An Overview of Popular Writing Advice

The internet is flooded with writing advice. From Twitter threads to masterclasses, everyone has a definitive rule on how to write a novel. It's paralyzing. When you're told to "write what you know" but also "write to market," or "outline everything" versus "follow the muse," it's easy to feel stuck before you type a single word.

Yet certain pieces of advice endure because they work. These core principles of craft aren't arbitrary rules designed to stifle your creativity; they're tools to help your story land effectively with readers. The key is understanding how to apply general advice to your specific manuscript. And, to understand that all advice should be taken with a hefty grain of salt.

And since this article will touch on techniques we've covered elsewhere, if we've written on that particular topic and you'd like to learn more, we'll have a link in the relevant section.

Plotting & Structure Tips

A strong story requires a solid foundation. Even if you prefer to write spontaneously, understanding structure ensures your narrative has momentum.

Start with Conflict

A common mistake in early drafts is the "waking up" scene. The protagonist wakes up, looks in the mirror (describing themselves), eats breakfast, and goes to work. This is realistic, but rarely interesting.

Openings need tension. That doesn't mean an explosion must happen on page one, but there should be a question raised or a problem presented. If your character is starting their day, perhaps they are dreading a phone call, or they are late for an interview that determines their future. Conflict hooks the reader. Mundane routine gives them license to put the book down.

Articles: How to Craft Tension and Writing a Great Opening

Know Your Ending Before You Write

The debate between "pantsers" (who fly by the seat of their pants) and "plotters" (who outline extensively) is ongoing. However, you can find a productive middle ground. You don't need a twenty-page outline, but you should know your destination.

Knowing the ending provides a compass. It prevents the "saggy middle" syndrome where the story wanders aimlessly. If you know your protagonist ends up betrayed by their best friend, you can plant seeds of that betrayal in chapter three. If you write without direction, you may spend weeks writing scenes that ultimately have nowhere to go. Particularly for new writers who are still building their intuition as a writer, knowing the ending can jumpstart the beginning.

Articles: How to Avoid the Saggy Middle and Plotting vs. Pantsing

Every Scene Needs a Purpose

When reviewing your plot, apply the "So What?" test to every scene. Does this scene advance the plot? Does it reveal essential character information?

If a scene does neither, it likely needs to be cut or reworked. A scene where two characters just sit around agreeing with each other kills pacing. Structure your scenes with a "scene and sequel" format: a character pursues a goal, faces an obstacle, and then reacts to the outcome. This ensures a cause-and-effect chain that keeps the narrative moving.

Cut the Boring Parts

Elmore Leonard famously said, "I try to leave out the parts that people skip." This is invaluable advice. If you find yourself skimming a section of your own work during a re-read, your reader will likely skip it too.

This often happens during worldbuilding (read: exposition). While you may have worked out the entire economic history of your fantasy kingdom, the reader only needs to know what is relevant to the story right now. When context becomes an "info-dump," tension evaporates. Weave background information into the action rather than pausing the story to deliver a lecture.

Article: How to Know What to Cut and How to Weave in Backstory

Character Development Tips

Plot is what happens. Character is why it matters. Without compelling characters, even the most exciting plot twists will fall flat.

Give Your Protagonist Clear Goals

Passive protagonists are story killers. Your main character needs a concrete goal in the story (the "want") and often an underlying emotional growth requirement (the "need").

• Want: To win the championship, to solve the murder, to get the promotion.
• Need: To learn humility, to forgive themselves, to trust others.

The friction between what they want and what they actually need drives the internal arc. If a character is just drifting through events, waiting for the plot to happen to them, the reader will struggle to invest in their journey.

Article: How to Write a Character Arc

Flawed Characters Are Interesting Characters

Perfection creates distance. A character who is beautiful, smart, liked by everyone, and never makes a mistake (often called a "Mary Sue" or "Gary Stu") is difficult to root for because they feel artificial. Sure you and I are like that, but almost no one else is.

