Writing Tips, Authors post your tips here Options

[Schizo Kaita]

In this topic, authors can post their tips on writing.
This is to help out other, beginning writers, so that they can reap the benefits of your experience as an author.

I'll start this off by giving my own tips:

1.A good story is mostly dependant of its main character. Think it over: what kind of a person is this? Is this a serious character, a humorous character, or perhaps an uncertain character? These things are more important than what your protagonist looks like. The personality of your hero will influence his choices in the story, and the outcome.
(Problems coming up with a character? Characters To Use is the most helpful topic!)

2.How can you tell it's a good story idea? If you're making up the story faster than you can write it, it's probably a good idea. Don't rush your story, though. More on this in the next tip.

3.When you're writing a story, you tend to get ahead of yourself: it's a great story, and you want to tell all of it at once. Each good idea that sparks in your head has to be on paper, you say to yourself. But by doing this, you might lose the clarity and atmosphere of your story. Restrain yourself of writing too fast. We don't all have Kakama's.

4.As I mentioned before, a good story has atmosphere. How do you create atmosphere? Simple enough: be descriptive: what is the surrounding scenery? Is it dark? Is it light? Is this a dangerous or rather a peaceful place? And most important of all: how does it make your character feel?

5.There are different ways of telling a story: you can tell everything from the perspective of your main character, or you flip from scene to scene, each time focussing on other events, that happen simultaneously.

6.Recommended, though not essential: use cliffhangers Ending a chapter with a mysterious element or ending it at the time the tension is at its heighest provides an extra effect: you can't wait to read the next chapter.

7.And last of all: chapter titles. Don't think these are unimportant. A chapter title often gives you a tip on what will happen next, but at the same time contains an element of mystery. For instance, a chapter title like 'a Noble Victory' reffers to a victory on the part of the good guys. But read it again: it also gives you a tip on how they achieve it.

That's about it for my tips. Feel free to contribute, that's what the topic's for.

This post has been edited by Schizo Kaita: Dec 3 2003, 03:44 PM

[GaliGee]

Good idea, SK! Here's some more. And if you're wanting some long-winded story-writing advice from me, I've started an Epic Writing Workshop.


Mechanics
Consider writing your story in a real word processor (many of you do, I'm sure) and pasting your chapters one by one into the BZP editor. It's a lot easier to go back and change/add things in, say, Word, and you have the benefit of a spell checker. Leave blank lines between paragraphs, to make it easier on the eyes (as opposed to a giant wall of text).


3D Stories

1st dimension: PLOT. Every story has a plot (we're writing Bionicle fan fics, not art films ), but if that's all your story has, it's a one-dimensional story. Plan your plot ahead of time, or make it up as you go along, but give it a lot of thought, because it is the core of your story.

2nd dimension: CHARACTER. This allows the reader to wander sideways in the world you are creating, and gives your story breadth.

3rd dimension: THEME. Tie events at the end back to things that happened at the beginning. Plant clues in early chapters that unfold into revelations later.


A few thoughts on MOCs. When you put MOCs in a story, you are asking the reader to invest some time and effort into understanding and remembering your new character. A story with fewer MOCs is a lot easier to read and follow. So put MOCs in where they are essential or useful, but stick to the characters everyone knows if you just need "extras" in the story.


Point of view. Consider who is telling the story. Is is an omniscient narrator, who can get inside everyone's heads? Or is your story from the point of view of one of the characters, who can describe his own thoughts and actions, but only the actions of others? Or should it be in the first person ("I watched the canister lid slowly twist open...")? It's up to you, but be consistent.
:kaukaunu:

This post has been edited by GaliGee: Oct 10 2003, 08:37 PM

[Sir Kohran the G...]

I've only got one, but here goes...

If your stumped, try to imagine what your character would do in that situation.It makes the story a whole lot more realistic.

[Radagast the Bro...]

