5 Tiny Writing Tips That Arenât Talked About Enough (but work for me)
These are some lowkey underrated tips Iâve seen floating around writing communities â the kind that donât get flashy attention but seriously changed how I write.
1. Put âhe/she/theyâ at the start of the sentence less often.
Try switching up your sentence rhythm. Instead of
âShe walked to the window,â
try
âThe window creaked open under her touch.â
Keeps it fresh and stops the paragraph from sounding like a checklist.
2. Donât describe everything â describe what matters.
Instead of listing every detail in a room, pick 2â3 objects that say something.
âA half-drunk mug of tea and a knife on the tableâ
sets a way stronger tone than
âThere was a wooden table, two chairs, and a shelf.â
3. Use beats instead of dialogue tags sometimes.
Instead of:
"I'm fine," she said.
Try:
"I'm fine." She wiped her hands on her skirt.
It helps shows emotion, and movement.
4. Write your first draft like no one will ever read it.
No pressure. No perfection. Just vibes. The point of draft one is to exist. Let it be messy and weird â future you will thank you for at least something to edit.
5. When stuck, ask: âWhatâs the most fun thing that could happen next?â
Not logical. Not realistic. FUN. It doesnât have to stay â but chasing excitement can blast through writerâs block and give you ideas you actually want to write.
Whatâs a tip that unexpectedly helped with your writing? Let me know!! đ
Crisp autumn air and bright yellow leaves fill the lungs and guide the way, pointing the eye toward sunset-colored mountains, barest hint of snow in the very top lines.Â
Cartoon pumpkins and ghosts slowly sinking to the ground, deflating, fluttering, all smiles to the end.
A leaf blower here and there, somehow perfect with the cranked car radio.Â
âIâll admit, sometimes the suburbs can be kind of appealing,â she mused aloud, rolling down the window. Idle days like these, just running errands, always held the potential to be her favorite. Something about reconnecting with the smaller joys of life.
So... I found this and now it keeps coming to mind. You hear about "life-changing writing advice" all the time and usually its really notâbut honestly this is it man.
I love the lawyer metaphor, because whenever I see âJohn knew that...â in prose writing I immediately think âhow? How does he know it?â Interrogate your witnesses. Cross-examine them. Make them explain their reasoning. It pays dividends.
Other Words for "Look" + With meanings | List for writers
Many people create lists of synonyms for the word 'said,' but what about the word 'look'? Here are some synonyms that I enjoy using in my writing, along with their meanings for your reference. While all these words relate to 'look,' they each carry distinct meanings and nuances, so I thought it would be helpful to provide meanings for each one.
Gaze - To look steadily and intently, especially in admiration or thought.
Glance - A brief or hurried look.
Peek - A quick and typically secretive look.
Peer - To look with difficulty or concentration.
Scan - To look over quickly but thoroughly.
Observe - To watch carefully and attentively.
Inspect - To look at closely in order to assess condition or quality.
Stare - To look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something.
Glimpse - To see or perceive briefly or partially.
Eye - To look or stare at intently.
Peruse - To read or examine something with great care.
Scrutinize - To examine or inspect closely and thoroughly.
Behold - To see or observe a thing or person, especially a remarkable one.
Witness - To see something happen, typically a significant event.
Spot - To see, notice, or recognize someone or something.
Contemplate - To look thoughtfully for a long time at.
Sight - To suddenly or unexpectedly see something or someone.
Ogle - To stare at in a lecherous manner.
Leer - To look or gaze in an unpleasant, malicious way.
Gawk - To stare openly and stupidly.
Gape - To stare with one's mouth open wide, in amazement.
Squint - To look with eyes partially closed.
Regard - To consider or think of in a specified way.
Admire - To regard with pleasure, wonder, and approval.
Skim - To look through quickly to gain superficial knowledge.
Reconnoiter - To make a military observation of a region.
Flick - To look or move the eyes quickly.
Rake - To look through something rapidly and unsystematically.
Glare - To look angrily or fiercely.
Peep - To look quickly and secretly through an opening.
Focus - To concentrate one's visual effort on.
Discover - To find or realize something not clear before.
Spot-check - To examine something briefly or at random.
Devour - To look over with eager enthusiasm.
Examine - To inspect in detail to determine condition.
Feast one's eyes - To look at something with great enjoyment.
Catch sight of - To suddenly or unexpectedly see.
Clap eyes on - To suddenly see someone or something.
Set eyes on - To look at, especially for the first time.
Take a dekko - Colloquial for taking a look.
Leer at - To look or gaze in a suggestive manner.
Rubberneck - To stare at something in a foolish way.
Make out - To manage to see or read with difficulty.
