I am reading a great book at the moment by Holly Lisle entitled Mugging the Muse: Writing Fiction for Love and Money, a fun and insightful little read about how (and how not) to write.
I highly recommend it. In fact, I thought I'd post some of her tips for general story writing, just to get you excited.
1) Avoid passive voice
--- don't be boring!
2) Use active verbs
--- extend you vocab
3) Eliminate most adjectives and adverbs
--- "ly" words slow down the story
4) Use concrete detail
--- five senses
5) Tell a story worth telling
--- purpose, theme or message
6) Know your characters
I have left out all the meat sandwiched between these points, you will have to get the book to read the rest. This was just a teaser. In Mugging the Muse, Holly talks about everything from starting to write through to finishing a novel. Her style is witty, relaxed and encouraging, yet baldly honest about the realities and pitfalls of being a professional writer. Speaking about the personal cost of following the dream to be a writer, Holly says, "Every dreamer pays a price. But so does everyone who fears to dream."
So, hunt up the book, read, then get dreaming and get busy!
You can visit Holly Lisle's site at: http://www.hollylisle.com
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