Writing Tips
This page is just a conglomeration of suggestions based on observations the editors have made in reading previous submissions. Note that they are suggestions, written by someone just as fallible as anyone else.
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If it doesn't want to rhyme, don't make it. When writing poetry, don't force rhymes. Rhyme when it comes naturally and doesn't disrupt the meaning. There is a lot of awesome free verse poetry (which doesn't rhyme), and you can also use slant (imperfect) rhymes such as rhyming "away" with "poetry."
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The piece must make a point, but it also must do more than just make a point. When somebody reads your piece, there should be something they learn, something that leaves them thinking. Pretty words alone are only pretty. On the other hand, you can't just make your point. You have to support it somehow - through a story, an extendend metaphor, creative imagery, etc.
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When concerning speaker tags, be minimalistic. "The italicized part of this sentence is an example of a speaker tag," said Bob. That's what a speaker tag is: the part of sentence that tells you who is speaking. It's there so you don't get confused. Also, as we all know, you don't always need and shouldn't always use speaker tags. That being said, use them sparingly, and when you do use them, you don't have to shy away from the word said. You can also use screamed, whispered, hollered, asked, and many more. However, most of the time, speaker tags are just there to denote who said what, so said works just fine. Any more complicated or flowery words might draw attention away from what's really important: the dialogue. For more, see this web page.
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If everything is extreme, nothing is. Don't overload your piece. This can be applied to a lot of different ideas. For example, if every other word was something you'd find in an SAT vocabulary book, your reader is probably going to be overwhelmed. Plus, if there's a word that fits the piece perfectly, there will be no way for it to stand out. Similarly, if you're writing some sort of horror piece, and everything is extremely dark, a sort of monotony is created. Extremely dark becomes the norm if there is no contrast. It's much more interesting to have a glimmer of light or happiness and then quash that glimmer. The same idea is in Brave New World: you can't truly know good without knowing bad. Contrast helps to define and strengthen our perception of something, and in writing, that something is what you want to convey as powerfully as possible. You can see another writer's take on the importance of contrast by reading these three Emily Dickinson poems: "Success is counted sweetest," "Water, is taught by thirst.", and "The Zeroes - taught us - Phosphorus - ."
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Leave your reader wondering, but don't leave your reader wondering about everything. You probably don't want to spoonfeed your reader, but you also don't want your reader to be completely clueless about whatever he or she just read. The reader needs something to hold onto. If you don't want to say your topic outright, at least provide specific details so the reader can, with some thought, determine the topic. Getting the balance here is tricky. Just make sure the reader has enough clues.
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Punctuation is an indespensable tool. Develop your skill, and wield it well. First, you have to know your punctuation rules. Yes, this is creative writing, so you have some freedom and don't have to follow every rule. However, you need to know your rules before you break them. For example, in many ways a semicolon is a super-comma, but that's not always the case. (This page seems to do a good job of summing up the semicolon's uses. You should pay special attention to the part at the bottom of the page.) The semicolon is precise; the dash is flexible. Develop a relationship with your punctuation marks. Understand them. Then, your own interpretation of how to best use punctuation and of when to break the rules will be able to contribute to your writing. Of course, it's essentially the same deal with grammar.