Give your characters distinct flaws. Maybe they're brave but impulsive, or intelligent but arrogant. Flaws create complications, and complications create story. Watching a character struggle with their shortcomings and eventually overcome them (or fail to) is what creates an emotional connection.

Article: Crafting Effective Character Flaws

Show Character Through Action, Not Description

Instead of telling the reader "John was a nervous man," show John shredding a paper napkin while he waits for his coffee. Instead of saying "Sarah was kind," show her stopping to help someone pick up dropped groceries.

Choices reveal personality. When faced with a high-pressure situation, does your character fight, freeze, or crack a joke? These reactions tell us more about who they are than a paragraph of adjectives ever could.

Every Character Should Want Something

This applies to minor characters, too. In every scene, every character present should have an agenda, even if it’s small.

If two characters are arguing, and a third is just watching, give the third character a desire. Perhaps they just want the argument to end so they can go home. Conflicting desires create natural tension. If everyone in a scene agrees on everything, the scene is likely stagnant.

Dialogue Tips

Great dialogue sounds like real speech, but it isn't real speech. It is a curated, sharpened version of reality.

Cut the Small Talk

Real conversations are full of "Hello," "How are you?" "Fine, thanks," and "Did you see the game?" In fiction, this is dead weight.

Start the conversation as late as possible and leave it as early as possible. Jump straight to the point of conflict or interest. Unless the small talk serves a specific purpose, like showing two characters are awkward around each other, it's usually safe to delete the pleasantries.

Use Dialogue to Reveal Character

If you cover the names in your manuscript, can you tell who is speaking? If all your characters sound the same, you need to work on voice.

A professor shouldn't sound exactly like a street urchin. Vocabulary, sentence structure, and slang should vary based on a character’s background, education, and region. Furthermore, focus on subtext. People rarely say exactly what they mean, especially in difficult conversations. What a character doesn't say is often more powerful than what they do say.

Avoid "On the Nose" Dialogue

"On the nose" dialogue happens when characters state their feelings or plot points too explicitly.

• Bad: "I am very angry at you for betraying me because I trusted you."
• Better: "You knew what that file meant to me. And you gave it to him anyway."

Let the context and the characters' actions carry the emotional weight. Readers are smart. They can infer anger without the character announcing it.

Article: How to Write Dialogue That Sings

Minimize Dialogue Tags

"Said" is an invisible word. Readers’ eyes glide over it. Using exotic tags like "exclaimed," "opined," or "queried" draws attention to the writing rather than the story.

Avoid using adverbs in tags whenever possible. Instead of writing "I hate you," she said angrily, use an action beat: She slammed her glass on the table. "I hate you." This helps visual pacing and eliminates the need for the tag altogether.

Article: The Truth About Adverbs in Fiction

Pacing & Flow Tips

Pacing is the heartbeat of your novel. It controls how fast the reader moves through the story.

Vary Sentence Length

Sentence length dictates rhythm. Long, flowing sentences with multiple clauses create a sense of relaxation, romance, or contemplation. Short, choppy sentences create tension, panic, or speed.

• Fast: He stopped. A twig snapped. He spun around. Nothing.
• Slow: The afternoon sun stretched across the valley, bathing the rolling hills in a warm, golden light that seemed to suspend time itself.

Use this tool intentionally. If you're writing a fight scene, cut the compound sentences. If you're writing a poignant death scene, slow it down.

End Chapters on Hooks

You want your reader to lose sleep because they told themselves "just one more chapter." To achieve this, avoid resolving everything at the end of a chapter.

End on a revelation, a new question, a sudden event, or a decision made. It doesn't always have to be a literal cliffhanger where someone is hanging off a ledge. Sometimes, a quiet realization that changes the character’s perspective is hook enough. Or, a piece of information that means something to the reader but that the character doesn't yet know.

Balance Action and Reflection

A book that is 100% high-octane action is exhausting. A book that is 100% internal monologue is boring. You need a rhythm.

