How To Improve Your Writing
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ATTENTION: I want to clear a thing before the beginning: me no published writer, me far from that. Me thank for reader considerationum Ive written from experience (quite little).Dont laugh.
Introduction
Hello, reader. Im willing to bet you came all the way here to find out a few interesting and helpful tips. Also, if youre reading this, there is certainly something wrong with you.
Your head hurts, your mind crawls through the deepest, darkest corners of the Imagination, trying to get the right set of ideas. Youre surrounded by illusions, going nowhere. Realizing that it has been 4 hours since you struggle with a mere thought, you decide to leave it be. The next day, you come back, and plunge once again into the abyss of your mind, hoping…
And then, suddenly, it comes to you. The light, the invaluable light, unseen, hidden … and you found it! Isnt it lovely? Oh, of course…it is, in fact, your idea, it represents you in a way, and IT wants you to write it down.
So, you sit on a table, in a chair, then lay down on the bed…then crawling on the carpet, afterwards climbing the walls, having one tiny little problem: you cant write anything!
OK, if youre a perfectionist like me, always in search of the best word, you know what Im talking about. Youve felt it too, havent you? Do not despair, my friend, for this little tutorial will surely help you.
If youre a beginner, and dont know where to start writing good stuff, I bet this will help. It also contains some tips for a creation in progress…maybe you just stalled, who knows.
Remember, the tutorial is focused on fantasy when giving examples, but it tries to help everyone, especially if they dont need examples from their own genre.
General considerations
This tutorial is intended to help you write well, really well. You have to remember that it will not help you if in need of any ideas or plot construction tips. In this, you may want to search for help in other places. Try Basics of plotting by Daryl Cooper (find it on FARP). I will try to help improve your style of writing.
Were going to start with a few exercises you might want to consider, then we will detail on four categories:
description
characterization
dialogue
action
since these are the main things that can make or break your style.
These exercises present two methods of writing. One of them is to write the scene spontaneously, after imagining it in your head, then return and polish it. The other one is what I call planned writing, which involves writing short, dull sentences that describe only the plot moments, then a coming back to add the details.
SECTION A – the exercises
1.1 Spontaneous writing
The first exercise consists in writing two to six hundred words about a given theme, making something like an elaborate scene. One thing you must respect, crucial for achieving the desired results: DO NOT read back what youve written only after you had finished it and had taken a brake of 10-15 minutes. This has got to be totally spontaneous. Ill explain why. By doing this, youll find out your level of writing. After reading the entire piece, you will realize how good or bad it is. And thus you will set your level. Polishing counts a lot, I know, but a paragraph formed in dull, short sentences will be very hard to improve (I will add to this later). Plus, if you know your level, then it will be a lot easier to improve it.
If you cant manage to write well enough, please skip the first exercise and go on to the second.
It is also important to think at the scene for 5 minutes before actually writing it. It will come out much easier.
I strongly suggest reading other articles about description, dialogue and action before considering continuing (or at least check section B).
A. Beginners
Were going to split things up here and start on examples regarding dialogue.
Write 200 words in which you present this scene: a paladin enters a wizards chamber. The wizard asks for the paladins help, for he lost his beautiful daughter, who went scouring the Glaive Forest two days ago, searching a magical beast she wants to kill. The wizard is weakened, for he performed a healing ritual for his king, badly wounded in an artefact hunt.
Ive given you all the motivations and all the details of the conversation. Try to limit at these, and write. Remember, totally spontaneous, without looking back more than three words. And do not cross the word limit. You are a beginner, right? Plus, getting yourself stuffed in details will surely distract you from your goal, which is dialogue. I also have an example, but its larger, close to 450 words. Read and compare it with yours.
Lets try description. The rules are the same, only the theme differs. Try to describe a forest in 200-300 words. Use whatever image you can find buried in your imagination. Just write about the time of the day, the sun/moon/sky, trees and so on (not necessarily in this order). If this doesnt suit you, try a different theme, such as a mountain on a snowy day. You could try describing an elf castle, or an orc encampment, even a village, of hobbits if you want. You can limit your piece on only a room, or a house. But stick to landscapes and/or settlements, or something general you know of, dont start off inventing things. Remember, it is spontaneous.
Ive made a special part for characterization, because its something different that description. But its easy to choose a theme. Think of a character, and describe him/her the way you want, in no more than 300 words.
And we left action for the last part. OK, we need a scenario here, too. I read this thing once, where a fighter is attacked in his room by three guys. He knocks two of them down somehow (and this is your part), but the third points his longbow at him, while standing in the doorstep. Before he got to shoot, a woman comes from the