We all want to make our writing the best it can be and, to that end, we all need advice from time to time. A community of writers helps to provide that. From now on, I want to be part of your community.

On this page, you'll find tips on writing and editing. Use what you can to strengthen your own writing. If you work diligently, there's a good chance we'll end up sitting side by side autographing books someday!

Here's my writing advice:

For tips on publishing your writing, click here.

Voice

How do you create a fictional character on the page that sounds like a real person walking around in the world you know? A lot of it has to do with voice. When you give your character a voice, he or she comes alive. Where do you draw that voice from? Yourself, your friends and family, the real people who populate your world. They offer a variety of voices to choose from. All you need to do is pay attention, beginning with yourself.

If your character is in middle school, and he sees his friend in the hall, does he say "Greetings, friends?" For the answer, ask yourself. When I was in middle school, is that how I greeted my friends? Probably not. What did you say when you ran into your friends at school? What do today's kids say? "Hey guys," or "Yo, waz up?" Think about it. Better yet, act it out. Say whatever comes to you naturally, then write it down. If your character is to come to life, his dialogue on paper should reflect the dialogue of real people of that age, in that circumstance. Try it out.

A) Create a scene in which your character is at a baseball game. His favorite player is blowing it big-time. When he strikes out for the third time, how does your character respond? What does he say?

B) Create a scene in which your character's best friend is moving away. The friend comes over to say goodbye, or calls on the phone. What is that conversation like? What does the character say to his/her friend? What would you say? What words would you use if it were your friend? Would you be angry, sad, or both? How would you express that? Write down those words, those thoughts. Then put them into the mouth of your character.

BOTTOM LINE

A character should never sound like a robot, or a stick figure. If he or she is to come to life, your character must sound like a real person. The only way to make that happen is to duplicate what a real person would say. It may not be that easy, but it is that simple!

All for now.