Tips for writing

Written by♟Marbles♟

First-Use descriptive words!

Sure, your character might have said something; but how did they say it?

"You-you can't do that. You aren't...that evil...are you?" Hunter said, shocked.

Don't get me wrong, that is still a good sentence. But compare it to:

"You-you can't do that. You aren't...that evil...are you?" Hunter spoke, disbelief slowly forming in his voice.

Same thing, but way more descriptive. If you want replacements (ex: spoke instead of said), I will leave some at the bottom of the article.

MORE EXAMPLES:

Hunter ran, not looking behind him. Whatever was there behind him, he had to outrun it.

Compared to:

Hunter ran, stumbling, not daring to look behind him. Whatever was there, whatever was behind him, he had to outrun it.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:

Tears fell from Hunter's eyes, and his friends tried to comfort him.

"I...I can't believe she's gone..." Hunter said.

Compared to:

Tears fell from Hunter's eyes, wetting his shirt, as his friends tried to comfort him.

"I...I can't believe she's gone..." Hunter said softly, his voice wobbling.

Second- Keep your readers hooked.

Imagine: you're reading a book, and the chapter ends. But the ending...it's just an ending. Nothing to make you want to keep reading.

(Ending a chapter)

The leaves fell from the trees as the group walked.

"This might be the end. For me. For us," Luz spoke the last words softly and carefully, trying to hide how scared she was in her mind.

Amity looked over at Luz, and gave a bit of a smile. "I'm glad to be here with you, at the end of it all," she looked away and chuckled. The others looked at them, and thought about saying something, but let them have their moment. But the forest shook, knocking the group to the ground.

"It's time," Gus looked at the others, a determined gleam in his eyes.

"Its time for a final breath. His or ours," Willow breathed in slowly, as the rest faced the hilltops.

And the end had begun.

That's just an example. You have to keep your readers hooked for them to keep reading, which, as a writer, is the goal. Try ending with dialogue that will move the story along. Like if your character is receiving a phone call about, lets say, being broken up with, you could end the chapter like this:

The phone rang, and Emma looked to see who it was. It was Josh. She smiled widely, and picked up the phone.

"What's up?" Emily spoke first.

"We...we need to talk," Josh said, with uncertainty.

Emily let him talk, but wished she didn't. Her heart sank.

"I'm breaking up with you."

(END CHAPTER)

End with either dialogue or action, as it will make for a better action.

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