Amelia Grey's Writing Tips
www.onceuponaromance.net
Tip Checklist
by Amelia Grey
- Every writer has their own way to write a book
- Think about your story for a long time
- Do all your research
- Know your characters
- Establish a character on first page
- Don’t under estimate your first page, first chapter
- First page sets the pace
- Study your first page – Did you tell who, what, when, where?
- Best first lines are drama
- Good first lines plunge hero or heroine into dire straits
- The better you use your opening chapter, the better your book will be
- Plunge your reader into conflict immediately
- Reader involvement is the most important thing you can do
- Get your reader early and you’ll keep them to the end of the book
- Give the hero and heroine the promise of romance early in the book
- But readers get bored with too much happiness
- Write in a little misery, then resolve it
- If you don’t pace yourself, you’re headed for trouble
- But don’t be slow
- No two people talk alike – remember your characters’ personalities
- Never assume your readers know your characters just because you do
- Don’t let your characters sit around
- Watch for uneven characters
- Secondary characters should never take away from the hero and heroine
- Go directly to action – Don’t stop for background
- Give background in small segments
- A sense of urgency is a must
- Don’t make emotional scenes long or chatty
- Don’t let your story lack life or excitement
- There has to be a strong emotional concept
- Motivation must be made clear
- Don’t throw logic out of the window for the sake of drama
- Make sure you have enough threads to hold the book together
- Cut the trite and silly
- Don’t be trendy
- Keep up with today’s market
- Don’t forget to read - all kinds of books
We appreciate Amelia's contribution to the writing tips at Once Upon A Romance.
Please, visit her website for more info. Click on the link below.
www.ameliagrey.com
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