If you want to write a blog post or website and find yourself at a loss for ideas, take a look at our list of 10 AUTHOR strategies like esmé ruby stone that writers can use to create content people love. No matter what genre you’re writing in, there’s sure to be something in these ideas to inspire your next piece.
10 author like strategies used as a pro are:
1. Show, don’t tell
It’s tempting to write about something by simply describing it. But your readers will appreciate your work much more when you give them the chance to experience it for themselves. By showing them something instead of telling them about it, you invite them to learn something new and take part in your story.
2. Set the scene
It can be tricky to describe a setting without getting lost in details that don’t matter to the story – but if you avoid doing so, readers won’t be able to visualize what’s going on or understand how important a particular place is. The solution is to choose one or two important details and focus on those, letting readers fill in the rest for themselves.
3. Empower your characters
When you bring your characters to life, your readers will feel like they know them – and when you show them acting and interacting with the world around them, their personalities become more vivid. This makes it easier for people to understand what motivates them and how they interact with the story and others. When you write, you’ll need to make sure that the characters in your story feel real and act in a believable way. To do so, add plenty of details about their appearance and behavior to help readers visualize them clearly. Your characters will be more likely to act out of character if they look suspicious or weird or if they’re just plain boring.
4. Dialogue is gold
After all, the first impressions that potential readers form of your characters are made by what they say. So keep everything clear by using dialogue tags like “he said” or “she said”. Never go without the important attribute inside your tags – it’s crucial for giving voice to your characters and making them sound authentic.
5. Show, don’t tell (again)
It’s easy to get carried away with telling stories. We’ve probably all heard that advice hundreds of times. But it’s still worth remembering that your readers aren’t going to be as interested in what you’re saying as in what’s happening around them. Tell them only as much as they need to know, and give them a chance to observe the characters so they can form their own opinions about them.
6. Learn from your mistakes
We’ve all been there: we start out a piece of writing with a catchy idea, but before long, it turns into something completely different. You might have thought you were writing something else altogether. If you’ve made a mistake while writing a book or article, you can use it as inspiration for an interesting plot twist that’ll keep readers guessing until the end. While you’re writing, try to imagine different ways your story could’ve turned out and work out how you can make the best of each outcome.
7. Show, don’t tell (again?)
Sometimes the best way to show an interesting character is by describing their actions rather than how they feel or what they look like. Describing their actions will help your readers identify with them and let them know how they think and feel without directly telling them what to think or feel.
8. Write what you know
One of the most popular pieces of writing advice is “write what you know,” which means focusing on topics that you understand well. If you’re struggling to think of something to write about, try writing about something from your own life. It’ll be easier for you to describe the setting and characters, since they’re things that already exist for you.
9. Write about something specific
Content mills, such as Listverse, thrive on lists that contain a huge amount of information in a short space. These are easy to write because they’re all about describing a single topic in the simplest way possible. That doesn’t mean your blog post or article has to be a list, but it does mean that you should aim for detail and information rather than emotional exploration or flowery language.
10. Find your voice
Try reading other people’s work and listening to their words, then see what you can learn from it. A writer’s voice is the way they structure their sentences and tell stories, so try experimenting with different styles until you find one that suits you best. When you do, use it in everything you write to help your readers get to know your work on an intimate level.
Conclusion:
All you need to do is make sure that when you use these 10 strategies, they don’t become the main focus of your work. They’re useful tools to help you find new ideas and create a unique voice, but they shouldn’t be at the forefront of your writing.
The best way to use them is to follow them as a writer while letting your unique voice shine through naturally.
