Be ready to change it all

You can plan your story out in minute detail. You can know exactly where you're going. You can have it all figured out.

But remain ready to change some key parts of your stories at the drop of the hat.

Maybe you'll realize that you didn’t drop a clue early enough in your writing. Maybe you need a character to be evil so your protagonist can feel alone later in the novel. Maybe you picked the wrong season for your setting as you later need an ice-skating scene.

You can be the best planner, but spontaneity will eventually get the better of you and impact your story. Be ready to go back and take care of loose ends.

Don't get attached just yet and remain ready to make a change for the better whenever necessary.

How memory works

The human mind is complex and not fully understood. Which, when you think about it, makes it perfect for a plot device.

Who says that you can't suddenly forget or remember something? Who says you can't only remember certain things, like fighting skills, while forgetting the rest of your identity? Who knows if you can suddenly remember an alien abduction after you were sure that you were just sleepwalking at night?

Playing tricks on your characters' memories can be a great way to move your plot forward, but it isn't always realistic (or new). Take a good look at the ways memories are informing your narrative and see if it's the right way to use this well-known trope.

If you're going to be social, be social right

Social media is very accessible. Possibly too accessible.

Kids are using social media before they learn to drive and they're often doing it better than adults.

Despite this, you don't want to underestimate the difference between using social media and using social media professionally.

If you want to be considered a professional, if you want to look official, if you want to have a social media presence that you won't be embarrassed by in a few years, learn about social media. Learn how to do it smartly. Learn how to do it so it reaches your audience.

If you're going to use social media, learn to do it right. There are so many resources out there. Find the one that speaks to you, and then create a social media presence that gets you noticed in the best way.

How amazing is your magic?

Some people believe that magic exists. They believe that magicians are not creating illusions, but are really making objects appear in thin air. They believe in fairies. They believe that miracles are possible if you believe hard enough.

Some people don't believe in magic. Maybe they just know too much science to believe anything that cannot be logically explained.

When you create a fantasy world, you need to decide how much magic is common and who it is common to.

Does everyone know that magic exists? Is everyone's magic the same? Are there still some displays of magic that would amaze anyone despite the common fantasy elements?

When you make up a magical world, you make up all the rules. Set up the level or magic and of common knowledge early so you can use it as effectively as possible throughout your story.

Question first, edit later

Editing is important. It takes a lot of work and attention to do.

Before you dive into that hard work, however, ask yourself one important question: Is this scene required?

For every single scene in your writing, ask yourself if it is moving the story forward. If it brings something new. If it is respecting the pace of your story.

If a scene is not meeting all three of these criteria, then you probably don't need the scene. Delete the scene or save it for another story before taking the time to edit something that is not even required.

There are lots of reasons to kill someone

Mysteries abound. And, if you read them all, you'll find that there are lots of different reasons why someone might want to commit a crime. Money, love, anger, revenge, mental illness, etc. So many reasons to do bad things.

If you're writing a mystery, there are likely going to be many suspects to the crime that happened or the threat that permeates your story. You want every one of those suspects to have a reason that will convince your readers that they could be the villain of your writing.

One thing to remember is that they don't all have to have the same motive.

Even if many characters are accused of killing the same victim, they don't all have to have the same reason. Someone wants an inheritance. Someone was wronged. Someone else wants to take over the business.

There are a lot of reasons to kill. Give every one of your suspects a motivation that is true to them.

Feedback timing

Writing "the end" is great.

Sometimes, you're so happy about what you've written that you just want to get it to the next step as soon as possible. You want to share it so someone else can read it and know how amazing your writing is.

You want to get some feedback from someone who wasn't in your mind the entire time you were writing.

But take a second.

Your story is great in your mind as you've written it, but rereading it might reveal a number of flaws. You might realize that there are huge plot gaps. You might realize that you didn't write it all in the same tense. You might realize that a huge plot point doesn't actually make sense.

You might be proud of writing "the end," but take a pause and read your words again before you move your piece forward for review. Keep your readers for when you need them the most. Don't lose them in a first draft that's still a little messy.