General Writing Advice/Insights/Tips and Tricks
One of the things I love most about writing is improving my skills. I look at stuff I wrote 10 or 20 years ago, and while some of it makes me cringe, it's gratifying to see how far I've come.
Of course, I'm not (and will never be) perfect. As Ernest Hemingway said, "We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master."
In the spirit of that quote, I thought it would be nice to have a thread where we can discuss the craft of writing. Feel free to share writing advice, whether it's your own or someone else's, along with articles, blog posts, or anything else you find useful. You can also talk about your own strengths and weaknesses, how you've evolved as a writer, etc. Anything goes, as long as it relates to the craft of writing.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR BEGINNING WRITERS
- Be authentic: You may feel that your writing quality isn't as good as others. Join the club! But you can only do the best with the talent you've got. Nobody can import their own skill inside your head. Work hard and accept feedback. That way you will see organic improvement over the long-term.
- Read voraciously: Apparently, there are some writers who say they don't read. Don't be one of them, especially if you are a beginning writer. You want to absorb as many stories-- and a lot of non-fiction-- in order to build your own expression. Reading will also teach you conventions of the language, new vocabulary, and hopefully generate plenty of your own ideas.
- Get fanatical about language: Troubled by grammar? Forgotten a punctuation rule? It's time to stop guessing and start learning. The good news for beginning writers is that experienced writers are still troubled by language issues. The bad news for beginning writers is that experienced writers are still troubled by language issues. Is this sentence too long? Too short? Could I remove more words here? Is a comma or a semicolon needed? If we want to write well, then we need a good command of the English language, otherwise readers will get frustrated with us and read something else. We need to become language fanatics and ruthless self-editors to ensure that our message isn't ruined by poor writing. Which leads to the next point...
- Ask for help: Writers may be solitary, but we are often friendly. Never be ashamed to ask a more experienced writer for assistance. No question is too stupid, and you are not an idiot because you don't know something. I am still asking questions about commas to this day. Read an article. Buy a book. Take a course. The more help you get, the faster you will improve.
- Enjoy it: If you want to make a lot of money, then work for a bank. If you want to write, you have to accept that you will be doing a great deal of work without recognition (and often without pay) for a long time. I don't know if any of you have read any publishing news lately, but we're facing some pretty depressing trends. So, you really have to love and enjoy what you're doing to keep going. Fanfiction is a great litmus test for this. Ask yourself every day: am I enjoying this? If not, it's time to reassess. But if you are, then keep going!
One tip I have for writers, when it comes to character interactions, is to have a solid idea of what the character sounds like and a visual of what the character would do while saying it, so sort of a combination of what they say and how they say it. If I write something out and it doesn't match the voice or mannerisms, I rewrite it so that it fits. If it's in the POV of a particular character, I try to make the narration fit the mindset of that character as best as I can; personally, I try to make it fit the voice and mannerisms.
Thoughts on dialogue:
It's not necessary to include a dialogue tag/action every time a character speaks. While this might seem helpful for descriptive purposes, overdoing it can make dialogue feel awkward/stilted and distract from what the character is saying.
From the fanfiction I'm currently reading:
Severus remained silent but a forlorn frown planted itself on his face before Lily looked at him and asked, “Can you forgive me, Sev? For being a bad friend?”
Severus kept his frown as he swallowed and replied, “Lily, you were never a bad-“
“Can you forgive me?” Lily pressed.
“Yes.” Severus answered with his brow furrowed, “Yes, Lily, of course I can forgive you.”
“Good.” Lily nodded and smiled, “That makes me feel much better then.”
“Are you not frightened of me now?” Severus asked curiously.
“No.” Lily replied honestly.
Severus dared to inquire, “........Why?”
“Because if you really were loyal to…..you-know-who, then why would you help rescue me?” Lily blinked, “Why wouldn’t you have killed me or taken me directly to…….him?”
This scene only has two characters, so there's no need to clarify who's speaking in every line. That can even be avoided in scenes with three or more characters if the dialogue itself makes it clear who the speaker is.
DIALOGUE TIP:
Avoid redundant adverbs.
"I'm absolutely furious with you!" Severus said angrily.
