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20 Writing Tips To Improve Your Craft

This document provides 20 tips for improving writing skills. It begins by explaining that writing is a powerful tool that can change lives, and some find it difficult to find the right words or start writing. The tips then cover various aspects of writing like planning, outlining, introducing conflict early, controlling pacing, fine-tuning dialogue, showing rather than telling, revealing the right amount of information, considering themes, point of view, and making writing a regular practice. The overall message is that following these tips can help writers hone their craft and effectively tell their stories.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
175 views26 pages

20 Writing Tips To Improve Your Craft

This document provides 20 tips for improving writing skills. It begins by explaining that writing is a powerful tool that can change lives, and some find it difficult to find the right words or start writing. The tips then cover various aspects of writing like planning, outlining, introducing conflict early, controlling pacing, fine-tuning dialogue, showing rather than telling, revealing the right amount of information, considering themes, point of view, and making writing a regular practice. The overall message is that following these tips can help writers hone their craft and effectively tell their stories.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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20 Writing Tips to Improve

Your Craft
“The pen is mightier than the sword.” Writer Edgar Bulwer-Lytton made this keen
observation nearly 200 years ago, but it remains just as true today. Writing is one of
the most powerful forms in existence, and a simple story can change countless lives
— which is why so many of us choose to be writers in the first place.

But sometimes it can be difficult to find the right words, to tell the story the way you
want, or to start writing in the first place. That’s why we’ve compiled these 20
essential writing tips for writers like you: artists who want to hone their craft to
perfection, so they can tell their stories effectively to the world.

Some of these tips are narrative-related, while others are more about the mentality and
setting you need in order to write. But all have one crucial thing in common: if you
take them to heart, they’ll help you become a much better writer — and maybe even
pen the book of your dreams.

If you prefer your tips in watchable form, check out this video on great writing tips
that no one else will tell you.
1. Even pantsers need to plan
Let’s begin with an age-old question: are you a plotter or a pantser?

If you’ve never heard these terms before, allow us to explain. Pantsers are writers


who “fly by the seat of their pants,” i.e. start writing without preparing too much and
simply trust that everything will work out. At the other end of the spectrum
are plotters, who plan and outline extensively before they begin to write.

Which is the better way forward? Well, it’s different for everyone — what works for
you may not necessarily work for another writer you know.

However, experience has taught us that a little bit of planning goes a long
way. That’s why we always advise some form of preparation, even if it’s just a few
nuggets of your plot, before you dive into writing. So create an outline today, if you
haven't already!
2. Keep your outline in mind
Once you’ve prepared that outline, it’s important to actually use it. This may seem
obvious, but it's seemingly one of the hardest-to-remember writing tips out there!

Many writers find themselves led astray by subplots and secondary characters,
wandering into rambling chapters that don’t really go anywhere. Then when they try
to get back to the main plot, they find they’re already too far gone.

Keeping your outline in mind at all times will help you avoid these disastrous
detours. Even if you stray a little, you should be able to look at your outline and
articulate exactly how you’ll get back to what you planned.

This is especially crucial late in the writing process, when it can be hard to remember
your original vision — so if you have doubts about your ability to remember your
outline, definitely write it down.

3. Introduce conflict early


Of all the core elements in your story, conflict is perhaps the most important to
emphasize. Conflict lies at the heart of every good narrative, so make sure readers
know what your conflict is within the first few chapters!

The best way to do this is through an early inciting incident, wherein the main
character has a revelation and/or becomes involved in something big. For example,
in The Hunger Games, the inciting incident is Katniss volunteering for the Games —
which kicks off her personal and political conflict with the Capitol.

Finally, remember that there are many different types of conflict. So if you have no
idea what your conflict, it’s probably just unconventional. For instance, your conflict
might be one that unfolds within your narrator (character vs. self), or against some
larger force (like character vs. technology). Once you do figure it out, try to introduce
it early!

4. Control the pacing


Nothing ruins a good book like poor pacing. So make sure you control the
pacing in your story, lest readers lose interest and put down your book in frustration!

In order to combat slow pacing, you’ll need to increase the tempo by:

A) Cutting down lengthy sentences and descriptions, and


B) Increasing action and dialogue.

The first strategy works for one simple reason: it gets rid of filler and fluff. In extreme
cases, you may have to cut a great deal of exposition in order to get to the beating
heart of your story. (See writing tip #18 to help you with this.)