Lay eyes on - To see or look at.
Pore over - To look at or read something intently.
Ogle at - To look at in a lecherous or predatory way.
Pry - To look or inquire into something in a determined manner.
Dart - To look quickly or furtively.
Drink in - To look at with great enjoyment or fascination.
Bask in - To look at or enjoy something for a period of time.
Calling all aspiring storytellers with hearts full of whimsy! Get ready to sprinkle a touch of enchantment into your scenes with my Scene Wo
683 members, 435 posts about #creative writing #creative writers #helping writers âą Guiding Writers to New Heights
Ask yourself:Â Do I actually feel something here?
If a scene is technically âwell-writtenâ but emotionally flat, itâs dead weight. Your readers wonât remember your clever metaphors, but theyâll remember the way a quiet line of dialogue made their stomach drop. So yeahâgive a sh*t about that.
âł Character Motivation That Actually Makes Sense
If your characters are making decisions just because the plot needs them to⊠weâve got a problem. In edits, zoom in on their choices. Are they acting like real, flawed, complex humans? Or puppets? Edit until their actions make you nod and go, âYep. Thatâs exactly what that little disaster would do.â
âł Cutting the âAlmost Goodâ Stuff
This hurts, but itâs necessary. Some lines are nice. Pretty. Kind of smart. But if theyâre not serving the story, theyâve got to go. Save them in a âkill darlingsâ file. Grieve if needed. But donât let âkinda goodâ block the greatness trying to come through.
âł Scene Purpose
Every scene needs to earn its place like itâs paying rent.
Does it move the plot? Deepen character? Build tension? Ideally, two out of three. If the answer is âitâs vibes,â that might work for a paragraphâbut not for 3,000 words. Cut. Condense. Clarify. Your future reader will thank you.
âł Pacing That Doesnât Bore People to Death
Look, I love a moody slow burn too. But if your story crawls for 50 pages without conflict, tension, or curiosityâyour reader will ghost you. Read your scenes out loud. If youâre zoning out? So will they. Tighten that sh*t up.
âł Dialogue That Sounds Like Real People (and Not AI)
If your characters sound like they're reading from a very polite script, itâs time to rewrite. Interruptions, unfinished thoughts, weird little phrasesâthose are gold. Make it messy. Make it sound like how people actually talk when theyâre nervous, angry, or halfway in love and lying about it.
âł Themes You Accidentally Nailed (and Can Now Strengthen)
Themes tend to sneak in while youâre drafting. During edits? Time to spotlight them. Donât slap it on with a neon signâbut do lean into the emotional throughline you already created. Itâs probably smarter and more beautiful than you gave yourself credit for.
âł Your Voice
Donât edit your weird out. Editing is for clarity, not sanding down your style until it sounds like generic internet writing. Keep the voicey bits. The odd metaphors. The lines that sound exactly like you. Thatâs what readers fall in love withânot perfection.
âł Trusting That Youâll Need Multiple Rounds
This isnât one-and-done. Your second draft will suck differently than your first. Your third might suck less, but still suck. Thatâs fine. Itâs part of the process. What matters is that each time, it gets sharper, truer, and more you.
âł Not Quitting Halfway Through Just Because Itâs Hard
Editing is hard. But youâve already done the impossible: you wrote a damn book. Thatâs massive. Now youâre just sculpting it. Donât give up because itâs messy. Donât panic because itâs not âthereâ yet. Keep showing up. Even if itâs just one scene at a time. Even if youâre crying into your tea. Especially then.
I once considered myself a writer. Dreamed in prose. But itâs a muscle that Iâve ignored for long enough that itâs intimidating again. It feels dramatic now, too emo, too teenage. After all, who am I, anyway -? That I should write anything worth reading?Â
But itâs a muscle that Iâve missed, too. And maybe nothing has to be âworthâ anything, if itâs still drawing me in.Â
I feel the power in stories and I want it for myself. Lately, I bounce between othersâ stories, marvel at othersâ creativity and imagination â and convince myself that thereâs none left for me. But that canât possibly be right, to marvel at the creativity present in so many people while believing that I inherently have none.
People write songs and poems, essays and stories, musings and declarations. Itâs what people do â it doesnât have to be âworthâ anything to make it worth exploring for myself. Pieces of being human.
There I go again, overly dramatic. Whatâs wrong with a simple descriptive scene, huh? Maybe Iâll pick up those old writing workbooks one day, think long and hard to describe a tomato or paint a picture through my dogâs eyes. Then I could properly call it a muscle that Iâm paying attention to, flexing, practicing, even building. Rambling might have its merits, but I think Iâll explore beyond it, too.