"Why are you doing that?" Lily asked curiously.
The first example might seem over the top, but seriously, I see this all the time. There's no need to specify how a character is feeling if the dialogue itself makes it clear. This is telling versus showing – there's no need to do both.
Don't get me wrong: I'm not one of those writers who believes that all adverbs are bad. I just think they should be used sparingly/intentionally, not as unnecessary filler.
"Yeah, I'm going to the party," Harry said sadly.
We wouldn't expect someone to be sad about going to party, so the adverb here is useful. It communicates something that isn't obvious, which triggers curiosity in the reader.
***
I might post more tips about dialogue tags later, but for now, my point is that less is more. There's nothing wrong with using a good old-fashioned "said", or letting dialogue stand on its own. Obviously, some dialogue tags/actions are needed, but as I said above, it's good to avoid unnecessary filler.
In my own writing, I ask myself these questions:
- Do I need to clarify who's speaking?
- Is a specific dialogue tag and/or action needed to clarify what this character is thinking/doing/feeling? Will it give further insight into the character, the scene, or the overall plot?
- Did I skip giving this character a dialogue tag and/or action in their previous line?
If the answer to any of these questions is "yes", then I'll usually go ahead and add one.
I can't claim to be a perfect writer (not even close), but I've become a better one by focusing on what isn't needed. That's one of my most valuable tips for any writing, not just dialogue. 🙂
Thank you for your tips @heatherlly, I really struggle with the dialogues and face the issue you specified where I get obsessed to write adverbs related to the feelings. I am really looking forward to your further insights in dialogue writing because it is the one of the areas that I struggle the most.
More ideas/help for dialogue @kris
Phrases associated with beginning the conversation, ending it, repeating it, saying things that are obvious, repeating past events, things that are melodramatic, or filler between important lines should often be cut if they don't help the scene. Readers won't miss it.
The kinds of statements that may need to be cut if they're not necessary and/or followed by interesting dialogue:
[Beginning the conversation] "Had a good weekend/a nice time/fun etc.?"
[Ending it] "See you next week, bye!/Speak to you later!/So long for now!"
[Repetition] "Like you said, Hermione, this plan is idiotic./What did you say? You don't want me to fight Voldemort alone?"
[Stating the obvious] "But if I defy Voldemort, he will kill me!/It's midday, so it's time for lunch."
[Repeating past events] "Do you remember when I went into the Chamber of Secrets and destroyed Tom Riddle's diary?/As you know, I've been fighting Dark forces for a while now..."
[Melodramatic] "I hate you! You're the worst friend in the world!/Gringotts was robbed? Oh no! What are we going to do?"
[Filler] "This is a very complicated spell, invented in 1457. Another one was invented in 1877, and it's a bit easier. Still another was invented in 1902..."
Here are some other tips to consider while editing:
Contract!
Contractions (making a word or a group of words shorter) are your friend, because they can make dialogue easier to read. Also, using contractions as a default can help make a character sound distinctive if they choose not to use contractions.
"I believe that Snape is not a traitor."
"I believe that Snape isn't a traitor."
"Snape could not possibly have acted alone."
"Snape couldn't possibly have acted alone."
BUT
"Excuse me... but I believe I am the Potions professor at this school."
You know that is Severus Snape.
Relative pronouns
That/which/of which/for which/whose/whom etc. are used to refer back to what came before (an antecedent). However, you may often need to cut these from dialogue unless your character needs to speak that way. These cuts, if needed, will make it easier for the reader.
"It's the book that I bought from Flourish and Blotts, which is in Diagon Alley." [that referring to the book, which referring to the location of Flourish and Blotts]
"It's the book I bought from Flourish and Blotts, in Diagon Alley."
(This is one of the good things about English. In French, this advice would not work: the relative pronoun is almost always obligatory.)
Commas and dashes
Depending on the kind of character you have, be careful with excess use of commas and em-dashes. You'll need to consider age, native language, personality, setting, and other factors. Otherwise, a character can sound anything from pretentious to stilted.
"The essay, which I wrote quickly to avoid detention, will hopefully get an Acceptable, but I wouldn't be surprised if Snape gave me Troll instead, as he has it out for me."
