Top Writing Tips - Joint Post

          With such a wealth of expertise on Authors Electric we felt it was about time some of us shared our top tips. So here they are:  

Bill Kirton

"Trust your own voice. You don’t necessarily need big, fancy or poetic words, or a huge vocabulary. Your way of putting things is unique so trust it."

Bill Kirton: click here to discover more about Bill  and his work.
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Karen Bush

"You might think you've spotted all the typos, but really, you haven't. Trust me on this. Try reading it in different fonts: print off hard copies to read as well as on screen as it can help you to catch them. And ask someone to read through it too - doesn't need to be an expert or expensive proofreader, just someone with a reasonable grasp of spelling. And use a highlighter to mark up the errors on paper copies, as when you come back to them to make corrections, it's easy to miss ones made with pen or pencil! Yes, it is time consuming, but makes all the difference between looking like a professional bit of writing or not ..."

Karen Bush: click here to discover more about Karen and her work.
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Catherine Czerkawska

"This is from the best agent I ever had (sadly she died) and it's a bit harsh but pretty much true. 'Only write something/anything for publication if you absolutely can't bear NOT to write it. You have to be obsessed to write."

Catherine Czerkawska: click here to discover more about Catherine and her work.
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"If you can't force yourself to write, but want to write, then use the timer trick. Make a bargain with yourself that you will write for a certain time - it can be as little as 5 minutes. Arrange everything so that you don't need to get up and leave fetch anything. Set the timer for the time you've decided on (you can find on-line timers.) Then WRITE until the alarm sounds. This trick almost always gets you started. The words start to flow - and usually when the alarm sounds, you carry on."

Susan Price: click here to discover more about Susan and her work, click here to visit her blog.
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Stephanie Zia

"Get characters talking as soon as possible."

Stephanie Zia: click here to discover more about Stephanie and her work. 

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"Ask yourself: what is my reader curious about?"

Roz Morris

Roz Morris: click here to discover more about Roz and her work.

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Lynne Garner

"Keep a diary and enter something you've noticed, seen, read, overheard etc. that day. It can be anything from a brilliant quote to how the daffodils look just before they bloom. You never know just one of those entries may inspire you or you can use them to add depth to your writing." 

Lynne Garner: click here to discover more about Lynne and her work, click here to visit her blog. 

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          We hope some of these tips help you with your writing. We were also hoping you may have your own tips you can share with us.