Catalog of Storytelling Tips from The Ink Well
@theinkwell
Posted 6/3/2021 · 4 min read
Image source: Edar on Pixabay
Those who post in The Ink Well find out one thing fast: we are here to help writers improve. You will likely hear from us when we believe you have something to work on — whether it's character development, grammar, a missing story arc, or other important elements of quality fiction. Ae're amazed by the continual growth of skills and writing quality in The Ink Well!
Over the many months since The Ink Well community launched, we've been writing tips to support our community members in their writing journey. Here you will find a catalog of topics. Please refer to this list anytime you are looking for inspiration or ideas for how you can continue to build your skills and improve your craft.
Catalog of Storytelling Tips
This collection was previously called the "Catalog of Fiction Writing Tips." However, so many of these tips apply to all storytelling, including @theinkwell/creative-nonfiction-what-it-is-and-tips-for-success" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">creative nonfiction, that we decided to rename the collection.
We've organized the tips in broad categories to help you quickly find what you're looking for.
Getting Started
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-7-the-magic-of-the-opening-lines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Putting Words on the Page
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-writing-from-a-prompt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Writing from a Prompt
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-11-what-is-writing-voice" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">What Is 'Writing Voice'?
- @jayna/writing-tip-35-characteristics-of-the-genres" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fiction Genres
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-6-how-writing-fiction-is-like-weaving" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fiction is Like Weaving
Writing Basics
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-33-what-is-your-story-s-setting" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Story Settings
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-19-hook-your-readers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hook Your Readers
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-9-should-you-plot-your-story" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Plots in Short Fiction
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-26-action-dialog-and-narrative-the-dynamic-trio" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Action, Dialogue and Narrative: The Dynamic Trio
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-2-adding-conflict" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Adding Conflict
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-8-what-is-a-story-arc-hive-170798" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Story Arcs
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-13-character-types-in-fiction-qbwoyx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Character Types
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-16-writing-character-descriptions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Character Descriptions
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-15-developing-memorable-characters" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Developing Memorable Characters
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-36-how-to-write-dialogue-in-fiction" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How to Write Dialogue in Fiction
"Do's and Don'ts" of Fiction Writing
IMPORTANT NOTE: An important thing to remember in the "do's and don'ts" category is to consider the audience you are writing for, and to heed the "writer's guidelines" for any publication or platform you write for.
For example in The Ink Well, we require published stories to avoid themes of brutality, rape, abuse and violence. Please see the first article below for our stance on this in The Ink Well Community.
- @theinkwell/violence-and-brutality-in-fiction-the-ink-wells-stance" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Avoid Violence and Brutality (in stories for The Ink Well)
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-3-avoiding-the-dreaded-info-dump" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Avoid the 'Info Dump'
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-5-is-show-don-t-tell-a-writing-rule" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">'Show, Don't Tell'
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-10-don-t-start-a-story-this-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Don't Start a Story This Way
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-12-reveal-everything-and-nothing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How to Reveal Information in Fiction
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-14-cliches-avoid-the-conspiratorial-wink" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Avoid Cliches
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-34-banish-the-stereotypes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Banish Stereotypes
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-18-don-t-be-a-copycat-plagiarism-is-wrong" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Don't Plagiarize!
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-31-don-t-write-this-kind-of-mystery-qk162b" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Don't Write This Kind of Mystery
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-32-what-is-author-intrusion" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Avoid Author Intrusion
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-35-dont-use-the-it-was-just-a-dream-escape-hatch" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Don't Use the "It Was Just a Dream" Escape Hatch
Improving Your Skills and Overcoming Challenges
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-17-overcoming-writer-s-block" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Overcoming Writer's Block
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-23-the-value-of-workshops-and-feedback" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Value of Workshops
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-24-what-are-plotters-and-pantsers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">What Are Plotters and Pantsers?
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-25-do-short-stories-have-to-have-a-plot" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Do Short Stories Require a Plot?
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-28-getting-unstuck-in-fiction-writing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Getting Unstuck
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-30-help-for-the-grammatically-challenged" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Help for the Grammatically Challenged
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-21-editing-your-work-with-fresh-eyes-hive-170798" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Editing Your Work with Fresh Eyes
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-20-lessons-in-tense-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lessons in Tense
Writing Inspiration
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-3-writing-what-you-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Writing What You Know
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-31-don-t-write-this-kind-of-mystery" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Stunning Writing Examples
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-27-let-s-explore-world-building" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Exploring World Building
- @theinkwell/writing-tip-of-the-week-29-what-does-it-take-to-be-a-fiction-writer" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">What Does it Take to Be a Fiction Writer?
We hope you find something useful here that helps you — whether you have challenges to overcome, or you want to take your writing to a new level.
@jayna, @agmoore, and @gracielaacevedo
We would like to invite lovers of creative writing to visit The Ink Well, a Hive community started by @raj808 and @stormlight24 and run by @jayna, @agmoore and @gracielaacevedo .
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