What I do if I lack a "zing" is starve myself of writing. Sometimes you push yourself to write that you end up exhausting your passion and creativity. Do everything but write. Observe. Stare at an interesting object and place it in a scene. Write a sentence about it in your head, but don't write it down. Throw it away. If you draw your mind away from a current project, you'll be able to observe everything else that's going on. Then after a month or two, go back to your project, and see it with a fresh set of eyes.
I'm at a loss. I know where many of the problems with my writing lie, but I am unable to fix them. And even then, it feels like anything I see wrong is something that many other people enjoy, and vice-versa. But then, I realize there is no sure-fire way to find out what to change, because everyone has their own preferences in writing. And it doesn't really help that I recieve next to no reviews suggesting style changes! It seems like my biggest problem is description; I make it dull, rather sparse, and uninteresting, while dialogue seems to be my strong point. At the same time, I have no idea how to improve and it just seems like every time I try, I fail. It feels like I am missing some major element, something key to good writing... Any suggestions on what I can do/try would be greatly appreciated!
MarcG, The best way to improve in the area of weakness you've identified in your writing (weakness) is to read. Not just read, but read with a purpose. Preferably several novels by different authors, and probably in the POV you prefer to write in is best. Novels you really enjoy and have read before is handy. First, you won't get caught up in what is coming as opposed to how the writer is accomplishing their description. Second, it'll be slow at times doing this, and maybe take reviewing a couple of times...so better to do it with something you like than something that you just pulled off the shelf because. As far as purpose...read and note how it was done. Even jot down ideas and specific examples to illustrate, so when you go back it'll make sense. Look for patters, word choice, style. Where do the authors fit it in/place it. What methods are used? Not nly where does it occur in the narrative and dialogue, but when. Then try the description methods they used. Try to mimic the styles at first, then begin to apply your own voice, method, placement and word choice, etc. It'll take time and it won't happen at once. Maybe description will never be your strongest point, but if you're at least competent at it, it will not detract from your writing, especially in other areas...and may come to complement them. Really, this is a method that I think can be applied to many other areas of writing, such as dialogue, action, characterization, etc. Good luck and hang in there. Terry
There are a couple of different ways you can improve your writing. The first is to read constantly. The more you read, the better writer you become. You can't just read anything however, you have to read good writing. For me, the latest New York Times bestseller doesn't cut it. Try the classics. For example, if you're having trouble describing characters, try F Scott Fitzgerald. He's a master at that. The other big part of becoming a better writer is writing more. By constantly writing short stories, you will find that you have more confidence in yourself as a writer. I don't recommend tackling longer projects until you have a firm base in short story writing. This will only lead to getting two chapters in before you run out of steam. Writing a longer work is not easy, and requires dedication and absolute belief in oneself to succeed. You can get this by considerable amounts of practice. A good way to improve your descriptive writing is to only write about what you know and see around you. I believe that the very best of writers usually only write what they actually know or have experienced. Elegant wording doesn't come as easy when you only have a picture in your mind to go off of.
You could also try the review section on this forum. And by that I mean, read other peoples' work, cretique it yourself, and then see what others have to say... maybe somethings they say about the person's work will help you with your own and help you see things differently. But research into what you are writing about and practice are always key elements to becoming good at what you want to be good at. Darren
Hmm... thanks for the suggestions. I try constantly to read; if I like a certain aspect of the author's writing, I'll focus especially on it. I'll see if I can't look at other little phrases and wordings and the like, and see how 'the masters' do it. I was planning on re-reading Crime and Punishment anyways, so I suppose that would be a good start. I had started a story last night; I decided to rewrite it entirely, focusing on what I found lacking in my writing. I like it so far - maybe that's just what I needed to do. Or, when the afterglow fades, I'll see that it's just as bad as the others. But hey, that's life!
Well there are any number of writing exercises you can do to increase your descriptive abilities and perception of detail. I would say the best may be to just find a new space and explore it physically. Later write a description, go back to that place and re-read your description for the first time there. See if you captured the MOOD of the scene with the details you chose. If not, try again. Though I would advise focusing on your strong points... try writing a screen play, or work completely driven by dialog. Experiment.
i counsel all new writers to never let anyone they're related to or sleeping with read their work... reason is, they most likely won't get the truth, or a knowledgeable critiique... you need to have feedback from neutral parties, not those who love you...
