Writer and instructor of our "Conquering The Blank Page" program, Larry Brown, has kindly provided a no-nonsense, high-impact roundup of the top 10 writing tips you need to know.

As if that wasn't enough, he has also provided a Story Star exercise at the end of this post to challenge all of you writers to continue developing - the results are bound to be great! And if they aren't? Rewrite! (tip #7). 

Without any further ado, Larry's top 10:

1. WRITE! (Set aside time 3 or 4 or 5 days per week, for even an hour, and work. Watching dancing poodles on youtube, by the way, is not writing.) 
2. READ! (Read a wide range of writers, see how the pros do what they do.)
3. HAVE YOUR CHARACTERS DO SOMETHING! (Begin with characters in action.  Even riding an elevator is action.)                 

4. START AS CLOSE TO THE END OF THE STORY AS POSSIBLE. (Advice from Kurt Vonnegut. Read his novel SLAUGHTER-HOUSE FIVE.)
5. WHAT IS THE HE & THE SHE OF THE STORY? (Don't worry about metaphors, symbolism. Focus on flesh and blood characters.  The 'He and She' quote courtesy of James Joyce.  Read his story THE DEAD.)
6. CREATE COMPLICATED CHARACTERS (Everyone is complicated, full of contradictions.  Everyone has good and bad swirling inside.  Characters don't have to be likeable but they must be interesting.)
7. WRITE A WHOLE DRAFT OF THE STORY, NO MATTER HOW BAD IT SEEMS. (Then you have a beginning, middle and end, something to work with.)  WRITING IS REWRITING.
8. EVERY STORY NEEDS TENSION & SPECIFIC DETAIL. (Tension doesn't have to mean the characters are fighting.  Tension can be caused by leaving out an important detail, or by using short, choppy sentences, or by creating a type of mystery.  And in the early drafts cram as much specific detail into the story as possible.  Smells, tastes, sounds.  The way a person looks at the ceiling when trying to remember a name.  How a person always gives the door two tugs to make sure it's locked.)
9. DON'T GET IN YOUR OWN WAY. (Being overly critical in the early stages of writing the story can stop a story dead and drive you away from writing.  Cut yourself some slack.)
10. LET VERBS DO THE HEAVY LIFTING IN THE SENTENCE. (Use adverbs and adjectives sparingly. Often an adverb is needed because the verb is weak.  Example: He walked quickly out of the room.  Better: He bolted out of the room, He rushed out of the room, He hurried out of the room.)
11. BONUS RULE: DRINK YOUR COFFEE BLACK. (Treat cream and sugar and sprinkles and swirly stuff as unnecessary adverbs. I mean, c'mon...)

STORY START: 

“Katherine?  Katherine Lewis, is that you?”

Susan, mouth stuffed with Boston creme donut, looked up.

“Girl Guide cookies and snow angels,” the woman bubbled.  “Remember?”

Continue story. Take chances, fail in a big way, don't be a careful writer.             

Final Tip from Larry: What's the Formula For Success? A bit of talent + bit of luck + A TON OF PERSEVERANCE= Being Published