As for the latter, it might seem like adding more content is counterintuitive to a


quicker pace. But because action and dialogue move the story forward in a concrete
manner, you can always rely on them to improve slow pacing.

5. Fine-tune your dialogue


Speaking of dialogue, it's pretty critical to most stories, both in terms of plot and
drawing in readers. Indeed, a conversation between characters is usually much more
impactful than a narrator relaying similar information.

But dialogue loses its impact if the conversation goes on for too long — so for better,
sharper dialogue, be concise. Say you’re writing a story in which two characters have
an argument. You might be tempted to go on for paragraphs to convey emotion,
tension, and meaning, but all this can fit into just a few sentences. Like so:
“Nice of you to show up. What were you doing, if not getting groceries?”
“Thanks for the warm reception. I had a meeting. Kind of an important one.”
For more dialogue-specific writing tips, check out this post — or the video below!

6. Show, don’t tell


In a similar vein, while you may have already heard this advice, it bears
repeating: show, don’t tell as often as possible. For those who aren’t really sure what
that means, it’s easiest for us to, well, show you! Here’s a passage from Sally
Rooney’s Normal People that exemplifies this rule:

He wakes up just after eight. It’s bright outside the window and the carriage is
warming up, a heavy warmth of breath and sweat. Minor train stations with
unreadable names flash past… Connell rubs his left eye with his knuckles and sits up.
Elaine is reading the one novel she has brought with her on the journey, a novel with
a glossy cover and the words "Now a Major Motion Picture" along the top.
As you can see, it’s pretty hard to completely eliminate telling from your prose — in
fact, the first sentence in this passage could qualify as “telling.” But the rest is
“showing,” as it paints an evocative picture of the scene: the bright, warm carriage in
the train that's rushing past other stations, the girl reading the glossy novel in the
opposite seat.

If you can use all five senses to convey the scene, all the better. Tell us not just what
the central character sees, but also what they hear, smell, taste, and feel in order to
truly immerse the reader in the scene.

7. But don’t reveal TOO much


While you want your scene-by-scene descriptions to be as “showy” as possible, don’t
reveal too much to readers about your plot and characters. This is the idea
behind Hemingway's “Iceberg Theory,” which posits that you should only provide
readers with “the tip of the iceberg” — the most essential part of the story.

Many writers create elaborate histories for their characters, or have long-reaching
plans for them beyond their current works. But readers only need to know the “here
and now,” so to speak. Giving them too much information will overwhelm them, and
likely cause them to put your book down in favor of something simpler.

So while you might include a bit of backstory or foreshadowing every so often, it’s
best to keep most of this info to yourself. This also works on another level, in that you
can reveal tantalizing drips of information as the story progresses, which
will pique readers’ interest rather than lose it. (Two writing tips for the price of one!)

8. Consider your themes


On a related note, the underwater part of the “Hemingway iceberg” not only consists
of backstory, but also important themes. This is another aspect to contemplate during
the writing process: what are you trying to say about society and/or the human
condition? And how can you convey those themes in a subtle yet effective way?

Common literary themes include love, loss, and the importance of doing the right
thing. Your themes will depend on your genre and subject material, but they may also
relate closely to your personal beliefs and experiences. Try to embrace this, as writing
what you know is a great way to infuse your story with genuine emotion.

9. Be careful with POV


Your narrator is your reader’s gateway into the story, so be careful with point of
view. Don’t make your narrator’s voice too specific, as they need to speak in an
accessible and relatable way for readers — and a non-stereotypical way if they happen
to speak in a certain dialect. (For help with this, you might consider getting a
sensitivity reader.)

Also remember that, while omniscient narration is the most flexible way to tell your
story, it also requires the most discipline as an author. An omniscient narrator can
easily move too rapidly among storylines, causing mental whiplash for readers.

To avoid this, remember our tip about having your outline in mind at all times! That
way, even if you have an omniscient narrator, they shouldn’t get too far off track.

10. Write as often as you can


Now we’re getting into the more process-based writing tips. Write as much as
possible is one of those tips you’re surely tired of hearing, but the reason it’s so
common is because it works!

The only way you’re ever going to finish writing a book is by sitting down
and writing it, so work on your story as often as you can. Write whenever and
wherever you have a bit of downtime — on the bus, in a long line at the grocery store,
waiting for your laundry, etc. It might feel strange to write on your phone rather than
on a laptop at your desk, but you’ll get accustomed if you do it often enough.

