Link Line-up: Tips and Advice

When writing a novel it's good to start with the basics; part one and part two from George Angus give a great outline and some things to think about when starting a new project. I found the section on dialogue in part two especially helpful.

Once you've begun you're going to run into a few situations where you will have to choose which direction your characters and/or plots take. Jeremiah Tolbert has five ways to deal with the choices you make in writing. I usually don't worry about the paths I haven't taken, but I like the idea of keeping track of parallel document that tracks alternate paths. I also think I'll try outlining sometime.

I really like the Fuel Your Writing site and Dustin Staiger gives us 5 Tips for Tantalizing Writing. I have to keep reminding myself in my own writing to leave some work for the reader.

While implementing these tips be sure to avoid these 7 Deadly Writing Sins by Lynn Viehl. These are good things to keep in mind.

In the end, it really is all about the story so don't let it suffer while you focus on other parts of your novel. "As a writer, it is not words, but stories, that are your elemental tool. Stories are an enchanting magic that grip the reader to the page." From David Masters' guest post on Write to Done entitled 'Campfire Writing: Why Stories are the Writer's Elemental Tool.'

More great resources on everything you need:

Writing Tips and links from WeBook.com

5 Novelists' Websites That Offer Great Writing Advice from WebUpon.com

Nathan Bransford's Writing Advice Database

50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Writing Skills from Smashing Magazine

Was any of this helpful? Do you have any tips that are helpful in your planning and writing?