Writer Senses

 

One of my biggest issues that I have with my writing is my inability to continue my story because I do not like the way I worded a certain sentence here or felt like a certain line was too cliche there and I constantly have to keep going back over it. Tweaking, editing, obsessing, etc. Is this something common for everyone or am I unnecessarily hindering myself? How do you deal with this in your writing if you do the same? ******** Dear Writer, Your problem is not common to all writers, but it is common to many. All writers have unique snags in their processes. Some write an entire book in half a year and decide afterward that it is trash, immediately starting on the next book which then ends up in the trash. Other writers linger on the same project for years; I lean toward the latter. (See this video of S. King and G.R.R. Martin for more.) You're wise to note that this is a snag in your process. Your task should be to identify the needed changes to accomplish your ...

When the actions or surroundings are important, you should add as many details as it's required. That's clear. What about trivial stuff? Examples: He sat on the floor and drank a beer. He sat on the floor, clicked open a beer can, and gulped from it. He sat cross-legged on the floor, clicked open a can of Budweiser, and took a few gulps from it. Same with mundane surroundings: He walked along a sidewalk. He walked along a tree-lined sidewalk. He walked along a sidewalk lined with bald zelkova trees. How much detail do you add in this type of situation? ******** Dear Writer, You answered your own question: "You should add as many details as [are] required." The principle is no different for mundane details and important ones. Your question is difficult to directly address because it operates in terms of isolated examples. At the least, we would need the broader context of a whole chapter or passage to determine if a certain level of detail per instance i...

I am at a loss where to even start. I have finished my first draft of my novel, I am powering through my editing and preparing my second draft for critique. I am getting really close to having my novel ready to send to the chopping block of the publishing world. I just don't know where to even begin this process. I want to go the traditional route and have a publishing company publish me. This is the first novel I have ever really finished, and I have been working on the idea of this story for years. To be honest, I never thought I would get to the point I would be close to ready to publish, and it is getting more real than I ever expected it to. I have been given a ton of positive feedback and feel that with a little bit more shine I have a good candidate for publishing. Any advice for those who have gone through this that knows where, who, why, what, and any other questions I should be asking or answering, your help is much appreciated. ******** Dear Writer, Congrats ...

I have read all over that the last thing you want to do is start your story with a dream. The thing is, it's not my intent to start my story out in a cheesy dream sequence. In fact, it's not even a dream. It's a premonition that is relative to the plot of the story. When I chose to start out this way, it wasn't because I thought "ah! I'm going to start my story in a cool dream just to throw the reader for a loop once they realize this isn't really happening". It's how I saw my story starting. And it's not intended to throw my reader for a loop, it's intended for the reader to want to know more about this premonition. Now after the premonition takes place, if you read further, you will see that it's not a dream. You will learn as you read that my MC has the gift of premonitions, and that this particular premonition has manifested itself in her waking state, as she received an injury from the premonition. So the problem is, I underst...

I have a scene where the MC wakes up in her boyfriend's bed. She talks with him for a while then makes an excuse to leave. At some point, I though, "Hm, they didn't even mentioned or ate breakfast." Note: the time is around eight a.m. In another scene, they meet for a date. In the first draft, they go to a restaurant, but then I changed the location to a library. At some point, I thought, "Hm, they don't eat dinner in the whole date." Note: the time is around seven p.m. Do you think this is an issue? Or the reader will just assume the characters ate between scenes (or behind scenes)? Or maybe the readers don't care at all? (Right now, I only make the characters eat when they are in a bar, restaurant, or while they are doing something else like using the computer.) ******** Dear Writer, There are two main ideas to consider. First is "Chekhov's Gun." Anton Chekhov argued that if a gun is present on stage in act I of a pla...

So I'm working on a book about grim reapers and I just discovered its almost exactly like the plot of "dead like me"....I'm so mad. Ive never even seen this show before. How can I fix it without redoing all my work? ******** Dear Writer, Audre Lorde said, "There are no new ideas, there are only new ways of making them felt." She is getting at the heart of your question. This concerns tropes and how to use them. Fact is, at this point in history, no one is going to write something that has never been seen before in at least some respects. Every writer must at contend with this truth, get over it, and keep writing. My advice is that you not concern yourself with how much your original work may overlap with existing work in your medium or another medium. This happens to all of us from time to time in varying degrees. Focus on the unique things you bring to the table. Research and be inspired. Your perspectives, passions, and expertise...