But anyway, as a recent graduate, I was going through some of my school papers from my last semester, trying to decide just how much of it is actually worth keeping, and rediscovered the jewels of advice I learned in my creative writing class. I'm trying to apply them to my writing, and I thought I'd share some of the ones that have been the most helpful or motivational for me as a writer, for any aspiring writers out there that are looking to improve, in no particular order. I hope it's of some use to you!
1. To "prove" any short work, including poems, cut out the first and/or the last few lines or paragraph (or stanza). If the work still says what you want it to say and still makes sense, leave them out! You could even do it with a sentence or paragraph that seems too long.
This one has been especially helpful to me, since I tend toward wordiness when I write. I've recently tried my hand at writing flash fiction using scenes from stories I've written, and I learned through that process that you really can say something significant and have an entire plot in less that 500 words. Crazy, right? Another, related piece of advice is start the party in the middle and leave before it's over—in other words, start in the middle of the action or conflict, and end the chapter or whatever before things have really been resolved. It keeps the reader engaged and anxious to find out what happens next.
2. Follow the "triangulation" method of writing: dialogue, exterior description, and inner reflection. And don't stay on one for too long—jumping between them keeps the reader's attention.
This one has also been useful in helping me remember that I can't just describe my main character's monologue of self-pity while they're walking down the street. I have to remember to describe the surroundings, too. And you might even try describing things through the lens of self-pity, to make the emotion even more powerful.
3. Failure is a good motivator. Be grateful for it.
To be frank, I've probably learned the most about writing by all the ways I've messed up. When I first started writing and my stories didn't turn out the way I wanted them to, I put them away as failures, basically, and started something new. But now, I look back and see, not a bunch of failed stories, but tons of potential for a masterpiece. Once I figure out what I did wrong in the first place. And going along with that idea, it's better to write crap than not to write at all. You'll never improve if you give up after only a few tries. And then you can see that old adage come to life, the one that says "one person's trash is another person's treasure." Though in this case your own trash becomes your treasure.
4. Give your audience exactly what they want—but don't you dare give it to them the way they want it.
This one is a big one that I'm still trying to figure out. You have to think as a reader to be a writer, but when you do that, you think you want everything tied up in a neat little bow at the end, when really it should be a hasty granny knot with uneven ends and the question: when did that happen? It's hard to surprise someone when they see it coming. You just have to think outside the box, I guess. And push your reader out there too.
And now a few one-liners that are more or less self-explanatory:
Show, don't tell (but don't forget to tell when it's necessary).
Pursue the path you're on, even if it makes you (and the reader) uncomfortable.
Say it like it is. Readers want the meat, not the garnish.
Your job as a writer is to destroy people's lives as thoroughly and as rapidly as possible. (But please, only do it through your keyboard.)
If you're going to write, then write.
Good luck!
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