Read Read, read and then read some more. Read everything you can get your hands on. Every different genre, but many different authors. Have a look at their styles, note things that you like, things that you don't like, and use that to adapt your own style.
Maia: Generally true, but there are exceptions. My mother and my son are both creative in their own right, and know the value of critical feedback. I've gotten some excellent feedback from both of them, and I am just as honest when I provide feedback on my mother's paintings or my son's game designs. NM: Reading is important, but so is just writing, writing, and more writing, even though most of it may be junk. Indeed, much of it WILL be junk, but over time you will be able to raise the bar as to what you consider beneath your abilities, as your writing improves.
Indeed it is. I have written many short stories to simply try different things out and to just keep in the habit of writing so i don't stagnate. So that is another thing you could do, write a few short stories and use them to develop your style before you tackle a big project, and there's no harm in writing more of them during your project to try new things out as well ;-)
Considering I'm still in highschool, I do it at school, in my boring classes. I also do some writing at home, usually lying down in my room before I sleep.
Myself, All over the place and I love my laptop. Porch, kitchen table, sofa, outside swing in the evening at dusk. Depends on my mood. But where do I do my best writting.. Oddly often in bed, just before I nod off, when all things are quiet and dark and I am left alone to my thoughts or fist thing in the morning when my mind is fresh but all else is quiet and still sleeping. Even at my desk during the day it is too noisy, to busy, to much happening around it to be fruitful. but to each his own, though proper posture and support is important, you don't want to stop writting because of a cramp. Just my two pennies.
I write best in my room. I write in a notebook when I'm stuck, and my computer when things are flowing well. I like my room because I can leap from my bed, where my notebook is, to my computer chair as needed. I can't imagine what people would say if they saw me when writing is choppy and I'm bouncing back and forth like a ping-pong ball.
I find the time to write a little bit during my breaks at work, or at lunch time, as I hardly ever eat anything anyway. Another good time I write is in the late hours of the day, around 10 PM - 3 AM. Nothing disturbs me at this time, and I'm nocturnal anyway.
I am pretty much bound to the computer in the computer room. I do not own a lap top, and I have a situation with my hand that does not allow me to write anything creative of any length longer than a poem freehand. (I will literally start to cramp up and high as my shoulder after more than two pages of intense writing, which creative writing always is.) Because of that, i think faster than I can write, and in trying to catch up, I get all numb. Plus, I have not written in cursive since grade school because my cursive was always atrocious. So everything I write is printed. I could conceivably do better now, but it would take such thoughts and concentration, I would never get anything done, and it would be no guarantee to feel any better. I don't do what writers should, and carry a notebook around everywhere I go. I really should start...if only to record snippets when they come to me.
Tyunglebo, it's always a good thing to carry a notebook, if even a tiny pocket-sized pad of paper. I do this, and if someone says something funny that I know I won't remember off the top of my head, I write it down. One of my co-workers said something funny, I wrote it down and they asked if I was writing a love letter. I told him I did that last week, and that I was writing a hate letter instead ;P Most of my ideas I come up with I can remember until they are written down. They'll stay with me for days at a time.
I write in my home office when it is quiet. No people no radio just me the computer and my cats. 3 of them draped over some part of the desk or sitting in the hall watching me. I can't write as my arms don't like me afterwards. This summer I will be writing outside on my swing using the laptop. Don't know if this will work or not but sure hope so. I spend most of my time outside once it is warm enough.
Forgot to say, I always write in my notebook first, and my computer is simply for typing it up and correcting/editing it. And when people I don't want to read my book ask me what it is, I always say it's a 70~80 page love letter ;D
I used to always write at my desktop, now I take the laptop where ever is the most comfortable. Most of my writing is done on scraps of paper that end up filling mu pocket by the day's end.
I usually only work on my laptop. I tried the hand-writing thing once and it didn't seem to work out - probably because I like to edit as I write drafts, and that gets messy when hand-writing. As far as location, I can write anywhere. I like to switch it up and try different places, though.
I find that my writing is best when it's handwritten, somewhere other than home. Since I'm still in high school, that's where I do a lot of it--two of my four daily classes require very little effort, and a third requires absolutely no work of any kind. I'm actually in that third class as I'm typing this. When it comes time to transfer it to a computer, I use the PC in my room. It's ancient and isn't connected to the Internet, but it works well for text documents. I tend not to write on the computer, since lately my work has been getting worse when I type it.
