Re: Writing Tips
^ I should think that all of the tips listed in this thread apply to autobiographies as well.
^ I should think that all of the tips listed in this thread apply to autobiographies as well.
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tantiboh
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Re: Writing Tips
Not having done it myself, by best guess on how to approach an autobiography is that you need to answer this question: Why do I give a damn about you?
It's not enough that you're a great guy, or that you've got a great story. If I'm going to care enough to read about you, then I need to be able to relate to you. I need to understand you well enough that I want to know what happens to you.
The best analogy I can come up with is this: You'll speak with a friend about their life and problems because you care about them - you can relate to them, and you empathize with them. If a stranger off the street were to try to engage you in the same conversation, you'd run away as fast as you could. Likewise, I need to care about you if I'm going to read a book about your life. So, if you're not a celebrity, how do you go about making me care? That's the challenge.
Not having done it myself, by best guess on how to approach an autobiography is that you need to answer this question: Why do I give a damn about you?
It's not enough that you're a great guy, or that you've got a great story. If I'm going to care enough to read about you, then I need to be able to relate to you. I need to understand you well enough that I want to know what happens to you.
The best analogy I can come up with is this: You'll speak with a friend about their life and problems because you care about them - you can relate to them, and you empathize with them. If a stranger off the street were to try to engage you in the same conversation, you'd run away as fast as you could. Likewise, I need to care about you if I'm going to read a book about your life. So, if you're not a celebrity, how do you go about making me care? That's the challenge.
Re: Writing Tips
That being said, why have I a copy of Chairman Mao's biography - why have I read more than one biography of Adolf Hitler. Not because I empathize with either but I am interested in them as historical figures. Of course, these are not autobiographies.
That being said, why have I a copy of Chairman Mao's biography - why have I read more than one biography of Adolf Hitler. Not because I empathize with either but I am interested in them as historical figures. Of course, these are not autobiographies.
tantiboh
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Re: Writing Tips
That's a great point, Marley. A lot of grammar rules can be thrown out the window with dialogue, because most of us don't speak grammatically. And, as you say, different styles of bad grammar can add a lot of depth to the character. That said, unless it's something like a Southern drawl contraction, you still need to have appropriate spelling, punctuation, and capitalization or the reader won't be able to follow as easily.
That's a great point, Marley. A lot of grammar rules can be thrown out the window with dialogue, because most of us don't speak grammatically. And, as you say, different styles of bad grammar can add a lot of depth to the character. That said, unless it's something like a Southern drawl contraction, you still need to have appropriate spelling, punctuation, and capitalization or the reader won't be able to follow as easily.
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Re: Writing Tips
Don't get carried away with dialogue. Here is one of the most helpful articles I have found:
http://www.bkedits.com/dialogue.html
Excerpt:
Don't get carried away with dialogue. Here is one of the most helpful articles I have found:
http://www.bkedits.com/dialogue.html
Excerpt:
ukbrit
On the Prowl
Re: Writing Tips
Hi Guys, I hope this question can be answered in this section. I am working on a story that I am hoping to put on here soon.
One question that has just occurred to me is can I use REAL place names, ie names of Hotels, Clubs, Restaurants etc or would I be violating some law???
Hope you can help or I will have to come up with a lot of false names etc to replace them with.
Thanks.
Jeff..
Hi Guys, I hope this question can be answered in this section. I am working on a story that I am hoping to put on here soon.
One question that has just occurred to me is can I use REAL place names, ie names of Hotels, Clubs, Restaurants etc or would I be violating some law???
Hope you can help or I will have to come up with a lot of false names etc to replace them with.
Thanks.
Jeff..
Re: Writing Tips
You might try PMing Autolycus for a quick answer.
I know people have referred to Harvard - a story you and I had a discourse over a bit ago. And various assorted franchise restaurants that don't point to a specific unit have frequently been used - i.e. Denny's, McDonald's, Arby's, Walmart, etc.
I don't believe that referring to real places in a story is a violation of the bylaws - certainly Neil aka GSDX has talked about the landscape of South Eastern/Central Ontario province in his epic tale Watching Brad.
