Top Writing Tips from Fantasy Author Victoria M. Sorenson

World Building

I like to keep things simple: start with what you already know and then branch off from there. What experiences do you have to draw from?

When you draw inspiration from previous knowledge, you have a good foundation and framework for your story. You now have something to research and a great starting point.

Refrain from beating yourself up if you feel like your brain is empty and you have zero experiences. If this happens to you, I want you to stand up and walk around your bedroom. Look at the pictures on the walls and recall any old memories.

Everyone has a starting point and something worth writing about and sharing. 

Voice

Developing a unique writing style takes time and patience. My advice here is to go to your bookshelf, grab some of your favorite authors, and place them on the kitchen table before you.

My choice would be Edgar Allan Poe and Cornelia Funke. 

Read a couple of paragraphs of their work, not as a reader, but as a writer.

Pay attention to their consistency, word flow, and sentence structure. Also, look at how they transition from scene to scene and how they use dialogue. 

Take notes of what you do like and what you're not a fan of. This will help you with your manuscript as you practice finding your voice.

Consistency

You might not like what I have to say here, but I will say it anyway because we are breaking down the barriers you've built around yourself. 

Plotting is important! And I absolutely do not mean word for word, tit for tat. 

You must set the rules and limitations for the world that you are creating so that your writing flows eloquently. 

"Tori, how do I set limitations?" It's a good thing you asked because I was about to inform you. 

  1. First, write down how your world works in detail on paper.
  2. Second, ask yourself every 'what if' question you can think of because that's what your readers will do. Example: "You said the sky was always purple when the magical barrier was up, but what if it falls? What happens then?"
  3. Answer all of your 'what if' questions and ensure that they line up cohesively.

This will help you set those limitations to make sure that your storyline stays consistent. Yay!

Aspiring Authors Advice

Ignore everyone's thoughts and opinions; they're scared. Your family, friends, and those closest to you will tell you all of the negative things that come with being a writer. Not because they don't want you to succeed, but because they don't want you to fail. 

But failure is necessary for growth, and if you want your hobby of writing to transform into a published book, you need to take the leap regardless if you fall or not. 

I don't view my failures as all-ending. They are simply a learning experience to grow from. I even get excited when I fail, because now I have more data to compare and I'm one step closer to accomplishing my goals, making them a reality for myself.

I've fallen countless of times and made many mistakes. 

But you're reading this, on my website that I've created myself. That means you had to search me, and you're interested in what I have to say.

The only conclusion that I can come to is this: something that I am doing is working. 

Keep pursuing your dreams, keep the flames of drive and passion that burn brightly inside you alive. 

Don't quit on yourself, friend. 

Overcoming Writer's Block

Stay on a consistent schedule. I do not write everyday, but rather four days a week to keep myself from possible burnout. I sit in the same chair, and I write at the same scheduled time with a cup of coffee in hand. If you are already at the stage of writers block, my advice is to work on something related to your manuscript even if it is not adding words to the much dreaded word count. 

Get out a piece of paper, and draw a map for your world. Jot down notes of things that you were thinking about in the shower or on the drive home from the grocery store. 

I find that these little actions help inspire new writing and pull me out of the spiraling despair that I was in just a few moments before. 

Have a Question Writing Related?

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