As everyone seemed to really enjoy my last blog post where I offered writing tips for amateur writers (which can be found here if you're interested), I thought I would make another quick blog update with a few more tips on making your writing stronger and more successful. 

1. Research
Honestly, this is incredibly important. If you're writing about something that you have little to no knowledge of, you're going to want to do quite a bit of research. For instance, if you're writing a police officer AU, depending on the location and era of your story, you'll want to do research related to it. Not only will this make the story more realistic/believable, but those who do actually have experience in such a field will be able to enjoy the story better. 

Doing research allows for a more detailed story, as well. Never underestimate what research or a basic understanding of the subject can do for your story.

2. Kill Your Darlings
This sounds kind of awful, doesn't it? This is actually some of the best writing advice I have ever received, and there are times when I need to remind myself to go by it. 

So what does this phrase actually mean? Sometimes, we write these sentences, paragraphs, even entire pages that become so precious to us because we feel that they have been written so beautifully and perfectly. They become sacred to us as a writer. But sometimes, those sentences, paragraphs, or even pages don't offer anything to the story itself. As much as it hurts, if it's just a bunch of pretty words that don't add anything to the story, you're better off cutting them out altogether. 

3. Vocabulary
This sort of goes hand-in-hand with tip #1. Make sure your vocabulary or word-choice suits the theme or feeling of the story. If you're writing a tragic story, it's awkward to use whimsical language, and vice versa. Using this with tip #1, you can learn about the lingo for certain clique's or careers that will make your dialogue more believable. I have to stress, however, that you also must be careful when using jargon that a general audience might not be familiar with. If you're that adamant on using jargon in your fic, it's a really good idea to offer a footnote for your readers so they can understand what your characters are saying.

4. Character Bios
As the author, you should know your characters inside and out. The more you know about your characters and the world they live in, the better you'll be able to write them. Think of it as making friends; the more you get to know them, the easier it is to hold conversations with them or even buy them gifts. If you don't know your characters, it will show and make them fall flat. 

There are plenty of websites that can offer you good questions to ask of your characters. You should know more about them than basic things like what they look like, their name, their likes and dislikes. You should know about their quirks/flaws, things that irritate them and things that make them really happy. What makes them uncomfortable? What would they do in a state of emergency? Are they good at comforting people who are sad or do they get awkward around people that cry? Think of really personal things, ask yourself what kind of childhood they might have had. What is their family like and how would that affect them growing up? How does that affect their views on the world and their morals? What drives them? What are their goals? What kind of things do they like in people? 

A well-rounded character is a relatable character.

5. Write, Write, Write!
As a college student, I can tell you that you can only get better at something if you do it and do it a lot. You might hear it a lot, but it's the only real way you can get better at it. The more you write, the more you can see where your weak points are. Maybe you're great with word-choice but terrible at planning an entire story. Or maybe you're great at world-building but are absolutely awful at expressing yourself in writing. The sooner you can see where you need improvement, the sooner you'll be able to enhance those areas of your craft. 

And going further on this, READ, READ, READ! I'm kind of naughty about this because I like to write but I hate to read (but that's just because I'm far too picky for my own good). Reading can help you learn what works in writing and what doesn't. It offers you a chance to widen your vocabulary and see how published authors or well-received authors build their sentences and their worlds. What are they doing that makes them so great? 

If people continue to enjoy these, I'll always make more! I actually like giving writing advice, because sometimes I need to hear it too! Thank you for reading, and happy writing!