By Sara

1: Show, Don’t Tell

I know I probably sound like your writing teacher right now, Show, Don’t Tell! Show Don’t tell, but It is really important to show in your writing. Let me give two examples of sentences about a woman and her son arguing in the store.

Telling- Angela was arguing with her son over the bag of candy, and she did not look happy.

Showing: “Mom, why are you such a jerk!” The 5-year-old boy, James, hissed at his mother through tears as his mother, Angela, looked torn between saving money, which their family needed until she got her next paycheck, and making her son happy.

Do you see the difference? One sentence is so much stronger than the other because you can visualize the torn mother, whom we now know doesn’t earn a lot of money, yet also wants to make her 5-year-old son, James, happy. When you make a sentence, paragraph, or even story, easier to visualize for the reader,your hooking them onto your story.

2: Read

I know when you envision yourself writing, you imagine yourself sitting in front of that computer, maybe in a cafe, drinking coffee to stay awake because you wrote all night. It doesn’t necessarily work like that. Most writers read, not only for pleasure but to improve their writing. These are a few stanzas from a poem by Emily Dickinson “Because I could not stop for Death.”

Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves— 
And Immortality.

We slowly drove—He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility—

We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess—in the Ring—
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain—
We passed the Setting Sun—

Or rather—He passed us—
The Dews drew quivering and chill—
For only Gossamer, my Gown—
My Tippet—only Tulle—

Because I could not stop for death by Emily Dickinson

In her poem, Emily Dickinson used symbolism to highlight ideas of mortality, fear, and death itself. In the first stanza, when she said “Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me, the carriage held but just ourselves and immortality.” There are many ways to interpret Ms. Dickinson’s poem, but I understood it to reference fear of death, but also fear of life as well. She had no fear of death, so she did not spend all her time waiting for death to arrive, and when death finally arrived for her, she did not run or fear it, but accepted it. The reference to immortality suggests her belief that death is eternal, and as there will always be something to die for, death will always live. When you read, you can learn to imitate, or understand the concepts the author is using in their work, and apply them to your own.

3: Target Specific Writing Skills You Want to Improve

Each author has their own writing problems or something they struggle with in their writing. Maybe it’s writing realistic dialogue, or maybe it’s writing believable scenes, but each author has something in their work they need to work on. Some authors skim over their problems and never face them, making writing that has the potential to be amazing, but the writing needs work. When you’re struggling at something, don’t just sit back and work on the things you are already good at in your story, find the things in your story that seem weak and write them again and again, read books, talk with authors who are skilled in the area of your struggle. And if you really care about, work on your writing, someday, you will make the New York Times bestsellers list.

4: Don’t Give Up

You probably already know this, but when it comes to your writing, don’t give up. J.K Rowling spent years working on her first book “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” before it became one of the most popular books for kids in the world. Writing takes time and a lot of effort. It often takes years to write a book you feel you can really be proud of, and that’s okay. Writing is not for the easily discouraged though, because it takes grit and determination to succeed in writing, and that’s okay. You really need to love what you’re doing and work hard, because then, there will always be a reward.

5: Make Yourself Clear

When you write, there are always many styles to choose from. But often it’s best to make your writing clear to the reader. You don’t always want to fill your writing with fancy words that you have to get a dictionary to find, because then, it’s harder to emotionally connect yourself to what you’re reading if you can barely understand it. Reading is half putting the words on paper, and half making the reader do the rest. You put the words there, and their minds will make the connection, wonder what will happen next, and get hooked on your story. Writing a good story means also applying the reader’s emotions to the mix, trying to get their emotions and experiences involved. One word can evoke a memory in the reader that helps them empathize with the character they are reading about. So remember, try to keep your writing clear and understandable to the average reader.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading my post on 5 Writing Tips! My tips are purely optional to use or not, and there are always different styles you can use instead if they appeal to you more. Please like and follow!