#emilys writing tip
Today (Dec 2nd) is my 24th birthday and it made me think about how I’ve been writing for over ten years, and what was the main thing I learned in that time.
And what I learned, the main tip I can give you is just to write what you want to write. Even it’s not “well written”, even if it’s an idea that’s been done thousands of times, even if it’s something you would never show to another human being. Just write it.
You only get better at writing by writing, and you are far more likely to write if it’s something you want to write about. Craft the story you’ve always wanted to see, whether it’s one sentence or 100 pages. And you don’t have to show it to anyone. Don’t tie other people’s validation to your self-worth as a writer. Writing for yourself, writing for fun, for experimentation, is just as amazing as writing something to be published.
Writing should be fun, enjoyable, and/or relaxing (most of the time). If you start to hate writing, then take a step back and figure out why. Are you writing because you feel obligated to write at a certain pace, one that is causing you burnout? Are you writing something you don’t like for the satisfaction/praise/validation of others? If you reach the point where writing causes you more stress than joy, you need to evaluate your situation for the betterment of your current and future self.
And you don’t have to finish anything you write. The amount of unfinished stories I have is uncountable at this point, but it is numerous. The reason I dropped a story varied greatly; sometimes I grew out of the fandom (for fanfiction); sometimes I had just a couple of scenes that I wanted to write and after that, I didn’t feel the need to continue it, and sometimes I just moved on to another idea that caught my inspiration, and then I moved on to another Idea and then another and then…
Write what you want to write. Be proud of whatever you choose to write. And keep writing (when you feel like it). Good luck!
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I wanted to highlight this WritingTipWed. Every Wednesday I post a writing tip on my Twitter! If you want to see these weekly, follow me @/EmilyLaJaunie.
July’s WritingTipWed! Every Wednesday I post a writing tip on my Twitter! If you want to see these weekly, follow me @/EmilyLaJaunie.
~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~
#WritingTipWed 51 - Every writer has their struggles. Some have difficulty writing dialogue, others descriptions, others world-building. Write what you’re comfortable with first, then fill in what’s difficult. And always be kind to yourself.
#WritingTipWed 52 - It’s obvious, but it takes time to write a novel. It’s completely standard for a book to take years to finish, so don’t worry about how long you’ve been working on yours. You’re writing it, and that’s all that matters.
#WritingTipWed 53 - There are 3 types of character flaws: Minor, Major, and Tragic/Fatal.
Minor: Makes character distinguishable and well-rounded
Major: Impairs/restricts character in some way
Fatal: Brings character’s downfall
Minor ex: Childish, Clumsy, Lazy
Major ex: Arrogant, Envious, Short-tempered
Fatal ex: Greedy, Disloyal, Violent
Some flaws can be minor for one character, but fatal for another depending on how they work around it.
blog.reedsy.com/character-flaws/
#WritingTipWed 54 - Quirks are necessary to create a memorable, relatable character. These can include habits, beliefs, actions, style of dress, etc.
Ex: Always wears a wide-brimmed hat and taps foot when nervous.
masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-characters-with-believable-quirks#16-common-character-quirks-to-prompt-your-writing
June’s WritingTipWed! Every Wednesday I post a writing tip on my Twitter! If you want to see these weekly, follow me @/EmilyLaJaunie.
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#WritingTipWed 46 - When writing a queer character, don’t make the character’s only defining trait about being queer.
Ex, just how you wouldn’t write a character whose trait is being straight, don’t make one whose trait is being gay.
#WritingTipWed 47 - When writing something set in a previous time period, look up what words/phrases were commonly used/didn’t exist yet. And for meanings of words, as they can change over time.
A “gay man”, for instance, used to be a womanizer.
Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay:
“The word may have started to acquire associations of immorality as early as the 14th century, but had certainly acquired them by the 17th. By the late 17th century, it had acquired the specific meaning of "addicted to pleasures and dissipation”, an extension of its primary meaning of “carefree” implying “uninhibited by moral constraints”. A gay woman was a prostitute, a gay man a womanizer, and a gay house a brothel. An example is a letter read to a London court in 1885 during the prosecution of brothel madam and procuress Mary Jeffries that had been written by a girl while slaved to a French brothel:
“I write to tell you it is a gay house…Some captains came in the other night, and the mistress wanted us to sleep with them.”“
#WritingTipWed 48 - Accept that when you’re writing a queer story, even if you consulted with hundreds of queer sensitivity readers/beta readers, that your story will not satisfy everyone. You can’t please everyone, so still, be proud!
