Author: Garen's Girl
Posted: 3/30/2002 12:29:56 PM

Ways to cure writer's block:

Try having your characters do something, even if it sounds really boring. It may turn out to be a great story, or another idea may come to you out of boredom.

If that doesn't work, read the plot bunny listings at TFN. There is some seriously good stuff in there.

Or try reading (anything), an idea may come to you.

If none of that works, do something. Take a walk, eat jelly beans (my personal favorite), go to the park and watch the little kids...do anything but sit there trying to write. Sometimes it seems the harder you try, the more elusive ideas are. Stop looking, and soon the plot bunnies will be busting down your door. Odd, I know, but it works.

Author: Jeff Heisler
Posted: 2/21/2002 7:12:22 PM

For those of you who want more of the articles I posted on plotting etc. visit *Sorry, but we can't allow links*


Write Away is a community of writers. There are also hundreds of articles, links, software downloads, forums, and more for writers.


/Jeff/



*For anybody interested in Jeff's website, you can contact him yourself and request the link.*

Author: wolverine98
Posted: 2/18/2002 9:59:27 AM

If you only have access to a public computer then store manuscripts as attachments in your E-Mail account for backup copies instead of relying on fragile disks. I attach the Word97 document to a blank E-Mail which I send to myself (although in terms of privacy I think this might be risky).

The best books espousing advice for writers I've ever read include Beginnings, Middles & Ends, by Nancy Kress; On Writing, by Stephen King; and The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White.

Ignore your first draft for a day before revising it for more objective distance.

Read with a dictionary at hand. Look up words unfamiliar to you and note how the author uses them. Place them on a list and use them in your own work to increase your vocabulary.

Avoid using "!" too much. "'No,' cried Obi-Wan" conveys more or less the same meaning as "'No!' cried Obi-Wan" due the the use of the word "cried". Context can imply meaning as well.

Author: Zahn_Matrix
Posted: 2/13/2002 12:59:21 PM

Here's one stumbling block that many writers may become swamped by when dealing with action sequences. Keep your action sequences short and to the point. Don't hammer the reader with what's going through Obi-Wan's head as he's spinnging with his light-saber.

Action sequences should play along the reader's eyes as if they are watching a movie. If you get caught in the details, a reader will become bored and likely skip through all of the excessive exposition.

Remember, your reader probably knows what a pod-racer looks like, so you won't have to waste pages of narrative describing it. Let your reader mentally fill in the blanks.

Author: Jeff Heisler
Posted: 11/30/2001 8:21:02 PM

One more article for you budding writers out there. If you stop in to my site or-email me I'd be glad to help you further.

This one's about writer's block- which I've never had. No kidding, I've NEVER had it. The trick is in the article. Take a look.

Overcoming Writer's Block

by Jeff Heisler

This is a short article because the technique is not that difficult. I've been writing since I was 4 years old, and not once have I ever had writer's block. It has nothing to do with my skills as a writer, but it has everything to do with how I organize my writing time.

Are you ready? Here's the secret to beating writer's block (drum roll here)- Never sit down to write unless you know what you will be writing.

That's it.

Look, your brain is a wonderful instrument- but it has it's limits. It takes time to jump from plotting and outlining (a left brain logical task) to creative writing. When you try to do both at the same time your mind gets stuck. Remember when the Three Stooges would try to get through the door at the same time? That's what's happening in your head.

Spend time plotting and outlining first- then write. Never try to do both at the same time and you'll never have writer's block- ever. I promise.



(c) Jeff Heisler, 2001

Author: Jeff Heisler
Posted: 11/30/2001 8:17:27 PM

I came across this site as a Star Wars fan, but I'm also a writer so I thought I'd contribute an article I just finished.

I remember starting out. It was so hard to comprehend crafting a novel. Fortunately I learned how and you can too.

You may notice that some of these techniques are used bu Lucas etc. al. when they write. I'm sure they'll help you too.

