Here are author Sue Williams’ top four writing tips:
1. Start
The hardest thing is getting started. I’m a great believer in just picking up a pen, or firing up the computer, and making a start. Get yourself going, and write a couple of thousand words quickly to warm up. You can always go back and redraft and refine; but once you have some words under your belt, it’ll always be easier. You’ve begun, so you might as well finish!
2. Practise
Practise really does make perfect, in writing as well as in anything else. The more you write, the better you’ll become. The words and phrases will come easier, the plotlines will unfurl more naturally, and your characters will live and breathe more convincingly. So don’t worry if your first efforts are disappointing. Your next effort will be better, and the next one better still. Don’t forget how many world-famous authors there are who still have rejected first manuscripts in their bottom drawer!
3. Take note
Take a notebook with you everywhere, even to bed. You never know when a good idea might strike you – and it could disappear forever if you don’t capture it there and then. Make a habit of jotting down interesting people you meet, interesting conversations you have, or interesting things that happen to you or others. You can draw on them all later to colour your book.
4. Become a voyeur
Take a good look at passers-by and practise describing them in words. See how they dress. Watch for distinctive gestures. Listen to how they speak. Take note of how they relate to each other. But try not to let them see you’ve been spying on them. It could be embarrassing!
