Any tips for writing fiction?

1. 59

   FlowOfThoughtposted 12 years ago

   Any tips for writing fiction?
   
   I am trying to write a science fiction story, and I have already posted the first bit of it, but I just can't get any further. I have never been very good at writing fiction.

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2. 0

   SAR2811posted 12 years ago

   Writer's block is normal. What I do when I get stuck is I put the story aside for a few days and work on something else. I have files of stories that I may or may not ever complete but I use them to work on when I am stuck on my actual project.
   
   Another thing that might help is to work on an outline. Do you know where you want your story to go? Try outlining, chapter by chapter. You don't have to follow the outline, just use it as a guide to keep your mind working forward. Finally, read what you like to write. I love writing fantasy so that's what I read.
   
   Writing is like any other skill, it needs to be nurtured. Just keep practicing your craft and you'll see you'll not only get better at it, it will get easier.

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3. 60

   tom hellertposted 12 years ago

   Foft,
   my advice is that good science fiction is akin to good science or even- "better science". when writin sci-fi my advice is  Make sure thins are plausible even in their implausibility - if you have a character develop an anti- ravity belt- give it a decent explanation- such as the belt uses gravatational waves electrifies them so that they become chared and then developsa a field of the opposite charge allowing the force enerated to counteract the existing force on the earth.
   ood scifi wrtin lies in the "sci". good fiction therefore lies in believable fiction.
   if you look at fiction as a bit of a "lie" just remember the best lies have enouh truth that you can't really tell the difference...plausible deniability, ood luck i'd love to see what you already had-not that i am a good writer but my imaination has been knon to ru wild inspiring others to write "gooder " yes "gooder" stuff- HA.
   TH
   
   
   SAR's advice below is spot on as well

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4. 59

   GuamLadyposted 12 years ago

   I have been writing for forty years. Consider your plot and get a general idea of your main characters. Most importantly, figure out what type of ending you want. Will it be a possible continuation to another book or is it a one time thing? Most people write an outline. In one of my creative writing classes the teacher gave us a form to fill out where we considered each character as in individual and built on their character, their likes and dislikes, how they dressed, what type of music they likes, what they drove, where they lived, what sort of pet(s) they had. By the time I finished, I had a pretty good idea of my characters and how they would fit into the story.
   Remember that the first time is a rough draft. Don't try to be perfect with it. There is more than enough time to go back and tweak it. You need to get the story line down then consider any changes you might like to make.
   One piece of advice, where Science Fiction and even Fantasy are concerned: Don't get too weird. Imagination is a wonderful thing but it can carry you away. Make sure it will carry your reader as well.

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