Does Your Theme Contain Character, Conflict, Resolution? Eight Ways To Write Better Instantly.

Creative Writing Tips – 

For a theme to work and the story, which will revolve around the theme, it has to contain three things… 

1. Character 

2. Conflict 

3. Resolution 

What’s the reason for this? 

If your theme doesn’t contain these three essential elements, then you won’t be writing a proper short story. It might turn out to be an essay instead. 

Because without… 

1) Characters 

You can’t achieve emotional depth. Readers become engrossed in stories because of the characters in them. They either become the character (sympathize), or read about an interesting person (empathize). 

Emotional depth is achieved when readers use their imagination and senses and/or experiences to live the story through the characters. 

2) Conflict 

Your story will be boring. Why? Without conflict, something to stir things up, nothing happens. And a story, in which nothing happens, is one not worth writing about. 

Your characters don’t lead carefree lives. Well, not in the instance you are writing about them. In that part of their lives they are faced with a problem. They want something and can’t get it because of the conflict, which is preventing them to do so. 

And it’s that conflict and the struggle the characters has to undergo that keeps us readers interested and in suspense. Will the character succeed or won’t he? And when is this all going to happen? And how is it all going to happen? 

3) Resolution 

Something that starts has to finish, one way or another. 

Once you have created great characters, which the reader will come to care about, and you have placed them in conflict, that conflict at the end of your story has to be resolved. The characters will achieve their goals or they won’t. 

That doesn’t matter. 

You can end your story as you please and as it suits your story – but you have to end it. Ending the story means resolving the conflict. 

Does your theme contain character, conflict, resolution? 

Eight Ways To Write Better Instantly

Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer, happily, is “yes.” 

While researching a book on famous speeches and essays, I found eight easily correctable mistakes writers often make. Here they are…and how to correct them instantly. 

1. UNFOCUSED SUBJECT – Focus on a single theme only. Every sentence and paragraph should reinforce that topic. 

2. TOO LONG – Abraham Lincoln crafted his Gettysburg Address in less than 300 words. Unless I’m specifically asked to do otherwise, I try to condense my work to one double-spaced single page (about 250 words). 

3. WEAK PREMISE – Can you state the major focus of your message in 20 words or less? 

4. NO ATTENTION-GRABBER – The first sentence or two must quickly attract the reader. Two ways to do this: (a) ask a question or (b) reveal a discovery. 

5. UNLINKED PARAGRAPHS – Each paragraph should logically lead to the next. One way some writers do this: (a) quickly write several paragraphs on a subject; ((b) prioritize them; (c) present them in descending order from most important to least important; (d) conclude by restating the two or three most important points. 

6. PASSIVE VERBS – Passive verbs like is, am, was, and were simply exist. Action verbs run, jump, excite, and motivate. 

7. BORE FACTOR – Some research says the average adult attention span is only eight seconds. So it’s important to make your points convincingly, and end your paper powerfully. 

8. WEAK ENDING – Exit your report like an experienced stage performer…leave your audience wanting more. Two ways to do this: (a) use a famous quote to reinforce your conclusion, or (b) give details showing the reader where to get more information on the subject. (Examples: your phone, fax, e-mail, etc.) 


- mantosh

Article writing tips are something that should be shared between and amongst all those who labor over producing quality content for whatever reasons. Be it for blog post or article marketing, routinely developing writing ideas that are popular with our readers can be difficult.

The ability to find topics to fuel your creative writing is more a learned skill then it is a talent. Learning to write articles your readers will enjoy and on a continual basis is a key to your success as an author. Developing an efficient writing process that will regularly produce positive results serves only to save you time and keep you motivated.

Today we’re going to address 5 simple tactics that we can use to find popular topics upon which to base our article writing.  

Blog Comments

If you’ve got a blog look the comments left and take some direction from them. Usually readers will indicate if a post was of interest to them and why. The more comments you get on a particular post the more popular the topic is to readers.

Branch out from popular post with sub-topics and write about them

No Blog No Problem

If you don’t have your own blog visit sites within your niche and review the comments left there for ideas. Remember you’re looking at comments left by ‘real’ people and their indications as to what is of interest to them is a gold mine of ideas for your article writing.