Plotting

By Jeff Heisler

How do you plot a novel? You read your favorite book and the writer put the twists and turns in just the right places. The pace was perfect. The excitement built to the end and them WHAM- What a finish! How the heck to they do that?

It's not as hard as you think- really. In fact, plotting is one of the easier and most enjoyable tasks involved in writing your novel. John Grisham agrees. He once told a reporter he loves to plot- but hates the writing. I can understand why. When you're plotting you see the story clearly in your own mind. You begin to ask yourself- what if this happened? What if that happened? It's like kindergarten playtime all over again.

So if it's so easy how do you do it? I'll tell you, but first you have to know that there is no one single method that works for all writers. You have to get an understanding of what others do and then make the process your own. Here's how it works:



Step 1- Write your book in two sentences or less. That's right- two sentences. Remember when you looked at the movie listings in the paper and they had these two sentence descriptions that told you what the movie was about. That's what you have to write first. Why? Because the golden rule of writing is to know what you're writing when you write it. Sure, you can get around this and throw out pages and ideas as you go, a lot of writers have. I think that's wasteful. I've heard several stories of great writers submitting their manuscripts in large trunks- thousands of pages. "The story's in there somewhere- they tell the editor." Look- no editor in today's publishing world is going to bother with that. You have to have the book done and edited to perfection BEFORE you send it in. That's why you need to write your story's plot in two to three sentences. Anything that you write or plot later must relate to those sentences or they need to be cut- period.

Here's an example: Moby Dick- Ahab, a whaleboat captain bent on revenge against the white whale that mauled him, spurs a tired crew across the ocean in a grand hunt. Ignoring the dangers of the sea he becomes consumed with revenge and will do anything to get it.

There it is. Hundreds of pages boiled down to two sentences. Melville should have done this exercise himself. He grew as a writer as he wrote more and more- culminating in this great literary classic, but even Moby Dick is flawed in a fundamental way. Melville includes an entire chapter that reads like an encyclopedia of whale biology. There is no story whatsoever in this chapter- just diagrams and descriptions of whales. It is often called the least read chapter in all great literature. Perhaps if Melville had kept the heart of his story in mind he would have left that chapter out- or at least put it in an appendix.

Boil down your story into 2 sentences and stay within those sentences.

Do this first. You will have to do it eventually when you submit to publishers and agents- so you might as well do it now and benefit from the sharp focus it provides.

Step 2- Get out your index cards. Get a bunch of 'em, whatever size you like. Now sit and think about your story. Are there scenes and events that pop to mind? Jot them down. No detail here- just enough to remind you what the card is about. Write the cards in any order. The LAST thing you want to do is to force yourself to think of these scenes in a linear way (see my column on the writer's mind for more detail.) Just jot down every scene you can think of. Some scenes will give you ideas for others. Just keep going. When you're tired put them down and review them later. Add more (don't take any out, even if you've decided you probably won't use them.) Keep adding cards and scenes until you just can't think of any more ideas. By now you're probably excited because you're getting a great view of the story and you can't wait to start writing. Well- wait anyway. There's more to do.

Step 3- Organize your cards. Now's the time to put them in order. Keep two things in mind- first, unless you're doing weird things with the timeline- everything should be linear. Event A should be followed by event B and so on. Don't do B,T,Z,P,A, or some darned thing unless you really, really know what you're doing. If this is your first book- I wouldn't even think about it. A-B-C, 1,2,3- Keep it nice and simple.

Second, think about what events you want your readers to see. Chances are you won't be showing every single action taken by every single character throughout the timeline. Decide what scenes are most exciting or important for the main storyline. Don't worry- you can easily find ways to share these events with readers without launching into the full scene. A main character could get a phone call or a note. They could hear about an event from another character- or maybe even guess that the event has occurred based on their observations. Make a little mark or symbol of the cards that you're sure you'd like your readers to see. Don't worry- nothing's set it stone yet. Just make a note and move on.

