In-Depth Creative Writing

Red Flag #1: “Your” vs “You’re”

“Your” is used when you talk about something that belongs to you.

This is your book. Your parents are so nice! Can I borrow your phone?

“You’re” is used any time that you can replace it with the words “you are”.

You’re so nice! You’re an amazing writer! I love how you’re willing to help others!

Red Flag #2: “Their” vs “They’re” vs “There”

“Their” is used when you’re talking about something that belongs to them (whoever them is in this case).

That is their car. Their uniforms are so cool! Don’t you like their project?

“They’re” is used any time that you can replace it with the words “they are”.

They’re really sweet! I’m so glad they’re all so willing to help. They’re not the ones you’re looking for.

“There” is what you use when you’re talking about a location or something existing.

Can there be two at once? The restroom is over there. There is no way that will work.

Red Flag #3: “Effect” vs “Affect”

The easy way to remember this is that an action has to “affect” something to have an “effect”. “Affect” is the verb and “effect” is the noun.

“Affect” is the change/impact.

How will that affect my grades? Will this choice affect my plans? That chimichanga affected my weight.

“Effect” is the result of the change/impact.

Let me look at the side effects. What will be the effect of this choice? The effect of last night’s chimichanga was weight gain.

Abbreviation - Meaning

IDCW - In-Depth Creative Writing (the abbreviation for me/this blog)

MC - main character

WIP - work-in-progress (any creative writing project that isn’t completed yet)

YA - young adult

POV - point-of-view

LIOE - late in, out early

1. Prologues

First off, a lot of posts advise against using a prologue as a way to start your story. Personally, I don’t usually feel the need to include a prologue in my WIPs, but I have read WIPs (by some of the other writers I hang out with) and books where I felt like it actually worked. If you’re trying to decide whether to keep the prologue or cut it out entirely, I would recommend 1) doing your research on prologues and when they work/don’t work and 2) find someone to read the prologue and first chapter or two of your manuscript so you can get a fresh perspective on it. I hate to say it, but that prologue may be one of the darlings you’ll have to kill off. (More on killing your darlings in another post.) 

Let me know if anyone wants a post on deciding whether or not to keep your prologue.That’s a can of worms I’ll keep closed for this post, but I may make a post on in the future.

2. The Hook

You’ll hear this a lot when people talk about beginnings. “You need to hook your reader right from the start!” True, but make sure that your hook 1) actually has to do with your book, 2) sets the tone for your story, and 3) encourages the reader to keep reading by making a promise that the book can keep. (More on promises in a different post as well.)

Hooks are usually the first line/paragraph of your first chapter. These are what intrigue your readers and encourage them to keep reading. Here are some good first lines/hooks in books I’ve read.

I’ve seen Steelheart bleed.

-Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson.

The Darkness has grown more powerful each day for the last five years.

-The Magenta by Cassidy Bennett.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man, in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

All of these hooks set the stage for the story. They convey the mood, often some element of world-building or character, and pulls the reader deeper into the story. Another wonderful hook, this one beginning with dialogue, was from Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25.

“Have you found the last two yet?” The voice on the phone was angry and coarse, like the sound of car tires over broken glass.

That one piece of dialogue communicates volumes. It shows that someone is searching for something or someone—two of them. The description of the voice on the phone gives off the sense of something bad, leading me to believe that the person on the phone is not good news.

3. Typical Day in the Life of...Whoever This Character Is

Yeah, some readers care enough to read through it and some don’t. For the most part, readers want to see the moment when everything changes for your character and the consequences of that moment. Get as close to the action as possible.

There’s a rule I learned from the writing podcast Writing Excuses that I really liked called late in, out early (I abbreviate it as LIOE so I don’t have to type it out every time I mention it). I believe the hosts of the podcast accredited this principle to screenwriting, but I could be wrong.

LIOE means that you bring the readers (or viewers) in as close to the action/event they actually care about as possible, show them what they want to see, then have them move forward before things get too boring again.

For example, say your character is taking part in some sort of meeting where they have to negotiate stuff. Since long meetings for negotiations can start off pretty boring, bring the reader in right when things get interesting. This may be when a disagreement arises and starts to escalate. It could also be when something crazy, like a bomb going off or a bunch of rebels breaking in, could occur.

Instead of starting off your chapter with every little thing happening at the meeting (especially if it involves new policies or whatever that have little to no effect on your story), start off with something like:

High-pitched beeping beneath his feet yanked Prince Alak out of his boredom. Negotiations were one thing, but bombs were another.

I’ll have to do another blog post on LIOE, since this explanation could go on for much longer. I’ll leave it at that for now though.

1. Don’t start at the beginning.

If you’re having trouble with the beginning of your story, the idea that sparked your new writing project was likely somewhere in the middle of your story—or maybe even the ending. It could even be a vague concept! Sometimes, the easiest way to get started is to write what you know so far about your new project, whether it’s a line of dialogue, an element of the setting, or a character idea. Write it down and see where it leads you.

Going along with this, write the part that excites you the most before anything else. Why? Because that’s probably the only part of the story you’re going to be able to focus on until it’s on paper (or a digital document). I know that’s been the case for a lot of my stories.

2. Brain Dump!

I am a huge fan of brain dumps! I’ve seen them done loads of ways, but my personal favorite method is to open a new digital document, break it into whatever sections I want, then fill those sections with information and/or other sections. I usually at least have sections for each character, different aspects of world-building, and random snippets (usually dialogue/conversations and scenes) in my story. There are lots of ways to do a brain dump, so find a way that works for you if you want to try them.

3. Talk about it with someone.

When I’m stuck on my story, sometimes I’ll talk to someone about the story. I have a few writer friends I hang out with (and a very tiny fanbase that doesn’t mind spoilers), so I can usually turn to them to help me talk through the problem. Usually, either I’ll find a solution or they will. This also helps me get feedback on my ideas before I have a draft completed.