Is there anything pertaining to writing that you want to get better/improve on? This is something that you’ve noticed but others have noticed too upon reading your work.
What are those things?
My Turn:
I don’t show enough, I tell a lot.
I contradict myself.
I add redundant sentences
The context is always weird.
I don’t utilize descriptions that involve the five senses or at least three.
My characters are never coherent.
Tenses are wonky too.
What about you? Your list of things doesn’t have to be as long as my own.
Thoughts and feelings?
i need to add more detail as i narrow in too much, during fight scenes im great but normal scenes i forget to add the set dressing. i need to work on dialog more too not just rated r things
And this appears IRL when I speak, too. I’m aware of it, and yet, I can’t help myself XD
In my head I’m like, “but that first time I told you, I didn’t explain well, so I’m going to tell you again in different words to really, really make sure you get it”.
In writing, however, I’m not always aware when I do it, so I pay attention to it when editing because I know I overexplain
Okay, so, one thing I struggle with is making sure all my characters sound different from each other when they are in the same scene, talking, and are all similar ages, and the same gender.
Exactly! I say stood up and sat down too! It’s so hard to weed out that stuff too since I talk like that in real life, so I often don’t notice things like that in a manuscript. (♯^.^ღ)
It’s basically implied meaning behind words. Instead of directly stating something, they would imply it through passive aggression or context clues that could be missread. For example, instead of a character saying “My mom died and I am grieving,” they could say, “My mom used to love butterflies. Now I can’t see one without thinking of her.” It’s implied that she died and the character speaking misses her, but that doesn’t have to be stated directly in dialogue. People don’t usually say exactly what they mean, so it makes it more realistic to find ways for characters to express themselves indirectly. It also allows for more intrigue, because it forced the reader to think about the meaning behind the words and draw their own conclusions, like a fun puzzle for the brain. It can also add to a story’s conflict by providing opportunities for realistic and plausible misunderstandings between characters that can drive the plot forward.
Granted, I’m terrible at outlining, but I’ve never understood this mindset. Once you know what’s going to happen in your book, that should make you even more excited to write it. Like, you should be thinking, Omg this is going to be amazing! I can’t wait to write that scene where the two characters confront each other about what happened back in highschool when that Maga school shooter blasted the lunchroom and Roberto pushed Julio into his path in order to save himself. Julio could’ve been killed!
Why would knowing ahead of time that a scene like that was going to happen ever bore you?
I know that it’s meant to be exciting but my brain goes like oh this is gonna happen, this has to happen… this feels like a chore to write now instead of omg this is going to be amazing! I can’t wait to write that scene where the two characters confront each other about what happened back in highschool when that Maga school shooter blasted the lunchroom and Roberto pushed Julio into his path in order to save himself. Julio could’ve been killed!
That does genuinely sound exciting and interesting but my brain just defaults to seeing outlining as a chore and a set of points to meet. A list, as such. I guess my brain likes the unknown and curiosity and exploring things. It needs to not be like that as much when it comes to novels .
I do make very vague points and have a concept in mind, though, but I barely do much outlining. I mean, I research but I explore a lot. I know the characters much better than the plot. I let the characters dictate the plot, if that makes sense? Based on how they are.
the way or methods you have been using to outline aren’t for you
outlining might be a way for you to see which ideas actually excite you beyond just the novelty of them
maybe try outlining after. so instead of outlining before and then writing. you free write the idea and then outline to organize it and then rewrite based on the streamlined outline.
)
I do want to be better at:
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