Plus, when you're making a story, make it believeable, also go into detail into your story, not a lot, but enough to make the viewer interested in reading it. And put in adjectives, just like icing on a cake (not a lot, either). It is very important on your character's point of view, like: (Kopaka's mind rushed as he was sent flying into the wall).

[Kaiapu]

SK and GG pretty much covered the main ideas, in my opinon...

Also:

Observe how some of your favorite authors write, and use some of their writing techniques in your stories.  For example, J. R. R. Tolkien has a clever technique for inserting description - rather than simply blurting it out, he describes something as a character sees it.  Rather than "The sun was setting over the horizon," he would say something like, "As Tahu surveyed the landscape, he noticed the sun slowly sinking over the horizon, casting a red glow on the evening sky.  'I must hurry,' he thought."

Description is important, and how you insert it can make or break your story.

Click here for some links to stories...

-Kaiapu

[Belfy]

Quote (Kohrah matoran @ Oct. 30 2002, 09:10)

Gee...these are good tips, even if I've seen a lot of them before.  I'm sure many haven't.  I agree wholeheartedly on your tip about MOCs, GaliGee...

I've got my own.  Whenever you're doing a comedy, restrain yourself.  Insane madness and potty humor aren't the only ways to write comedy.  Hard to believe, but even with comedy fics, you have to think about what you're writing.

Nova Nuhvok

[Krahs]

My stories arent very good or viewed at all but My tips are
If you get stumped use Mythology its great i used it
in my story The Lyca "The Link is in my sig" a great link is
Mythweb.com

[GreatKhanArtist]

Set yourself up. Early in the story, place your hero (protaganist) in a situation that shows them preceeding the heroic event in the finale. This makes everything believable. We wouldn't expect Kopaka to be able to score a 10 in olympic figure skating if he hadn't pulled of a triple axle early on.

[MataNuiHero]

I have a tip,

    Try to add in co-lead characters. it makes the story fun if the main character has people to interact with or use teamwork! Unless your writing about Kopaka's life story, try to give the main characters friend some limelight too.

 "Tahu went throught the island smashing bohrok aimlessly and won the battle with supremecy to spare." see, that's no fun, it's like making your main characters all powerful.

 Tahu got tackled painfully by three pahrak as he tried to strip their krana, but they were too strong!  *smash*
  "i thought you'd need some help tahu!" said onua as he smashed a bohrok into next week." see wasn't that lots more fun?


                                                               MNH

[Guest_Tahnok Kal_*]

I don't have any ideas or tips but I'm the exact opposite of radagast I either put too many or not enough adjectives I really need help with adjectives.

[MorbuzakhBamboo]

1. Here's a good tip: BE THE CHARACTER! Get into character, etc.
2. Try using the writing process. Ask people for suggestions, and your story will be good!

That's all for now. This the the Bumble BEE, signing off.

[Radagast the Bro...]

Don't worry, Tahnok Kal, it comes naturally

[Timothy B. Beave...]

Well my only tip is come up with something original,try not to copy someones ideas,and if people really wan't a sequel think of one

[TenseMouzer]

1. Leave plenty of clif hangers.
2. Put alot of Dialouge.
3. Put adjectve, nouns, and conjuntions!
4. Read other author's stories and study their technique!
These are what gave me A+ stories.

[Janus]

My only tip is when you're writing listen to music, but make sure you're listening to the right type, for example if you're writing about Tahu's village being destroyed listen to something sad that gets you into the mood of the character.

-Janus

[BoA]

Use Direct Speech, but not too much or it gets to just being

"hey!"
"hi!"
"Wassup"
"nothin' much!"

END OF CHAPTER

[The Godfather]

stay posting new chapters if you are writing a Epic, don't do as me. I posted no new chapter in weeks.

scream and shought, happy haloween.

evil Takea

[Tovnu]

Here's my tip:
Flashbacks, flashforwards, or into some different place can help make the reader eager to get back into the action taking place. Having a flashback take place during an intense moment can drive the reader nuts with curiosity!

