it’s never too late!!!!!!! to text them back. to drink enough water today. to get into a skincare routine. to learn the piano or how to paint!! to learn winged eyeliner. to tell them how u feel. to start getting fitter. to get changed or brush your teeth or shower today. to read that book or watch that show everyone was talking about years ago. to turn an acquaintance into a friend. if u don’t start somewhere u won’t go anywhere at all.
“It’s bad enough in life to do without something YOU want; but confound it, what gets my goat is not being able to give somebody something you want THEM to have.”
This. This is good fiction writing advice. I really appreciate how it was formatted as “this is a common problem, here is a solution to try in your own work” and not “oh god, don’t do that!” without any extra help. And I extra appreciated the “don’t rely on adverbs” bit, because they do have their place but they aren’t the only way actions can be emphasized.
Very good advice. All of it. This has been invaluable to me. (except for the narrator part. I’m not too great with sticking to a certain POV, I tend to wander a little bit. Well, a lot. but it works for me. At least, no one’s complained yet.)
But every time I see this post, I’ve always wanted to add -
When you’re drafting, forget all of this.
When you are drafting, all that matters is getting the words on the page. Personally, I add dialogue tags to almost every single spoken line. Sometimes, it’s an action, if it’s important to the scene and I want to remember it. And occasionally, I even know when and where a conversation takes place.
All the above advice comes into play when you are editing. Editing is where you add individual character voice, so you know who is talking even without a dialogue tag. Editing is where you set-block - who’s sitting, who’s standing, are they in a building, a field, the street. Editing is where you layer emotions into their actions, communicating things that can’t be said through spoken words alone.
But when you’re drafting, just write what you already know about the story. You can excavate the rest later.
“I’ve known most of my close friends since I was four or five. We went to the same schools. We’d go to the same summer camps together. So for the first eighteen years of my life, I was never really forced to meet new people. But last year I went to college in North Carolina, and it was the first time that I didn’t know anybody. During orientation they had some sort of street fair so that you could meet new people. I followed a bunch of guys from my dorm there. I tried jumping into the conversation a few times, but it seemed like everyone was talking to each other more. Eventually they peeled off, and I just walked up and down the street alone. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the semester. It was the longest four months of my life. It seemed like everyone was making friends except me. Or they’d already formed groups and weren’t accepting new people. I kept hearing other kids making plans after class, and it was a reminder that other people were making connections that I couldn’t. I spent most of my free time alone in my room. I’d sleep through entire weekends. I felt like a broken social person. Recently I transferred to a school closer to home, and it’s been much better. There were a few familiar faces, which helped. But I’ve also relearned how to make friends. I’ve joined a few groups. I’ve put myself out there more. I’m being more consistent with people. And I’m trying not to take it personally if someone says ‘no’ to an invitation. I’ve met some new friends this year. And I’ve realized that being social isn’t really something you are. It’s something you have to practice.”
“But I’ve also relearned how to make friends. I’ve joined a few groups. I’ve put myself out there more. I’m being more consistent with people. And I’m trying not to take it personally if someone says ‘no’ to an invitation. I’ve met some new friends this year. And I’ve realized that being social isn’t really something you are. It’s something you have to practice.”
There are only two kinds of posts here: a) what upsets me and b) what delights me. Kaye. 26. All sorts of weird, random and conceited. If you know me and you are reading this blog, please don't mention it to me. Thank you. :)
