aimmyarrowshigh:sassy-tail:holy dicks, that’s usefulHmm.  Saved for later.WARNING: RANT-LENGTH WRITI

aimmyarrowshigh:sassy-tail:holy dicks, that’s usefulHmm.  Saved for later.WARNING: RANT-LENGTH WRITING ADVICE TO FOLLOWThis graph-thingy could be useful in a few instances, but hold on while I get on a soapbox here for a hot second. (Yes - this is the bit where I presume to dole out writing tips.) This chart raises an issue I see in like 99% of fanfiction, and quite a bit of original fiction I beta:PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHOW, DON’T TELL.Do not tell what your readers to feel.If you’re using evocative language filled with strong verbs and effective adjectives…If you have a unique, vibrant voice befitting of your characters…If you have images that burst into the minds of the readers rather than clunky sections of exposition that say, “This is what it looked like and then this is how she reacted”…95% of the time, YOU DO NOT NEED THIS CHART OF WORDS.I repeat: THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE TIME, YOU DO NOT NEED THESE WORDS!Check it out - which of these is more effective?1) Her blue eyes widened as she bounced on her tiptoes. “Mommy, after the zoo, can we get ice cream? Please?”2) “Mommy, after the zoo, can we get ice cream?” asked the girl excitedly. “Please?”I’ll take the liberty of answering for you: 1) is more effective, for a couple reasons:a. “asked the girl excitedly” clogs up the dialogue, as is the nature of dialogue tags.b. The action in #1 (eyes widening, toe-bouncing) is a fact, which displays an image without bias. ‘Excitedly’, on the other hand, is a subjective term. For example, what I deem to be ‘excitement’ might not apply to someone else. People have different ways of expressing excitement, and the little girl in this example clearly demonstrates it through motion. Another character might bite their lip, their eyes thirsty; yet another might flail around for a second while they try to find words. This could all fall under the umbrella of ‘excitement,’ and there’s a lot more flavor in providing actions to be interpreted than to be like, “…she said ______ly.”My point is this: The above chart of words reduces the magnificent variety of human response - physical and emotional - to blanket terms that lead to inefficient writing. To put it bluntly, weak writing.Please: Show us what your character is feeling through actions; dialogue; inner monologue; intricate description. Don’t tell us the girl was “anguished.” Make us feel the shock in her bones as her knees hit the ground, the raw burn of tears sizzling at the top of her nose, the tension stretching her throat as she sobbed her dead brother’s name. Guide the reader, don’t shunt him or her along as if he/she can’t read into human actions for themselves.That said, if a character’s being introduced, we may need a few clarifications as to the nature of his/her general demeanor. In the case that someone has a recurring physical action that you might as well inform us about beforehand, yeah, okay. Work out a term to earmark this quirk for the reader. “He smirked in satisfaction.” “She waved a hand, her face vacant and distracted.” But by no means make it a habit to rely on these ‘tell words’ for a crutch. As a writer, you’ve just got to try harder than that.This has been a PSA from your friendly neighborhood Speechwriter (who, by the way, sometimes gets lazy and does not follow her own advice). She hopes no one finds this post too snarky, preachy, or pretentious; she realizes it is sort of an amalgamation of all three, and begs your forgiveness.I don’t know. When it comes to writing, I get really passionate and up in arms, and it sort of terrifies me that this chart thing has 90,000 notes. NINETY THOUSAND people think it’s okay to plug-and-chug their writing. If ever there were an appropriate time for the phrase “All my creys”…Well, that aside. Just … seriously, keep this stuff in mind while writing - every writer should know how to pack a punch with words rather than using weak words as a fallback.And if you find yourself having to use a thesaurus or whatever, pick up a dictionary and try exploring a couple new words every day. :) It’s fun! And legit, the best defense for a writer is a rock-solid vocabulary. (I never use any words in my writing that I have to Google for definition or connotation. I wait until I’ve mastered them. It’s the only way to ensure they’ll match your voice.)I hope this helps someone out there.(As a disclaimer: I’m not inventing this stuff. You can find similar advice from the sites of editors, literary agents, and published authors (where I originally learned it). There is no “correct” way to write, of course, but there are many ways to ensure your prose is as clean and efficient as possible. Please utilize those methods - make the online writing world a place of quality!)Best -s.w.YES, thank you! -- source link

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