quick poll

[aruan]

Despite reading a lot of good fic in this lovely fandom vast and wide, I blame a combination of journalism and poor nutrition on my inability to feel anything for this story I'm writing and want so desperately to be good.

So, as brief or as detailed as you please, what's the single best writing tip anyone's ever taught you/you've divined/gotten from a fortune cookie? Though maybe not that cookie thing, those aren't usually well-written.

At the moment, I'm going line-by-line and remembering to show, not tell.

Comments

[cupidsbow.livejournal.com]

Hi, just popped by because you friended me, and here you are talking about one of my favourite things :)

The best thing I've ever figured out about writing: write to make myself squee. You know, those scenes that just make you burn with the yes of it? Like that, for as many scenes as you can in any given story.

[synchronik.livejournal.com]

Delete adverbs.

Best tip I ever got.

[whynotsaylove.livejournal.com]

you are only allowed three exclamation points in your life. it makes you describe the excitement in words instead of falling back on punctuation to do it for you. :)

[topaz119.livejournal.com]

Write, then edit. Get that crappy first draft out there, all the way to the end and let it breathe for at least a minute before you go back in and start whaling away at the edit. And then be brutal.

[glendaglamazon.livejournal.com]

I agree with what everyone has said. I'd add to synchronik's comment about deleting adverbs; as you're deleting the adverbs, find a better verb. Instead of "he walked briskly down the hall" write "he strode down the hall." That sort of thing. There are so many wonderful words that get ignored.

Also, eliminate all intensifiers. Very, really, quite, rather, etc.

[jdq.livejournal.com]

mine might be more of a precursor to writing. Take a single moment or action and write down every possible thing to describe it. If you look at somebody walking just tear it apart and figure out how she's walking, why she's walking like that, how her arms swing, etc. all that stuff. It's always helped me.

[xalxuffasch.livejournal.com]

While I learned this earlier, I still give credit to the one and only, Ms. Miles: Writing the standard five paragraph essay for an AP will get you no where, unless its a wonderful, and natural, five paragraphs.

As an aside, I'm going to be in Orlando, with free time, next Friday. I would very much like to come visit, if you are amiable. Give me a call when you get a chance, and we'll try to get something done if you have the time.