Some Tweaks to Improve Your Fiction

Hey writers, let’s talk about how to improve your fiction. Here’s a super-sized list of tips that you can start implementing right away:

• Write what you know. Incorporate experiences and characters from your past to add depth to your fiction. You’ll immediately be more connected to the content and your reader will feel that.

• Write about what you don't know. Some of the best writing comes from deep research. Choose a topic that you know little about, and then commit to research so that you may write a stronger story.

• Read more. The best writers are avid readers.

• Write every day, whether you feel like it. Good writing isn’t an accident. It comes from the daily discipline of sitting down and writing. Yes, you’ll get sick of writing, but eventually, you’ll fall in love with it. Break through to that other side where you must write every single day.

• Read other genres. Don’t just stick to your own genre. Here’s why: The Importance of Reading Other Genres.

• Outline your stories before you start writing. If you know where you’re headed, you may be able to avoid writer’s block.

• Write from the seat of your pants, especially if you're accustomed to outlining. Writing without the safety net of an outline can unshackle your creativity.

• Find the theme in your story. Every novel has a theme. It’s your job to find out what it is and then make it even more defined and polished in your upcoming drafts. Themes help readers connect with the story and find meaning from it. Check out these tips for choosing the perfect theme for your story.

• Introduce your main characters and their story with the first act of your novel (there are three acts in total). Meeting your characters early on will give your readers a chance to emotionally invest in their stories.

• Interview your main characters so that you have a good grasp of their backstory. Learn more about how to create a backstory here.

• Give your protagonist a flaw. Your readers cannot relate to a perfect, goody-two-shoes main character.

• Give your antagonist a virtue. A fully evil villain is boring and two-dimensional. Everyone has at least one admirable trait, such as loyalty, honesty, or bravery.

• In fact, make your villain likable in some way. Here’s how: Tips to develop a sympathetic villain.

• Give vague descriptions of your characters to allow the reader's imagination to fill in the blanks. It’s okay to share hair color, body build, and general features, but if you’re getting into tooth color, you may be going too far.

• Kill off a character unexpectedly. It’s even better if you weren’t planning to kill the character.