Writing Tips from Mel Taylor-Bessent
Our blog today is ideal for sharing with budding young writers interested in creating a story.
Mel Taylor-Bessent has shared her top five writing for pleasure tips with us and they are brilliant! Follow them and have fun writing.
FCBG 5 top Write for Pleasure tips
1) Don’t worry about making your writing perfect… at least not straight away. Get lost in your ideas, play with words, and jot down a few thoughts without the fear of ‘getting it wrong’. Of course, it’s important to learn about correct spelling, grammar and punctuation in school, but when you’re writing for fun, it’s not the most important thing! Not sure how to spell something? Just give it a go and move on to the next word. Think you might be repeating yourself? Keep going and correct it later. The beauty of a first draft is that it’s just that. A draft. It’s a rough first version that includes your main ideas that you can polish up and improve later. For now, just focus on getting your ideas down – you can always change them later!
2) Create a fun writing environment. Grab some snacks, find a cosy spot under a duvet or on a picnic blanket under a tree, and play some music relevant to the mood you want to create. Whether it’s gentle music to help you relax, or a dramatic soundtrack to set the mood for a spooky, atmospheric scene, creating a fun writing environment can draw you into your writing even more and make it even more enjoyable.
3) If you’re not sure how to start, try one of these simple (and super fun!) exercises to get your ideas flowing… Random Word Game – write ten random words at the top of a piece of paper and then try to include them all in your story! Steal A Sentence – open a book on a random page and choose a sentence to copy down. That will become your opening line and you can continue it in any way you like! Write with a friend – writing on the same piece of paper, take turns to write one word each until you’ve written a paragraph or scene together. This is such a fun way to write a silly, funny story with a friend and can be a great way for beating writer’s block. If you’d like to take part in more writing challenges, games and activities, check out my ‘Write for Fun with Mel Taylor-Bessent’s YouTube channel where I add new videos every week!
4) If you get stuck halfway through a story, try adding another problem. Problems make stories exciting, and they add drama, tension, and intrigue to keep the reader gripped. Not only does it keep the reader interested in your story, though, it should keep you interested too! If you know you have an exciting or sad or dramatic scene coming up – maybe even a cliff hanger or a big surprise twist! – it will keep you enthralled and excited, too!
5) Write about something you’d love to experience! Always wanted to live in a tree house? Write a story about a character who does live in a tree house. Always wondered what it would be like to play in a cup final and score the winning goal? Write about it! Always thought about what it would feel like to fly, or swim underwater for hours, or stumble into a magical land? Anything is possible when you write – there are no limits – so write about whatever you’re interested in and you’ll always enjoy it!
