Santa’s Top 5 Writing Tips

Just got an e-newsletter from the North Pole and Santa had these writing tips posted for the young-at-heart who are writing novels this year. Stay tuned: Santa promised to send me Rudolph’s writing tips tomorrow.

Santa’s Top 5 Writing Tips
Rudolph’s Top 5 Writing Tips
Frosty’s Top 6 Writing Tips

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

• Oh! You better watch out,
  You better not cry,
  You better not pout,

  1. Instant Conflict. The characters are crying and pouting. Make sure your story has instant conflict.

• I’m telling you why:
  Santa Claus is coming to town!

  2. Plots. A Stranger comes to town. It is said that there are only two plots in the world. A character leaves home, or a stranger comes to town. This time it’s promised that the stranger will bring happiness and joy. But will he?

• He’s making a list,
  He’s checking it twice,
  He’s gonna find out
  who’s naughty or nice.
  Santa Claus is coming to town!

  3. Character Motivations. Are you checking your character’s motivations? You should know who is naughty or nice and especially why. No character should be totally one or the other. Soften villains and round out main characters by giving them a flaw.

• He sees you when you’re sleeping,
  He knows when you’re awake.
  He knows when you’ve been bad or good,
  So be good for goodness sake!

  4. Know your characters. You should know your character’s feelings, actions, morals. When s/he is admonished to be good, what would s/he do?

• So…You better watch out,
  You better not cry
  You better not pout,
  I’m telling you why.
  Santa Claus is coming to town.

  5. Endings. Make sure the story’s ending resolves the conflict you set up. Here, the song doesn’t resolve the conflict, so we have an unsettled feeling. Well, that’s probably OK. Christmas morning will tell the real tale. And it’s OK to leave the reader wanting a little bit more, as long as you resolve the inner conflict and leave the reader with hope.

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