If you can't figure out what to write, we have some awesome writing prompts, writing
exercises, and even writing scholarships (if you're a student) to help you out! You can
also check out these great opening lines, or watch the video below to inspire you.

11. Ask yourself questions


One way to ensure you’re doing your best, most creative work is to question yourself
constantly. It’s easy to get complacent with your writing, even if you’re technically
meeting your word count goals. But if you’re always challenging yourself, you’ll see
every bit of potential in your story and fulfill it as you progress.

A few good questions to ask yourself might be:


 Have I given my characters realistic motivations that manifest throughout the story?
 How does each scene contribute to either character development or plot?
 Is there a big reveal, and if so, am I building toward it sufficiently?
 Does the POV/narration style feel true to the story I’m telling?

12. Write now, edit later


That said, don’t challenge yourself so much you become too paralyzed to write. When
in doubt, just skip over it, or write a crappy version of it for now. Write now, edit
later is the approach of countless authors, and if it works for them, it can work for
you too!

We won’t really touch on editing here, since this is a list of writing tips, not editing
tips. But if you’re interested in the “later” part, you can check out this guide on how to
edit a book. And remember: you don't have to go it alone — the Internet is chock full
of writing groups willing to give you constructive criticism, not to mention great
editing tools to get the job done.

13. Read your work out loud


Many of the best writers' and editors' writing tips include reading aloud what you
write in order to check it for inconsistencies and awkward phrasing. This tactic
particularly helps weed out long, unwieldy sentences, and it's a godsend when you're
working out how to write dialogue that sounds true to your characters..

For bonus points, you might even stage a reading with a group of friends (or fellow
writers) where each person reads the dialogue of a different character. This will give
your writing more “distance” and help you see its flaws more easily. If you do stage a
reading, remember to take notes, so you can remember what to fix afterward!
14. Make it short and sweet
As Polonius said, brevity is the soul of wit, so keep your writing as short and sweet
as you can. This will both entice readers and help you avoid purple prose, which
tends to be a dealbreaker for readers and agents alike.

Of course, if you’re writing literary fiction, you do want your writing to sound
intelligent. How can you do this without going on for paragraphs at a time? The
answer is by making strong word choices, especially when it comes to verbs. Don’t
dilute your story with adverb-y sentences — get down to business and tell us what the
characters are doing.

15. Get rid of distractions


Yes, this is probably one of the hardest writing tips to follow — especially for those
of us who enjoy working from noisy coffee shops and taking frequent Netflix breaks.
But the more you eliminate distractions, the better your writing will become. Here
are some ideas on how to enter deep focus mode:

 Write on a computer with no WiFi


 Use the Pomodoro technique
 Set your phone to airplane mode or put it in a different room
 Work in a quiet space, like your local library
 Avoid working alongside friends, unless they really do increase your accountability
(but be honest with yourself about this!)

16. Work through crises of confidence


In every writer’s life, there comes a point where they second-guess their entire
endeavor. This will no doubt happen to you, too — maybe you’ll notice a major plot
hole halfway through, a theme you have no idea how to incorporate, or you'll simply
hit a creative wall.

Fear not: every writer who’s ever completed a book has gotten through this. But how
can you work through such writerly crises without bashing your head against the
wall?

If you ask us, the best solution is to return to your early notes and original outline.
Look back to see if there’s anything there that can help you — you may have
forgotten about some critical component, or it may help you see things in a new light.

And if that doesn’t work, you might just need some time away from this particular
project. Take a break for a day or two, then come back to it with fresh eyes. But
whatever you do, don’t give up! Remember, every writer’s been through this same
thing. Think of it as your initiation, and refuse to let it break you.
17. Listen to feedback
Now for another one of those writing tips that we all struggle with. Throughout the
process of writing, and definitely after you’re finished, you should share your work
with other people: your friends, family, writers’ groups (both in person and on the
Internet), and your editor(s).

Accepting and actioning critical feedback is one of the most difficult parts of being
a writer. Yet it’s also one of the most important skills to have. Because the feedback
you receive from friends and beta readers is the only window you have into other
people’s views — until you publish and it's too late.

