Don't focus solely on plot. Pause now and then to describe setting or develop character. Try not to use clichés like 'every colour of the rainbow' and 'the mist parted like a curtain'. Actually, mist doesn't part like a curtain; it thins, like butter spread on hot toast. Look at things around you and think about how you would describe them. Metaphors and similes are good, but only if original. And they can be overdone. If the cloak is grey, sometimes it's better to say so than to say it's like a soft cloud. Writing is actually quite like reading. You may only have a vague idea of what's coming next, and be taken by surprise. Let yourself be astonished, even if it means a character you like dies suddenly, for instance. It's the best way to surprise your reader. If you don't find your story exciting and sad and suspenseful, no-one else will. Only edit after you've finished the entire story. Editing and fiddling just makes you feel bad. You don't need to polish every sentence at first. Just get your ideas down. If you are retelling a myth or legend, try to find a new way of telling it or a new point of view. Don't try to be funny all the time; it can seem like someone trying to get everyone to be their best friend. Not everything has to be hilarious. Let anything funny arise from the characters. Just write. If you write a thousand words a day you will have a novel in 40 days. Set yourself a daily target - words, pages - and ALWAYS do it. It helps if it's the same time very day - first thing in the morning, or after school. Write wherever you feel comfortable, even if it's crouched in the shower stall. Jane Austen wrote in the dining room, and people came in and out all day. It didn't stop her. (written by Tobias Druitt, aka Michael Dowling and Diane Purkiss)
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