Step 3- Now that you have all of your events it's time to get picky. Lay your cards out on a large flat surface, or put them up on a bulletin board. When I first started I bought two sheets of corkboard and put them on the wall in my office. I pinned all the cards on the board the way I liked them. When you're done you should be able to see your whole novel and enjoy following the plot. Keep rearranging if you want to- go nuts. Don't stop until you like what you see. This is a concept called storyboarding, and it's used by creative in a variety of mediums. Watch one of those how-they-made-the-movie documentaries. They ALWAYS storyboard. It's a great tool.

Step 4- Details. Now take your cards down one at a time. You're going to make some notes on the back before you put it back up. You can make a new card if you need to. Here's what you're going to put on the back:

Location: Where is the scene happening? Watch for problems with logic here. A character in New York can't be in London 5 minutes later. Think of ways to have the setting enhance your plot. Be creative. I once put a car chase scene in the hallway of the Smithsonian. Just made things more interesting.

Time: What is the day and time this is happening? Also- watch for logical flaws.

Characters: List all characters who will appear in this scene.

Main POV: Every scene should be written through the eyes of just one character- your point of view character. Who is the POV character in this scene?

Main POV's goal: What is the POV character trying to accomplish here?

Problems that stop the main POV character from reaching their goal (Try to list 3-4 at minimum.): What's in the way? What's stopping the character from getting what they want? By the way- if there's nothing in this scene that's in the way this better be the last chapter of the book or you're in trouble. All drama is based on conflict. Make sure there's plenty of it in every scene.

Scene ending hook: In most of the book things should be getting worse, or if things are looking better- make sure your reader knows that relief will be short lived. End the scene with some hint of more conflict to come. Don't let the reader have an excuse to put the book down because they might not pick it up again.

Step 4: Put the project down and come back to it a few days later with a fresh view. Read- revise- and wait again. Do this until you're happy with the product.

Step 5: Start writing from the cards one scene at a time. I like to take what I've put on the cards and put them into a single document in Word. That way I can keep adding notes and rearranging without a lot of trouble.

When it's time for me to write I pick any scene- not necessarily in order, review the information and write the scene based on the information on the card. You always start writing knowing what your goal is and what needs to be included. No writer's block to deal with here.

That's it. Just keep writing those scenes till you're done and you've got a well plotted book.

Good luck.

(c) Jeff Heisler, 2001

Author: Corran_Horn
Posted: 11/7/2001 7:29:05 AM

1- Don't write for your audience. Write for yourself, and IF you think that it's good enough, have a couple people read it, make them mark it up, and keep revising. Be your own best fan and your own worst critic.

2- Don't become lost in a maze of small plots and things that will get the reader lost too. Keep it simple, but not so simple that people will put it down after guessing the whole plot in two minutes. Techno-talk is something to avoid for the most part.

3- Hook the reader in the first page or so. Don't ramble on and on. Get the ball rolling. You don't want a reader to become bored.

4- Lastly, have an English teacher look over your work and ask for advice. They can be a big help. Or e-mail an author or two and ask for advice on a subject. Characterization or dialogue for example.

Author: Somebody's Someone
Posted: 9/27/2001 1:35:51 AM

To avoid getting stuck on a fic, write out a scene that you would like to aim to in that fic. Then write your way towards your goal.

Author: Zizziana Nightstar
Posted: 9/18/2001 6:05:53 PM

When it comes to creating characters, each character needs to be different. Some characters have certain traits only they have. Some have a certain mannerism or "tag" that makes them unique. One thing that has helped me is to think of each character as a person. What motivates them? What's important to them? What makes them do what they do?

Author: lt_kettch
Posted: 9/5/2001 4:08:55 PM

Here's my writing tip:

Well, I was thinking about saying something inspiring, but I changed my mind.