So try not to view criticism as harsh, but as helpful. It might just save you from
literary infamy later! On that note…

18. Kill your darlings


Sometimes you’ll pen a passage that’s so beautiful, so nuanced, so masterfully
constructed that you want to frame it — but it doesn’t really contribute anything to the
larger work. It’s a distraction, and you know in your heart that your book would be
better off without it.

What to do now? You probably know the answer, even if you don’t want to admit it:
you have to kill your darlings. This most often refers to removing an irrelevant or
otherwise distracting passage, but it may also be your title, an element of your
narration, or even an entire character.

In any case, if it doesn’t add to the story, consider dropping it. Of all our writing tips,
this one is perhaps the most important for writers of short stories and flash fiction,
since you don’t have any room to waste! Remember, you can always save it to re-use
later.
19. Just keep writing
How do prolific, successful authors manage to turn out so many books? Basically, by
keeping calm and carrying on. Stephen King writes 2,000 words every single day,
even on holidays. Jane Austen wrote each day just after breakfast without fail. Kafka
wrote in the wee hours of the morning, barely sleeping as a result.

Now, Jane Austen never had a smartphone distracting her, so that was kind of an
unfair advantage. But you do still need to at least attempt a similar lifestyle, and keep
writing with as much consistency and focus as possible!

This is one of the best writing tips we can give any author, fiction or non-fiction,
short-form or long. Remember that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and keep your head
down until you hit that final blessed page.
20. Keep publishing in mind
Last but certainly not least on this list of writing tips, we’ll cover the potential
of publishing your book once it’s finally finished. Though it's the final step in the
process, thinking about it as you write can really motivate you! Not to mention it's
good to have some idea of your plan when you cross that finish line.

For example, if you go the traditional publishing route, you should consider how you
might pitch your book to agents. What makes your story unique, and why would they
want to represent it? If you start writing with the aim to publish, you can consciously
highlight these elements in the story.

On the other hand, if you’re thinking about self-publishing, the adventure truly does
begin once you’ve finished the manuscript! After a round or two of editing and getting
a book cover, you should be set to put your book up on Amazon and start selling.

There are pros and cons to both these sides. Luckily, if you’ve gotten to this point, the
hard part is over; you’ve managed to write the book of your dreams, and now what
you do with it is up to you!

And if you haven't quite gotten there yet, know that it's never too late. Writing is a
lifelong challenge, but it's also one of the most rewarding things you can pursue. So
go forth and tell the story you've always wanted to tell — we believe in you. ✍

20 Writing Tips from Fiction Authors


Writing success boils down to hard work, imagination and passion—and then some
more hard work. iUniverse Publishing fires up your creative spirit with 20 writing tips
from 12 bestselling fiction authors.
Use these tips as an inspirational guide—or better yet, print a copy to put on your desk,
home office, refrigerator door, or somewhere else noticeable so you can be constantly
reminded not to let your story ideas wither away by putting off your writing.

Tip 1: "My first rule was given to me by TH White, author of The Sword in the Stone and
other Arthurian fantasies and was: Read. Read everything you can lay hands on. I
always advise people who want to write a fantasy or science fiction or romance to stop
reading everything in those genres and start reading everything else from Bunyan to
Byatt." — Michael Moorcock

Tip 2: "Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it,
even the people who are most important to you." — Zadie Smith

Tip 3: "Introduce your main characters and themes in the first third of your novel. If you
are writing a plot-driven genre novel make sure all your major themes/plot elements are
introduced in the first third, which you can call the introduction. Develop your themes
and characters in your second third, the development. Resolve your themes, mysteries
and so on in the final third, the resolution." — Michael Moorcock

Tip 4: "In the planning stage of a book, don't plan the ending. It has to be earned by all
that will go before it." — Rose Tremain

Tip 5: "Always carry a note-book. And I mean always. The short-term memory only
retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper you can lose an
idea for ever." — Will Self

Tip 6: "It's doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing
good fiction." — Jonathan Franzen

"Work on a computer that is disconnected from the internet." — Zadie Smith


Tip 7: "Interesting verbs are seldom very interesting." — Jonathan Franzen

Tip 8: "Read it aloud to yourself because that's the only way to be sure the rhythms of
the sentences are OK (prose rhythms are too complex and subtle to be thought out—
they can be got right only by ear)." — Diana Athill

Tip 9: "Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."
– Anton Chekhov

Tip 10: "Listen to the criticisms and preferences of your trusted 'first readers.'" — Rose
Tremain

MORE TIPS

How to Start a Story: 11


Tips From Our Editors
Most writers don’t begin the novel-writing process knowing exactly how to start a
story. That comes later, once the narrative arc has taken clearer form.

