW: "Money flows TOWARD the writer."

This means NEVER pay to get published or to enter contests or to pay an agent. NEVER. Obey Yog's Law and you won't get ripped off.

This site is a SAFE writer's board run by pros. It is free and they can help you stay clear of the sharks in the publishing pool.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/

You don't start shopping your book around until you've gotten solid feedback on it first. AW has a Share Your Work forum where other writers can give constructive crits.

Feedback, beta readers, polished, and re-polished, a book has to be the best you can make it before you send it out. I thought my first was ready, but two years of rejections and rewrites taught me better.

(It did sell, I landed a multi-book contract.)

But you can't be in a hurry, or assume you'll get paid a fortune. The Brenda Hiatt link below will give you a general idea about book advances. Always assume you will get the lowest number. You'll be the newbie on the block. It takes time to work up to getting the real money.

STAY AWAY FROM PUBLISHAMERICA. They are the BIGGEST ripoff site of them all. They say they're free and don't want your money, but that is a LIE. You end up buying overpriced copies of your own book!

They will not put your book into a store--but lie and say that you are supposed to do that. Most writers submit their book, and whether it is good or horrible, it's quickly "accepted," (they take everything!) and then you never hear from the poor writer again. Your rights are tied up for seven years!

Just google "publish America" + "scam" and find all the writers who got ripped off by them. They are what is called a "print mill." you don't want anything to do with them. They ruin lives and careers.

If any publisher advertises on Google, it's likely a rip or a vanity house. A real publisher doesn't advertise!

Again--the 808 books at the library will help you on all this!

Get Strunk and White's ELEMENTS OF STYLE. All writers have that book and use it.

Writing is like playing the piano, you don't get good at it unless you practice every day.

Helpful sites:

http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/

http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/twentyworst.h…

http://www.sfwa.org/writing/

http://www.vampwriter.com/FAQ-WRITING.ht…

http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/

http://howpublishingreallyworks.blogspot…

http://www.brendahiatt.com/id2.html

And just because you've finished a book doesn't mean it's commercially viable. Pro writers finish a book and start writing another. It keeps your head from exploding while you're waiting to hear back from agents and editors!

Write every day!

Elsie Said:

Any Book writing tips? I'm writing a book.?

We Answered:

Oh my gosh, I love you. Asking for advice is something that ALL writers should do, regardless of skill! Here's my tips:

1. Reread your work. It may sound good as you're typing it down, but when you reread it you might find it sounds awkward or the flow doesn't work. Fix it if that's the case. Also, rereading helps you catch spelling and grammatical errors. Which brings us to my next tip:

2. DO NOT rely on Spellcheck. Catch your own mistakes and know how the English language (or whatever language you're writing in) works. Relying on Spellcheck to help your writing will come back and bite you.

3. Increase your vocabulary! Read a lot.
For example, here's a paragraph:

Carmen sat down on the couch across Jack and set her coffee mug on the table.
"So... what are we going to do?" She said.
Jack shrugged. "Let the world end."

Now, here's a BETTER paragraph:

Carmen gingerly sat down on the tattered couch. Across from her, Jack's eyes were unreadable, calculating. Feeling more and more unsure with each passing second, she placed her cracked coffee mug on the mahogany table between them. As soon as she did, she wanted to pick it up again, have something to do with her hands.
"So... what are we going to do?" She asked, hearing her voice tremble and hating herself for it.
Jack shrugged curtly, betraying his own impatience. She tried not to squirm.
"Let the world end."

See what I mean? Vocabulary ROCKS!

4. Create complete characters.
When you're creating a character, make sure you don't just put down their name, age and what they look like. Be sure you know the answers to the following questions:

What is this person's past?
Do they have any family?
What race are they (if it's a fantasy story, they might be a mage or something)?
What do they like to do?
What do they hate doing?
What's their goal in life?
Who do they admire?
Are they happy?
What's their personality? How do they handle their emotions?
What's their favorite food? Color? Animal?
What are their strengths? How about their weaknesses?
Do they change at all throughout the story?

And on, and on, and on. KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS!

5. Create plots that make sense.
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but make sure you don't leave holes in your plot. Basically, don't explain an event by saying "Somehow, he got there just in time to save her..." or "It just HAPPENED!"

6. World-building. If your story takes place on Earth, make sure you KNOW the place you're writing about. If you're writing a story about a young girl in Venice, Italy, do RESEARCH! You don't want to make stupid, inaccurate mistakes just because you didn't feel like checking out a library book or going on Wikipedia.
If you're writing a story that doesn't take place on Earth, make sure you can answer the following questions:

What is the history of this world? Any wars?
What are all the countries called?
What's the climate? Seasons?
Futuristic or from the past?
What do the buildings look like?
Where do most people live?

And etc.

7. Have someone else read your work. Often, having a parent or a friend (fellow writers are the best, but people who don't write are fine too) read over your work is a HUGE help. They can point out things that don't make sense, don't match up, and plot holes.


I HOPE I HELPED! Thank you for asking for advice--that's awesome that you care enough about your writing to realize that you want to get better.

Freddie Said:

Where can i find good, free tips on writing a book?

We Answered:

Here of course. You'll find some good books at your library as well if you ask them to buy them:

1) Story by Robert McKee
2) Screenplay by Syd Field
3) On Writing by Stephen King

In that order.

There are also lots of other sites with tutorials on creating a story such as http://www.storyentertainment.com