"Because I consider writing stories to be a craft, I think writers needs good materials, tools, and experiences like any other craft to create a good product. I want to dedicate this page to all writers who aspire to create good stories to read."
"Please bear with me as I construct this page from my favorite books, websites, and favorite advice."
S. Thomas Kaza
Websites for Writers
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. This is a copy of the famous book that has served as a guide for generations of writers. It contains-
- Elementary Rules of Usage
- Elementary Principles of Composition
- A Few Matters of Form
- Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
- Words Commonly Mispelled
Short Stories: 10 Tips for Creative Writers (Kennedy and Jerz)
I find this to be a very useful website.
Coming up with Characters
Sometimes it is hard to come up with interesting, believable characters. Here are some ideas that might help.
If you have a story line, then a lot of the work for choosing and developing characters might already be finished for you. For example, if you are writing a Western, and you want to have a gunfight, several characters will pop into mind right away- a Sheriff, an outlaw, a bounty hunter, a bartender with a shotgun.
You can stick with stock characters like the grizzly, old Sheriff who has kept the peace in town for ten years, or the outlaw who has killed more men than he has fingers and toes to count. (Note- In order to know stock characters, you should be well-read in the genre.) Or you can try tweaking some typical characters into something more interesting. How about a Sheriff who can't stand the sight of blood? How about an outlaw who likes expensive clothes? Or even better, how about a bounty hunter who is also a preacher?
If you are still stuck, here are some more ideas for coming up with characters for your stories-
1. Write out your character's beliefs. This may be as simple as writing "he thinks it is OK to kill". Or it may involve making a more detailed list. Either way, since beliefs form the basis of reality and experience, this excercise can help you make more realistic characters.
2. Use a person you know or a combination of two people to make a new character. For example, you might think that your friend, Bob, would make a good Sheriff. Mix Bob with Clint Eastwood to get Bob Eastwood, the fastest draw in the West who always has a beer in his hand.
3. Avoid using copies of characters that have already been used in movies or literature. Copying characters will not help you become a better writer. It will not prime the pump of creativity. Whether your mood is dark or heroic or comical, by all means make your own creations.
Know your Genre
Genres are categories and sub-categories for organizing stories. Many stories don't fit neatly within one genre and cross-over between several genres. But it can be useful to know in which genre you are most comfortable.
Fantasy
Set in fantastical worlds where magic or mythical creatures are the norm, fantasy stories inspire and enchant the reader.
Horror
Set in dark worlds where supernatural forces are at work, horror stories scare or shock the reader. This genre includes ghost stories. Read Grimm's fairy tales and short stories by Edgar Allen Poe and Steven King.
Literary
Set in our current world, literary stories inspire or simply entertain the reader.
Historical Fiction
Technically a sub-category of the literary genre, historical fiction covers so much ground it deserves its own category. Set in in historical time periods, historical fiction stories entertain or teach while bringing history alive.
Mystery
In the mystery genre, the setting is not so important as the fact that there is a mystery or a crime that needs to be solved in order to bring about justice.
Science Fiction
Set in the future, technology or alien races usually play an important part in the action of a science fiction story. Read stories by Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein.
There are still other genres like Romance and Comedy, which I don't cover here. Basically, you need to find what type of writing you want to do.
Note- If you like a particular genre, but you can only think of movies that fit into this genre, then it is time you do some reading in the genre, especially reading of short stories.
