Get writing!

QueenSpark Books' tips for writers

FIRST MOVES

Characters Even if you are writing memoirs, there is at least one character (you) and probably several others. Readers will want to know what the characters look like, ways of speaking and moving, mannerisms, behaviour. You may want to write brief descriptions of your major players for your own reference.

What happens? Your book may deal with a collection of minor events or a couple of major ones. You will need to decide what happens and in what order.

Where and when? What is the setting for your story? Give the reader plenty of information and description. When did the events happen? Recreate the time of the action with loving care and plenty of specific detail.

What special meaning or flavour does it have for you? Try to get at your special feeling for the things you are describing in your story; this will communicate with the reader in a real way.

GAME PLAN

Timetabling:  set yourself a word count - say 500 words per day. Work out how long you want to spend on each chapter and create yourself a timetable.

Outline: focus on what you want to write by creating a one page  (250-word) outline of the whole book, including your main characters, your story, setting, key moments, beginning and ending.

Chapter plan: expand your outline into a chapter plan. Decide on the number of chapters you want and write a short description (about 50 words) of what happens in each.

Whose voice is it? 'I am telling the story' (first person) or 'he/she is telling the story' (third person). Whichever you choose, you'll need to stick to your decision throughout.

The time of the story:If writing from memory, you may want to tell a simple story set in the past tense. Memoirs may get bogged down by too many vague references to things that the author and his friends used to do (past continuous). Flitting between past and present is only for those who are sure they can handle it.

GETTING DOWN TO IT

Drafting: most writers do more than one draft. We suggest that you hack out your first draft in an instinctive way, don't worry as long as you are getting something on paper. The second draft can work more thoughtfully to flesh out your vision of the final book. You may now be ready to ask a friend or two to read your work and comment on it; your third draft should be revised with an eye to interesting the reader.

Accuracy: check your facts, including people's names, place names, and the dates of events that you are describing. You may need to go to your local library and enlist the help of a librarian.

Clarity: you understand what you've written, but is it clear to other people? Get a friend to read your drafts and point out any incomprehensible passages. This is all the more important with writers whose work is likely to be read by many readers whose first language is not English.

Atmosphere: include visual images and other sense impressions - sound, smell, touch and taste to make your scenes grip the reader.

Metaphors and similes: will add life to your writing, especially if you invent your own 'as black as your hat' is more interesting than, say, 'as black as night'; 'she raced like the wind' can be rewritten as, say, 'she raced like Hurricane Rita/an adolescent velociraptor/an athlete on amphetamines,'etc.

Clichés: when printing was done in metal, printers used to tie up a block of words used frequently, so they could drop it in easily. This was a cliché. You will find yourself using them, but rewrite in your own words to avoid the reader yawning.

Dialogue: if you have a good ear for other people's speech patterns, you will be good at writing dialogue. Dialogue makes your characters leap off the page. In our view, any effort at dialogue is better than none.

Find your own voice: try to be who you are in print, have confidence in your own patterns of self-expression. Avoid official and 'posh' language which will freeze up your sentences and annoy the reader.