Growing as a Writer

Hey there! It’s been way too long. Life has been pretty hectic for the past few months, keeping me from uploading anything to my website. I am planning to make posting a higher priority, so I’ll start things back up with this post:

Let’s jump in! I’ve learned so much about craft and different techniques I apply to my writing, sometimes through failure. I haven’t had any catastrophic failures (yet), but I can think of numerous times when something in my work was lacking, and I learned from it. One of my biggest struggles in writing is making things overly emotional. I had a project that I thought would tug at the heartstrings and be devastating for the reader, but in reality, it was an emotional mess. I had scenes that came off as dramatic, or I overexplained the feelings of the characters. I had it pointed out to me by a beta reader that it really needed to be reeled back; I took it to heart. I thought I had written something raw and powerful. However, to my reader, it was over the top and just too much. 

While I was frustrated with my beta reader's critique at the time, I later realized they were completely right. A few months after I got the critique, I read through what I had written again, and they were right. Having the humility to acknowledge that my reader wasn’t wrong, I’ve been able to work on my project and make adjustments to enhance the reader’s experience. I don’t throw in as much inner dialogue about how sad or devastated my protagonist is feeling; instead, I do a lot more showing of how they are reacting to devastation and heartache. 

When I first started writing, I wanted to tell the reader everything and didn’t focus on showing as much as I needed to. Everything I wrote focused more on having my character explain what they were feeling rather than show. For example: I don’t have to say things like “I’m breaking down in front of everyone at this party. I can’t take this embarrassment.” I can replace that by changing it to “Tears burst from my eyes as everyone gawks at me, their eyes full of judgment. I run from their searing stares and escape through the front door.” That sounds a thousand times better.

The last thing I will share that I’ve learned is how to paint a picture of a scene's setting. I had this habit of not going into much detail about the settings of different scenes in my story, focusing more on my characters than anything else. In classes I’ve taken, I have learned that setting is just as important as the characters. I believe the habit of not focusing on the setting is due to the fact that I can see what it looks like in my head, but that doesn’t do the readers any favors. I can’t just say things like “The inside of this apartment building is kind of eerie.” Does my reader actually know why? No! Writing something like “The inside of this apartment is like a skeleton; everything has been stripped, the only thing left are three stories of walls and doors.” The first example jumps right into the vibe of the place, while the second example shows why the apartment has this vibe. 

With all that being said, to new writers out there, every time you get a critique or learn something new, it’s a blessing. Improvement doesn’t always come from within; outside sources can help in so many ways. I used to think I could become a better writer all on my own, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Taking classes, going to writing groups, getting critiques, and watching videos about craft have been beyond beneficial. Always keep an open mind and an open ear.

Glad to be back,

Lee :)