After a major event (a battle, an argument, a discovery), give the characters (and reader) a moment to breathe. These "sequel" scenes allow characters to process what happened and plan their next move. This variation prevents pacing fatigue.

Cut Unnecessary Words

Tight prose is strong prose. We all have crutch words we overuse. Common culprits include: very, really, just, that, start to, begin to.

• Weak: He started to walk really quickly toward the very big house.
• Strong: He sprinted toward the mansion.

Filter your manuscript for these weak modifiers. Removing them often sharpens the image and strengthens the verb.

Article: How to Write Confident Prose

Description & Setting Tips

Setting is not just a backdrop; it grounds the reader in the reality of your story.

Use All Five Senses

Visual descriptions are the default, but they can leave a scene feeling flat and used too frequently, they become monotonous. To make a setting immersive, engage the other senses.

What does the room smell like? Is the air stale or fresh? What's the texture of the chair? Is there a background hum of traffic or the buzz of insects? Integrating sound, smell, touch, and taste makes the world three-dimensional.

Description Should Do Double Duty

Avoid pausing the story to describe a room. Instead, have the character interact with the setting to reveal their mood or personality.

A nervous character might notice the exits or the dust on the shelves. A happy character might notice the sunlight streaming through the window. The way a character perceives their environment tells us about their internal state.

Point of View Tips

The lens through which we see the story affects everything from tone to suspense.

Stay Consistent in POV

"Head-hopping" occurs when the narrative jumps from one character's thoughts to another's within the same scene. This is disorienting for the modern reader.

If you are writing in Third Person Limited, stick to one character’s perspective per scene (or per chapter). If you are in Jane’s head, you cannot tell the reader what Mark is thinking; you can only tell the reader what Jane thinks Mark is thinking based on his expression.

Choose POV Based on Story Needs

• First Person (I): intimate, immediate, subjective. Great for voice-driven stories but limits the reader to only what the protagonist knows.
• Third Person Limited (He/She): offers closeness to the character but allows for a slightly broader narrative scope.
• Third Person Omniscient: the "god" view. Offers a wide scope but creates emotional distance.

Choose the one that best serves your plot. If your story relies on a mystery where the protagonist must not know certain facts, First Person or Third Limited is essential.

Filter Words Weaken POV

Filter words place a barrier between the reader and the experience. These include: saw, heard, felt, realized, decided, wondered.

• Filtered: She saw the dog run across the street.
• Direct: The dog ran across the street.
• Filtered: He felt the cold air hit his face.
• Direct: The cold air bit his face.

Removing the filter puts the reader directly into the character's experience, creating a technique known as "Deep POV."

Revision & Editing Tips

Writing is rewriting. The magic happens when you refine the raw material.

Finish the Draft Before Editing

This is the hardest habit to build. The urge to go back and fix Chapter 1 before writing Chapter 10 is strong, but it is a trap. If you constantly revise the beginning, you may never reach the end.

Read Your Work Aloud

Your eyes will trick you. They'll skip over missing words or typo corrections because your brain knows what you meant to write.

Reading aloud forces you to hear the rhythm. You'll stumble over awkward phrasing, notice accidental rhymes, and hear where sentences run on too long. If you run out of breath reading a sentence, it's probably too clunky.

Get Feedback

You're too close to your work to see its flaws objectively.

Outside feedback is an important part of crafting a strong narrative, and that's where Inkshift can help. It's easy to be told you should write great dialogue and weave in backstory, but if you knew you were doing that, you probably would have fixed it already!

Inkshift provides a comprehensive manuscript critique across your novel on structure and pacing, characters and emotion, prose quality, setting, and even marketability. And best of all, it's free to try on the first few chapters of your book.

Conclusion

No single tip will transform your writing overnight. Writing is a lifelong apprenticeship. If you try to apply all these rules at once, you'll feel overwhelmed. Keep writing, keep learning, and trust that with every edit, your story is getting closer to the version living in your head. Good luck!