101 of the Best Fiction-Writing Tips, Part IV

What if someone went through the biggest and best blogs on the internet and pulled out the very best tips for fiction writers?

That’s just what I’ve done. If you haven’t already read through the first three groups of tips, check them out here: Part  I of the best fiction-writing tips, Part II, and Part III.

And now, the final set of tips. To learn more, click through to their original articles.

101 of the Best Fiction-Writing Tips, Part IV

Read Part I, Part II, and Part III.

1. Trying to emulate the classics can backfire. Today’s reader enjoys a quicker pace and more modern writing style. You Are Not Tolstoy or Dickens. Rachelle Gardner
2. Don’t worry about mistakes, inconsistencies, and poor writing in the first draft. Second drafts are meant for rewriting these issues. The First Rewrite. Writer Unboxed
3. Drawing on your own emotional experiences can add authenticity and breathe life into your fiction. 3 Ways to Breathe Life into Your Fiction. Write to Done
   
4. Vary the structure of your sentences to help liven up wooden prose. When Your Writing Seems Wooden. Mystery Writing is Murder
5. If writing an entire novel seems overwhelming, break down the task into more manageable chunks. Chunking and What to Write Right Now. Write for Your Life
6. When you need ideas quickly, try brainstorming techniques like mind mapping, listing, or freewriting. 5 Brainstorming Strategies for Writers. Daily Writing Tips
7. Arrive late in a scene and leave early. No need to belabour setups or conclusions in every scene. 25 Ways to Improve Your Writing in 30 Minutes a Day. Writer’s Digest
8. Character and plot are inseparable. Character makes plot interesting, and plot makes character interesting. Character and Plot: Inseparable! Nathan Bransford
9. There isn’t (and never will be) a secret formula to writing a bestselling novel. The Secret Formula for Writing a Best-Selling Novel. Fiction Factor
10. The protagonist should fail many times before succeeding. Plot Like a Bestseller: 8 Things You Should Know. Writer’s Digest
11. Get your facts first, then you can distort them as much as you please. Mark Twain’s Top Ten Writing Tips. About.com
12. If you have trouble re-entering a project, stop in mid-thought or mid-sentence so it’s easier to dive back into later. Thirteen Tips for Actually Getting Some Writing Done. The Happiness Project
13. Pressed for time? Try One Word, a site that gives you a word and you have 60 seconds to write about it. How to Make More Time for Creative Writing. Writing Forward
14. Subplots are what put the meat on the bones of novel-length fiction. Subplots: Chicken Soup for Your Novel. Write a Better Novel
15. If your novel suffers from episodic writing, it means your story is a series of events or episodes loosely strung together without any real progression. Plotting Problems: Episodic Writing. Fiction Factor
16. Anne Enright said “Remember that all description is an opinion about the world. Find a place to stand.” The Best of the Best Advice. Christina Baker Kline
17. Pay special consideration to contrasting your protagonist’s ordinary world with the new world through which they journey during the story. Key Story Elements: Ordinary World and Special World. Alexandra Sokoloff
18. Use a beat sheet as an extreme summary of your novel to help guide you during the revision process. The Beat Sheet: Your At-A-Glance Revision Blueprint. Nail Your Novel
19. Passive voice hides your characters by shifting the focus of the writing away from the characters and onto the things they’re doing. Do You Know the Real Reason Not to Use Passive Voice? Plot to Punctuation
20. Editors may have personal preferences, but whether you use present or past tense depends on what works best for the story. So Tense about Tense! Kidlit
21. Picture your story as a full circle. Stories often end up in the same place they started. 6 Best Writing Tips Besides “Read Lots” and “Show Don’t Tell”. Quips and Tips for Successful Writers
22. Reading your novel out loud can help you identify problems with grammar, pacing, sentence structure and style. 7 Reasons Why You Should Read Your Book Out Loud. The Creative Penn
23. When writing a synopsis, use the first sentence to hook your reader, just as you would in your novel. Mastering the Dreaded Synopsis—Condensing Your Novel. Fiction Factor
24. As a chapter ends, where resolution would normally occur, a major new complication is introduced, compelling the reader to read on. How to End a Chapter. Write a  Better Novel
25. Avoid common or stereotypical secrets unless you can give them a really intriguing twist. Top Secret Fiction Writing Exercises. Writing Forward
    
26. Stepping out of your POV character’s head and into another character’s head in the same scene is called ‘head-hopping.’ If you want to change POV, do so in a new scene. Stepping Out: A Look at POV Shifts. The Other Side of the Story