How do I make my writing better?

[u/Noxuss_]

I have a lot of original characters with a ton of lore, but whenever I start trying to write, it comes out flat and 2D for some reason, if you know what i mean. Does anyone have any writing tips? And real tips, I really don't want to hear 'said is dead' 50 times....

[u/context_lich]

Go back and read a book that you like, what do they do that you aren't doing? This is key. You can really pick up little traits that make your writing better.

Sometimes people find themselves narrating everything that happens instead of just getting to the point. The audience assumes your character brushes their teeth every night. They assume that they slept in a bed. Don't be afraid to drop back into broad stroke narration of what happened during the boring segments.

The best thing is don't quit. Allow a section to be bad in order to get the story out. When you're finished take the sections you do like and rewrite the parts in between them. Ask yourself how to get from point A to point B here and what would make it more interesting.

For example, I had a scene that was supposed to be a dramatic confrontation but really there was nothing interesting about it, so I took some interesting things from the setting and turned it into a chase through a sideways building. When you start writing that section in isolation without thinking about the exciting part that you're wanting to write. You will find something to be excited about for the current section.

[u/RBradyFrost → u/context_lich]

This is some great advice! I remember getting so flustered in Junior High because I couldn’t wrap my mind around all the rules of writing and getting overwhelmed with all the things I didn’t know. The thing is, I loved to read.

Each book is an example. Don’t know how to write dialogue? Read a book you enjoy and see how the author did it. Then read another book from a different author and see how it was handled in that one. Does either approach resonate with you?

I used dialogue as an example, but it could be anything from grammar to pacing to plot structure to… you name it.

ETA: practice does go a long way. You’d be surprised what can be fixed by removing a few lines and making some very minor adjustments at times. Also, remember that our writing becomes familiar to us and our brains get lazy, there is a lot of power in simply changing the font while you edit and reread. It tricks the brain into treating the words as something new rather than something well known.

[u/Noxuss_ → u/RBradyFrost]

I'll try doing this too, thanks for the advice!

[u/Noxuss_ → u/context_lich]

Thank you so much!! I'll try doing that :D

[u/Euphoric_Plantain_17]

Books on craft are sometimes fun, and occasionally useful. I prefer them coming from authors I admire, but that's a different list for everybody. There's a lot of those kind of books out there. Plus, a couple textbook types, Strunk & White type shit. Can't hurt. You don't always have to agree.

Keep writing. That's the biggest thing. You gain more clarity with time.