He regularly refers to Wendy's, Tim Horton's Kentucky Fried Chicken; he has referred to the CN Tower, Niagara Falls, The Peterboro Zoo and Locks, and many other places in Ontario.
But, I'm neither moderator nor staff. The other place you could post for an authortative answer would be the "Ask the Moderators" thread at the bottom of the Forum listings.
You might try PMing Autolycus for a quick answer.
I know people have referred to Harvard - a story you and I had a discourse over a bit ago. And various assorted franchise restaurants that don't point to a specific unit have frequently been used - i.e. Denny's, McDonald's, Arby's, Walmart, etc.
I don't believe that referring to real places in a story is a violation of the bylaws - certainly Neil aka GSDX has talked about the landscape of South Eastern/Central Ontario province in his epic tale Watching Brad.
He regularly refers to Wendy's, Tim Horton's Kentucky Fried Chicken; he has referred to the CN Tower, Niagara Falls, The Peterboro Zoo and Locks, and many other places in Ontario.
But, I'm neither moderator nor staff. The other place you could post for an authortative answer would be the "Ask the Moderators" thread at the bottom of the Forum listings.
ukbrit
On the Prowl
Re: Writing Tips
Thanks Don for the tips, will take your advice and give a pm to Autolycus.
Many thanks.
Jeff.
Thanks Don for the tips, will take your advice and give a pm to Autolycus.
Many thanks.
Jeff.
JoshuaGlynn
Slut
Re: Writing Tips
If there is any advice I could give it is to get rid of dialogue tags, he said/she said/(insert name here) said, as much as possible.
There are other ways to show who is speaking other then using dialogue tags.
You see by the first person to speak addressing the other person, tells you who is speaking. As long as the quotes are closed at the end of each dialogue, then the next set of dialogue is other person speaking.
Another thing could be to give a character a catch phrase, that shows up in the dialogue a lot.
With a bit of practice you can write multiple people having conversations without using dialogue tags.
Did you need the tags to pick out the coach? not really... he is loud boisterous one. And yelled coach is not really a tag, but it is a great example of a substitute.
One more thing, and I know it has been talked about already, but when you are writing, Show don't Tell!
Now yes I know I'm exaggerating here, but of the two descriptions which one is more interesting?
Don't tell us that James is sick. Have James coughing and blowing his nose, or running to the bathroom all the time.
Last... to continue the grammar discussion. Rightly so Dialogue is a prime example of breaking the rules. First person stories also can break grammar rules. First person is basically one big monologue.
Just my $.02
Joshua
If there is any advice I could give it is to get rid of dialogue tags, he said/she said/(insert name here) said, as much as possible.
There are other ways to show who is speaking other then using dialogue tags.
You see by the first person to speak addressing the other person, tells you who is speaking. As long as the quotes are closed at the end of each dialogue, then the next set of dialogue is other person speaking.
Another thing could be to give a character a catch phrase, that shows up in the dialogue a lot.
With a bit of practice you can write multiple people having conversations without using dialogue tags.
Did you need the tags to pick out the coach? not really... he is loud boisterous one. And yelled coach is not really a tag, but it is a great example of a substitute.
One more thing, and I know it has been talked about already, but when you are writing, Show don't Tell!
Now yes I know I'm exaggerating here, but of the two descriptions which one is more interesting?
Don't tell us that James is sick. Have James coughing and blowing his nose, or running to the bathroom all the time.
Last... to continue the grammar discussion. Rightly so Dialogue is a prime example of breaking the rules. First person stories also can break grammar rules. First person is basically one big monologue.
Just my $.02
Joshua
tantiboh
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Re: Writing Tips
^Good suggestions, Joshua. Your points about dialogue tags are excellent.
I would recommend caution in taking your suggestion that first-person stories can break grammar rules. Some people can pull that off without muddling up the story, but it's not easy.
^Good suggestions, Joshua. Your points about dialogue tags are excellent.
