Writing Tips

Tips from David Almond

Writing can be hard, but it's also a kind of play. I do lots of fast scribbling in notebooks. I mess about with words, ideas, images, characters, and test out all kinds of possibilities. I allow myself to write lots of rubbish and to be surprised by what comes out of my head. When I start to put a story together, I try to stay relaxed, and to allow the story to grow organically. Sometimes I write very quickly, sometimes slowly. Sometimes I'm confused by what I'm writing, sometimes It all seems very clear. I put the story together sentence by sentence, chapter by chapter, and try not to worry too much about how it will end.

To write a long story, write it in a series of parts/chapters. That way, you just have to concentrate on one piece of the story at a time. You don't need to hold the whole story in your head. At the end of each part/chapter, move on to a new page. Your parts/chapters can be very short. If you write in this way, it's possible to write a really long story that's filled with interesting scenes and events. Give your story a title from the very start, even if you know you'll change it. The title will help the story to take on a life of its own.

When you write on computers, write in page view (ie, you can see the whole page on the screen). It's great to see a new page open up. Put a page number and title at the top of each page (most wp programs allow you to do this). It's lovely to move, say, from page 6 to page 7. Helps you to believe that you're writing a proper story/novel/book. Write in double spacing, so that the pages fill up fairly quickly. If you're having problems, write in triple spacing to get the pages moving more quickly. Keep your pages together with a paperclip or staple. Go through your printed pages with a pen. Cross out the things that you think don't work. Put in new and better things.

Don't fall into the easy trap of saying, "Oh, my stories are hopeless." Find something that you really like in everything you write, even if its just a sentence or two. Be brave enough to tell yourself that some of your writing is really good. Believe that you are becoming a good writer. Train yourself to find the good bits and to throw out or change the bad.

Look around you, and allow yourself to be amazed by the world we live in. Keep a notebook. Write down the things that catch your attention. Don't think that they have to be 'major' or 'important'. They can be tiny simple details.

Read. Read the things you like to read, not just the things you feel (or are told) you should read.Explore libraries and discover books and writers that are new to you.. Try copying a style/writer that you particularly like. Adopt a storyline/idea/image/sentence from a writer you admire

Don't tell yourself (and don't believe anyone who tells you) that you've got no imagination. We have the kind of minds that want to make things up and to tell stories. Your mind has an endless store of images, tales, memories, dreams, speculations, observations. Relax and allow your imagination to work. Don't give up after a few sentences. Keep going and you'll begin to be absorbed by your story.