Twitter

This fast growing social network site is a great source of popular and up to date topics. Just log in and look on the right hand side of the screen for trending topics. This is where members are having smaller discussions on issues and/or events that are of interest to them.

Twitter is an invaluable real time search engine and can be used for many different research projects.



Search a Topic Using Google Suggest Tool

When you’re typing a particular topic into the menu bar while doing a search on Google a pull down menu will appear suggesting other popular searches. By taking each suggestion and retyping them into the search bar you’ll come up with a whole new list of ‘popular’ suggestions to research or write about.

Keyword Research

Take keywords relative to your area of interest and search for other keywords you can use. Similar to using the Google Keyword Suggestion tool we spoke of above here you’ll re-enter popular keywords you found to develop a whole new list of words or phrases. Fresh ideas for hot topics to write about.

Simply target the most searched upon words since this indicates their popularity. In a nutshell you’re just learning to write articles based upon the popularity of the topic itself and not by choosing your topics on a whim.

Anybody that composes content on a regular basis always appreciates any article writing tips that will make things easier. Maintaining a steady supply of writing ideas whose topics are popular with the readers certainly helps streamline the entire writing process itself. By utilizing any or all of the above discussed techniques you should be easily able to stimulate your creative writing juices. Keeping readers informed on subjects they have an interest in will serve to make your article marketing and blog posting efforts easier and more productive.


- TJ Philpott

I wrote books before, yet none of them were too good or published (i never tried to go to a publisher but I could guess the outcome). Can someone give me tips and good words or small ideas to use. Or you could provide a link to a VIDEO that could explain, but only video. Thank you to everyone who answers and especially thank you to who ever receives best answer!
- kickboychamp54

Article writing tips are something that should be shared between and amongst all those who labor over producing quality content for whatever reasons. Be it for blog post or article marketing, routinely developing writing ideas that are popular with our readers can be difficult.

The ability to find topics to fuel your creative writing is more a learned skill then it is a talent. Learning to write articles your readers will enjoy and on a continual basis is a key to your success as an author. Developing an efficient writing process that will regularly produce positive results serves only to save you time and keep you motivated.

Today we’re going to address 5 simple tactics that we can use to find popular topics upon which to base our article writing.  

Blog Comments

If you’ve got a blog look the comments left and take some direction from them. Usually readers will indicate if a post was of interest to them and why. The more comments you get on a particular post the more popular the topic is to readers.

Branch out from popular post with sub-topics and write about them

No Blog No Problem

If you don’t have your own blog visit sites within your niche and review the comments left there for ideas. Remember you’re looking at comments left by ‘real’ people and their indications as to what is of interest to them is a gold mine of ideas for your article writing.

Twitter

This fast growing social network site is a great source of popular and up to date topics. Just log in and look on the right hand side of the screen for trending topics. This is where members are having smaller discussions on issues and/or events that are of interest to them.

Twitter is an invaluable real time search engine and can be used for many different research projects.



Search a Topic Using Google Suggest Tool

When you’re typing a particular topic into the menu bar while doing a search on Google a pull down menu will appear suggesting other popular searches. By taking each suggestion and retyping them into the search bar you’ll come up with a whole new list of ‘popular’ suggestions to research or write about.

Keyword Research

Take keywords relative to your area of interest and search for other keywords you can use. Similar to using the Google Keyword Suggestion tool we spoke of above here you’ll re-enter popular keywords you found to develop a whole new list of words or phrases. Fresh ideas for hot topics to write about.

Simply target the most searched upon words since this indicates their popularity. In a nutshell you’re just learning to write articles based upon the popularity of the topic itself and not by choosing your topics on a whim.

Anybody that composes content on a regular basis always appreciates any article writing tips that will make things easier. Maintaining a steady supply of writing ideas whose topics are popular with the readers certainly helps streamline the entire writing process itself. By utilizing any or all of the above discussed techniques you should be easily able to stimulate your creative writing juices. Keeping readers informed on subjects they have an interest in will serve to make your article marketing and blog posting efforts easier and more productive.