Read whatever you write out loud. That's the quickest way to figure out problems like punctuation, grammar, and wordiness. If something doesn't feel right, say it out loud.

Here's why: most of us were taught how to read by sounding out the letters and then the words as we read them. Therefore, most of us still "hear" ourselves sounding the words out while we read them. If you have a sentence that is full of commas where, they don't, belong, someone is going to. Trip over them.

If you think it sounds good but still have a vague feeling of wrongness about it, have a friend hear it and then read it back. After that, you shouldn't be getting beta reader's comments like, it's a great story, but it has a lot of grammar problems. :)

yub,yub

Author: Renton Kenobi
Posted: 8/18/2001 11:58:02 PM

Do not let others try and tell you how to portray a character. This is fanfiction. If you veiw a character in a certain light write them as you veiw them. Don't let those who say "they aren't that way," bother you. It's called a creative license.

Be truthful in your writing.

Author: LittleJedi
Posted: 8/16/2001 11:37:32 PM

As a huge Star Wars fan, i've noticed that some things don't fit in the Star Wars Galaxy. Sex, for one. The closest thing to a sexual reference in any of the movies is that Luke and Leia are Amidala and Anakin's children... so we all know what must have gone on...

Another is swearing. Swear words from planet Earth don't fit (other than Damn). If your characters are going to swear, they tend to say more Star Wars things like: Holy Force, or Holy Sith, or 'Sithspit'. (the person who came up with that one was a genius.. heh heh heh). They wouldn't say things like "For God's sake..." or "For Pete's sake...", but rather something along the lines of "For the Emperor's sake...". I don't know, make them up. Be as creative as possible.

Another thing is references to places or things only found on planet Earth. For example, they don't speak ENGLISH (England is on Earth, remember) but speak BASIC. Make sure you don't have any of these mistakes in a story. People tend to put them in without thinking, so be extra careful. (and by the way, you can say "OK" (as long as it's spelt "okay") because it doesn't originate from "Oklahoma" but from "Orl Korrect", a humorous form of "All Correct".)

CHECK all spelling and grammar. Make sure you use the correct they're/their/there etc. Using the wrong ones is just plain sloppy and a pain to read. And don't stick apostrophes (') before the 's' in plurals. "'s" means that something belongs to that thing, and "s'" is when something belongs to more than one thing. "It's" is a contraction for "It is", and "its" is used when something belongs to 'it'. It's not that hard to remember. And if in doubt, get a dictionary.

And research every Star Wars aspect (like The Force) before you write about it.

Author: Rogue Leader  (signed)
Posted: 8/7/2001 1:52:10 PM

How many times have you been driving along, or thinking about something, when a great idea (for a story) or concerning the one you're working on pops into your head? I know it's happened to me more times then I could count. It's a great feeling, but unfortunately, I've forgotten about it by the time I've gotten home. What do you do?

What I like to do after my initial outline of the story is take a long drive. On that drive, I bring my mini-tape recorder and I say anything that pops into my mind about the next scene in the chapter I'm working on. If I have an idea for dialogue or an emotional response by one of my characters, then I tell the recorder. Then, when I'm ready to start writing, I'll listen to that section on the tape. It helps me pull out things I like, and toss things I don't like. When I have a clearer direction in my mind about how to go, I put fingers to keyboard and I'm off.

Author: General Horn
Posted: 8/4/2001 12:15:04 AM

I'm sure many of you, if not all of you, have experienced this at times when you are trying to think up creative and interesting ideas for the next part of your story.

You're sitting there, or standing, or lying down--whatever position you're usually in when doing your best thinking--thinking over all the parts of the story and the ideas you have down so far. You're waiting for that great idea to hit you, and suddenly, this really insane idea pops into your head. You think about it for a short moment, then reject it. It is just too far off for you to use, so you decide to toss it out and keep thinking.

But, I've found that pursuing that "insane" idea usually results in a better plot twist than I thought I would get. You have to take a second look at the idea, then weave your way through the plot of the story, creating paths that will make that idea possible and realistic. You have to make the connections, and keep asking yourself "What if...".

