Reading Helps Writing: How To Write For The Total Beginner (Part 1)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Those who read, write. Better then those who don’t, usually.

Why? When you read, you are, however unconsciously, learning from the writing style of the author. It gives you an arsenal of examples. Sentence formats, word choices and usages, interesting ideas, all sorts of fun ways of writing different  types of things. This is why I recommend you especially read the genre you are interested in writing. Start with some of the classics in the genre, and then try some odder sounding ones, just for the fun of it.

To help start you off, I’ve included a few short lists. The first is of what you might look out for when reading for research. The next are each a couple classic books you should try from a few genres. In the book lists, a star next to an entry means I haven’t read it, but it comes recommended. Two stars mean I’ve read it and it’s defiantly not for children or young teens, in my opinion.

What To Look Out For

1. What is omitted. Sometimes what is not said is as important as what is. Read between the lines. Is the author misleading you? Does he/she mean something opposite from what is being said?

2. The style of the sentences. Are they simple or complex? Short, long or mixed? Does that change with rising action?

3. Study the characters. Do they have hidden depths, or are they flat and shallow?

Sci-Fi

Fahrenheit 451*

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy*

Ender’s Game**

1984**

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?*

Fantasy

The Hobbit

The Chronicles of Narnia

A Wrinkle In Time

The Princess Bride*

The Phantom Tollbooth

Historical Fiction

The Three Musketeers

Number The Stars

Water for Elephants*

Schindler’s List*

A Tale of Two Cities*

Mystery/Thriller-ish

The Complete Sherlock Holmes

Tales of Mystery and Imagination*

The Nancy Drew Series

Note: I haven’t read any Agatha Christie, but she’s written a tremendous amount of mystery novels, and I saw a Doctor Who episode on her once.*

So, that’s all I have to say for today. Basically: read, read often and read variously.

Cheers!

-NTG

Varied Sentence Structure, and Why It’s Important: How to Write For The Total Beginner (Part 1)

Although the title’s long and a little bit boring, this could be the skill that sets your writing above the rest.

What is sentence structure and variation? Well, you already know sentences are made up of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and all the rest. That’s not really the type of sentence structure I’m talking about. The structure that’s vital to every good story is how you arrange those words. So many stories I read are dull and boring because of one reason. The same. Sentence. Structure. Over. And. Over. Again. Like this:

Maya races down the dusty street. She trips over her feet, and, stealing a glance behind her, runs even faster. She had to escape the priests. She knew they would kill her if they caught her. She could feel the hot Indian sun beating down on her head, making her tired. She dodges into the cool shade of an open hut, startling the woman within. She gasps her apologies and runs out the other side, into the jungle.

She did this, she did that. Could be an interesting paragraph, if it wasn’t so suffocatingly badly structured. All the words you need are there. With just a little tweaking, this paragraph could be hugely improved.

Maya races down the dusty street. Tripping over her feet, she steals a glance behind her and runs even faster. The priests could not capture her. If they did, she was as good as dead. Unmerciful, the Indian sun beats down on her head, making her tired. Quickly dodging into the cool shade of an open hut, she startles the woman inside. Breathless and frightened, she gasps her apology and runs out the other side, into the jungle.

Same story, varied sentence structure. This is actually quite easy to do. All you need is to memorize a few different ‘recipes,’ or sentence structures. Really, these are just beginnings, and can work for any piece of writing. The phrases in parentheses are examples.

[Noun/pronoun] {verb}…. (Maya races, she dodges)

[Verb-ing]…. (Tripping)

[A/An/The] {noun}…. (The priests)

[Adjective/Adverb]…(Unmerciful, Quickly)

[Adjective] {and} [adjective]…  (Breathless and Frightened)

[Conjunction] {noun/pronoun}… (If they)

Mix up your writing by using these. Or, re-read an old piece, see how many you can identify, and find others. Or, read a book, identifying all the diffrent sentence recipes. Or, just kidding I don’t have another one.

I hope this article has been informative and fun. If you have any questions, have found another type of sentence structure or just want to chat, leave a comment below! Be sure to give a ‘like’ and a follow, and I’ll post another article soon!

Cheers!

-NTG

Everyone Has A Story: How To Write For The Total Beginner

This series is for everyone. If you have never sat down at a computer or with a notebook and pen to write a story, this series is for you. If you’re a highly acclaimed author who has many bestsellers and will never have to lift a finger again except to dig yourself out of the huge pile of money you made, thank you for visiting my blog, please leave a comment. (Actually, if all of you could leave comments, that would be great.) If you’re anyone in between, this series is for you. Welcome.

What is this series? You may ask. This is another How to Write series, where I’m going to start at the very beginning and work my way through the writing process. Hopefully, even if you’re not a total beginner when it comes to writing, you’ll give it a read and maybe a like. Support is always appreciated. Besides, you might learn something.

Everyone has a story. Whether it’s your life’s story, a fairy tale, a sci-fi novel or anything else, you have a story somewhere in your brain. The thing with your story is, you can’t force it out. You’ve just got to meander down that road until you find it. I believe everyone in the world could write down a fantastic story, if given the chance and the inclination. If you’re still reading this, you’re probably interested. And that’s great.

What’s so great about writing? If all you’ve ever written is for school or work, you’re missing out-big time. Writing is probably one of the best things in the world, right after sleep (and food.) When I sit down to write a story, a poem, fanfiction, whatever, I get to create a whole new world, with new characters and new adventures. I get to describe the fresh rain poring onto the hard desert earth. I get to figure out how a particular character is going to weasel her way out of a sticky situation that involves flamethrowers and guitars. I get to create a despicable villain who threatens her every step, confronts her at every turn. And then I get to share it with the world. I allow others into my land to feel the rain running down their arms. I let them think their way out of a flamethrower/guitar situation. And finally, I let them destroy the villain. They love it, I love it. Everyone wins.

So, how’s the series going to go? Well, first of all I’ll go over some basic stuff. Sentence structure and variation, repetition and how to avoid redundancy and more. After all that is through, I’ll move into the planning stage of the series. Why you shouldn’t start writing right away, how to know your character inside and out, and loads more. Finally, I’ll start the ‘how to write a story’ part, including articles of plot development and chapter divisions.

I’m really excited about this series, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading it.

Cheers!

-NTG

Happy Potter: The Series Rewritten

Due to a fortunate mistake by a friend on chickensmoothie.com, I have re-titled the famous series to concur with the new name of the main character, Happy Potter.

Happy Potter and the Sparkling Stone
Happy Potter and the Chamber of Laughs
Happy Potter and the Prisoner of the Tickle-Monster
Happy Potter and the Goblet of Giggles
Happy Potter and the Order of Fun-Bringers
Happy Potter and the Cheery Prince
Happy Potter and the Jovial Hallows

image not mine

Don’t forget his companions, Hermione Giggles and ROTFL Weasly. Together surely they can make Lord GrumpyFace smile!

Thinking about writing fanfic on this.

Cheers!