[Galikat the Alle...]

1. If you put yourself as a character in a story, you'll have no trouble figuring out what that character would do in a situation.  In my story The Twito Saga, I am one of the main characters.
2. Sometimes it's good to write about different things happening at the same time, but sometimes things will get confusing if you do that.  For instance, the format of Part 4 of The Twito Saga made that virtually impossible.
3. Just recently some people have been putting pictures in their stories.  If you're going to do that, it would be best if you made most of them ahead of time.

[DarkVampire]

1.)don't rush yourself.if you got a lot to write then don't push yourself over the edge.Instead take some time,calm down,and type it at a nice pace.
2.)make sure not to make a bad,R rated,or a 1 chapter story.
and also do not use other people's charater without permission,this applies to you marklemarcus!

OFC:by the way,i was kinto.my account got banned.it wouldn't tell me why!

[Makuta Master]

I totally agree with cliffhangers. For example, in my story, Mata Haru, I always try to leave each chapter with a cliffhangers. My last chapter diagnoses the main character, Wamatua, with becoming infected, so it leads you to wonder what happens.

I write my stories on my WordPad first, spell check them, and finally post the chapters. Sometimes, it takes a while. Sometimes I can be quick about it.

[Unakau Nuva Adva...]

Put a little humor in.
Not a lot or else it will be sent straight to the comedies.
Make your own chapter in Bionicle.  Or make a story of a theory you made up.
Change the Bionicle story or relate it to another story.
Those are some of the best tips I can give.

[Radagast the Bro...]

Quote (Janus @ Oct. 30 2002, 10:12)

My only tip is when you're writing listen to music, but make sure you're listening to the right type, for example if you're writing about Tahu's village being destroyed listen to something sad that gets you into the mood of the character. -Janus

Janus is right, listening to the right music when typing is one of the greatest ways to typing stories!

[Cahdok nuva]

I have some tips:
1. Never rush yourself when writing, a rushed story is never a good one.
2. Try not to use the word "said" to much, it can get very boring, use descreptive words. Example: if a charecter is talking loudly, use something like "yelled" or "shouted" or something else.
3. Always check for spelling or punctuation, etc. Bad spelling can get annoying, and people might start thinking the story is sloppy.
4. Try to post in your story often, if people like your story, they will want it updated very often.

[Simbera]

OK, I've learned from my own mistake....

DON'T DO IT IN A DIARY FORMAT!!!!!

Yes it lets you get into the character's head, but there's no live action or drama.  I personally beleive Kala could've been heaps better if i'd done it with live action

<^>

[Secret7]

There are three types of Cliffhangers:

Unfinished Sentence: Example:

"What, Tokunga??? What do you see??"
"It's...

 END

Good side:Leaves reader hanging by a hair.

BAD SIDE: Can get confusing. Might think that it's over.


Unfinished Plot:
(Ex.)

"Did you hear that, Mataru?"
"...No..."
"The buzzing sound!"
bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
"Kind of."
"We have to run" I scream.
We run for the forest, quickly.
I stare up in pure horror: Millions of Nui-Jaga.

GOOD:   Keeps them hanging by a rope.

BAD: Depends on the sentence.


UNFINISHED STORY:

 (For 'ending' stories) Ex. :

 The teenagers were never found. The Blair Makuta project was a sucess. It revealed the murderous killer. But why? What is his motives? What happpened to the witches? We may never know...

Rating: PERFECT

Allows writer to force the reader into the sequel, and leaves suspense.

[Kirilin Toa of T...]

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Oh, I love these things!

Some of you may recall a thing I called The Zone of Confidence. It was around a while ago and was never re-posted. This kind of thing is GREAT! Beginners and full-fledged writers, listen to these people! (God knows I need to! )

I have a great many tips. I will try to give them to you as cleary as possible and without reiterating anyone else's tips too much:

Elements: Plot, theme, setting, character. As many people have already said, these are integral. Be them, know them, feel with them.