Sudden shifts in the story, the unexpectant, help make for a very interesting and captivating plot.

Next time you get that "insane" and "impossible" idea popping into your head, pursue it. See if you cannot turn it into the great plot twist you were looking for.

Author: Tahiri  (signed)
Posted: 7/31/2001 7:54:54 PM

Mix genres. Put humor in a romance story. Put some adventure in you're drama tales. Multiple genres can play off each other really well, making the story enjoyable for more people.
Also, imagine your character as best as you can. Use some one from real life, a friend, a celebrity, anybody, to give yourself a mental image of the character. You wont over describe as much if you know for sure what a character looks like

Author: Arica
Posted: 7/25/2001 11:43:02 PM

Don't forget that things don't just happen because the all-powerful author wants it too. If you're going to write an AU where something changes, give a REASON for the change. Okay, you don't *always* have to, but it's sometimes interesting to read a fanfic and say "Oh! **That's** why Padme lived!"
On the other hand, sometimes the mystery is more fun.

Author: yodasdream
Posted: 7/25/2001 7:29:19 PM

When writing Mara & Luke fanfic:

Remember: Mara is Mara. It doesn't matter if she has admitted her feelings about Luke - she will never EVER become some sort of driviling, lovestruck, sappy teenager. She's too practical than that. I've read too many fanfics that start with a great interaction between the two and then have it degenerate to outlandish declarations of everlasting love. Keep her character - that's why we love her!

PS Is it just me or has NJO just butchered her character? *sigh*

Author: Luke_and_Mara_4ever  (signed)
Posted: 7/18/2001 2:32:03 PM

If you get stuck, write down questions and answers. It'll help you get an idea of what you're looking for. For example:

Could the villian be Palpatine?
--No, he's too creepy. The villian needs to be someone more normal.

Could the villian be a smuggler?
--No, he/she needs to be someone who can move around easily in public, without having to worry about the police.

An ex-Imperial?
--Maybe, but I can do better than that. It needs to be someone the main characters would trust.

An old friend from back home?
--Perfect.

Why would an old friend be the bad guy?
--He/She felt bad about getting left behind and decided to get revenge...


Acutally, in writing that as an example, I just got a story idea! :-) Be specific about your answers. If something doesn't work, write why it doesn't work. And writing it out is important. You think things through more clearly if you write them.

Author: Kalor Voe
Posted: 7/9/2001 5:28:54 PM

I find it helpful to base some characters on real people, and constantly ask myself "how would THEY react?". It stops all my characters thinking the same.

Another way to accomplish this is to take part in some SW role playing (not with game players who just want to shoot stuff- REAL role playing). It can generate some very unexpected characters and dramatic situations.

Author: Loka Hask  (signed)
Posted: 7/6/2001 1:08:19 AM

My writing/English teacher tells me the same thing every time he reads my stuff.

"Write what you know, Andrew. Readers are convinced when the experiences are described perfectly. Don't guess. You wouldn't tell someone what mint tasted like if you had never tried it before. If you did, they would laugh, and you would be sh*t out of luck, wouldn't you?"

Author: Funky Jedi Girl  (signed)
Posted: 6/29/2001 9:07:59 AM

As my dad has so wisely imparted to me before, "think outside the envelpoe." In other words don't follow the beaten path, be original. The more 'way out there' the idea is often the more entertaining the story is.

Author: Casper_Knightshade
Posted: 6/28/2001 1:06:37 PM

Click on my name here for real email address.

One more thing. Never be afraid to express anything in your writings. Don't hold back unless you are not ready to write it. Violence, language, situations, etc. do happen in real life and SW is not immune to it. Never be afraid of expression. If you limit yourself, you limit your life.

