My Creative Writing Tips

So earlier, I was sitting at this same desk, pondering the many different steps that come with writing a book. There are several things you need to consider when going through this whole process. For some, this can be quite a difficult task, but for others, it can be as easy as slicing bread. (Forgive me for the terrible comparison). Anyway, my point is, if you forget about even one of these crucial elements, I can promise you that your novel will not have the reader's full attention, and by the end, they will close the book feeling a little disappointed. 

One major mistake writers tend to make is making the antagonist purely evil, which makes for a dull and boring central villain. My advice, however, is to add some depth and back-story to the antagonist. Give him / her a reason for why they are the way they are. No one likes a villain we can't sympathize with. Most importantly, though, (in my opinion) give the villain some character flaws, so that the main character in the story can learn his weaknesses and eventually gain the upper hand. Give the hero a few "moments of awesome" against the antagonist. It will prove to the reader that he has been thoroughly tested through-out the book by his nemesis, and honestly, it makes for a more compelling reading experience. 

Secondly, you need to include the five-part structure when writing your story. Let me explain what this means, for those of you who don't know. (Full credit goes to Kelly Martin, who told me this great tip on Google Plus). 

The first act is set-up and introduction of the main characters and hints of the driving conflicts. The second act is the escalation of events. The third act is where key choices of characters lead to eventual outcomes. The fourth act is where all of the choices made in the third act come home to roost as it were. The main event's conclude in the fourth act. The fifth act is the denouement. This is where we allow the reader to see the residual after effects of the metaphorical explosion of choices in the fourth act.

It is key to remember that each act is not necessarily of uniform length. It is quite usual for the structure of the first and fifth acts to be shorter than the rest. You should be aware this structure is overall vastly familiar to readers (even if only subconsciously through TV and movies), and if you can consciously incorporate it in your work, then your readers will relate to the structure better.

Relating back to characters, it is very important that their choices have outcomes, and the "fourth act" is where these major outcomes manifest themselves. This is where romance is found or lost, where people live or die, where the point of no return is passed, and a different changed result from the beginning of the story is made manifest for the reader. 

The last thing I absolutely must discuss is developing your characters. My motto for my dark fantasy novel is characters first, action second. This is simply because if you don't flesh out your characters before the major action set-pieces, then the reader will not care about the actual battle scenes that take place. One huge inspiration for me that allowed me to become better at character development was the show Firefly. In fact, most of that show focuses on scenes that delve deep into the characters themselves, which is one of the many things I appreciated about it. 

Now, what I just explained is incredibly important, because if done right, it will give you the opportunity to sell a very well-written book. Be passionate about your craft, and perhaps the most important thing of all is to be in love with what you're writing about. If you're not, there's a good chance no-one else will be either.