For all you writers out there, I’m currently reading Robert’s Rules of Writing written by Robert Masello. It’s entertaining and informative. I highly recommend it. I’m only half way through and have already found many helpful suggestions I’d like to share:
–  At the end of your writing day jot down notes for where you think the story is headed so you can jump right in the next day.
–  Don’t read books similar to what you’re writing or you’ll lose your voice. The better the writer you are reading the more you are at risk of assimilating his/her style into your own.
–  Write what you like to read. (That’s pretty basic. But needs to be said.)
–  Make your readers worry. Readers savor the struggle, it makes them keep turning the pages.
–  Jot down your ideas whenever they happen, wherever you are. You will forget them if you don’t.
–  Outline. Plan your journey. It will keep you focused.
–  Don’t look back. Finish the complete first draft before you go back and edit. (I have a hard time with this one.)
–  Let it marinate. Step away from the project before doing the final read through.
–  Keep the action going. If you have trouble, close your eyes and play your scene out as if it were a movie. Then write what you see.
–  Get dramatic. Create empathy. Make the reader care
–  Flaw your hero.
–  Your villian can’t be all bad. Give them backstory. Humanize them.

I’m sure I’ll have a bunch more suggestions to share after I finish the book. Look for them in the next week or so. Or better yet, pick up a copy of this book. There are 101 lessons every writer needs to know. (His words not mine.) And he spends a page or two on each.
Happy writing!