Author: Casper_Knightshade
Posted: 6/28/2001 12:59:28 PM

Never be afraid to explore a story idea not been touched before, especially when dealing with the genre of Star Wars. Sure anyone can write an SW story, but that is the problem: ANYONE CAN! As an author, I demand myself to be challenged. And therefore I go out and try my hardest to do something different in subject matter, or take what all ready exist to the next level. And more importantly, TRY AND BE ORIGINAL.

Subject Matter: Nothing is really out of bounds. But how you write it does. It's not a question about will it be offensive or leud, but does it fit with the natural flow of words in the story. If a story is an all out comedy, but you put in a very high powered tear jerker moment in it, then you better make sure that something is written before that to explain why it had to be written. Otherwise, in any case, you will lose your readers.

Take What Exist To the Next Level: My favorite thing to do with SW. Thanks to the movies and book we can get a feel for the characters, events, organizations, etc. We can take that information, explore and examine it, and then come to conclusions and create even more from it. A good example of this is when Yoda and Luke are talking in ESB outside the cave, in which Luke ask, "What's in there?" and Yoda says, "Only what you take with you.". Now, everyone can assume that meant what Luke physically took with him(His weapons). But upon further examination, I concluded that also meant whatever questions he had in his mind. Doubts, random thoughts, emotions and feelings: Let's face it Luke took those in with him along with his weapons. I imagined Luke asking:

Was Father ever on Dagobah?

Who really is Darth Vader?

Will I defeat him?

I mean there was probably million of questions in Luke's mind and the cave responded to them with the vision of Darth Vader. But more importantly, something like that, expressed in a story, is taking it to the next level of story telling. I do it in my fan fic novel "The Dark Hope" and I got great positive responses.

TRY AND BE ORIGINAL: This is hard, for we are borrowing a strong premise that is SW and writing a story that relies on it. I think that is why many write Alternate Universe stories; you have a little more freedom creatively when you don't have to worry about making a character than developing them. But that is the beauty of writing: the challenge. The effort you put in trying to be original will show as you write and reader will see that and appreciate it. I put a lot of brain into "The Dark Hope" with the characters I created and than focused on their developement as the story progressed and found that my efforts showed and readers loved it. So much so that many of them want me to write spin off stories about the characters because of it, and there you can do so much more and not worry about having the spin off stories effect your main story. Yes, if you read TDH you will find familiar names like Palpatine, Yoda and Valorum, but like I said we are borrowing from an established premise, and therefore we ATTEMPT to make things original. I guarantee that you will draw readers out of the wood work with the effort.

I hope I have helped at least one person that reads this advice today. Just remember; above all, we are all the novice.

Author: The Prophet
Posted: 6/24/2001 9:07:09 PM

Having been writing for the last decade and then some I have picked up many things. Taking the plunge into fanfiction I have but three pointers

1) When writing scenes where emotions ride high such as scenes of vast beauty (Coruscant at night for example) try to envision the first time you saw something that was truly breathtaking and then harness the emotions that you experienced and write while they are in your mind. Your feelings will be conveyed and will spark those same feelings in the minds of your readers. It's a way of connecting and it gives the reader true insight on what you were trying to say...

2) Fight scenes for Star Wars are easily written when music is involved. Not just for emotion. "The Duel of the Fates" is probably the most often used music. (If you don't know why, buy the TPM soundtrack and listen for yourself) That selection is fine but what if the fight was more than just a battle? What if it meant something more? My best advice is to search the other Star Wars Soundtracks for music. ROTJ is really good. But don't limit yourself to just Star Wars, there were many movies made in the early eighties and even in the nineties that will supply the listener with much inspiration. Besides fight scenes based off of "The Duel of the Fates" seem to read the same. Being unique is key...

3) Lastly, try to keep descriptions down to a few words but those words need to convey all of the description necessary. For instance, I could say that "Mara Jade was as beautiful as the Corellian sunrise with hair the color of fire and eyes that seemed to be the mold to cast the finest emeralds." Sounds heavenly but I could also say that, "The woman known as Mara Jade stepped from the landing ramp. Luke smiled and said, "Wow."
That's all that's needed. We all know what Mara looks like and we know she's hot but all that is needed to be said can be said in one word.

