Maybe 'quick-fix' is not the best title for this, but there seems to be quite a few useful hints and ideas buried in the various forums here. I wondered if it might be an idea to have a quick-fire set of summary tips/suggestions from members based on what works for them, without too much preamble - except for this post obviously Things like:

- plotting
- dialogue
- structure
- characterisation
- narrative flow
- believability

e.g. - Characters: I always have trouble giving characters a name that suits their personality. My top tip for this is to copy out the names that any spam email you receive is sent from. Today I've had various enlargement/debt advice/prescription-drug pitches from: Myron Bowman, Alisha Schaefer and Russel Keys. There's almost a story writing itself there.

KnoxOverstreet - great idea. We're hoping to add in a 'library' of useful threads at some stage. Why don't we use this thread to compile a list. If you anyone knows of a good thread that's worth keeping for posterity drop in a link below, along with a description if poss.

If you remember a good thread but can't find it, the forum search (found at the top right of each forum page) works quite well now so. If you can remember a word or two that are more unusual and likely to be found only in that thread that's usually the best way to find it.

A narrative/sentence flow editing tip I was given by a writing teacher was to delete every single adjective in the story (or maybe the section you are working on). Read it again after no less than 48 hours. If you do not feel the absolute urge or burning necessity to re-inject any particular description, then it probably wasn't necessary to begin with. The teacher called it "anti-purple-ing" the prose. You end up with a tighter piece of work.