- improve your writing habits now
- write every day
- set Manageable writing goals
- don’t stress about writing
- when you’re writing, write without your inner critic
- get feedback on your writing
- 5 ways to add sparkle to your writing
- your characters are fraternal twins. they might not look like each other, but they often mimic one another’s movements and reactions. building unique characters extends to giving them unique ways of responding to the world. (→ raccoglierne un po').
- _your sentences play the same beat._fIf you read like a reader, you’ll see how important pacing is. varying the length of your sentences gives the writing its own rhythm. it keeps the reader alert and allows you to shine a spotlight onto the right sentence.
- you let a cliché escape. you jotted down a stale, overused term or description, but it was never meant to stay that way.
- you tell instead of showing. unless you’re on the lookout, a leisurely paragraph can easily turn into a section that loses your reader. and the book snaps shut, never to be opened again. we’re accustomed to telling instead of showing in conversation, since showing requires more thought and ingenuity. that’s why it’s such an easy mistake to make – one that even Chekhov felt he had to illustrate: “don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
- you never abandoned the manuscript. you’ve written your umpteenth draft, and you’re as happy as a writer can possibly be. now it’s time to lock the manuscript in a drawer and forget about it. as Zadie Smith recommends, spend at least three months away from its clutches. you will then be able to return with a fresh perspective, as a reader instead of a writer.
- Why the Right Word Choices Result in Better Writing
- Repetition: when the same words and phrases are repeated in a short space, they act like clichés. Every girl is pretty, every stride is long, everybody taps their keyboards. The fix: look for words that can be replaced with synonyms and avoid using the same descriptive words over and over again.
- Connotation: with all the synonyms available, choosing the right one can be a challenge. Each word has a meaning but most words also have connotations, which skew the meaning in a particular direction. If your character is going home, there is a much different implication than if the character is going to her house. The fix: when choosing synonyms, consider the underlying meaning and emotional flavor of each possibility.
- Precision: the best word choices are specific. One word will be vague and non-descript while another will be vivid and descriptive. The fix: whenever possible, choose the most precise word available.
- Simplicity: readers don’t want to have to run to the dictionary to get through a page of your writing and they don’t appreciate the haughtiness that erudite writing evokes. The fix: check your text for rare and long words, and if you can replace them with more common or shorter words, do it.
- Musicality: sometimes, word choice comes down to musicality. How does one word sound in your sentence as opposed to another? The fix: read sentences and paragraphs aloud to see how different words sound.
- Vivid Description
- Vivid description is undesirable in some cases. Too much of a good thing is usually a bad thing (once again!).
- If you want to use vivid description, then you want to play with all the senses. Don’t just say the wind is fast. Compare it with something that the readers are familiar with.
- Use active voice!
- Advice for Writing Specific Characters x
- Write! x
dec 18 2013 ∞
mar 19 2018 +