On Writing Well

Everyone can write. You can too! When I was a young girl, doing essays in my parents’ HDB flats was the worst thing in my life. I hated having to do these pointless scribbling of my thoughts and feelings, when I could go out to play.

I am no longer that frustrated child, and I have learned to appreciate the wonders in crafting a beautiful story. Now, I’ve earn enough through self-publishing to qualify for a loan for a new apartment. Writing fulfills me, and even better, it makes me love my job.

In writing I have learned the following which I am sure will help you too.

Read. Read More, Read Often. Once, someone told me they wanted to write great stories, but with a caveat: They hated reading fiction. I advised them to learn to read fiction or stick to writing non-fic, but they didn’t listen. Of course, the writing they produce was dreadful, clinical, and uninteresting.

It is important to read to be a better writer. Read your favourite authors, and your favourite genres, but also broaden your tastes within that genre. Read novels, novellas and short stories. Do not just devour video games, movies and manga! This will help you develop a good eye for writing, and you may even find it come naturally.

Read outside your genre. I’m currently reading Oliver Sacks’s The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat. Even though neurology is soooo far from my forte, it gives me lots of great insight into the minds of interesting and beautiful people.

Show, Don’t Tell. This is an age-old adage, but it still sticks true. Consider the following.

She came to the room. He knew she was furious, which made him nervous. She told him she was angry about how he spent their money on the Las Vegas trip. He tried to defend himself, uselessly.

Did you find the writing flat? Here’s a better sample:

Usually, she just let the door close by itself. But today she shut it. The way she held the doorknob, the way she refused to look him in the eye — he knew, even before she opened her mouth.

“I saw your receipts,” she said. There was a hidden guttural in her voice. “That Las Vegas trip. We could‘ve used it, you know. To rent a new place. Or at least, buy something nice.”

His back was wet, shivering with cold sweat. “I really needed it,” he said. “I really do.”

That may be superfluous and melodramatic, but observe: the second example never used the words angry or nervous. The writing has shown you — instead of told you — their emotions.

Recall Princess Amidala yelling, “You’re breaking my heart, Anakin!”. The scene was silly, because instead of showing her heart was broken, she tells us through unnatural dialogue.

Your First Draft Will Be Terrible. There is no going around it. At the end of your long writing stint, you may think you have written the next Into the Wild. Instead, you may have written the next Wild Animus *.

Always review and edit your work. You should give a first sweep for general and high level mistakes. Then move into looking into the nitty-gritties. These include tense shifts, spelling errors (American vs British!), formatting, and word choices. Consider your theme, your objectives, and whether your story even works. Kill darlings, clear potholes. Read the story aloud, and see if the dialogue flow naturally, or if the rhythm in your piece works.

Finally, ask someone you trust to look at it. An extra pair of eyes always help.

*As a sidenote, do check out Five Things You May Discover Reading Wild Animus!

Learn To Critique. You must learn to be a good reader and a good critic. Have you read a story you disliked, yet could not articulate your thoughts well? This is what you must learn to do.

Instead of saying “I hate it, and it sucks!” consider analysing why it gave you such a negative reaction. Did the story offend your principles? Did the plotting not make sense? Was violence the ultimate resolution, however illogical? Was it just boring?

After you learn to identify what’s wrong, you must strive to identify what’s right. Why did you like a story? Was it the wonderful use of language? Was the voice realistic and well-suited? Were the characters sympathetic and a joy to root for?

Learn To Listen. The hardest thing to hear is someone telling you they hate your work, especially if you have put your heart and soul into it. It may sadden you, or even anger you.

What you should recall is that you and your work should be separate. You should not identify yourself by your work, nor should your work be your baby. Instead of defending yourself, figure out instead how you can improve.

Nevertheless, you should not consider all critique to be correct, regardless of their constructiveness. It is important to choose what you believe is valuable.

Break the Rules, But Only After You Know Their Application. Yes, all rules are meant to be broken, even that of Strunk & White’s The Element of Style. In fact, there’s even a book called Adios, Strunk & White!

Just because you know a rule is “break the rules”, that doesn’t mean you can willy-nilly ignore everything (including telling instead of showing!). You must understand the fundamentals of these rules before, for example, eschewing speech punctuation altogether and go full Cormac McCarthy. Don’t emulate famous authors without comprehending their rationale for discarding rules — all you will look like is a pale imitator or even worse, a parody.

If you have any more writing tips, please feel free to talk to me!

Serene Ling is a self-published author based in Singapore. You may reach her at thatserenemoment@gmail.com.