Iâve joined an adult beginner kickball league and itâs exactly what it sounds like. It feels remarkably like being picked last in middle school gym, except weâve all paid for it. I catch my shoulders tensing and my inner monologue willing the ball to fly to someone else â please, anyone else â before I have to forcibly remember why Iâm there. Itâs just for fun. Itâs a deliberate choice for fun and to force myself away from a screen and to get some fresh air and to socialize with new people.Â
And these people have been nothing but nice, this team at least â theyâre all grins and dancey jitters. They cheer for everyone at their turn to kick and offer a drink every week, no matter that I turn them down.Â
They leave for dinner and drinks after most games, and usually extend the invitation. Genuine or just out of courtesy, I canât always tell.Â
âNext time,â I say, âbut thanks.â I hope they know I really mean it.Â
The park lights blaze brighter each week as the dark deepens and as team tank tops turn to a mismatch of hoodies and beanies. But this team still cheers and dances to keep warm on the sidelines, determined to get a few more weeks of silliness out of the league. I admire it. I aim to emulate it.Â
In my head, in my mindâs eye, I can do it â I can be bubbly, confident, athletic. It looks so easy there, but it gets mixed up on the way from vision to reality. I hope they know that it looked better, sounded better, in my mindâs eye. In my intention. I know what I meant to do, but I got in my own way.Â
Is this honest or just self-deprecating?Â
Anyway, the adult beginner kickball league represents something for me. It says âthis is me, trying something new, proving to myself that I can at least try.â Over and over.Â
In that sense, it might be worth knocking the mud off my tennis shoes and driving somewhere new in the dark.
Itâs certainly the easier course of action. To just let it creep. Sneak by. Dull the eyes.Â
And arenât we built to find the path of least resistance?Â
Fiction tells me weâre built for hope, for fight, for always pressing on. But now we scroll and swipe and browse through endless bad news. Desensitized, horrified, stuck between the two. What are we built for in the face of that?Â
I doubt anyone properly knows, but certainly not the too-white grins we scroll past or the inane small talk we swipe through. The apathy starts to feel only natural. Grin and bear it. Find a distraction. Distract, distract, distract. Numb. Accept the path of least resistance.Â
There must be something out there that steers us back toward the spark in the heroâs eyes. Is it anger that fuels the fire? Or the compassion that otherwise lends itself to weeping?Â
Let me know when you find the silver bullet and Iâll happily partake. Or at least wake up a little.
summerâs the softening sunlight filtering through the fence and the trees and the rainbow mist to fall on the single bush, the single cluster of leaves and flowers, the entire scene filtering through porch rungs and blurred eyes
that pressurized ache behind your eyes even as the laugh bubbles up and the air fills with âwillâs and âwant toâsÂ
theyâre whipped out of the window just as quickly, floating up to join the gold of the sky
city lights flash by as nostalgia thatâs not my own reigns - we let go - maybe we can join the gold, too
chocolate and popcorn, the memoryâs in your blood now
unopened messages, and opened ones too, rush through your mind all night, but not when youâre golden with the sky
thinking about how ursula k leguin said "what goes too long unchanged destroys itself. The forest is forever because it dies and dies and so lives" and how everyday i wake up slightly different and i can feel myself shed the skin of who i used to be slowly, slowly, until i look back and can scarcely recognise who i was... but also she is still a part of me, part of the leaf litter and the humus, supporting me as i send new roots down and new leaves stretching up to the sunlight
The thrill of a new fandom â or hyperfixation, or whatever you want to call it â is hard to beat. I just wish I could beat the guilt out of it.Â
Thereâs always that mocking jiminy cricket voice, âthis isnât productive,â âthis is a waste of time,â âyou only love this because youâre too lazy to put this kind of effort elsewhere.âÂ
I feel crazy every time I start explaining where the obsession comes from.Â
âI want to write like this.âÂ
âIn another life, I wanted to be those (voice actors, writers, artists, producers, stage hands).â
âThe art and the passion that goes into the (show, game, book) is so palpable.âÂ
And therapy asks whether my 80-year-old self would be happy to say I spent so much time on a video game. Or if marathoning movies is what 8-year-old me imagined. The inherent judgment in those questions raises my hackles. Digs my heels in.Â
Part of me points to that passion for the art form, insists itâs not a -bad- -thing- to admire media.
Part of me recognizes the headache that comes from a day obsessed with the (show, game, book) and acknowledges the easy sleep that comes from a day outside, instead.Â
I! Know!
I want to scream.Â
But, god, the dopamine of an obsession. Itâs a hard hit to beat.Â
discoholicmusic
jacobvanloon
dededos