I would recommend caution in taking your suggestion that first-person stories can break grammar rules. Some people can pull that off without muddling up the story, but it's not easy.
tantiboh
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Re: Writing Tips
Descriptive Writing
One thing I do well is writing descriptively. I get some compliments around here, but the truth is it’s not that hard. You do have to put some thought into it and you have to break some old habits, but the concepts boil down to a few simple rules. I’ve mentioned some of them to some extent in the past, but I figured anyone who’s interested in improving their writing technique might be interested in some expansion on the suggestions, so here it is. Some of the rules can be bent or broken, but by applying a consistent effort at using them where possible you’ll see the quality of your writing improve by leaps and bounds overnight.
1.) Eliminate passive voice.
This is probably the easiest rule to obey; anyone who graduated high school should know to avoid passive voice in most situations. Passive voice is when the noun doesn’t act on the subject directly. It’s usually characterized by the combination of the verb ‘to be’ and the word ‘by.’ (Did you sharp grammarians catch that?) Examples:
- The paper was read by the teacher.
- The book was written by Bob.
- I was given an A.
These are easy to rewrite in a form that makes your text more interesting to read and that transfers the action being taken on the subject directly to the noun:
- The teacher read the paper.
- Bob wrote the book.
- I earned an A.
You can usually spot all your passive voice sentences by scanning for conjugations of the verb ‘to be’ (is, was, were, will be, etc.).
2.) Eliminate all forms of the verb ‘to be.’
While we’re on the topic, any use of the verb ‘to be’ in descriptive writing is typically bad. Sometimes you can’t get around using it, but usually a little creative rewriting is all it takes to eliminate the verb and jazz up your sentence. One useful flag to look for is the gerund – any word ending in –ing. Gerunds almost always come with ‘to be.’ Examples:
- I was doing my homework.
- It was raining.
- The dog was running while Doug watched.
Rewritten is better:
- I did my homework.
- It rained.
- The dog ran while Doug watched.
You might say, “Well, I want to indicate that the subject is actually in the middle of doing something at the time.” Alright, that might be an exception to the rule, but try to minimize it. Remove ‘to be’ and see if it works; if you lose any important meaning, put it back. But you might be surprised at how seldom you really need it.
3.) Make nouns work.
This is a stylistic point that’s open to interpretation, but when you write action try to choose nouns that the reader can visualize – use nouns actually do something. For example:
- Gary opened the door.
- I read the book.
- Jodie looked surprised.
I think we can do better than that:
- Gary swung the door open.
- I devoured the book.
- Jodie gawked.
Not too tough, right? You’ve got a good vocabulary; don’t be afraid to use it.
4.) Use the senses.
This is probably the most difficult of the rules to implement, but with some effort you can get into the habit. Your goal is to try to put the reader into the situation. The best way to do that is to describe the setting in terms that the reader has experienced – and that means exploiting the reader’s senses. Use descriptions that the reader can actually imagine experiencing. Examples:
- Mike heard the bells.
- Joe chewed the jerky.
- Bill crept into the dirty cellar.
How drab. Let’s make it more interesting:
- Mike smiled as the bells rang brightly in the winter air.
- Joe’s jaw ached as his teeth ground into the tough strip of jerky.
- Bill paused as the moldy cellar air assaulted him.
This rule is where you really have the chance to craft an image – it’s where you can treat your text as a work of art. Enjoy the opportunity!
One interesting note is that the most effective sense to use if you really want to transport the reader to the scene is smell. Smell is unique among the senses in that it bypasses the thalamus – that means it has a more direct connection to the memory centers of the brain. It’s why we love comfort food or the smell of coffee or a certain cologne or whatever the trigger. If you really want to stimulate the reader, appeal to his sense of smell.
5.) Get compact.
There are a lot of words that are just fluff. You can simply drop them without any loss of meaning. It’s important to make the effort because every single unnecessary word is static in your message to the reader. If you use too many your reader gets bored and loses the message. Try to pack as much meaning as possible into as few words as possible. For instance:
- He was now ready for anything.
