Ever since fantasy author Nat Russo started the #horriblewritetip hashtag, Twitter for writers has never been the same.
#Horriblewritetip is pretty much self-explanatory -- you post a horrible writing tip. The posts range from witty to downright hilarious, so I'm going to share some of my personal favorites in this post (though you can view the entire #horriblewritetip feed by clicking here).
First, ten simple #horriblewritetips.
Start every chapter with a 20 page description of the weather, especially if it has no significance to the story. #HorribleWriteTip— Jesse Dwight (@JesseDwight) July 17, 2016
First drafts are always terrible. So I recommend starting with your second draft to avoid the problem entirely. #HorribleWriteTip— Nat Russo (@NatRusso) July 23, 2016
Getting tripped up by there, their, they're? Just substitute it for 'thar'... Dr Seuss used it, so it's legal. #horriblewritetip #amwriting— Slush Pile Reject (@SlushReject) June 21, 2016
If writing horror, splash actual blood on the pages to really add that dramatic effect. #horriblewritetip— Paul Schofield (@schofey27) July 13, 2016
Instead of said or asked, use "like" or "all". (E.g. And mike was all "I don't think so." And she was like "What?) #HorribleWriteTip— Nat Russo (@NatRusso) July 23, 2016
Ideally, your prologue will contain your entire world's history starting shortly after your planet cools. #HorribleWriteTip— Nat Russo (@NatRusso) August 10, 2016
#HorribleWriteTip Give your protagonist the same name of the agent you're querying. He or she will find this flattering.— G.W. Schofield (@gwschofield) May 3, 2016
Every haunted house must be introduced at night during a thunderstorm to believable. #HorribleWriteTip— D.T. Griffith (@dtgriffith) December 11, 2015
Carolyn thinks everyone should write in the third person. #HorribleWriteTip— Carolyn Fleming (@CarolynBF) April 14, 2016
Consider the merits of having your main character turn into a vampire. This is super effective in literary fiction. #horriblewritetip— Janice Fosse (@JaniceFosse) March 29, 2016
And now, some of my own #horriblewritetip tweets (which I obviously think are brilliant, but I'm extremely biased, so ...):
Give all of your characters green eyes. Green eyes are so IN right now! #horriblewritetip— Ellie Firestone (@EllieFirestone1) August 7, 2016
To keep readers engaged, make sure every page has at least one explosion #HorribleWriteTip— Ellie Firestone (@EllieFirestone1) June 21, 2015
Give your book the same title as a mega bestseller. With any luck, no one will notice, and you'll score lots of $$. #horriblewritetip— Ellie Firestone (@EllieFirestone1) August 11, 2016
.@EllieFirestone1 No, no, no. Consistent voice only makes things boring. Go ahead and mix it up a little! #HorribleWriteTip— Ellie Firestone (@EllieFirestone1) April 25, 2016
And here's a collaborative one:
.@NatRusso Why stop there? Paint the written side of every page black. Then no one will be able to copy your MS :) #horriblewritetip— Ellie Firestone (@EllieFirestone1) February 10, 2016
.@Cattereia @NatRusso And then lock the whole thing in a safe and throw it into the ocean. Job done!— Ellie Firestone (@EllieFirestone1) April 19, 2016
And finally, the #horriblewritetip to end all #horriblewritetips:
#horriblewritetip Just give up already.— Marianne Villanueva (@mariannevill714) April 30, 2016
Share this on Twitter! (Because what goes around comes around, amirite?)
.@EllieFirestone1 rounds up some of the best #horriblewritetip tweets. [Click to Tweet]
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