Could you share some tips on writing? - Isabelle
Hi love! I’m so sorry I have taken so long to get to this but I kind of had a rough time recently and wanted to write a little to properly figure out my own habits.
First of all, this is based on my experiences, on what I feel comfortable with and what I have worked out for myself. This is in no way some universal thing.
Read a lot. I always feel like writing is easier once I have inspiration and have read something. Plus it helps with grammar, spelling and all that.
Write as much as possible but don’t force it. Often enough I read advice that claims that you have to write a certain amount of words each and everyday. I tried to force it for some time and felt like the outcome wasn’t half as good as it could be. Writing also lost its appeal in that time to me. It wasn’t fun anymore and felt like a chore. Now, I write whenever I feel like it, which is every other day, what I feel like and how much I can. Some days it’s 100 words while other days it’s about 3k. Both is just fine.
Do not be afraid to use a word several times. When I started writing, I often would look up synonyms for words that I used quite frequently. Because I used those words that often, I tried to find even more synonyms until my texts just started sounding strange, foreign and artificial in some ways. All in all, what I wrote didn’t sound right anymore. Believe me when I say that I‘d much rather read a fic or a novel that uses ‘said’ in every second phrase than read something that has a billion different words no one really uses.
While we’re at it, don’t stop your writing flow to look up certain words. Put whatever word is on your mind there, whether it is English, German, french, Spanish or any other language, doesn’t matter. You can change that later. But what’s important is that you get to put down what’s on your mind. Because those thoughts might be gone quicker than you think.
Actually, try not to disturb your flow at all. Try not to stop once you’re doing good. If possible, only stop writing if you really have to. Like if you need to take a bathroom break or something. Other than that, getting lost in your writing is the best way to get the work done.
Always proof read. My writing has gotten so much better since then. If possible, even give yourself a day in between finishing the writing and proof reading or have someone else do the proof reading for you. That way you may identify unclear parts, parts that you can improve and get a better look at it from the outside. Get a better understand for how things feel for the reader if you don’t know how exactly you meant something.
Write what makes you happy. Write what you want. Write what feels right for you. If you take requests and there are things that you can’t just write, then don’t. If several people want a series you write to end a certain way but it doesn’t make you happy, don’t write it that way. Primarily, you are writing for yourself. You need to be happy with the outcome.
Create a good writing environment. Try to create an environment that is calm, avoid things that might distract you from what is before you. Music, tv, whatever. It can be quite helpful but it might as well be a huge source of distraction and make the process of writing a lot harder.
Pay attention to dialogue. I think one of the mistakes a lot of people, including me, quite commonly make is writing dialogue in a way too formal manner. Dialogue doesn’t necessarily have to be 100% grammatically correct. It says a lot about a character if you write them with a dialect, with habits and quirks. It makes the character seem multidimensional. More lively. More real.
Phrase length determines the atmosphere of your text. Short sentences make the situation your characters find themselves in seem more tense. Longer ones give a feeling of safety. Sometimes, it doesn’t even matter if the phrases you use are complete.
Don’t be afraid of making paragraphs. I set one whenever the “view” changes. Whenever the “camera moves” for lack of a better explanation, I make a new paragraph. It’ll give the reader an easier reading flow and make your text seem more accessible. Plus you’ll have an easier time finding where you left off as a reader if you get distracted for a second.
Develop your own routine. I think one of the most important things in any of these creative processes is to determine a way which feels productive and right to you. Recently, I‘ve read Stephen King‘s book on writing and yes, there‘s quite few things in there that I can agree with and a lot of tips that have helped me a lot. But there‘s also things that I can’t agree on and that I purposefully don’t use. Because they don’t feel right for me. You shouldn’t listen to anyone who tells you that there‘s a right or wrong way to write. Everyone develops their own thing over time and your style will change again and again. Don’t let anyone fool you into working the way they want you to.
I think that‘s all I have for now. If I find more, I‘ll happily add on. Maybe you even have a few things that you want to share? I hope this will help you in some way. Once more, this is in no way a guide on how to do anything right, but more things that I pay attention to and kind of my own routine. Have fun writing!
