Just WRITE.
I have received some great advice about writing over the years. And despite my failing and selective memory, there are a few token pieces that I actually remember and try to live by. These also come up quite often when I am editing, among new writers trying to find their voice. I think if you follow them, you will find the work of developing your own writing process and style to be much easier.
#1 (perhaps one of the most oft-repeated bits of writing advice): SHOW; don’t TELL. It took me a while to figure out what this one meant. I couldn’t imagine how to show something happening through writing, as opposed to telling about it...and then I read a book that made the mistake, and suddenly - BAM - I got it. Here’s an example. If a character has undergone a traumatic experience or is tormented internally in some manner, it is much more effective to show the outcome than to explain how she got there. i.e. don’t go over every thought that could potentially run through her head. Just say, “She ran under the tree and braced herself on the trunk. Looking skyward through the branches, she felt a weight like a rock sliding down to the pit of her stomach. There it rested, making her palms sweat. Suddenly all the pain welled up and spilled out, wetting her face, mixing with the rain.” Describe what is happening. Use all the senses of sight, smell, sound. Leave the thinking and reasoning to the reader.
#2. Choose the right word. Once you have a completed story or manuscript, you may notice that you have chosen words that stick out like beacons within your usual flowing prose. These words were likely used because you love the sound of them or you heard them used elsewhere and thought they would be impressive. That doesn’t mean they fit. If you really want to use the word “mellifluous” and your character would never speak that way, you had better save it for a special occasion in the text where it might fit more naturally. You want your text and dialogue to sound as if they come from the same era and genre; this can sometimes be a challenge if you are ‘trying out’ new words.
You will also notice repetition of words and phrases. Charles Martin would be a rich man if he were given a nickel for every placement of the word “given” in his book The Mountain Between Us. In that case the sentence should have occasionally been recast to reduce the distraction of the frequently appearing word.
#3. Now that I’ve got you all worried about the finished product, I want you to forget all about it and just WRITE. You should never attempt to edit yourself while you are in the process of writing. Just get all your thoughts down on paper. Don’t even try to put them in the right order; your editor will help you to shape the work into the product (book, article, speech, blog post, etc.) it was meant to be.
Need some help starting and shaping your writing project? Contact Diana Fisher at Farmwife Writing & Editing Services. 613-223-2181 / [email protected]