Dialogue: Oh, the nasty little writing creature. Dialogue is a very very VERY important piece of writing. It is likewise incredibly hard to do. Here is the way I do dialogue-- I make myself the character. I ask myself  'Now how would I repsond to that?' This is realistic, but also the reason many of my characters end up sounding like teenagers. Be realistic, but stay in character. Also, write in the correct form:

       "It's getting darker..." Lewa murmured slowly. Gali turned to him with a calculating expression.
           "How much time do we have?" she asked.
           Lewa's reply was sharp and testy. "By the look of it, about half an hour."

(That came from nowhere in particular, by the way). But anyway, you can see the paragraphical form: start a new line every time a character speaks.

Syntax: Syntax are the words used in placement of 'said' or 'asked.' They are immensly useful to describe the tone and manner in which a character is speaking, but DON'T OVER USE THEM. This is incredibly hard to do, but try to read a lot of books and see how they do it. (For any Star Trek fans, I recommend 'A Stitch in Time,' the book on Garak by Andrew J. Robinson himself. He knows exactly what he's doing with syntax). Whereas Tolkien (could it be, I'm actually advising against something Tolkien does) uses 'said' WAY too much. There is hardly any feeling. Maybe the man meant to do it, but I think a good balance is the best.

Cliffhangers: ...Not neccesary, but sometimes fun.

Deaths: Oh boy. Now, death is a very evil little trap. You see, when you want a character to die: Do. It. With. FEELING! Be a character! Exist! Some people find emotion sappy and annoying. I find emotion THE most wonderful aspect of writing. Also, resurrections: DO NOT, absolutely DO NOT bring back characters to life for no purpose aside from to please the readers or for your own liking. EXPLAIN your resurrections. They must have a logical reason. For instance, if I may give my own example of a good death-resurrection sequence:

Sam, in Paradox, was killed in a valiant effort to save Frodo from Makuta.
-Sam is my most favorite character of all time, and I love him. By killing him, Frodo's pain and grief was my own, through him. If you have a pre-planned resurrection, do it with your favorite character. It is so much more real that way.

After a rather emotional burial scene for Sam and Kopaka, the story ended. In Afterimage, the sequal, both Sam and Kopaka were found to be alive, but only in Middle-earth, not Mata Nui. (Details of this can be found in chapter 6 of Afterimage. I don't wish to explain now, as it is far too complicated.)
-There is a logical reason for the resurrection, and I did it with as much feeling as I felt realistic. Put yourself in the position: how would you react if a very dear friend was killed before your eyes, and then you saw him again, alive and well?

The point to this is: be realistic. And don't overdo resurrections. They have been done so many times they have begun to lose their appeal.
If you want to merely kill someone with no resurrection, then please do not simply kill off a character you are not fond of. This is pointless and will be more or less without much feeling. Avoid this whenever possible--characters you don't like very much are important! You must learn to like them! (As I have done with Frodo, Tahu and such).

Criticism: Please take it well. It can be useful.

How To Write Your Story:
1- Write your story. (Preferably in Microsoft Word or something similar).
2- Save your story. (Keep everything! )
3- Edit your story. (Constantly re-write and check for plot-holes).
4- People. There is a spell check. Use it.
5- Then post your story here.


All righty. Well, thank you for your time. That's all I have to say. [I know, I know, that was way too long. )

-KToT, the Rather Long-Winded

[The Shadowed One]

I WILL NEVER GIVE AWAY MY SECRETS!  Oh screw it, no one reads them anyways, so I'll help the BIG-NAME WRITERS, who CLEARLY haven't the amount of skill I HAVE!  I'm just kidding.