#WritingTipWed 49 - The APA now endorses the use of “they” as a singular third-person pronoun and it is part of the APA style!
So instead of writing “he or she” write “they” and instead of “his or her” write “their.”
apastyle.apa.org/blog/singular-they
#WritingTipWed 50 - On this last day of Pride Month, remember to love. Love yourself, love others, love your writing. Write about what you love, who you love. The love of friends, families, partners, that’s what makes a story powerful.
May’s WritingTipWed! Every Wednesday I post a writing tip on my Twitter! If you want to see these weekly, follow me @/EmilyLaJaunie.
~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~
#WritingTipWed 42 - “a” vs “an”
“a” is used before words that start with a consonant sound and “an” before words with a vowel sound.
Ex: This could take anywhere between an hour and a week.
writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/a-before-consonants-and-an-before-vowels-is-not-the-rule
#WritingTipWed 43 - Re-writing over and over again can do more bad than good. Once you’re satisfied (which means there are still tweaks you could make), let someone else read it or let it stew for a few days. You’re looking for fresh eyes.
#WritingTipWed 44 - Remember that a critique can be based on a personal preference and not objectively. No one writer would write the same scene the same way. These should still be considered but remember your preferences are just as valid.
#WritingTipWed 45 - Use “There is”/“There are” at the beginning of your sentences as little as possible for better sentence variety. Because if every other sentence began as such, the work would be unnecessarily repetitive.
April’s WritingTipWed! Every Wednesday I post a writing tip on my Twitter! If you want to see these weekly, follow me @/EmilyLaJaunie.
~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~
#WritingTipWed 38 - A sentence doesn’t always have to be grammatically correct, especially with commas. If the sentence your grammar checker flagged for not having/having a comma flows better the way you wrote it, then keep it.
#WritingTipWed 39 - Don’t be afraid to create new words or phrases in your works. With the right context clues, they won’t confuse your readers. And then, one day, they may be added to the dictionary, and to the common vernacular.
Like Shakespeare who invented over 1000 words in the English language, like “bedazzled” and “addiction”, and many of them are used in everyday conversation to this day.
#WritingTipWed 40 - Cliches are not inherently bad. There are bad ones sure but using some in your writing doesn’t automatically make you a bad writer. You shouldn’t avoid them completely and should incorporate some into your writing.
Using selective cliches adds familiarity to your writing. Readers can get excited because they somewhat expect what’s going to happen. And then, if you subvert the cliche, it’ll create surprise/intrigue in your readers and it’s a great way to make a statement/critique.
#WritingTipWed 41 - If you cringe at what you’ve written before, whether it was years ago or yesterday, that’s good! You’ve grown as a writer and are more certain of how you want to write, even if you don’t know how to fix it at the moment.
March’s WritingTipWed! Every Wednesday I post a writing tip on my Twitter! If you want to see these weekly, follow me @/EmilyLaJaunie.
~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~✦~
#WritingTipWed 33 - Learn from other people’s mistakes. Check out @/menwritewomen on Twitter to see how not to write female characters, especially how not to describe their appearance and behavior.
You can also check out this article.
#WritingTipWed 34 - When writing a long passage, you should create a new paragraph when: the “camera” moves, a new idea/topic is introduced, time passes or reverts, the setting changes, the mood shifts, and/or you want to create dramatic effect.
#WritingTipWed 35 - Never compare your writing speed to others because everyone writes at their own pace. Some can write thousands of words in a day, others write hundreds, and others write a few sentences. All are equally good because all make progress.
#WritingTipWed 36 - Writing takes energy, always. Even if you enjoy it, it takes a toll. If you’re unmotivated to write or hating writing, take a break (at least for one full day). Do not feel guilty about it, never feel guilty about self-care.
#WritingTipWed 37 - If your dialogue sounds stiff, try adding crutch words. They add no meaning or value to a sentence but are commonly used: “Actually”, “honestly”, “basically”, “like”.
Ex: So, basically, I was like, how could this happen?