Be true to yourself and your characters, they are your creations and yours alone. Good luck in all future projects.

Author: The Musical Jedi  (signed)
Posted: 6/23/2001 11:04:58 AM

Try to envision the scene you're writing, especially if it's something very physical, like a fight. I've found it very helpful to imagine the characters doing the things I'm trying to describe... then putting into words what I see.

Author: Janos Kadar
Posted: 6/11/2001 6:49:06 PM

Try not to use very stilted language. Write to describe the way you feel it should be, not the way other authors write, using pages and pages to describe a BATHROOM!!! Seriously, I've read some like that before. If there's one thing that bugs me about fanfic is way too stilted language and over-descriptions. People often try to use overly dramatic descriptions of things; it's like overkill.
Try not to include unimportant details. Example, don't:
"Luke woke up at sunrise, putting on his maroon slippers and started his stretching excercises...he stepped eleven paces to the right and walked into the Moen shower and vaguely thought about what he should eat for breakfast..."
Unless part of your plot involved Luke being attacked by his Moen showerhead in cahoots with his maroon slippers, don't do this.

Author: Lord Bane  (signed)
Posted: 6/10/2001 4:38:12 PM

Do not limit your language. If you think a character should say something offensive (or would say, in real life) by all means put it in.

Such as:
Racial slurs (make em up)
Swearing
Sexual innuendos
Violence - if a character is going to gut another character and then describe it, don't be bashful. The killer wouldn't be.

Etc etc etc...

Writers cannot affort to be wusses with their characters.

Author: Corran Horn
Posted: 5/31/2001 7:57:15 AM

Don't write JUST Star Wars. Write other things too, if you like sci-fi, write a sci-fi story that doesn't relate to SW. Write newspaper articles, Reviews, poems, everything. Like sports, the more you practice, the better you'll be.

Author: TheCommish  (signed)
Posted: 5/20/2001 10:55:05 AM

When you want to make a fan-fic, it's helpful to get a good idea in your head first, then develop it. Get a good feel for the character's personas, their fates, their hopes, etc. Develop their story to the end, and then keep it in your mind.

But, never relinquish control of your idea to others. It's your fiction, you have control of the characters. It's nice and great to take other's input, but don't let them control your story.

Do that, post your story, and the scenes will nearly write themselves.

Author: Carrie
Posted: 5/18/2001 1:08:57 AM

When you're writing a character from the movies, try to "hear" the actor saying the line. I've found it particularly useful when writing Han Solo - you've no idea how many lines I've had to throw out because I just could not get them to come out of Harrison Ford's mouth!

Author: DarkATX
Posted: 5/10/2001 7:43:22 PM

Research goes a long way especially something as deep as the Star Wars Universe. Get it right the first time or you'll end up having others (most probably your readers) point out your continuity errors.
Also, it's boring to have your characters not get bumps and bruises along the way. It always nice to read about a character with a slight stutter when excited or possibly another twisting his/her ankle when running from time to time. :)

Author: Liz Skywalker  (signed)
Posted: 5/6/2001 11:55:49 AM

Always make sure not to give two minor/major characters nearly the same name (EX: Calis, Calin. Cole, Colin. Luke, Lune). Double no-no: have them in a scene together. It's plain confusing.

Author: Herman Snerd  (signed)
Posted: 4/27/2001 5:51:58 PM

When writing, do your best to eliminate outside distractions. Turn off the television, send the kids to bed, kick the spouse out of the room and just write. If the real world is making you tense, those creative juices might just refuse to flow.

Once you get started, don't get bogged down by details. If you can't decide what planet a character comes from, let it go for the moment. That's what a second and third read through is for. Just relax, stay in the mood, and keep writing.

