Does putting pen to paper for the first time scare you? Well, don’t worry. Help is at hand. Here are some tips from the best in the business. Random House editors tell you how to unleash the writer within you and make sure that you have a fighting chance to seem your name in print by winning the MSN-Random House She Writes Contest.
- Use the quote given creatively in your story. Weave it into a conversation or end your story with it in a great flourish. You can use it anyway you like however the fact remains that it must be used!
- Characters are the pulse of your story. Think about them for a day or two. What would they do, think, how would they react to people, to scenarios in given circumstances? Once you’ve got them figured out, bring them to life with your words.
- Think about if you really want that flashback sequence in your story. See if you can avoid it and use it only if it’s absolutely necessary.
- Never begin a sentence with ‘Then’. It’s just laziness!
- Reread your story over and over again, till you’ve crossed out all the bits you felt were unnecessary. What you’ll be left with is gold. It’s only after editing your story a couple of times will you realize which parts seem forced or artificial.
