Blazing Readers & Wordy Writers discussion

Here you can share any tips you have for writing, or ask for them! Here is an example:

Q. "How long should an average sentence be?"

A. "About 20-30 words, but be sure to throw in some shorter ones! If your style is shorter, 15 is good too.

What do you guys do to get over writer's block?

Coralie wrote: "What do you guys do to get over writer's block?"

Well, for me, I go find inspiration to get my writings back and going. The inspirations I use are Marvel movies, Ghost Towns with abandoned buildings, Mountains with forests and stuff, and a few others.

Here's a tip if you really want to immerse your character in the setting:

Think of 5 things you could see. (Chairs, bed, fridge, etc.)
Think of 4 things you could touch. (Rough-looking wall, soft carpet, etc.)
Think of 3 things you could hear. (Wind chimes, chair scraping on floor, etc.)
Think of 2 things you could smell. (Perfume, rain, etc.)
Think of 1 thing you could taste. (Flavored chapstick, salt in the air, etc.)

You do not have to name all of these things in your story, it's just a way to put yourself in the situation to help you describe it.
You also do not have to have your character sensing it right then. That would be a lot to take in! Just something they could sense in that way.

How can I do the senses when doing a mystery/suspense/secrets stories?

Read a lot, especially books in the genre you're trying to write. This way:
1. You'll pick up good grammar.
2. You'll figure out what's been done a lot before in literature.

I'll see what I can do.

Mystery writing takes a certain patience. The story has to move at a certain pace, and you have to have clues left subtly through out the writing. Sometimes you can start writing it and fake it and have it turn out amazing. (I fake it. I wouldn't call it amazing.) There are books for how to structure a mystery, and they are full of good information. but some of the fun comes from breaking those rules and making it something exciting.

I read mystery books and now I'm recalling both old and recent dreams I've had and writing them down in my notebook.

When I don't have anything to write about, I look through my collection of old National Geographic's and find an interesting picture to write from. When I'm through I rip that picture out, and put it on my wall. It kind of reminds me that even if I'm stuck on something, I can still write about something, even if the writing isn't all that good. I also now have a very big collage of pictures on my wall.

Let's see what I can write using more of the tips.

I know it wasn't really asked yet but I thought I'd share a tip for learning more about your characters.

Okay this is a bit weird but I found that putting myself into the midset of my characters and then taking cheesy online quizzes (what is you spirit animal? What color are You? etc.) can be really helpful in creating a full rounded character. Especially if you are going to be writing from that characters point of view. I found these are often very thought provoking if you take them seriously as you will find your self discovering what decisions your character would make and asking yourself what would your character pick.

I know it is a bit odd, but I've found it extremely helpful (All the main characters of my longer stories/potential novels even have their own pottermore accounts(no am not joking I have taken the patronous quiz approximately 40 times)) You could even take quized more than once as time passes and you develop your characters more.

SO that is my longer than I thought it'd be writers tip, feel free to use or completely disregard, in fact I'm not even sure this could work for other people, it could just be me. Let me know will you.

I think that's a great idea, Tessa!

Poetry writers: I use this website for poetry inspiration.

Wow, Catherine, this site is pretty useful, thanks!

I'm glad I could be helpful! ^.^

One common writing mistake is using the word "said" every time your character says something. This gets really boring, and there are hundreds of other choices! Here are some to get you started, in alphabetical order because I'm a nerd (and I found a website that alphabetizes):

Anger
Accused, exploded, grumbled, huffed, retorted, spat
Fear
Babbled, croaked, pleaded, whined, squeaked
Disgust
Grimaced, grunted, refused, snorted
Happiness
Approved, bubbled, chatted, crowed, exulted, gushed, prattled
Sadness
Apologized, bawled, cried, sniffled, wailed
Surprise
Bleated, blurted, exclaimed, gasped, marveled
Questions/Curiosity
Asked, challenged, queried, questioned, wondered
Uncertainty
Cautioned, guessed, hesitated, sputtered
Some Others
Acknowledged, added, advised, answered, boasted, called, clarified, conceded, confirmed, decided, described, drawled, expressed, informed, insisted, mused, noted, recalled, remembered, revealed, speculated, testified, vowed

Some other words that you may want to avoid, in the light of being descriptive:

Pretty, ugly, small, big, go/went, awesome, cool, good, bad, a lot

Here are some reasons to write in each person:

1st Person: Connection (relating with the person), believability (convincing the reader it could actually happen), and character development (you get to know the character more).