TIP THE FIRST!  
For the love of cake, use PROPER SPELLING, GRAMMER, AND PUNCTUATION!  I CAN FOLLOW BARELY HALF OF A STORY THAT DOES NOT ABIDE TO THE LAWS OF GRAMMER!  IT MAKES ME SICK!  But, uh, yeah...

TIP THE SECOND!
ENFORCE the rule of posting comments on a seperate topic.  I hate when a good story is inturrupted with "aw, sweet shibby man, cool, post more i luv it."  It just ruins the whole mood.

TIP THE THIRD!
Divide your story into chapters with names.  Don't just go "I'l post more soon," say "chapter ___ coming soon!" if you post anything at all.

TIP THE FOURTH!
DETAIL!  DETAIL DETAIL DETAIL!  Remember, we can't see what you're writing from your head, so give many things a good description so that we can invision the story.

TIP THE FIFTH!
Give it a couple plot twists here and there.  For example, if there were some epic war or battle, and the good guys are winning, at the end, let evil take a win here and there.  I am NOT a Disney fan for a reason, and that is because they NEVER let evil win, even if it isn't the final word.

TIP THE SIXTH!
Death.  Kill off a main character.  But this will only work once or twice, or maybe even thrice.  Since this option is so limited, give the scene emotion.  Let them defend themselves.  Maybe even let them still fight while they're slowly dying away, just because they're so determined. And when they can't fight any more, let them die emotionally.  Don't decapitate them; shoot them with arrows or stab them, so that they can give some final words to your main character.

TIP THE SEVENTH!
NEVER, and I say NEVER, post a chapter before you have already written at least one or two chapters after it.  That way the chapter's previous cahpter could connect to a secret revealed.

TIP THE EIGTH!
If you expect to post a sequel to your story, DO NOT give the first one a happy, finalized, or satisfying ending.

[pokenerd56]

I have a tip:

HUMOR: Make it SUBTLE. Just a witty line here and there is just enough. Examples:

ON: Yep.

Green(to Purple): I think Onua Nuva may have developped a language disorder.

Purple(to Green): Yep.

OBSCURE LANGUAGE: (as in "confusticate") Don't use it too much. It's boring when you read a phrase and go searching in your dictionnairy for five words, at each phrase.

That is all.

[aka Rood]

Good topic, schiz...

OK, first of all GRAMMAR IS A CRUCIAL ELEMENT! Many times I see misplelled words and I can't make them out, it ruins the story and it cheapens the mood. Spell check people. If you're writing any type of BZ library material use what you've learned in school, please.

And also I have seen people that use a style of writing such as:

Gali: Well, what've we got here? ...
Tahu: You see something?
Gali: Through the scope, look!

I am not mocking you specific type of writing it just doesn't engage people. No description.

It should go something along these lines:

Gali crept along the corridor, scope in hand sweat moistening her grip. She carefully lifted her scope radar to her mask. "Well what have we got here? ..."

Tahu jumped from his nervous position, shaking madly. "You see something?"

Gali rechecked, she might have overreacted but no...there was a definite blipping spot in the scope screen. Her greatest terror had come true.

"Through the scope look!"

Can you see the difference? Detail matters.

Keep paragraphs in mind, they also help and keep your attention more.

Otherwise I think other people covered alot of it, that's just my two cents.

Peace :evilgrin:
::: :pakarinu: :::

This post has been edited by Nuparu Nuva: Jun 8 2003, 06:09 PM

[Makuta Master]

Listen to Kirilin, folks. Great stories came from that mind.

1) I forgot what others say here. Use paragraphs. New ones for new comments from other characters. If you use, for example, something like this:

Tahu jumped out of the can. "What is it?" "I don't know!"

It's confusing. Can you tell who says what? Exactly! You can't! Especially when you have no idea who is with Tahu.

2) Use complete sentences. Don't use run-on sentences. If you want to have more in one sentence, use punctuation! A colon (:) is a VERY powerful piece of punctuation. Use it well.

