So, I have this problem I'm not sure how to fix, but I often feel like my writing comes off as shallow and/or repetitive. Idk if I'm explaining this in a way that you can understand, but the writings I admire the most are the ones where you have beautiful quotes and you can feel things and you want to highlight those quotes, and I want my writing to be like that, but I often feel like it turns out "feelingless", like it's just a bunch of random description and you can't really tell how the +
how the character feels or it's all really flat and not quote worthy, if you get what I mean? So, if you could help me maybe write something more meaningful, I guess, I would be so glad! Thanks for all the work you do, it helps a lot!
Writing More Meaningful Prose
Some writing problems can be solved by implementing a single step or short-term method. Others require implementing various things over the long-term, and this is one of them. In other words, this isn't something you can improve overnight or over a short period of time. However, if you implement some of the following advice, you can improve it over time. This is how it is for all writers. :)
1) Read. Read, Read, Read... Read
It sounds like you probably do read, and that's good. Keep doing that. Keep highlighting beautiful quotes. Keep paying attention to the things that move you when you're reading. If something strikes you as being the kind of prose you want to achieve, highlight that, too. Analyze it. See if you can figure out what strikes you so much about it compared to your own writing.
2) Plot and Purpose Matter
If you feel like your writing is flat, nine out of ten times it's because you don't even know what you're writing about. You may have a basic story idea, but you don't have a solid plot. You don't have fleshed out characters. You don't know their motivation, goal, internal conflict, or their character arc. You don't know the obstacles they'll have to overcome, and how, or who put them there. You don't know the themes and motifs you want to explore, and you don't know what your readers want to take away from your story. Without all of those things, you can't have the kind of meaningful, vivid prose you're looking for, because that kind of prose stems from conflict, emotion, exploration of theme, etc. You need to know where your story is going before you can give your writing meaning.
3) About Theme and Motifs...
One of the things that makes those quotes you love so beautiful and meaningful is that they speak to what the story is about. They're not just random quotes about how pretty the sky looks or how much one character loves another. For example, the themes in Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone tie into the numerous real-world systems of oppression being dismantled by today's younger generations. For example, here is a quote that I found to be particularly powerful and beautiful:
“They don't hate you, my child. They hate what you were meant to become.”
― Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Blood and Bone
The quote speaks to the themes of prejudice, inequality, sense of duty that feature so heavily in the book, and that relationship to theme is what gives this quote its beauty and power.
4) Remember the Sensory Details
Something that is often missing in flat writing is sensory detail. Here's another quote:
“They wear their secrets like glittering diamonds, embroidery woven through their lavish buba tops and wrapped iro skirts. Their lies and lily-scented perfumes taint the honeyed aroma of sweet cakes I am no longer allowed to eat.”
― Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Blood and Bone
This quote hits on so many sensory details:
Something we can "see" (Sight): "glittering diamonds," "buba tops," "iro skirts."
Something we can "touch" (Texture): embroidery, woven, wrapped
Something we can "smell" (Scent): lily-scented perfumes, honeyed aroma
Something we can "taste" (Flavor): sweet cakes
Something we can "hear" (Sound): there aren't really any sounds in this quote, but I think "their lies" does lend a bit of "sound" to the quote because you can almost imagine lies being spoken.
The hardest of all of these for most newer writers to hear is that the kind of writing you want to achieve takes time and practice. You can implement the tips above and it will help, but they won't make your writing instantly stellar. As you implement these tips, however, learn what works for you and what doesn't, and start to hone your own personal style, you'll find that your writing begins to improve over time. You start to eventually see the kind of writing you admire so much in other books.
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