Today I am answering all of your writing questions!

This was kind of a daunting task, but you all submitted great questions and I had a lot of fun answering them. As promised (because I’m no expert here), I provided lots of other resources in my answers so you can get the most out of this Q&A.

Let’s get into it!

 

 

 

01. How do you make sure that when writing female characters they don’t turn out like all those other super cliche female protagonists?

Always go deep into their internal conflict, lies they believe about themselves and the world, and flaws, etc. to make a unique character. This article by Abbie is really good, especially if you’re creating a “strong” female character.

 

02. When should someone have beta readers?

This can kind of vary from person to person, I think. But for me, I would find beta readers after I had done all that I could with my manuscript. Since I’m not a great self-editor, this is usually pretty early in the editing process. Then after beta readers go through your manuscript and leave their helpful comments, you can go on with your editing. Here’s another post from Abbie about beta readers.

 

03. How do you stay inspired?

By making sure I take care of myself as a creative person, cultivate a productive environment and lifestyle, making sure I take breaks, creating achievable goals, and most importantly remembering WHY I do what I do and spending time doing other things that I enjoy and fill my creative cup (i.e. reading, watching a film, painting, etc.)

You may also be interesting in:

• How to Take a Self-Care Day as a Writer
• 10 Tips to Stay Productive Working at Home
• How to Have a Productive Writing Session Every Time
• 5 Things That Could Be Dampening Your Creativity
• How to Start a Commonplace Notebook

 

04. How do you come up with a story idea?

The things is, I never sit down specifically to think of a story idea. It just hits me wherever and whenever (sometimes from the strangest things). But if you’re looking to find a new story idea and one isn’t magically appearing, then Pinterest is a great way to do that. I save a ton of writing prompts, so feel free to check out my Pinterest account (there on the sidebar) to get some inspiration.

 

05. What was the hardest scene to write?

For me, the hardest scenes to write are fast-paced, high-action, gotta-keep-track-of-all-the-characters type of scenes. So, being a fan of superhero novels with fight scenes, I will most likely come across those scenes a lot. So I better keep practicing. 😉

 

06. How do you choose names for your characters?

I also save name inspiration on Pinterest too, so I might scroll through that or look up things like “names that mean _____” depending on the character.

 

07. I am wanting to start writing, what are some ways you find inspiration?

Same answer as number 4 pretty much! 😀 Pinterest is a great place to find story inspiration.

 

08. How do you write when you have no inspiration?

This game is called “how many times can I mention Pinterest in one post.” XD Pinterest again! If I’m lacking inspiration or motivation for my story, then I will scroll through the aesthetic board I made for that project. Sometimes I just need a break from writing too, or I need to recall again WHY I am writing this story. And another great motivational post from Abbie.

 

09. How do you fix flat characters?

Similar answer to number 1. Characters become deep, layered and interesting when you dig deep into their backstory and internal conflict and events in their life that sparked the lies they believe about the world or themselves. Here’s a great post from Reedsy about that too.

 

10. How do you make sure you don’t have similar characters?

Kind of the answers to 1 and 9. XD Backstory really helps make your characters unique. Here’s a post from Well-Storied and one from Helping Writers Become Authors that you might like.

 

11. Do you have character songs?

I don’t usually have on specific song for a character, but I do like to make playlists for story projects, and sometimes the songs are ones that reminded me of the protagonist.

 

12. Do you all your research before you write or during or after?

I do most of my research beforehand, but sometimes it’s hard to know all you have to research until you actually start writing and discover things you don’t know.

Past me would’ve done little to know researching. XD

 

13. How do you fix plot holes?

Here are some awesome posts about that:

• How to Fix Your Story’s Plot Holes [Well-Stories]
• Transform an Old Manuscript Into a Beautiful Book! [Abbie Emmons]
• How to Find & Fix Plot Holes in Your Novel
• How to Fix Any Plot Hole Like a Pro

 

14. Is first person or third person, past tense or present tense your favorite form of POV?

I used to write exclusively in third person, past tense. Now I really love first person, present tense. I chose that because that’s what a lot of my favorite books use, and it just feels more personal.

 

15. Do you like more than one POV and have you done it before?

I have done multiple POVs only once or twice before. I usually stick to one POV, but sometimes the story just becomes that much more juicy when I get get into multiple characters’ heads.

Some posts you might like:

• How to Write Multiple POVs the ‘Game of Thrones’ Way [Reedsy]
• How to Write Multiple Points of View [ProWritingAid]
• My Top Tips for Balancing Stories with Multiple Points of View [Well-Storied]
• How to Choose a Point of View for Your Story

 

16. What are some important things to keep in mind when writing description?

Use all the senses. I try to think of this (I don’t always succeed in remembering) when writing. It’s easy to rely heavily on just sight. What do things feel like, smell like, sound like, taste like?

 

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Phew! That was a lot but a lot of fun! 😀 Thank you all for submitting such great questions; I had tons of fun answering them and researching resources for you guys. I think this may be a part of a series. An “Ask me anything about _____” type of thing. What do you think? Got any other topic ideas you want me to do a Q&A about?

Have a great day!

 

 

What topic do you want me to cover next for an “ask me anything about ___”? Productivity? Books? Publishing?

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