Sneaky Writing Tricks
Updated: 2 days ago
So you want to be a writer!
You've probably heard the usual advice: read a lot and write every day without worrying about it being perfect. And it's good advice!
But it's also the advice that just about everyone gives, which means it's a little tired.
So here is a different batch of advice. These are sneaky tricks, the kind that actually help you finish the kind of stories you want to read. Try one this week and see what happens!
1. Finish something ugly
One of the most difficult parts of being an author isn't writing something good, it's finishing anything at all. Most people get a few pages in, decide it's not good enough, or discover it's hard work, and either start over or abandon the project completely. When I first started writing real, novel-length books, I ended up with dozens of beginnings without ever reaching the end of anything. So change your goal. Don't try to write a good story. Try to write a finished one. Even if it's awful! Even if it's ugly! Just try to finish a story, no matter how awful you think it might be.
Try this: When you get stuck on something, type a note for yourself in brackets: [something cool happens here, fix later]. Then skip straight to the fun scene (or the easier to write scene). You can fix the boring or hard parts after the whole story exists.
2. Steal feelings
Everyone says "write what you know." But you don't have to know what fighting a dragon might actually be like in order to write about a dragon fight! You actually just need to know what fear feels like. You already have an entire museum of feelings in your memory and lived experience! The way your hands shook when you got caught doing something sneaky, the surge of adrenaline you got when you were chased by a big dog - those feelings can transfer into your stories. Lend your own feelings to your imaginary characters and watch pretend situations begin to feel real.
Try this: Write down one strong feeling you've had this month. Now give that exact feeling to a character who isn't anything like you, in a situation that has never happened to you.
3. Read like a detective, not a fan
Reading a lot is great! Wonderful, in fact. But here's how you level up when you want to hone your writing skills: when a book makes you feel something (scared, thrilled, excited, heartbroken) - stop! Go back a few paragraphs. Notice what the writer did to help you feel that way.
Did they use short sentences to make the scene feel fast? Did they hide a clue three pages (or three chapters, or even three books) earlier? Did they make you love a character right before something bad happened?
Try this: Find one sentence in a book that gave you chills and copy it out by hand. Write it slowly and think about how it was constructed and why it made you feel what you felt.
4. Tell it to your dog
Stuck on what happens next? Stop writing and start talking. Say the story out loud. Tell your dog what's going on, tell your favorite stuffed animal, talk to a poster on your wall, or even your reflection in the mirror. Sometimes I go for a walk and talk about my character or chapter or story arc into the voice-memo app on my phone.
Something weird happens when you speak a story instead of writing it. Your brain stops worrying about spelling and grammar and sentence structure, and just tells the tale. Talking out loud (even to nobody) lets you tell the story the way you'd tell a friend about something crazy that happened at school.
Try this: Record yourself telling your story's next scene out loud. Keep talking as you think up ideas for how to solve a problem or ways a fight might play out. Play it back and start writing when you hear all the good ideas!
5. Make your character's day worse
This one is a story engine. Whenever you don't know what should happen next, ask yourself one delightfully evil question: What's the worst thing that could happen right now?
Then do that to your character. Stories aren't about people having a nice time. They're about people in trouble, trying to get out. The more trouble, the better the story (and the more opportunities your character has to grow!).
Try this: Take your character's nicest, calmest moment, and ruin it. Drop their phone in a toilet. Let the person they're hiding from find them. Make it rain and ruin their new suede boots.
6. Eavesdrop (politely)
Want dialogue that sounds real? Listen to how people actually talk. Spoiler: it's a mess. People interrupt. They don't answer the question. They say "um" and trail off and change the subject.
Most beginner dialogue sounds like robots reading a script. Real talk sounds like, well, listen at the dinner table tonight. Listen during lunch at school. Listen when your family gets together and they all start talking about the latest soccer game. Catch the rhythm and steal it!
Try this: Write down one real sentence you overhear this week, try to write it down exactly how it was said. Then start a scene with it!
7. Write the fanfic of your own boring Tuesday
Fan fiction is a fantastic way to practice (writing about characters you already love means you can focus on how to tell the story). But here's a twist on it: write a fan fiction story of your own life.
Take the most boring day you've had (got up, went to school, came home) and rewrite it with one impossible thing added. A door that wasn't there yesterday, a mysterious note in your locker, a teacher who is clearly an alien.
Try this: Describe your day, but add a big secret twist.