Now if you can't get relaxed, you can do what I do. Pop in a classical music CD and just listen for a few minutes. I've written many a chapter with Beethoven playing in the background.

Remember, we're doing this writing for our own enjoyment. If the writing starts to feel like work, perhaps you should take a break and return to it when you feel refreshed.

Author: Clarus
Posted: 4/26/2001 7:29:06 AM

When you write dialogue, say it out loud. This can help you catch
weird phrasings and things that might be out of character. Remember that
there are pauses in a normal person's speech pattern.

Author: Lord Bane  (signed)
Posted: 4/22/2001 6:18:06 PM

It is often suggested to go into the writing with NO plotline, NO idea and only character names. This is the way I write (and I have read, Stephen King does something similar). Make a few characters and let them surprise you as well as the reader.

Don't let a plot stop you from doing a scene or taking a story where you want it to go. Be freeform with your writing; it'll take you great places.

Author: Luke_and_Mara_4ever  (signed)
Posted: 4/20/2001 3:46:34 PM

It helps if you bounce ideas off family members before you start writing--that's sure helped me!

Author: Krytos  (signed)
Posted: 4/19/2001 11:31:36 PM

This may seem like going a wee bit far, but become the character you are writing about. Feel, see, taste, sense everything that you write your character is doing. It reflects on the story a lot and helps bring it that human side to it, not just a hollow character.

Author: Fett
Posted: 4/18/2001 6:40:38 AM

Firstly, I think it helps if you post on the boards at TFN. That way you can get feedback as you post each part of your story. Also I think it is easier to write a lot of short posts to make a large story than a whole large story at once.

In the context of the above, I find it helpful if you lay out an outline of your story before you write it up. Just a brief outline so that you know exactly what each one of your posts will be focusing on. Then you can make changes to your outline as necessary. This helps avoid coming to situations from which you can find no path to continue.

Author: Talon Squad Leader  (signed)
Posted: 4/17/2001 10:54:13 PM

For group fiction, communication is key. Create e-mail lists or other common ways of getting ideas and other plots across. Some of the writers in your group may misunderstand a plot from time to time, but you can prevent this by keeping all lines of communication open. Don't hesitate to express your feelings about someone's ideas or writing. Be constructive and help the author improve on his or her writing, so that your group fiction will improve over time. It is also helpful to have some requirements for posting in large group fictions. Some groups find it easy to require that members keep in touch in some way, so that everyone knows what is going on with the characters in the story. Remember group fiction is a very adaptable way to write; you can have small groups of four or five to large groups of more than 30. Make it fun and never hesitate to try new ideas to keep you and the other writers interested in the story.

Author: Vee  (signed)
Posted: 4/4/2001 6:38:55 PM

Take the character's history into careful consideration when writing dialogue. A highly-educated person will not spout rough slang without a very good reason; likewise, a roughed-up smuggler will only sound like a professor if he's doing an impression of one.

Author: Mr. P  (signed)
Posted: 4/4/2001 7:11:47 AM

Do a lot of reading. A *lot*. When you read, you pick up writing techniques from the author(s), and also perhaps metaphors and similes that you might use. It also gives you a better sense for writing, and as a matter of fact (at least, this is what I've noticed), my writing has made me a *much* better reader than I was before.

I suppose they complement each other.

--Mr. P

Author: FernWithy  (signed)
Posted: 3/27/2001 8:20:23 PM

Use all your senses, not just hearing and eyesight, when you're bringing your settings to life. Give a sense of what things feel like, smell like, and taste like as you write. This isn't just set dressing; it can be used to come up with some new and fresh observations and metaphors.

Author: Anakin's Angel  (signed)
Posted: 3/22/2001 1:32:31 PM

This one may seem like an "oh, duh!" but here it is: NEVER write without using a spell-checker! Spelling mistakes often drag the reader right back into the real-world, when you want them immersed in your story!