Late Night Writing Tips

I should mention that this is a list of writing tips I am compiling late at night, not that these tips will improve your nocturnal ramblings.  Sorry if there was any confusion.

Maybe I should have titled this post Keys to Writerly Success.  Oh well…

Joss Whedon’s Top 10 Writing Tips

• Finish It
• Structure
• Have Something to Say
• Everybody Has a Reason to Live
• Cut What You Love
• Listen
• Track the Audience Mood
• Write Like a Movie
• Don’t Listen
• Don’t Sell Out

Neil Gaiman’s Eight Rules of Writing

• Write
• Put One Word After Another, the Right Word
• Finish What You’re Writing
• Put It Aside
• If People Tell You Something Is Wrong, They Are Right
• Fix It
• Laugh at Your Own Jokes
• With Enough Confidence, You Can Do What You Like

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling - Sorry, you’ll have to check that list out yourself.  That’s a bit too much for me to fit in here.

Chuck Wendig – How Story Rebels Against Expectations – This is also known as “fuck the straight line” of story plots.  I’ll let you head over to his site to read the full article.

Michael Stackpole – Seven Traits of Enduring Characters

• Mystery
• Redemption
• Loyalty or Trechery
• Internally Consistent, but with the capacity to Surprise
• Self-Sacrifice
• Romance or a Love Story
• Success against the Odds

So why did I put this list together?  Well, that’s very simple.  I was looking for some guidence, and since my fairy godmother apparently has the night off, I realized I was going to have to look for it myself.  And after some puttering around, I realized I just need to get back in my chair and finish writing the damn scene.  So since I am no longer in need of writerly assistance tonight, I thought I would share the fruits of my labors with others.  Enjoy!