English.

The Basics.
 

Rule 1: Show don't tell.

An example of telling would be "the man was angry".

The same statement may be changed to "the man clenched his fists and hissed beneath his breath." in order to show the reader that the man is angry.

The idea is to show the reader what is happening and allow them to paint a picture for themselves.
 

Rule 2: All adverbs must die.

Give the power to the verb in the statement rather than the adverb. For example:

"I ran quickly" is much more poweful when changed to "I sprinted."

"I shouted loudly" is more powerful when changed to "I screamed."

Place the power of the action in the verb.
 

Charactarisation.

Creating authentic characters with a unique 'voice' can greatly improve your writing. Think about what your characters liks, dislikes, motivations and flaws are.

What makes these complex and rich characters

What makes them get out of bed every morning?

What stops them from achieving their ultimate goals in life?

How would they react in various situations?
 

Tip: Often a great way to reveal more about a character through 'showing' can be describing where they live or some unusual objects they own. Setting is a powerful tool in creative writing.
 

Tense, Setting, Perspective.

You need to have a clear understanding of when and where your story takes place. This does not mean you need to list and explain factually when and where it takes place-unless you are writing historical fiction.
But, you need to give your writing a real sense of place...is it evening? Midday? Show us what the weather is like.
You also need to establish whether you are writing in past or present tense and whether you are writing in first, second or third person.

If at times in your story you are changing character perspective, jumping from past to present tense or vice versa, or changing setting this change needs to be clear.

- Similes, metaphors (extended metaphor), symbolism, humors.
- Olfactory imagery (smell).
- A text within a text (text type).
- Dialogue.

Come up with ten things that people you know do when sad, nervous or angry. Think beyond the obvious. Come up with phrases to show us that John is sad, Eleana is nervous, Chang is angry.

The girl who lost her book...

It all started on sunny day at the park. There was an old lady in sight, feeding pigeons with pieces of bread she had found from the trash. And a girl, reading a picture book. She was intensly mesmerised by the book that she didn't notice the man seated next to her say, "Oi." Instead she just continued to read and read. As night fell, she started to get cold and shivered with goosebumps forming from the rushing wind pushing up against her white, smooth skin. She got up from her comfortable spot and decided to walk home with the book still up her nose. Although she may be smart... she isn't. She is a total klutz. Sometimes her parents wonder why she ever came to be on this earth? As she was walking towards her condo, a man came up to take her book away, running towards the nearest exit he could find so that she wouldn't be able to catch him. She watched him in pure horror, feeling tears brimming up her eyes. As she tried to take a step to get her precious book back, she was knock out by a clay mug.