Matt Devitt
Acolyte
Is there anything that has stuck with you till this day while you write? For me, it's, "add as much detail as possible. Make the reader feel like they're in the story."
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What's the best writing advice you ever received?
- Thread starter Matt Devitt
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pmmg
Myth Weaver
I dont know that it was advice. More like a comment.
I wrote a sentence like 'It was late in the day when Eldin caught up with the two, he was sitting on their porch when they appeared on the road."
The comment was, how could he be catching up to them when he is sitting, they are instead catching up to him.
It was a moment of epiphany, that stuff that passes in everyday conversation does not pass in writing. One of those that clued me in to Clarity matters.
I am sorry, but I cannot agree with the above though. There are many way to immerse one, too much detail, and skip till its over is how I will read it.
I wrote a sentence like 'It was late in the day when Eldin caught up with the two, he was sitting on their porch when they appeared on the road."
The comment was, how could he be catching up to them when he is sitting, they are instead catching up to him.
It was a moment of epiphany, that stuff that passes in everyday conversation does not pass in writing. One of those that clued me in to Clarity matters.
I am sorry, but I cannot agree with the above though. There are many way to immerse one, too much detail, and skip till its over is how I will read it.
Miles Lacey
Archmage
Keep it simple. Only add detail if something deviates from what would be expected, it's vital to the story that we have those details or if it's the observation of a character during a quiet period.
I've received very little direct advice, and most of that was in grad school (history). Perhaps the most valuable advice was not advice at all, but was the experience of being a historian, both in grad school and after. No one told me how to write. There were no classes in "how to write history". They just gave the assignment--write a thesis--and let us see when it's done. Once it was done, I received no end of comments and corrections, but those came after the fact, not before. There was no such thing as a developmental editor for the budding historian.
When I started writing fiction, I just assumed that's the way one went about it. Write. Do you best. Correct whatever you see can be corrected, then show it to your peers for feedback. Make more revisions. Publish and accept the criticisms as well as the praise.
Once I began writing fiction I began to see ways I could improve. Many of the things I learned I could find also in the form of advice in articles and books, but rarely was it the other way round. Rarely did I read some advice and then apply it and then find it was valuable. My theory on that is this: each lesson, each bit of advice, has to come at the right time. It must not merely be good advice, it must be good advice *for me, just now*. I have to be ready to hear it. This is why the same book or article can be praised by one writer as incredibly useful, but to another is barely a waste of time.
When I started writing fiction, I just assumed that's the way one went about it. Write. Do you best. Correct whatever you see can be corrected, then show it to your peers for feedback. Make more revisions. Publish and accept the criticisms as well as the praise.
Once I began writing fiction I began to see ways I could improve. Many of the things I learned I could find also in the form of advice in articles and books, but rarely was it the other way round. Rarely did I read some advice and then apply it and then find it was valuable. My theory on that is this: each lesson, each bit of advice, has to come at the right time. It must not merely be good advice, it must be good advice *for me, just now*. I have to be ready to hear it. This is why the same book or article can be praised by one writer as incredibly useful, but to another is barely a waste of time.
Squire Richard
Dreamer
If at all possible, try and contrive a situation where you have nothing better to do than write, such as a daily commute on public transport or as a way to avoid doing something else.
More seriously though, like stated above, you need to work whether you feel like it or not, waiting for inspiration simply won't do.
More seriously though, like stated above, you need to work whether you feel like it or not, waiting for inspiration simply won't do.
Karlin
Sage
I have gotten two really great bits of advice.
1. Take a creative writing course
2. Don't bother with a creative writing course, it would be a waste of time.
1. Take a creative writing course
2. Don't bother with a creative writing course, it would be a waste of time.
Prince of Spires
Istar
Every writer is different. What works for one, may not work for another. Find what works for you and ignore the rest. Treat any advice that tells you that writers must do X as a suggestion to try it, but no more.
I'm not sure I found anyone stating it like that. But at least Sanderson goes into it in his university lectures on youtube.
I'm not sure I found anyone stating it like that. But at least Sanderson goes into it in his university lectures on youtube.
Gurkhal
Auror
That inspiration fades while discipline remains
xena
Troubadour
“Write the scene like only you can.” It remind me to stop chasing perfection and just tell the story my way. This is the best writing advice I have ever received.
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