- I didn’t want to eat just then.
- Joe has a lot of things on his to-do list.
Hmmm… Get the axe:
- He was ready for anything.
- I didn’t want to eat.
- Joe is busy.
It’s all a balancing act – if you need the words in order to convey your meaning, then by all means use them. If they’re fluff, chop them out. The reader won’t care if your story is a half a page shorter, particularly if it’s more interesting.
---
Let’s apply the rules to a specific case and see what comes out. Here’s our starting sentence:
“Joe was just looking at his watch when the man was hit really hard by the bus.”
Alright, it’s grammatically correct and easy to understand, but there’s a lot of room for improvement.
1. Eliminate passive voice:
“Joe was just looking at his watch when the bus hit the man really hard.”
2. Eliminate all forms of the verb ‘to be:’
“Joe just looked at his watch when the bus hit the man really hard.
3. Make nouns work:
“Joe just stared at his watch when the bus plowed into the man really hard.”
4. Use the senses:
“Joe just stared at his watch when the Greyhound plowed really hard into the man with a sickening crunch.”
5. Get compact:
“Joe stared at his watch as the Greyhound plowed into the man with a sickening crunch.”
So we’re a word or so longer than our original sentence but it’s a lot more interesting and readable. In many cases, you’ll find your final version considerably shorter than the original.
As mentioned earlier, implementing these rules takes practice and some self-discipline. As you break your old habits, though, you’ll find yourself enjoying the process of crafting a story.
Hope this helps!
Descriptive Writing
One thing I do well is writing descriptively. I get some compliments around here, but the truth is it’s not that hard. You do have to put some thought into it and you have to break some old habits, but the concepts boil down to a few simple rules. I’ve mentioned some of them to some extent in the past, but I figured anyone who’s interested in improving their writing technique might be interested in some expansion on the suggestions, so here it is. Some of the rules can be bent or broken, but by applying a consistent effort at using them where possible you’ll see the quality of your writing improve by leaps and bounds overnight.
1.) Eliminate passive voice.
This is probably the easiest rule to obey; anyone who graduated high school should know to avoid passive voice in most situations. Passive voice is when the noun doesn’t act on the subject directly. It’s usually characterized by the combination of the verb ‘to be’ and the word ‘by.’ (Did you sharp grammarians catch that?) Examples:
- The paper was read by the teacher.
- The book was written by Bob.
- I was given an A.
These are easy to rewrite in a form that makes your text more interesting to read and that transfers the action being taken on the subject directly to the noun:
- The teacher read the paper.
- Bob wrote the book.
- I earned an A.
You can usually spot all your passive voice sentences by scanning for conjugations of the verb ‘to be’ (is, was, were, will be, etc.).
2.) Eliminate all forms of the verb ‘to be.’
While we’re on the topic, any use of the verb ‘to be’ in descriptive writing is typically bad. Sometimes you can’t get around using it, but usually a little creative rewriting is all it takes to eliminate the verb and jazz up your sentence. One useful flag to look for is the gerund – any word ending in –ing. Gerunds almost always come with ‘to be.’ Examples:
- I was doing my homework.
- It was raining.
- The dog was running while Doug watched.
Rewritten is better:
- I did my homework.
- It rained.
- The dog ran while Doug watched.
You might say, “Well, I want to indicate that the subject is actually in the middle of doing something at the time.” Alright, that might be an exception to the rule, but try to minimize it. Remove ‘to be’ and see if it works; if you lose any important meaning, put it back. But you might be surprised at how seldom you really need it.
3.) Make nouns work.
This is a stylistic point that’s open to interpretation, but when you write action try to choose nouns that the reader can visualize – use nouns actually do something. For example:
- Gary opened the door.
- I read the book.
- Jodie looked surprised.
I think we can do better than that:
- Gary swung the door open.
- I devoured the book.
- Jodie gawked.
Not too tough, right? You’ve got a good vocabulary; don’t be afraid to use it.
4.) Use the senses.