[Israeli Toa]

These are excellent tips!  Here are a few of my own:

1.  As others have said, use good grammar and spelling!!!!!!!  This is crucial to a story!!!!!!!  When I'm reading a story and find multiple misspelled words and poor grammar, I'll just stop reading!

2.  Make your characters interesting and multifaceted.  This is mainly in the case of MOC characters, as we all know what the Toa are like!  For example, in my story, "From Boys to Men", my character Lhiti is not just a stock "bully"; I try to show his feelings and his good side as well as his evil side.  Try to make your characters interesting!  Make your readers empathize with them!

3.  And when you start a story, make sure you can post at least a chapter a week!  If any of you have been following my epic, you'll know I'm guilty of not doing that!  When I started it at the beginning of the school year when the work was light, I cruised.  But now, with the homework being piled on, I don't have much time for BZP...

4.  When you start an epic, make sure you know at least the basic plot, so you don't get to the middle and wonder,"Now what should I make happen?"  This also enables you to foreshadow in the earlier chapters what will happen in the later ones.

Well, that's all I can think of that hasn't already been said!
Have fun!

Write well, and prosper.

                                                               -IT

[FallenTurtles]

Everyone here has given awesome advice, I'll say only this because there's no need to repeat everything...

Write from the heart, not the head.

Use your head to see what you've created and how proper it looks, but let the words come from your soul.  The story has ot invoke emotion... fear, love, humor... whatever it is, make it what you want the reader to feel.  Too much writing has become commercial these days, nobody does it because they WANT to anymore.

Make your story YOUR STORY.  Use your grammatical skills to clean it up... but write what you want to.  Write from the only part of you that knows what you want... and it isn't your spell-check.

[SpongeMonkey95]

Well, what I think is the best aspect of my story, The Legend of Mehi-Nui, is building suspense.  Especially when you leave your readers hanging at the end of the chapter, making them impatiently wait for the next chapter!  The number one rule to suspense is not to blurt things out and tell everybody what is going on the second it happens, what I like to do is describe it from the characters' point of view, adding some mystery to it.  Like instead of saying, "Jala peered through the bushes and saw Tahu emerging from his canister.", I would say, "Jala peered through the bushes and saw a tall, red creature emerging from a strange pod.".  Thats all I can think of for now!  That reminds me, I should really get to work on the next chapter, it's been a week since I posted the last one!

[Amalga]

One thing that will really save your story.

Save it on your hard drive or a floppy disk.

Because if you lose it here, it's gone unless you have a backup somewhere.

I'm burdened with D-Chronicle's disappearance. And I'm simply not going to re-write those thirty-four chapters. Since Part 1's all done and over with, I am starting up on Part 2.

So do yourself a favor and save your work. It -really- makes a difference, especially if you're to rewrite some chapters or edit for content.


Now for storyWRITING tips...

You'll have your good days and bad days. But don't let that stop you.

A good idea for writing a new chapter is taking a look around you and jotting down stuff that happens in real life. Then meld that into your writing. Also, keep a notebook in hand and write down the key things that you want to hit on your chapter. That way, you have a basic idea of what you want to be writing. It's also a good idea to write down one key thing that you want the chapter to focus on, maybe a relationship between characters or a character's self-conflict.

Be consistent with your characters.
If you're depicting an already-made character, be sure you stick to how they really are. One won't expect Kopaka to be all mad and goofy. He's cold, silent, loves solitude, and is very calculative. And he should stay that way, even if his views on general life change.
If you're playing with an original character, you should give him a general disposition and he should keep that disposition throughought the story. Of course, any character is subject to change, but these changes happen gradually. So don't have them say one thing and another thing the next instant.


-LV

This post has been edited by Lonely Vision: Nov 23 2002, 07:29 AM

[Apollo]

Thanx for the tips guys! I have only made one atempt at a story, and it wasnt too good...but now I should be able to improve the standard 5 fold!