2nd Person: Experiencing the story like it's your own, getting personal, and stretching your skills.

3rd Person: Flexibility (Saying what any character is thinking), enlarging a story (writing in different points of view is easier), and objectivity (saying things with being biased).

Catherine wrote: "One common writing mistake is using the word "said" every time your character says something. This gets really boring, and there are hundreds of other choices! Here are some to get you started, i..."

These are excellent!!! Thanks for sharing!

DON'T throw away or delete your old writings! You'll REGRET it later.

Coralie wrote: "Catherine wrote: "One common writing mistake is using the word "said" every time your character says something. This gets really boring, and there are hundreds of other choices! Here are some to ge..."

You're welcome!

This website is so so so helpful!! You can create and save your universes with prompts and everything to help you set it up, and then add your characters, locations, and items inside your universe easily, including photos. I can't recommend it enough: https://www.notebook.ai

the Artful Dodger wrote: "Catherine wrote: "This website is so so so helpful!! You can create and save your universes with prompts and everything to help you set it up, and then add your characters, locations, and items ins..."

I actually saw it on Pinterest too. XD

This is something I'm working on: Showing instead of telling. That means to never use feeling words or words like "felt," but instead, show the feeling.

Ex: "Dizziness hit all of a sudden." Versus "The floor swayed under her feet."

Catherine wrote: "This is something I'm working on: Showing instead of telling. That means to never use feeling words or words like "felt," but instead, show the feeling.

Ex: "Dizziness hit all of a sudden." Versu..."

Right, this is soooo difficult sometimes! It's hard to tell the difference sometimes too. At least for me.

Hey everyone! Do you guys know any software tools/websites for writing books? Or for storing your writing? I've been using microsoft word since the beginning of time - not complaining - but I wanted to look for something else :)

I've been a Microsoft Word user all my life. I like the program a lot. A couple of years ago, I was introduced to Scrivener, and I am absolutely in love with it!!!

I use Notebook.ai and Google Docs. I like Google Docs a lot, particularly because it saves what you write as you go and is AMAZING for using with others. You can send others the link to a document, people can comment on bits of it suggestions, and you can choose whether certain people can edit, comment, view, or all of the above. Notebook.ai is a brilliant way to organize your characters, locations, items, and universes and it asks you questions (like "what are Sonia Lynn's motivations?") to help you to fully develop things. It has a monthly subscription thing for extra categories and such, but it's really not necessary for a great experience.

Ooh, I might have to check that out! I like Google Docs for sharing and editing works with others. I agree!

Catherine wrote: "This website is so so so helpful!! You can create and save your universes with prompts and everything to help you set it up, and then add your characters, locations, and items inside your universe ..."

This is a great idea.

These are the four most useful articles on showing/telling I've ever read.

Kill the Big, Fat, Ugly Modifier!
How Writers Can Be Storyshowers Instead of Storytellers
Show, Don't Tell: What to Show and What to Tell
Three Places Where You Should Tell Instead of Show

Catherine ~Whatever you are, be a good one~ said: "One common writing mistake is using the word "said" every time your character says something. This gets really boring, and there are hundreds of other choices . . . "


I agree with what you said, but in the book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers it says not to write someone commiting an action when the dialogue has already suggested he/she did so. Examples are:


"Everyone calm down!" Tyrone shouted.

" . . . the simple fact is, I have reason to believe that you are the murdurer," the detective accused "and I'm taking you into custody."

My goodness! What a day.she thought to herself.


Changing it up a bit will show your talent and creativity:


"Everyone calm down!" Tyrone's chair scraped across the floor.


" . . . the simple fact is, I have reason to believe that you are the murdurer," the detective gave Bart an all-knowing grin "and I'm taking you into custody."

My goodness! What a day.


Sometimes you don't have to write "she thought" or "he though". The reader is smart enough to pick it up on their own.



Catherine:
I didn't mean this as a way to say you're wrong and I'm right. You are definately right about changing it up a bit and being more original. All I intended to do was add to your advice. :D


A. J. Deschene
I'm on my phone, so I can't input my real signature into this comment.

Right! Mixing action with dialogue is another important tip because it not only varies the story, it also helps give readers a picture of what's going on.