This is probably the most difficult of the rules to implement, but with some effort you can get into the habit. Your goal is to try to put the reader into the situation. The best way to do that is to describe the setting in terms that the reader has experienced – and that means exploiting the reader’s senses. Use descriptions that the reader can actually imagine experiencing. Examples:
- Mike heard the bells.
- Joe chewed the jerky.
- Bill crept into the dirty cellar.
How drab. Let’s make it more interesting:
- Mike smiled as the bells rang brightly in the winter air.
- Joe’s jaw ached as his teeth ground into the tough strip of jerky.
- Bill paused as the moldy cellar air assaulted him.
This rule is where you really have the chance to craft an image – it’s where you can treat your text as a work of art. Enjoy the opportunity!
One interesting note is that the most effective sense to use if you really want to transport the reader to the scene is smell. Smell is unique among the senses in that it bypasses the thalamus – that means it has a more direct connection to the memory centers of the brain. It’s why we love comfort food or the smell of coffee or a certain cologne or whatever the trigger. If you really want to stimulate the reader, appeal to his sense of smell.
5.) Get compact.
There are a lot of words that are just fluff. You can simply drop them without any loss of meaning. It’s important to make the effort because every single unnecessary word is static in your message to the reader. If you use too many your reader gets bored and loses the message. Try to pack as much meaning as possible into as few words as possible. For instance:
- He was now ready for anything.
- I didn’t want to eat just then.
- Joe has a lot of things on his to-do list.
Hmmm… Get the axe:
- He was ready for anything.
- I didn’t want to eat.
- Joe is busy.
It’s all a balancing act – if you need the words in order to convey your meaning, then by all means use them. If they’re fluff, chop them out. The reader won’t care if your story is a half a page shorter, particularly if it’s more interesting.
---
Let’s apply the rules to a specific case and see what comes out. Here’s our starting sentence:
“Joe was just looking at his watch when the man was hit really hard by the bus.”
Alright, it’s grammatically correct and easy to understand, but there’s a lot of room for improvement.
1. Eliminate passive voice:
“Joe was just looking at his watch when the bus hit the man really hard.”
2. Eliminate all forms of the verb ‘to be:’
“Joe just looked at his watch when the bus hit the man really hard.
3. Make nouns work:
“Joe just stared at his watch when the bus plowed into the man really hard.”
4. Use the senses:
“Joe just stared at his watch when the Greyhound plowed really hard into the man with a sickening crunch.”
5. Get compact:
“Joe stared at his watch as the Greyhound plowed into the man with a sickening crunch.”
So we’re a word or so longer than our original sentence but it’s a lot more interesting and readable. In many cases, you’ll find your final version considerably shorter than the original.
As mentioned earlier, implementing these rules takes practice and some self-discipline. As you break your old habits, though, you’ll find yourself enjoying the process of crafting a story.
Hope this helps!
Re: Writing Tips
Tantiboh,
Are you a part time professor at Abi's college now, too?
That reminds me - my son will actually be teaching a Freshman Writing Seminar -joint English and Philosophy dept at his alma mater this fall.
He's got quite a reading list prepared for them -- too bad he couldn't include JUB in the list -- just think of the different "philosophical" perspectives we bring to the table! lol.
Thanks for taking the time to add to your writing tips thread. I've encouraged a few prospective authors to stop by and pick up some tips from you, Autlycus, and the others.
Tantiboh,
Are you a part time professor at Abi's college now, too?
That reminds me - my son will actually be teaching a Freshman Writing Seminar -joint English and Philosophy dept at his alma mater this fall.
He's got quite a reading list prepared for them -- too bad he couldn't include JUB in the list -- just think of the different "philosophical" perspectives we bring to the table! lol.
Thanks for taking the time to add to your writing tips thread. I've encouraged a few prospective authors to stop by and pick up some tips from you, Autlycus, and the others.
GottaLookCasual
Virgin
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Re: Writing Tips
what i'd recommend is always have something special about and ending of a chapter/general ending.
you could do this by:
-Linking a line from the beginning to the end
eg.
his eyes were pools of sparkling blue sea................................................................