OR
"I hope I'll get Acceptable on my essay, but Snape'll probably give me a Troll. He's got it out for me."
Down to one comma and a new sentence for the additional comment.
Subject dropping
Simply, not using the word for the person or thing doing the action. This can be good for informal speech.
"All right, I'm off to the Common Room."
"I hope you have a nice evening, then."
OR
"Hope you have a nice evening, then!"
"Draco's father bought him a new broom."
"I don't think he's practiced on it, to be honest."
OR
"Don't think he's practiced, to be honest."
Interjections
An interjection is an exclamation: "Ah! Aha! Hey! Oi!" These are great for dramatic effect, as long as they aren't used excessively.
"You're terrible at Quidditch, Hermione."
"How dare you?"
OR
"Hey!"
"Guess what? Snape was prowling the corridors last night!"
"You mean, he could be the intruder?"
OR
"Aha! He's the intruder!"
Adverbs in dialogue
Adverbs in dialogue (not referring to the tag) may not be necessary if there's a shorter and/or sharper alternative. However, they can be good for a character's particular voice and/or for emphasis. So take this advice with a pinch of salt! 😀
"I am absolutely delighted that Lockhart has been fired."
OR
"I'm delighted that Lockhart has been fired.
"You lied maliciously about me and my friends."
OR
"You lied about me and my friends."
Passive voice
Is/was/were/has been and so on may not be necessary if you can use an active verb (where the person/thing does the action, instead of having the action done to them). But, if somebody wants to put some distance between themselves and the other person, perhaps as a habit or out of necessity, the passive voice can be useful.
"You have been caught [passive] wandering in the Forbidden Forest, when it was made clear to you that this is against school rules. [very passive]"
"You were caught [passive, but tighter] wandering in the Forbidden Forest, which is against school rules." (Not a bad example, to be honest.)
"I caught you [active] wandering in the Forbidden Forest, which is against school rules. [passive, but totally fine]"
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, it's entirely appropriate for Snape to say, "You were seen..."
Humming and Ha-ing
It's also best to reduce "I think that/suppose that/believe that/it's almost like/it's as if" etc. wherever possible, so that the dialogue has more certainty. This can be important when you want to give the reader a certain impression about the speaker. It will also provide contrast when someone does want/need to think/suppose/believe.
"It's as if Snape is working for Voldemort after all," said Harry.
OR
"I suppose that Snape must be working for Voldemort after all," said Harry.
OR
"Snape's working for Voldemort," said Harry.
If you wanted to make Harry doubt his opinion, then the first two would do the job. But it can be more effective to make a character sound sure of something, even if-- and especially if-- they are wrong, because this can cause a character to take actions that cause further problems. In the bottom line, Harry's certainty could make him sound prejudiced.
As always, the best way to improve dialogue is by reading fiction with strong dialogue and doing a TON of editing!
Thank you a lot @mmlf, I often make these errors while writing dialogues. These insights are really good and I will try to work on these suggestions. 💚
Can you recommend some literary works having strong dialogue? I shall try to base my dialogue writing approach on those works.
No problem. Honestly, I think rereading the Harry Potter books obsessively would be a good start, especially as the more literary stuff might be a little challenging. There are places where I would make different choices to Rowling dialogue-wise, but she is very good at writing distinctive dialogue and, more importantly, making each character sound different. I didn't mention that above; it's a difficult thing to do and takes a while, but studying the characters in the series will definitely help. Notice how Snape speaks and compare it to Harry Potter. You'll see many of the differences I mentioned above. Good luck!
EDIT: I see that Heather has now created a writing workshop thread, so feel free to post samples there for feedback. 🙂
As far as rereading the series goes…
JK Rowling is a master storyteller, but I wouldn't consider her to be a great writer. Writing (i.e. the technical craft) and storytelling are separate things – it's important to recognize the difference.
Among other things, JKR uses way too many adverbs in her dialogue tags. She also uses clumsy substitutions for "said" more than she should, and she's absolutely notorious for excessive semicolon use. Of course, any shortcomings with her writing are overshadowed by amazing storytelling, but that's kind of the point. If/when you do reread, try to focus more on storytelling elements such as character development (as @mmlf said), plot, setting, etc.
