My Best Tips for Young Writers
Writing Tips That Support and Encourage Young Writers
After writing over 20 books, I have learned a thing or two about character development, plotting, research, and revision. I love sharing what I’ve learned, especially with young writers!
When I’m in a procrastination slump, I set a timer for 10 minutes and write. When the timer goes off, I’ll set it for another 10 minutes and this time I’ll procrastinate. I’ll do this back and forth for an hour.
New story ideas are like frogspawn. They start out all blobby looking. They’re interesting but unformed. They need time to grow legs and to look… froggy.
Find out what your character most desires then be cruel! Make it extremely difficult for them to get that thing.
The stakes have to be high. The journey must be difficult.
Writers are experts when it comes to procrastination. Not only are we doing something that is difficult to do, but we are often doing it on a computer, also known as “The Procrastination Machine.” That’s why it’s often a good idea to put the computer aside and write by hand.
The omniscient point of view is the “security guard” of narrators. Imagine the omniscient narrator sitting in a black swivel chair, surrounded by TV monitors that show all the characters in your story going about their business.
