· Many writers especially rush to get something out because they have a contract or an editor/agent showed interest and the work simply isn't ready. Take your time, get feedback on (and distance from) the work, then submit · Writing tip: Find your inner quiet place where you can write. It doesn’t have to be quiet externally but it needs to be internally. Bringing it all together. You can learn from great writers by · 8 writing tips from authors who won the Nobel. 1. Don’t use dead language. Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in In her Nobel lecture, Morrison contrasts ‘dead language’ that 2. Use concrete imagery when you write about large, abstract themes. 3. Work stories out in your head
10 Favorite Writing Tips from Successful Authors - Writer's Digest
Every so often, I run into these long lists of writing tips and quotes from famous authors on sites like Thought Catalog, Buzzfeed, and others. And they're wonderful. Always interesting to read advice from the greats. These quotes tend to swing wildly between craft, motivation, business, life, and everything in between. The only way to get anything out of them would be to print out the ones that resonate and pin them on your wall so they're there the next time you need them, writing tips from authors.
So what I've done is, I've gone through basically every curated list of famous writing quotes and distilled them down into ones you can use right now, today, this second, to make your work better. How to Use It: Read back over the last thing you wrote. Did you use any strange words you found hidden deep inside the thesaurus? Or, more to the point, did you use any words just because you've seen them used in similar pieces of writing and not because you thought they were a good fit?
A big vocabulary is not the hallmark of a great writer. Instead, strive to take complex, fascinating ideas and make them universally accessible. Photo courtesy of Flickr user CEBImagery. How to Use It: You can write drunk if you want, but I think what Hemingway was getting at here was this: writing and editing were not meant to occur at the same time, writing tips from authors. They require totally different states of mind.
When you write, you should be loose, ambitious, and open-minded. Follow your creative instincts. Let the words flow. Let the story take you where it writing tips from authors. When editing, you need to get tough.
Scrutinize your work. Find the heart of the story and carve away everything else. Be brutal. Photo courtesy of Flickr user thomashawk. How to Writing tips from authors It: Similarly, Hemingway knew that sometimes it takes more than a little whiskey to free your brain from its creative shackles.
This idea, that first drafts always suck, is amazingly freeing once you internalize it. Give yourself permission to suck. No one has to see your work until you decide it's ready. Get that shitty first draft out of the way so you can start to sculpt it into something that resembles quality work. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Daniel Silliman. How to Use It: There is an EXTREMELY fine line between using colorful language and making your writing overly complicated -- especially when it comes to verbs.
As noted above, writing tips from authors, avoid spending too much time digging through the thesaurus for gems like, "canter", "hotfoot", and "smoke" when "run" will do just fine. What is the simplest verb available that will properly express the action? It doesn't have to be "run". Just don't get fancy unless the more advanced verb actually adds extra context and meaning. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Robert Burdock, writing tips from authors. How to Use It: Everyone knows about "Show, Don't Tell", but there's still so much telling going on in our writing, writing tips from authors, I'm not sure if we've really stopped to think about what it means.
On first glance, it might seem like "the moon is shining" IS showing. But it's really only scratched the surface of the scene at hand. Drill your writing down to the deepest details. They're often the ones that hold the most power and meaning. And don't be afraid of getting too detailed. You can always trim back later. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Chris Drumm. How to Use It: Exclamation points are a funny thing. They can be excellent at adding emphasis or expressing surprise, shock, horror, etc.
But when you start to see them too often, or used poorly, nothing makes you roll your eyes faster. I'd default to not really using them at all. It will make the moment that much more powerful when you come across a scene that truly calls for one. How to Use It: A funny thing you'll notice the more time you spend around people who write: those who are insane sticklers for perfect grammar are rarely great writers.
Guys, writing is about storytelling. It's about ideas. It's not about who can follow all the rules and syntax to the letter. Know enough grammar to be able to communicate properly. Writing tips from authors if you're going to spend time studying something, or obsessing over something, make it story, voice, theme, character, or dialogue. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Bertalan Szürös. How to Use It: Now more than ever, headlines matter.
With so much competition in every mediumpeople are forced to be much more selective in what content they choose to consume. Some argue that you should spend at least as much time on your title or headline as you do on the writing itself. A good habit to get into: don't commit to your first idea.
Brainstorm at least a dozen different options to see if you may be overlooking a gem. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Tojosan, writing tips from authors. How to Use It: He walked slowly. She exclaimed happily. They spoke quickly. Adverbs are used to describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or even other adverbs.
And, when not wielded properly, can be the hallmark of an amateur writer. Seek them out in your writing and see if they can't be replaced by either a subbing in a stronger verb or b better setting the context before the adverb sentence.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Luca Cerabona. How to Use It: Struggling to find something to writing tips from authors about? Then this quote should hit home for you. I've always felt like writing should really be about something. Not just to show off skill or craft. It's why I've never been a huge fan of writing prompts as anything but a throwaway creative exercise.
Writing tips from authors you write your next piece, ask: what's wrong with the world? What makes me angry? What NEEDS to be written about? Photo courtesy of Flickr user Bill Writing tips from authors. There's an old adage from the screenwriting book Save the Cat! that suggests you show your main character doing something admirable, heroic, writing tips from authors, or kind in the opening scenes of your movie in order to get the audience on his or her side.
When working with anti-heroes, often the trick is to just make the bad guy behave EVEN WORSE by comparison. You can argue the advice, but the point is, show us with action who we're supposed to love and who we're supposed to hate.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Writing tips from authors Abraham. How to Writing tips from authors It: For reference, here's a short list of things that are "writerly":. Long, elaborate scene description. Flowery, romantic dialogue. Enormous vocabulary words. Phrases that set out to be deep and profoud.
It can be hard to catch this stuff in your own work, writing tips from authors is why it's really important to have others read your stuff. But, as Leonard says, if it sounds too much like a writer wrote it, rewrite it, writing tips from authors. How to Writing tips from authors It: This is a trap that's exceptionally easy to fall into, especially when writing "content" as opposed to writing tips from authors work". But it's advice we all need. Why settle for the most plain way of expressing an idea?
Try injecting a little artistry into what you do. Try rewriting your intro in three or four different ways, coming at it from different angles each time. Try different endings. Different word choice. Different dialogue. Photo courtesy of Flickr user ambimb. How to Use It: Here's "Show, Don't Tell" again.
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· 8 writing tips from authors who won the Nobel. 1. Don’t use dead language. Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in In her Nobel lecture, Morrison contrasts ‘dead language’ that 2. Use concrete imagery when you write about large, abstract themes. 3. Work stories out in your head · Many writers especially rush to get something out because they have a contract or an editor/agent showed interest and the work simply isn't ready. Take your time, get feedback on (and distance from) the work, then submit · Writing tip: Find your inner quiet place where you can write. It doesn’t have to be quiet externally but it needs to be internally. Bringing it all together. You can learn from great writers by
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