How to Write

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Writing can be fun and exciting. You can really let your imagination go wild! And the best part is, you can make it what you want it to be!

Steps

1. Brainstorm. What do you want to write about? The possibilities are endless. You could write a story or poem. You could write something in secret code.
2. Write a "Sloppy Copy". A Sloppy Copy is a rough draft, one you don't really use except in writing the main idea of the story. It's likely to change during the writing process. Make sure that your writing shouldn't be too sloppy, or else you won't be able to read it.
3. Remember that the quality of your writing will reflect the thought you put into it.
4. Choose main ideas that you want in your story. Again, the possibilities are endless. You could write about calculus. You could write about Mercury. You could even write about yourself.
5. Start your next draft. This one should be in neater handwriting.
6. Freewrite.
7. Check for coherency. Do all parts of the story make sense together? If so, continue. If not, consider revising it.
8. Check for necessity. Do all parts of the story contribute? Does each section give necessary background, advance the plot, build suspense, or develop an important character?
9. Edit ruthlessly.
10. Remember that spell check doesn't always do the job. What about to, too, and two? Hmm? Or their, there, and they're? Although they may be spelled correctly, they may not be used in the correct context.
11. Check for anything missing. Are all your characters properly introduced? Do the plot points flow smoothly into one another, or are there some logical gaps?
12. Re-write using the insights gained in the previous steps. You can also type it in a big font, maybe 16, 18, or 20. Don't make it too small, or else you cannot edit it.
13. Repeat these steps until you are ready to get someone else's opinion. This is an important step, as other people will see what you actually wrote, and not just what you think you wrote!
14. Get feedback from a friend, parent, or teacher whose opinion you respect, and who either reads a lot or writes themselves.
    • Ask them to be honest and thorough.
    • If they need some guidance, give them the same questions you've been asking yourself.
    • This is particularly critical if any aspect of your story revolves around a technical area in which you are not an expert. Make sure at least one of your readers is an expert in that area.
15. Evaluate the response you received. You do not have to agree with everything that's said to you about your work! On the other hand, if you get the same comment from more than one person, you should probably take it very seriously.
16. Reread the story with your readers' comments in the back of your head. Note any gaps, places that need to be cut, or areas needing revision.
17. Re-write using the insights gained from your readers, and from your own subsequent critical reading.
18. Repeat until you are satisfied. Remember to thank your readers, but take responsibility for any mistakes yourself.

Tips

• When you write think about how you use your words. Make sure they make sense!
• Remember, it's supposed to be fun, so don't get stressed. Famous authors generally re-write their stories over and over many times.
• You can write a poem.
• You can write your thoughts, like a diary entry.
• You can make a to-do list to help you keep track of what steps you want to accomplish.
• Don't be afraid to write things that happen in your story out of order. A lot of writers write the ending first and then go back. If you do this a lot, write each section as you think of it, but on separate pages. Then arrange and re-arrange the pages in the order of when you want the things to happen in the story.
• Be sure to copy, edit, and proof-read written work, but not while you are brainstorming.

Warnings

• Be sure that you use punctuation and good grammar. It can get tricky!

Related wikiHows

• How to Write a Poem
• How to Write Faster
• How to Be a Good Writer
• How to Become a Writer
• How to Decide What to Write About on wikiHow
• How to Make Letters of the English Alphabet
• How to Write Letters to the Editor

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