- TJ Philpott

Speaking of writing, the ability to write well does NOT come naturally to most of us! As an affiliate and internet marketer, one of your main jobs is to write, no matter it is in the format of write a post, ads, newsletter or product reviews.

Writing can help you strengthen your communication with audiences, readers and generate the traffic to your business. However, to write well is a big task and challenge!

Following are some suggestions and tips that I use each time when I do my writing, hope you find it helpful.

1. Writing Purpose And Reasons

Before you start to write in any format, ask yourself these following questions:

-. Who are your targeted readers?

-. Where are they?

-. Why should they read your writings?

-. What special knowledge do you have that can help them?

-. How much do they already know?

-. What else do you need to find out?

It is important to get out answers toward to those above questions. You can set it as your benchmark. Based on that to build your credibility with your readers and gain respect from them; otherwise, you cannot help them.

2. Writing Methods Of Research

Regarding to the background material, except conduct research from internet; revisit some of your favorite manuals or textbooks to refresh the basics are another good method to use. To catch up with current trend, you also need to read recently published articles regards to your subject as well.

Come back to the web search method, when you using that, don’t forget to include the world “problems” along with the name or description of your subject, this way can get you into user forums where you can discuss what are the problems people are concerning nowadays.

However, if you are participate on the open forums, you have to remember be honest, never try to write or give people advices on the things or subjects you do not know. That would destroy your credibility.

3. Write From Personal Experience

It will be better if you can write down the problems that you have faced, and the solutions you have found when you do your writing; it can help you establishes your credibility.

You can gain real knowledge power through experience as well as authority. Therefore, respect the semantic link between author and authority is necessary.

For example, anyone can slap together a fair article on dog training. There are more than 40 million web sites out there dedicated to this one subject, all you have to do is to skim through a few of them and then pick some thoughts.

However, if you are unable to structure your article around real anecdotes concerning dogs you have trained, if you have never train a dog and no experience on that, your words will ring hollow.

4. Write What You Know

“Write what you know” is the best way to go, write on what you actually know and back it up with doing some fresh research.

For instance, if you have ever worked as a dishwasher, for sure you know there is some difference between washing dishes in a restaurant and washing dishes in a cafeteria.

In a cafeteria, the panic is always over flatware when people are pressing into line for a quick lunch and cannot find any clean forks.

In a restaurant, on the other hand, the endless mountains of pots and pans from preparing many individual meals simultaneously kill dishwashers, because not all the cooks are able to get their used cookware back to the scullery, which can cause recurring crises for dishwashers, that’s why they struggle with waves of encrusted pots.

Once you have this authentic background, you can write an article about laborsaving practices, or a short story about personality clashes behind those kitchen doors. I bet you – there are not many people know about it.

If you have babysitter experience, you can develop a great article about how to put children at ease before their parents leave and so forth.

So there is your call, do some research and write some stories of your own and test them.

Write from the strength of personal experience will lead you to what you need to write, and your experience can suggest you in terms of how to structure your writing for credibility.


- Ann Liu

The good start means good writing tips. The age-old advice is true: write what you know. When you speak about familiar topics, an air of expertise shines through. So examine your life, and focus on your interests. Your topics will find you.

It goes without saying (and yet I’ll say it anyway), that you need to pick your genre first. Now my genre focuses on non-fiction articles. In particular, I am fond of the how-to article. I find that I enjoy hands-on experiences, and thus I’m able to guide my reader more easily.

(Now don’t panic if you write in several genres, just apply this advice to each genre separately.) There’s no long-term commitment involved.

You, of course, have a bevy of genres from which to choose. First, do you prefer fiction or non-fiction? What particular sub-category? What are your interests? Do you prefer first person or third person? Do you prefer writing articles, short stories, books, or something else? Do you prefer working for online editors, traditional publishers, or businesses? The choices are endless.

Once you’ve decided upon a genre, brainstorm about your ideas. Sometimes, they will come in fits and starts; sometimes they will flow freely; and sometimes they just won’t flow at all. But THAT’S OKAY!!! Work through the pain, and keep going. Write every single day, even if you don’t have much to say.