It’s also because the opening lines of a novel carry a lot of responsibility with them.
They act as an invitation for someone who’s glanced at the first page of your book to
either put it back down or keep reading. It’s like the white rabbit showing up and
asking Alice to follow him: the reader has to decide whether to follow despite not
knowing what will happen next, and it is the writer’s job to convince them to go down
the rabbit hole.

Whether you’re just figuring out how to start a novel, or revisiting Page 1 of a first
draft, Reedsy Editors are here to help with tips for starting a story with literary
examples from a few favorites.

We asked our editors: "how would you start a story?" They came up with 9
insightful ways #amwriting

Click To Tweet
Tip 1. Start with the unexpected
Gareth Watkins: Start with the unexpected. Think of the opening to Nineteen Eighty-
Four, or Iain Banks’, The Crow Road, “It was the day my grandmother exploded.” Of
course, your opening doesn’t have to be as outrageous as these, but always aim for
the unusual. In other words: think of how people will be expecting the book to
start, then take the plot in another direction.

If you're in the mood to get some similarly twisty ideas, you can go here to see a list
of 70+ plot twist examples.

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
— George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four

Tip 2. Start with an image


Harrison Demchick: Many editors will tell you to avoid exposition — the dreaded
infodump — at the start of your manuscript. One of the best ways to avoid this is
to begin on an image. By focusing on sensory detail right at the start — sight, sound,
taste, touch, smell — and by conveying a particular, defined setting, you can absorb
readers immediately within the tangible world of your novel. Context and background
will come later, but a compelling image can be a fantastic hook.
“It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.
With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene
upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some
amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down
the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.”
— Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Tip 3. Start with action


Jeanette Shaw: I find novels that open in medias res (latin for "in the midst of
action") to be really effective at immediately grabbing the reader and establishing
stakes and tension. A classic example is Lord of the Flies, which starts with the boys
on the island and then fills in the details of how they got there later. If you go this
route, you need to be sure your opening action is compelling enough that the reader is
prepared to wait for character setup later.
“The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to
pick his way toward the lagoon. Though he had taken off his school sweater and
trailed it now from one hand, his grey shirt stuck to him and his hair was plastered to
his forehead.”
— William Golding, Lord of the Flies
PRO-TIP: Want to find out which famous author you write like? Take our 1-minute
quiz below!
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Tip 4. Start with brevity


Fran Lebowitz: I'd say start with something sparse that flicks on our curiosity,
above all.
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
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Tip 5. Start with a question


Nathan Connolly: The reader should be looking for an answer. The opening to your
novel should be a question that can only be answered by reading on. This doesn't
need to be literal, or overt, it can even be poetic, or abstract, but there must be a
wound that can only be healed by reading on.

“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I
didn't know what I was doing in New York."
— Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
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Tip 6. Start by appealing to curiosity


Britanie Wilson: There are many ways to start a novel, but in my experience, the
most successful beginnings have the magnetic effect of appealing to an emotion that
all readers possess: curiosity. Make them immediately ask of your characters: What
is this place? Why are they here? What are they doing? Who is involved? Where is
this going? If you can pique your readers' curiosity from the very first sentence, you
can will them to keep reading before they even know they like your book.

"Royal Beating. That was Flo's promise. You are going to get one Royal Beating."
— Alice Munro, Who Do You Think You Are?
At the same time, it's important that the start of your book isn't entirely cryptic. Your
opening must sustain your readers' interest in some way if you are to keep them
reading through to chapter two, and reveal more and more information in the plot
points to come.
Tip 7. Start with an understanding of your
fictional world
Meghan Pinson: What draws me into a literary novel is the sense that the author has
a deep knowledge of everything they’re writing about. If the first page conveys a
mastery of place, time, and language, I can trust the novel is borne of good research,
and I’ll relax into the story. But if the details feel off, or are absent or vague, I won’t
read on.

I think compelling writing is a result of specific language married to intimate insights


or experience, and that literary fiction has a sense of gravity that’s informed by deep
history. The best novels never make us doubt that every sentence was weighed for
truth and beauty against the world and the author’s understanding. Literary fiction, in
my mind, is at least as true as real life, and just as tough to get right.

