My FAVORITE Writing Tip

Doncha wish that there was just one simple thing that could completely transform your writing from amateur to awesome? Admit it, sometimes the normal learn-by-experience can require too much...patience. Hard work. Are there no shortcuts?

No, sadly, there are no shortcuts in writing. Writing just seems to be one of those things that is gained by pain. No one is a Shakespeare/Bronte/Lewis/Tolkien as soon as they pick up their pen for the first time.

However...

...there is one writing tip that (I think) is pretty close to a shortcut. It's transformed my writing just over the course of six months. It solves the problem that nearly all starting writers have. Just my opinion, but I hope as you read you'll agree. =)

Let's take this as an example.

Juniper wasn't very happy that Jake had put the frog in her bed. She yelled at him for a while, and then just went to her frog-free bed.

Now look at that. What are the two sentences saying? Juniper was mad because Jake had pulled a mean prank. She lost her temper, and then went to bed. Okay. That was kinda boring. There is no picture here--it's flat, dull, and makes for horrible reading. This style is called 'telling', and it's not suggested. At all.

Now look at this:

The door barely escaped flying off its hinges as it was flung open. Juniper stormed into the room, her face bright red with fury. Off in a corner, her brother Jake's eyes widened at her livid face.

"JAKE!" A bellow akin to an angry bull's rent the air as Juniper planted herself in the middle of the room. Her flaming eyes were fixed on the cowering form of her little brother.

Jake wriggled desperately into the corner of the couch.

"Don't try to hide. I know exactly who placed this frog in my bed."

A groan emitted from behind the pillow, held like a shield of last-resort. Everyone knew that when Juniper put on her deadly quiet tone, it was over. Slowly, Jake raised his head and prepared to face his doom.

Piercing eyes glowered as Juniper held out a plastic cup toward Jake. "Take it," she said coldly. "I found it on my pillow." A tell-tale ribbit sounded from the depths of the drinking vessel.

Hastily, Jake snatched away the amphibian and the cup, mumbling something under his breath. He was about to exit the room, when Juniper laid an unfriendly hand on his shoulder.

"Jake," she said. "I'm going back to bed now. But be assured...I won't forget this."

He gulped.

With no further fanfare, Juniper quietly slipped away. But Jake knew that it wasn't the last of this episode.

Now look at that. The same general information can be found: Juniper was mad because Jake had pulled a mean prank. She lost her temper, and then went to bed. However, wasn't that much more interesting? Hmmm...a break of about two days since I wrote 'bed.' and 'However' has elapsed...and I just lost my train of thought.

Ah! I had it again! Read the first example, and then read the second. Which one gives you a better, clearer picture? Which one reveals things about the characters' personalities, behavioral habits, pet peeves, and hobbies? Which one has flow?

Yep. The second one, the one that uses the style of 'showing'. Why? Because in the first, I just told you that Juniper was mad at Jake, and in the second I showed you.

I see the style of 'telling' in many starting-out writers' books, mostly my own. I actually wasn't sure why my writing sounded so bad, although I had mostly fixed the problem just on my own. But then I read a really great, informational blog post by SOMEONE, but I can't remember who! Aaargh, I hate it when that happens. I think that to hear Erestor jabber in my ear about Pokemon cards and other subjects, I have to erase things on my memory chip. That's how the data on how to type a capitol E with the two dots over it got lost.

But anyway, when I read that incredible post, I almost fell of my chair. That was it! As before mentioned, I had managed to fix most of the 'tell' parts in my books without knowing what they were, but because I wasn't able to make a full diagnosis other than that it sounded awkward, I couldn't get them all.

Anyway, can anyone tell that I LOOOOOVE this writing tip? All these years, I've suffered from 'telling', and now I FINALLY KNOW! Okay. Yeah.

On a tangent, this post has taken almost a week to write. I have no clue why; maybe because I've been so busy. Oh, and tonight's the night that Strasburg (*gasp* spell-check doesn't know his name! They marked it...a misspelled word!) pitches for the Nationals in the major leagues! Yay! I'll miss it, because I'm trying out a soccer league, but I'm still really happy. Finally, maybe this area will actually be GOOD at sports!

Izori