Should a Novice ask for tips from Veterans? duh OfCourse

[DireBadger]

The quick answer is no. Basically, each writer writes in their own style, with their own strengths and weaknesses. Most advice from professionals simply involves either 'quick tips' (that only work in the mind and style of the professional that suggests them) or advice that simply makes your style closer to another writer's style. Writing guides are mostly garbage.

Basic grammar and LOTS of reading are your best bets, followed by TONS of practice, until you find your own style and modify it to match your audience and demographic preferences. That means practice, and as OokamiKasumi mentioned, a good test audience right smack in the middle of your demo.

The only real 'tip' pro writers can offer is very simple. Choose your audience. You can't please everyone, and when you try you wind up with some ugly abomination that pisses off everyone, like pretty much every disney live action remake.

Everything else flows from there. Writing stuff that exclusively appeals to YOU is great if you are a hobbyist who plans on never releasing anything except maybe some fanfic or deep-cut erotic fan service, but most people are born failures. 'Be yourself' means setting yourself up to lose. Be better than yourself. 'Write what you know' is the worst possible advice unless you happen to be an ex-SEAL geisha superhero from planet Xevo.

 

[StoneInky]

Here's a story I once wrote which might help you out...

"One Lesson"​

The boy found him at the edge of a half-collapsed rice field, kneeling in the mud with a rusted hoe in his hands.

“You’re the Sword Saint,” the boy said.

The man didn’t look up. He kept breaking the earth, row by row.

“I’ve come a long way,” the boy continued. “Weeks on foot. I’ve sold everything I own. I’ve read all the texts. I believe in the old ways. I believe in honor. I believe the sword is more than just a weapon—it’s a path.”

Still no response.

“I don’t ask for much. Just one lesson.”

The Sword Saint stopped. Stood up slow, like his knees hurt. His back crackled with the sound of old wood.

He turned to face the boy. “You want a lesson?”

“I do.”

“Then here it is.” The man leaned the hoe against a stump. “Nobody gives a shit what you believe.”

The boy blinked. “I—what?”

“You’ve spent five minutes telling me why you need something. As if your desperation buys you a place in my life. Like your need is currency.”

“I thought—if I explained it clearly—”

“You thought wrong.” The Saint motioned around him: the patchy field, the sagging shed, the tools rusting from use, not neglect.

“I’ve got rice that won’t grow. A roof that leaks. Hips that crack when it rains. You think I spend my days waiting for barefoot boys with dreams to show up and eat my time?”

The boy lowered his head. His jaw clenched. “So you won’t teach me.”

“I am teaching you. Right now.”

The boy said nothing.

The Saint moved closer. His voice didn’t rise. Didn’t need to.

“Here’s what you missed. If you want something from someone, don’t appeal to their charity. Find what they want. Then trade for it.”

“You want me to pay?”

“I want you to stop acting like the world runs on pity. It doesn’t. It runs on leverage.”

The boy’s fists curled. “Then what do you want?”

The Sword Saint stepped past him, picked up the hoe again. He answered over his shoulder.

“That’s your second lesson. Come back when you know the answer.”
----
Find a way to be of service to those you seek specific help from. There are many ways beyond money.

The boy better be careful. What if said Sword Saint just takes his hard labor and disappears? How is he going to make him pay if he does? By fighting him? Pfft. Not only that, how does he know for sure he's the Sword Saint? He might be a pretender. And even if this is the real Sword Saint, and he's nice, what makes him think he deserves his teaching?

I don't like the boy.

I like the Sword Saint. I hope he's a scammer. :)

 

[LeeWee]

I'm a novice myself, so you have to take this for what it is.

When I write a chapter, I usually just dump everything that comes to mind—all the ideas and things that might (or might not) happen. Then I structure the chapter into what's really going to happen, and look at the dynamics in the scenes. Perhaps it starts slow, then there’s more action, and then it slows down again by the end.

Once I have a rough idea of what I want the chapter to be about, I write it all down without thinking too much—like a first draft.

For my second draft, I start to think about “show, don’t tell” and sensory details. If my character is angry or sad, I look up what that feels and looks like, and then I add it in.

For my third draft, I focus on setting and symbolism. I ask myself: does the way I’ve described the setting make sense? Is it too much? Too little? Do the things I’ve described have meaning for the chapter?

In the fourth draft, I check that the dialogue and inner monologues fit the character’s voice, trauma, and situation. If the character feels angry, how does that show in their speech? Or maybe they’re trying to suppress or hide it—how would their words and tone change?

I don’t know if this makes it easier or not, but I usually do it bit by bit—otherwise, it’s easy to get overwhelmed!

My go to literature (which I keep close by when I'm writing):
For showing emotion: The Emotional Wound Thesaurus
For settings: The Rural and Urban Setting Thesaurus
For fight scenes: Fight Write and Fight Write: Round Two
For character building and story structure: Save the Cat