“The madness of an autumn prairie cold front coming through. You could feel it:
something terrible was going to happen. The sun low in the sky, a minor light, a
cooling star. Gust after gust of disorder. Trees restless, temperatures falling, the
whole northern religion of things coming to an end. No children in the yards here.
Shadows lengthened on yellowing zoysia. Red oaks and pin oaks and swamp white
oaks rained acorns on houses with no mortgage. Storm windows shuddered in the
empty bedrooms. And the drone and hiccup of a clothes dryer, the nasal contention of
a leaf blower, the ripening of local apples in a paper bag, the smell of the gasoline
with which Alfred Lambert had cleaned the paintbrush from his morning painting of
the wicker love seat.”
— Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections

Tip 8. Start with something new


Thalia Suzuma:
Consider these two lines:

1) "I'm sitting writing this at my desk."

2) "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink."

Which line makes you want to read on? I'd hazard a guess that it's probably the
sentence about being perched at a sink — the opening line to one of my favorite
novels, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Say something in your first few
sentences that hasn't often been said before! A brief line that is laden with
foreboding and heavy with what has not been said often works well, too.

"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day."


— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
Tip 9. Start with intensity
Rebecca Faith Heyman: Openings should be intense, but that doesn’t necessarily
mean “loud” or “explosive.” So many authors are keen to start with a literal bang —
something going up in flames, or a car accident, or some other catastrophe. But recall
that even a smoldering fire can burn your hand; draw us in like moths to the
flame, but don’t let the bonfire rage so fierce we can’t get close.

“At dusk they pour from the sky. They blow across the ramparts, turn cartwheels over
rooftops, flutter into the ravines between houses. Entire streets swirl with them,
flashing white against the cobbles. Urgent message to the inhabitants of this town,
they say. Depart immediately to open country.”
— Anthony Doerr, All The Light We Cannot See

Tip 10. Start with your heart


Diane Sheya Higgins: Ensure readers that you are not kidding around. You have
invested blood, sweat, and tears into this story, and the opening lines should prove
that. Compose the first lines of your book as though they were the last lines you
will ever write.

When readers are transported into your far reaching insights and soulful explorations,
they are yours. Every time I read the opening lines of Hugh Howey’s bestselling self-
published novel, Wool, I am drawn into the breathtaking depths of his vision and
humanity, and I wrench my heart from my chest, and say, “Here, take it.”

“The children were playing while Holston climbed to his death; he could hear them
squealing as only happy children do. While they thundered about frantically above,
Holston took his time, each step methodical and ponderous, as he wound his way
around and around the spiral staircase, old boots ringing out on metal treads.”
— Hugh Howey, Wool

Tip 11. Start by placing a spell on your


reader
Anne McPeak: You want your reader to be swept up in the story— for its entirety,
but especially at the beginning. This is your chance to intoxicate your reader and
convince them that they can’t not read on. This doesn’t mean your story needs drama,
or fireworks, or shocking material; what your story really needs is close attention to
language, tone, and pacing. Dazzle your reader from the start, and they will
willingly take your hand for the ride.

"Like a match struck in a darkened room:


 
Two white girls in flannel nightgowns and red vinyl roller skates with white laces,
tracing tentative circles on a cracked blue slate sidewalk at seven o'clock on an
evening in July.
 
The girls murmured rhymes, were murmured rhymes, their gauzy, sky-pink hair
streaming like it had never once been cut."
— Jonathan Lethem, Fortress of Solitude
Establishing best practices for starting a story can be tricky because, as Reedsy Editor
Nathan Connolly says, “Fiction should, by nature, seek to defy, redefine or expand
beyond rules." It should not be an author’s goal to emulate the words or tastes of
another person while writing a novel.
However, many well-loved novels share a thread of commonality when it comes to
their first few lines — such as a question, a brief to-the-point line, or in the middle of
action. While there’s no hard rule for what works, these are guidelines you can follow
when determining how to hook readers down your story’s path.

Struggling with your opening lines? Here are 9 ways to start your
story #amwriting

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Writing a book is a monumental task, but very doable once you have momentum and
a compliant muse. If you're looking for ways to end your novel, go here. And when
you reach the finishing line of your entire publishing journey, please read our
technical article on formatting and making a book ready for publishing.

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