It is super helpful if you do a character sheet for every single character before you start so you have a nice base and the characters don't change in random ways you don't want.

Maybe this is just me, but I rarely plan in detail; I like to just let things happen. Ideas come to me while I'm writing, according to what will be interesting and help focus the plot. On the other hand, planning out chapter by chapter what's going to happen, and what themes you want (character development, for instance) can be really helpful to make you focus.

Another thing that I find useful is to imagine, as you're writing, that you're actually living in the scene you're describing. The same way as reading a book can transport you to another world, writing one can too. Because of this, it helps to imagine that what you're writing is a book that you're reading as each sentence materializes, because that can make the scene come alive more vividly for you. Also, as C. S. Lewis did, write the books that you want to read. If none of the books you've read satisfy you, or you wish there were a novel about nice teenagers isntead of whiny ones, just go ahead and write it yourself!

Read books by great authors. That can give inspiration and show you how to develop your style and characters at a higher level. Badly written books will influence your writing toward a "popular", sometimes shallow style; good literature will give your work more depth and vividness. Expanding vocabulary can also help, and practicing using different "narrative voices" - the voice of an old magician will be quite different from a lady-in-waiting at Queen Victoria's court.

Also, sad writing shouldn't be needlessly dark - the effect is actually much better if the author doesn't exaggerate or dwell on the tragedy or a character's unhappiness, but rather lets it shine through naturally. This takes practice, of course, and lots of literary devices, but gives better results. (Here I'm sounding like a chemist in the laboratory...)

And don't strain after effect - just write naturally and without worrying about how it's going to come out. Follow your imagination, be amazed along with your readers at the power, strength, and quirks of your characters, and have fun roaming unknown lands!

Oh dear, all my comments are always so long. I hope some of this is useful!

Yay! We need this! Also, Poinsetta, great comment!

What I do is just wait for an idea to come to me. They always do, but sometimes it takes a while and is frustrating, so it's maybe not the best strategy? Writing up characters is my favourite part of writing! It's like making a whole bunch of friends who are all different and special and I love it so much! 

I also work on basic setting and stuff like that. If you get excited while doing it, it's fun! Otherwise it gets tedious- but make it fun! Once you have that sort of stuff, the characters can start doing exciting things and all that good rising action begins! 

I do usually take inspiration/influence from other books. It's usually what I'm reading at the time, so what Poinsetta said is so true! That's just me getting started, but I don't have the attention span right now- I'll probably post more later tho!

I have a final draft of a short story I have to write that's due on Monday, and the conclusion. is. an. absolute. mess and I'm ridiculously stressed about it (which is more ridiculous since i went beyond the assignment requirements). Anyway, I have writer's block on the conclusion and so I would really appreciate some advice on how to improve it, either by revising what I already have, or suggesting a better ending.

So basically, what's going on is that there is an organization of wild animals that have been friends for years and are a mixture of prey and predator, wild and domesticated. They want to create peace, avoid unneccessary deaths and conflict, etc, as well as not having to worry about predators all the time. After a sparrow's egg vanishes mysteriously and remains are found nearby, the animals realize one of them must have eaten it and uneasily try to figure out who. A raccoon who has up to that point been chatty and positive is discovered to be the culprit, and in the following scene, retaliates against the organization. I am not using the names of the characters, for simplicity's sake, since many of them are difficult to remember.

“What do you think?” hissed the raccoon. “I’m sick and tired of all of this. Do you really think you can suppress my nature? No. My species has been the same for centuries and you can’t change what has been done in the past. I give up.” She stood up and moved towards the sidewalk. “You can keep your silly organization for all I care, but don’t even try to include me!” With each word, she took a step back, and then in one blur of black and and white, she flashed up into the awning, snatched a round nest with four small eggs in it, and vanished up the street.  

“She’s taken the eggs and the nest whole,” said the black bear.

“Forget about that,” said the peacock. “We underestimated her. She never told us what she was feeling, that everything about her was just…an act. But she’s right. We’re all too different to be friends and this whole thing is a mess. Nobody can change their nature.”

“That’s not true,” the cat said. “Look at this community we’ve built. The coyote: remember how he used to chase animals every day? Now, he hasn’t touched a piece of meat in ages if he can’t help it. The bear: Remember how she had such a terrible temper? Now, she’s as gentle with everyone as if she’s taking care of her own child. We were able to change our natures, we were able to learn different habits–and I know that the raccoon is capable of doing this as well. She doesn’t believe she can, but she will.”

The cat turned and ran up the street. “Raccoon! Come back!”

“Oh no!” cried the sparrow, “Some raccoons are capable of injuring cats! Someone has to go and protect the cat. After tonight, I don’t think I can feel sure of anything.”

“We’ll all go,” said the coyote. “And show her that we can be strong together.”

Without a further word, they raced up the hill, up the street. Above, in the night sky, hundreds of stars sang sweetly to each other.

“Go away!” cried the raccoon, “I’m not falling for your old tricks again.”

“No, you’re mistaken raccoon,” the coyote said, “Your nature can change. You don’t believe you can.”

“Because I can’t,” she shrieked. “A leopard can’t change its spots and you won’t forgive me for what I’ve done.”

“Yes it can change its spots,” said the bear. “You only need the courage to try. Raccoon, I know you can do it. Just try. We’ll help you.”

The raccoon started to cry again, for the second time that night. “I–I will. I’m sorry.”

And quietly, the animals walked down the street. The faintest pink and orange glinted on the horizon when quietly, they went their ways, in eternal friendship.

I'M BACK!

usually with writing my beloved books, I make lots of character sheets about my characters, and I write down the plot for the whole book. I also jot down any random ideas (or unnaceptable plot twists).

and overall, my main advice is: don't be afraid to do exessive revising! it's totally fine to re-write a whole chapter if you don't like it.

When writing dialogue, less is more. Use the least amount necessary to convey the information.

Suppose you want to show that the character is angry rather than saying "she was angry."

Example:

OK: "How dare you insult me like that!"

Better: "How dare you!" - because unless you begin the conversation here (in which case you should use the above), the other character's insult has already been stated (whether you say "They insulted her" or "They said 'Lily is a horrible person'"), so the "insult me like that" is redundant. 

People don't generally want to read superfluous words. 

I'm stuck.

For basically all of my life, I've written in notebooks that aren't your super plain, basic, run-of-the-mill notebooks. Now those are the only ones I have. And, literally, I've started and not finished fifteen stories in one notebook. Any advice, anyone????

(I don't like writing stories on the computer.)