8. Collect the weird (not just ideas)
Everyone says "keep a notebook of story ideas," and it's great advice. I do it! But waiting for inspiration to strike can be stressful.
So collect weird details instead: note down a strange sign, a word you like the sound of, a cloud shaped like a grumpy old man, an overheard line. Details can be raw fuel for stories, and if you collect enough of them, the ideas for longer stories start building themselves.
Try this: Start a "weird stuff" list (notes app, scrap of paper, back of your hand). Add one strange thing a day. Don't try to decipher them, just keep them for later. You never know what will make its way into a story later.
9. Deconstruct your favorite book
We can learn a lot from the writers all around us. If you pay attention to the stories you already love, you can begin to learn how character-driven plots are created. This not only works with books, but also comic books, graphic novels, television shows, and movies of every genre.
Try this: Grab your favorite book and a sheet of paper. Write down the below questions and and note down the answers.
The Hero: Who is the main character? What does their normal life look like? What do they want more than anything else in the world? What is their biggest flaw or fear?
The Inciting Incident: What sudden event comes along that forces them into action? Do they resist the change or do they dive into the opportunity?
Rising Action: What three major problems, obstacles, or bad decisions get in their way? How do the stakes get higher as the book progresses?
The Crisis/Climax: What happens in the worst moment when it looks like the hero might fail? How do they face it?
The Resolution: Think about how the main character seemed at the beginning of the book. How have they changed? What have they learned? What new friends do they have? What does their life look like now that the conflict is over?
Here's a worksheet you can download and print. I've filled it in with examples from the first Harry Potter book:
Bonus trick: You're allowed to quit a book
Yes, really. If a book you're reading bores you, put it down, no guilt. Okay, so this doesn't always work, especially if you have to finish a boring book for school. But noticing what bores you can be a secretly useful skill; it teaches you what you never want to do to your own readers. Use the same skill when you read back your own chapters - what parts bore you? What parts make you want to put it down and do something more interesting?
Try this: The next time you're bored when reading a book, write down why. Make it more interesting than, "I hate it." Try being more descriptive: "All these people are doing is walking through the desert. Nothing is happening."
Find your people (online)
Writing alone is great, but sometimes it can be fun when other writers are cheering you on, swapping stories, and telling you which parts of your stories gave them chills. Here are some safe, friendly places built for young writers:
Write the World - A global community for ages 13-19 with monthly writing contests (some with cash prizes!) You can get helpful feedback from peers and real writers and benefit from careful moderation.
Young Writers Project - A free, friendly community where teens can share writing and art, respond to prompts, and get published.
Teen Ink - A magazine and website made entirely of writing, art, and photos by teens. You can submit your own work to be published.
Young Writers Society - A community (ages 13+) where you post your writing and trade honest, kind feedback with other young writers.
Storybird - Turn your words into beautiful illustrated stories and picture books using their artwork. Great if you love writing and visuals.
Blue Marble Review - An online literary journal that accepts stories, poems, essays, and art from writers ages 13-22.
Want a challenge or a contest?
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - The big one for U.S. students in grades 7-12. Win recognition (and sometimes scholarships) for your writing.
Write the World's monthly competitions - A new prompt and a new chance every month!
* A quick safety note: Most of these sites ask you to be 13 or older (and some need a parent's email to sign up). Always check with a parent or guardian before joining anything, and NEVER share private stuff like your full name, address, school, or phone number with people online (even if they start to feel like friends). Always confirm the current age rules and contest deadlines on each site - they can change!
In person opportunities
Check your local library! Many libraries have clubs for young writers and even hold contests from time to time.
Most schools participate in the Reflections Arts Program every year through 12th grade, find out when it's running and enter the literature division. Even if you don't place, it's great practice!
Ask your school librarian, English teacher, or school advisor/counselor if there are any writing programs or clubs at your school you can join. (If there isn't one, consider starting one!)
Consider the advanced or honors classes, even if you're not a typical "honors kid." My 8th grade English teacher nudged me to try for 9th grade Honors English. I didn't pass the entry exam, but I went and talked to the teacher, and he let me in anyway (undiagnosed ADHD had made me a little rowdy, so he made me promise to behave!). Those classes read and wrote way more than the regular ones, and that's where I really began growing as a writer.
Your turn
Pick one trick from this list. Just one! Try it this week. Don't aim for perfection. Aim for finished, messy, and maybe even a little bit weird.
If you still need some ideas to get started, try my Story Spark Machine! Hit the button below and let the machine throw you a story!