[Kanohi Akaku]

Good advice everyone! Nothing makes me happier than seeing people help each other out in the fanfic area. Makes me so, um... proud, I think, is the best way to say it.

My advice on writing a story... Well, this is what I have picked up over the last few years.

1. Try to write in prose. Script format is all well and good, but there is only so much you can do with it. And, should there be a tense moment, script tends to get boring. For example, Tahu and Kopaka are waiting at the end of a corridor, knowing that something is going to charge down it at any second...

Tahu and Kopaka stand at the end of the corridor, waiting for the Rahi to appear.

Tahu: ...

Kopaka: ...

Tahu: ...

Kopaka: ...

Tahu: ...

Kopaka: ...

Suddenly, it appears. The Toa stand ready to fight...

Tahu: ...

Kopaka: ...

Tahu: ...

Kopaka: ...

Tahu: ...

Kopaka: ...

Do you see what I mean? It gets boring. Prose format, such as in a novel, can handle such a situation with greater skill, and if well written getting you to feel tense as you read. Of course, sometimes script is better, but you have to be very good to use it right, and draw in the reader.

2. MoCs are an odd thing- to the creator, they are interesting, exciting, and unique. To the casual reader, they are just another MoC about which they have little to no knowledge. Also, they tend to be the central character, and usually end up being an incredibly powerful hero. This, is known to many as the 'self-insert' (okay, the author isn't the MoC, but it still applies). Pretty much, you can get into the mindset that you are the MoC, and you use it to live out your dreams about what you would do, were you in the story. Great for the writer, boring for everyone else.

Now don't get me wrong, MoCs are great if they are used carefully. Want to know how? Look up Kirilin Toa of Trees' Bionicle stories. She does it perfectly, because even though her new character plays a central role, she does not leave out the other characters. You must not forget the basic Bionicle characters! They are why we like Bionicle, and to leave them out takes that away. Making the six main Toa dissapear takes the main part of Bionicle away, and thus the story becomes boring.

3. Try to be original. Look at what is often done, and try to take a different spin on it. Or focus on minor characters. It makes it new and interesting, and that is always something to be admired.

Well, good luck woth your stories. Remember though, the key to writing any story is to write something which you like. You will take more time on it then, and will produce something which you can be proud of.

[Scurvy Saf]

Take these for example

Kopka;grr i wil l kill you know! {{kills barney}{
barney:no! i am ded! arhg!

WRONG!

Kopaka stood fiercely, panting. He looked at the extremely annoying purple dinosaur.
"I will kill you now!" Kopaka thundered, as he dashed and stabbed his cold, icy blade right through the purple dinosaur, leading him to his death.
"No!" said Barney as he gasped for air, "I... I am dead..." He then grunted, as his thoughts vanished with the wind.

RIGHT!

1- Spelling is VITAL!
2- Use quotation marks! The other form can be very confusing.
3- Do not use brackets, eg. {{kills Barney}}. Use A WHOLE SENTENCE to describe Barney's death.
4- Figures of speech. They will add more spice to your story.
5- Try to cut down on words like aargh, and grr... use he grunted, and he growled instead.
6- PUNCTUATION!! PLEASE! People do not use capitals in these forums!!

This is merely a recap of a lot of stuff, and, well, yea!

[Kanohi Nuva]

1. A good main character or hero will usually attract people. Like the Toa.

2. A good plot. Not this unless your writing a comedy
"The plot of this stupid story is that Pohatu cannot eat his burrito! What will he do?"
3. A good ending. That way, readers will read the sequel.

4. Description! Great description so people can imagine the characters.

[Mandalore the Ul...]

When writing a story, don't type it all up in a post screen. Use Word, or NotePad.
And, use good spelling. That makes your readers want to read more, and more of it.
Make the bad guys really powerful, so the Toa are in trouble.
Write a sequel if it leaves the Toa in deep trouble.

Those are my writing tips. Hope it helps you Epic writers!