Okay, so, previously I started a series called “How I Write“.

Yeah, this is NOT that series. Notice the little strike-through in the title? And notice the part that isn’t struck through? Yup, this series is “Writing Tips”! No, it’s not about how to write tips ;).

I said previously that I didn’t see a point in doing a how-to-write series because there were so many out there. What I’m going do here is not only post tips but also link you to tips that I think are good. That way we’ll get a variety, because something that might work for Bob, might not work for Frank.

Now, this first episode will have both! A writing tip from me and lots of other writing tips, too. And where is it? No other place than the Young Writer Program of Nano. So here they are:

Ready, set, WRITE!!! Or not…

Sometimes it’s hard to get started. After all, a blank page is pretty scary. It’s kinda like a zombie—only instead of eating your brains, it eats your creativity. I wouldn’t be surprised if, second to writer’s block, a blank page was a writer’s worst enemy.

Okay, so let’s say you walk away from the blank page. If you were about to attempt killing a dragon, would you stand in front of said dragon thinking about it? NO! You’d hide from the dragon, and not come out until you knew what to do.

So, walk away, do something else. But while you’re doing that thing, think about your story. And when an idea comes to you, sit down and flesh it out in your mind. And when you’ve got that scene ready, run and put it on that blank page as quickly as you can. Don’t hesitate, don’t stare at the page, type it out. And then run around yelling about how you conquered the blank page.

Okay, so that last part is optional. – Princess Kitten

Click Here For The Full Page Of Advice!!

There’s a lot of different variety there. And the cool part? It’s all by young authors! So yeah, if you’re interested in writing, give that page a whirl. And also, if you want more advice, well scattered about Nano is tons! Pep talks, other pages of Y.A.A (Young Author Advice), writing work books and more. So, as I said, give it a whirl.

Now until next time, this has been Kitten, sharing some writing tips! *bows and flourishes hat, before disappearing in a cloud of paper*

So, here we are, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the thing I’ve been promising you for a while, the first in the series of posts where I tell you how I write. AND WHY ARE YOU SO HYPED FOR THIS THING THAT DOESN’T NECESSARILY APPLY TO YOU, AND MAY BE COMPLETELY USELESS TO YOU BECAUSE MY WRITING STYLE DOESN’T WORK FOR YOU? Because I used telepathy to make you so!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Anyway, on to the show: HOW I WRITE!!!!

And the lesson for today is *slide drops down and I read off of it* How To Get Kitten To Stop Talking. Oh wait, no, wrong slide. Heh heh. One sec, I’ll fix it *runs off behind screen. You hear lots of banging and shouting. I finally come back out.* Heh heh, that should do it. *Slide is replaced, and I read to the proper show title.*

Anyway, what I’m going talk about today is where I start off with my stories — the inspiration, I guess you’d call it.

Normally I start off by my mind wandering off and running into a scene. The scene could be anywhere from the story: the beginning, the climax, anywhere in between, and (though this one is probably the rarest) the very end, when everything’s cooling off. Other times, it’s a character that my mind meets, someone who intrigues me, perhaps they have a sad and dark background, or are under-adventurous, or overly so, or anything.

Either way, if it’s something that draws me in, I’ll bring it back to the real world with me, or at least remember where it lives. Then as time goes on, I’ll come up with a story for this scene or character, something that will allow me to use this new friend.

That done, I start writing. Whether I start with my scene or not, I start writing, and the story supposedly becomes the new home for that scene or character. Well, assuming it keeps me intrigued enough that another one doesn’t come and barge in and make me want to write its story instead… Heh heh.

Well, that was a very… interesting edition. But like I said, this isn’t a serious writing tutorial, because of two things:

• There’s way too many out there already. I don’t really need to make one, I’m just doing it for fun.
• And also, you have to find your own style of writing. I can only give you tips, and like I said, I’m mostly doing this for fun.

Now, for an example of what I mean by this lesson:

In my NaNo story, the inspiration for it came from a scene, in which… well, it was an interesting scene that made me want to know how those characters got there, and where they were going. So I set to work. I haven’t actually gotten to that scene yet, and by the time I do, it will probably have changed, but that’s where it started.