Have you found the secret of good writing?

Angelinity said:

What is the secret of good writing?

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Your very own monkey butler. If you have that, the rest takes care of itself.

Uh, I don't think it's a secret, per se. It's just something elusive and intangible, with many facets. "Good writing" is easy to spot, hard to quantify.

What exactly are you asking?

There isn't any, and even if there is, who cares.

I found the secret ( it was hiding in the privvy, next to the daddy long legs) but it ran away


The only secret is: *drumroll* practise till you do it right.

Readers who think that what you've written is good.

Honestly, I think that's the only secret to good writing there is. Even with a piece of good writing, there will be a school of thought that says it sucks.

The secret to good writing is the ability to stare at a blank monitor (or page) until your forehead bleeds. Then stare some more.

Hardwork. Pure and simple.

This seems more general than novel-specific. Moving to the roundtable.

First it starts with a good grasp of grammar. Then spelling. Then being able to string words together, then sentences, then paragraphs. Make those words cohesive. Now find that hook to draw your readers in on the first page. Write as often as you can, even if it means early in the morning or late at night. Rewrite. Read it out loud.

I don't believe there are any secrets of good writing, just as <gasp!> there's no fountain of youth.

Angelinity said:

It looks so easy. Rounded, compelling characters. Believable conflict. Motivation. Great pacing, fulfillment.

So easy when done well. By good writers.

Great storytellers do it in the one medium we worship: writing -- words strung together, no movie FX.

What is the secret of good writing?

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A) Keep it simple.

B) Don't try something you are unprepared for. Know your subject well.

C) Realize that what you start out with is going to need a lot of revision.

D) Don't beat yourself up. Try to enjoy the creative process. You've earned it.


I wish you well in your writing endeavors. I've been away for a while--I believe we have spoken (digitally) before. Just keep at it. The craft will come if you work at it.




Mike

I wouldn't call it much of a secret--you have to sense and feel your story, and you have to be able to translate that to words that hold as much as possible of the story.

It's hard. But it's not a secret.

stormie said:

<gasp!> there's no fountain of youth.

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Gee thanks, stormie. Another balloon in a long line of balloons popped. Sigh.




Mike

Apropos of nothing, whenever I see this thread title now, I'm reminded of a Dilbert strip and a quote by Dogbert after he gives some terrible advice: "Beware the advice of successful people; they do not seek company."

Edit, edit, edit. Then edit some more.

Angelinity said:

It looks so easy. Rounded, compelling characters. Believable conflict. Motivation. Great pacing, fulfillment.

So easy when done well. By good writers.

Great storytellers do it in the one medium we worship: writing -- words strung together, no movie FX.

What is the secret of good writing?

Click to expand...

There is no secret. All is available to all. You just have to be faithful to your ability to jump off the cliff and tell your story. You have to learn all the rules and then know when to ignore them. Leave your logic at the door when you enter the land of make belief. If you don't, they'll be able to see right through it. Write real. And, for the love of God, write more better.

Angelinity said:

It looks so easy. Rounded, compelling characters. Believable conflict. Motivation. Great pacing, fulfillment.

So easy when done well. By good writers.

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They know how to hide the hard work.

dempsey said:

They know how to hide the hard work.

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Bingo. It only looks easy. See my Michelangelo quote.

I've always thought it was the ability to think yourself into a frame of reference that has no pride of authorship or allegiance to what's on the page anywhere in it... and editing til you can declare it 'good' from that perspective.

I was thinking about starting a thread like this thread today, so it's strange to see someone else having done it already.

There was a good discussion of this about two years back.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34580

Unfortunately, the thread never went into specifics. As in, discussion of the tools writers use to achieve popular appeal.

SPMiller said:

Unfortunately, the thread never went into specifics. As in, discussion of the tools writers use to achieve popular appeal.

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If there was an actual answer to this question, everyone would be able to do it. There's simply not. Even publishers can't be certain which books will achieve popular appeal and which ones won't.

There is no secret. You can do it at home in the bathtub.

Matera the Mad said:

There is no secret. You can do it at home in the bathtub.

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I've heard it can be done while making pancakes any morning of the week. Though I'll admit, I've never tried.

I think the secret is not to go with the crowd. 99% of what is published will survive one printing maybe. Most authors publish only one book. You are almost guaranteed failure. So, there "Is" a big difference between good and bad. There is a difference between good fiction and "blockbuster" money makers too. Often the blockbuster will make money quickly while the good writing will act like the tortoise, never dying and always bringing in a pittance. You have to write "your" story, not a story that will be out of date in the 2 years it takes to be published. I have not found any secret. All I know is that you do need to have an excellent story. There is really no reason to commit a bad story to paper. I also think that an excellent writer knows exactly how to manipulate the audience. This is a totally different subject: Rhetoric, which is taught to law students and college English majors as an elective. How to "prove" the truth of something is very important to writer. It is a pity more time is not spent on this subject. There would be less sophistry in the field today.