Here’s a different approach: Every single time a new idea springs to mind, start a new Word file. Use keywords in the filename, so you can find it later. If you have five ideas in five minutes, then save five different Word files. Is it annoying? It can be. But when a new idea emerges, you can pop it into a new or existing file. Keep it up and you’ll have an incredible brainstorming list for each topic. You never know when you’ll want to open the file, rework it, and turn it into something remarkable.

I have a kazillion Word files on my computer (filed under “articles”). Some are merely flimsy ideas—they are only one sentence long. Others are full of pages and pages of material. Many articles are duplicated from a different point of view (POV). I may have the same article written in first person, and then rewritten in third person. Since every editor has a different style preference, I figure I’ll cover all bases: I’m as flexible as possible when I’m “in the zone.”

My topics also reflect my life’s current events. When I was planning my wedding, I wrote numerous articles on wedding invitations, reception planning, and wedding decor. As my first child was born, I focused on pregnancy, childhood, and potty training. As my life reached the next stage, my writing evolved with me. Luckily, this works well for me: New ideas constantly emerge.

So now you’re ready to go, but you don’t know where to start? Just look around! Consider each aspect of your life. Did you hear a funny joke? Did you spend the afternoon stuck in traffic? Did your boss give you grief at work? Did your grocery bill shock you? Did your children argue about a trivial event? Turn each event into an article, and breathe life into your work. Your emotions will shine through.

Read more writing tips and become a professional writer!


- Matthew Jacob Williams

During the last few weeks I have had several people approach me and ask me, “How did you get started in your pursuit of becoming a writer?”

While I have not arrived at the goals and dreams I have concerning writing, I will be glad to share a little bit of what I have learned over the past few years.

Three years ago I began to seriously pursue a career in writing. Writing had been part of my life since I was 9 years old and I had enjoyed writing for fun through school and into marriage. Starting with poetry, I then went to short stories but early in my marriage and while my children were young my writing ceased as a busy life took over.

When my children were older I began writing for a church newsletter and worked on Bible studies that I shared with my friends. I wrote a short non-fiction book based on some of the Bible studies and sent it to a few publishers in the early 1990’s with no success. The desire to write was something I could not get past however and a chance peek at the local newspaper one day changed my life and its course forever.

Advertised in the paper was Community Education and its winter schedule of classes. I had participated in Community Education before, taking a hair braiding class a few years earlier. What caught my eye this time was a writing class; four weeks for a small amount of money. With the state of my finances this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to see how serious I was about writing.

This brings me to the first topic in this series of articles on pursuing a writing career. Topic one is to take a writing class. Whether it is a course in college, community education or lessons on-line, go ahead and sign up for a class to get your feet wet. How will you know how serious you are if you never step out of the boat? Many people talk about doing different things and living their dream but never follow through. Here is one easy step if you want to be a writer: take a class.

When I arrived at the first class I almost ran back out the door. There were eight other ladies and I was sure they were all expert writers and would probably laugh at my feeble attempts to create on paper. Taking a class made me realize what little self-confidence I had and how afraid I was to share what was in my heart. On a more positive note, it also introduced to some wonderful ladies who were really no different than me and helped me to realize that I did want to go to the next step in becoming a career writer, joining a writing group. Join me next week for more tips on pursuing a career in writing.


- Jennifer Hallmark

I’m beginning a novel and have trouble sitting down and writing, feeling as if by writing it down its permanent and it could’ve been better. I’m a HS sophomore and am beginning some writing classes. Any tips on writing better, or getting in a mindset?
- rbw_cynical

I’m looking for writing tips and ideas on profiles,obituaries,opinion,features(lifestyle/travel). I haven’t written for a long time and i was hoping to refresh and gain some useful tips as well as ideas to work around with.If you do know any websites that you have refered to in the past /online pieces i can study on do let me know.Thanks..
- agie81

I really want to write a horror novel,as i enjoy reading them so much. i’ve loads of ideas but i dont no where to start. the novel doesnt nessicarily have to be extremley scary as long as it’s written well and has great suspense and keeps you on edge.
if anyone has any tips on where to start, i would be really grateful. i also would like to know if there are any plots you personally would love to read more of.

thanks in advance.

And of course 10 points will be awarded for the best answer.
- Siobhan