........................................................................But the thing that got me most was the colour of his eyes. Those sea blue eyes.
-Make the ending short and snappy
eg. He ran away.
-Leave it on a cliffhanger/make the reader want more
eg. What on the earth was he planning to do?
Thats all I can think of for some writing tips
what i'd recommend is always have something special about and ending of a chapter/general ending.
you could do this by:
-Linking a line from the beginning to the end
eg.
his eyes were pools of sparkling blue sea................................................................
........................................................................But the thing that got me most was the colour of his eyes. Those sea blue eyes.
-Make the ending short and snappy
eg. He ran away.
-Leave it on a cliffhanger/make the reader want more
eg. What on the earth was he planning to do?
Thats all I can think of for some writing tips
Re: Writing Tips
As my grammar check tended to kick out passive sentences, I asked my English Professor if they were that bad.
His response was that passive sentences are OK!
Don't overlook the fact that when writing fiction involving speech, it needs to be natural - folk do not speak with precise grammar 100% of the time and a story is not necessarily a work of grammatical perfection nor a legal document that has to be totally and utterly precise but merely to be clearly understood.
As my grammar check tended to kick out passive sentences, I asked my English Professor if they were that bad.
His response was that passive sentences are OK!
Don't overlook the fact that when writing fiction involving speech, it needs to be natural - folk do not speak with precise grammar 100% of the time and a story is not necessarily a work of grammatical perfection nor a legal document that has to be totally and utterly precise but merely to be clearly understood.
Re: Writing Tips
^ First and foremost, nobody is more qualified to write your autobiography than you are. (Thank you, Star Trek: TNG
)
The best advice I can give you, though, is to let your story write itself. Don't make things up.
^ First and foremost, nobody is more qualified to write your autobiography than you are. (Thank you, Star Trek: TNG
)The best advice I can give you, though, is to let your story write itself. Don't make things up.
citizen-seth
On the Prowl
I'm not sure if this is the right thread of not, but I've been reading stories here for a while and I think I'm finally ready to post my own. I'm wondering if there would be someone that would be willing to read what I have before I post it? I'd really like to get some info on what I could improve on before my story's "premier."
Thanks!
Thanks!
There are advantages to be derived from both forms:
When the story is written in the first person, the author is able to describe in detail the feelings, desires, reactions of his main character with a great deal of reality.
However, when there is an omniscient narrator, the author is privy to the thoughts of all his characters and is able to have access to motives and events while describing what is going on at different places, something not normally available to point of view or first person narratives.
There is also what is called 'an intrusive narrator'. In this case the writer can go a stage further and comment on the significance of the story, or allow the story to comment on some element of general morality thereby actually interrupting the narrative.
EasyRory
JUB Addict
I asked a question in the wrong thread so I'll reask it here.
How disruptive do English-speaking non-Americans find Americanisms in erotic fiction? For example, ass for arse, pants for trousers.
Would a publisher be better off publishing North American, UK, and perhaps Australian versions of the same story? Maybe it's possible to avoid most of these differences.
How disruptive do English-speaking non-Americans find Americanisms in erotic fiction? For example, ass for arse, pants for trousers.
Would a publisher be better off publishing North American, UK, and perhaps Australian versions of the same story? Maybe it's possible to avoid most of these differences.
I'm an American, so I'll confine my comments to matters of fact and observation.
Publishers do print different versions, but they tend to leave words like that intact. If I set my story in New York City, a knowledgeable reader is going to think I'm just ignorant if the characters say that the lorry driver was shot in the temple with a catapult and dumped in the boot of a car. Same if I set the story in London and they say truck, slingshot, trunk.
What they do tend to change are cultural references that the transoceanic audience won't get. For example, in the UK the first Harry Potter book was called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Apparently everyone in Britain, including children, knows the alchemical meaning of that term. When they transferred it to the US they called it Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, because apparently [STRIKE]we're a bunch of stupid ignorant gits[/STRIKE] most of us don't know that.