What have you learned about your writing this year?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 6, 2008
Messages
18,889
Reaction score
5,029
Location
We couldn't possibly do that. Who'd clear up the m
Website
francisknightbooks.co.uk
It's just over a year since I decided to get serious about writing and stop pratting about. Almost a year since I joined this place. And it's that time of year when I naturally ponder what has happened in the prior twelve months.

So what have you learned about your writing this year?

I have learned:

That I can write passably well if I put my mind to it.

That some people like the way I write and some don't. Which is OK. As long as some people do.

I have learned how to write a query. A real one, not a bloody mess.

I have learned / refined how to show not tell, about pacing and not head hopping and...well you get the idea. I have learned that some of the noob stuff I did won't fly, and more importantly, why.

I have learned ( finally!) some grammar stuff. What passive writing actually is, gerund clauses etc.

I have learned that just because it's fantasy doesn't mean it has to be a doorstopper:D

I am on my way to overcoming my addiction to commas ( thanks Mumut)

I have learned that, short stories aside, I seem incapable of writing anything without at least some romantic elements.

I have learned not to gibber quite so much when posting in SYW.

And you?
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2005
Messages
47,985
Reaction score
13,245
I have learned that my dialogue is better than I thought; snappier and funnier.

I have learned I'm so allergic to dialogue tags I don't use them enough, according to my beta reader...and she might be right. I need to make it clearer who's speaking, so the aforementioned snappy, funny banter can be better appreciated.

I'm better at writing smex than I thought.

Adverbs and commas are evil. Even more so than dialogue attribution.

I can write a lot in a year (over one quarter mill in '08) but need to concentrate on finishing individual projects instead of spreading my writing over too many WsIP.

I have come a long, long way since the days of my heinous trunk novel.
 

rostaria01

writer warrior
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 22, 2008
Messages
113
Reaction score
11
I have learnt that I cant focus on one project at a time.

I have learnt that I can write well when I really want to

I have learnt that I like to write about contraversial subjects in fantasy.

I need to slow down and care about my project
 

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 6, 2007
Messages
31,660
Reaction score
11,406
Location
lost among the words
I've learned (realized) that studying all the techniques and theories in the world don't make a single whit of difference if you don't actually use them and WRITE something.
 

jgold

Grinning
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
545
Reaction score
437
Location
Pittsburgh
I've also learned not to fall into the evil trap of adverbs, gerunds and telling instead of showing.

I've learned not to dump backstory onto the first page, and how critical it is to hook a reader from the beginning.

That I can actually write publishable short stories.

That I'm good at writing suspenseful, scary scenes.

That I'm a much better writer now than I was a year ago.
 

jennontheisland

the world is at my command
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
7,270
Reaction score
2,125
Location
down by the bay
That when I get caught up in the moment I forget to write about the feeeelings.

How to control my tendency to use passive voice.

Participle phrases are not my friend.

Writing dialogue takes bloody forever, but once it's out it's not half bad.

That I need to have an ending in mind before I start with the beginning; and just because I think the ending is cheesey and predictable doesn't mean other people will.

That no matter what I do, there will always be elements of fantasy, some kind of magic.
 

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
I've learned that though I'm still struggling with some things, I've come a long long way. Now if I could just stop being so confusing with my pronouns...
 

kuwisdelu

Revolutionize the World
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Messages
38,197
Reaction score
4,544
Location
The End of the World
That writing is a whole lot more difficult for me in times of good mental health.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2005
Messages
47,985
Reaction score
13,245
Cool. Come round my house and we can have ourselves a little angst party! :D
 

SPMiller

Prodigiously Hanged
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 30, 2008
Messages
11,525
Reaction score
1,988
Age
41
Location
Dallas
Website
seanpatrickmiller.com
Hasn't been a year for me yet. My prose mechanics are good, but I'm still having issues with using too few commas and too many short sentences. I'm also unable to write query letters. Other than that, I'm doing well.
 

Red-Green

KoalaKoalaKoala!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Messages
4,392
Reaction score
3,782
Location
At the publishing party, whacking the piñata
Website
www.bryngreenwood.com
I've learned that reckless, emotional drafting actually produces better results for me than calm, focused writing.

Sex in books isn't just for titillation--it's character revelation. Just like your personal sex life is.

No matter how hard you try to make a story that involves someone being sentenced to death non-political, you will fail. If you succeed at being apolitical, you'll fail to make your character sympathetic. If you succeed at making your character sympathetic, you'll end up writing a book that subtextually argues against the death penalty.

Also, breaking the rules is fun.
 

Wayne K

Banned
Joined
Dec 3, 2008
Messages
21,564
Reaction score
8,082
I've learned that I stink at structure. But I found out that I tell a hell of a story, and I have a way with words. Not bad to know your weak points, and an ego boost for the good ones. I knew structure was going to be a problem, so I've been reading a lot. That forced me to write a second book this past summer. It's been a remarkable year for me.
 

DamaNegra

Mexican on the loose!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Messages
6,260
Reaction score
1,358
Location
Scotland
Website
www.fictionpress.com
What have I learned this year?

- That I really enjoy writing. Somewhere along the line I forgot about that.
- That I'm a decent writer, and may some day be published.
- That I can follow through and write a novel 'till "the end", even in one month.
- That the reason I haven't become a published writer is that I'm a very lazy person, and that I can really change that.
- That there's no reason writing cannot be enjoyable and profound at the same time.
 

Toothpaste

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 18, 2006
Messages
8,745
Reaction score
3,096
Location
Toronto, Canada
Website
www.adriennekress.com
In writing my YA I have learned how much I love writing MG. This is the biggest surprise to me really. I wanted to write YA to have more freedom, to be able to explore darker themes, and use the odd naughty word. But as I am nearing the end of my book, I realise how much I love the world of MG, how much I miss the energy and the colour. It has reinvigorated my love for the genre, and I can't wait to go back to it!
 

illiterwrite

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 3, 2006
Messages
708
Reaction score
139
Location
Toronto
I have learned that deadlines are incredibly difficult with two young kids at home.
 

Polenth

Mushroom
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Messages
5,017
Reaction score
735
Location
England
Website
www.polenthblake.com
I started writing about a year ago (though I did creative/storytelling things before, so it wasn't totally out of the blue).

I've learnt that...

* I'm not as bad as I thought I was.
* Other people like my writing too.
* I have a tendency to include references to robots, even when the story isn't about them.
* I need to remember to describe unusual things. The monster on the chair is more important than the chair.
* More robots.

And currently I'm learning how to structure novels.
 

LaurieD

aka Skwirrel
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
7,870
Reaction score
2,718
Location
🌎
Website
lauriedalzell.weebly.com
What I have learned about my writing this year -

- After keeping my stories just in my head for years and years, I found that I can still acutally write them down.
- Other people enjoy what I write, even outside my potentially biased family.
- I can write a query letter.
- I have learned that being published isn't just a fantasy anymore, it's a goal.
 

Stew21

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 2, 2006
Messages
27,651
Reaction score
9,136
Location
lost in headspace
I've learned not to get frustrated at false starts. Usually when a story finally really sticks and I get into it a ways I realize that my recent, disappointing false starts are that new story; they just started wrong a couple of times.

I've learned that I cannot write a query letter that will induce any level-headed agent to ask to read the book. Even after I workshopped it here. 43 rejections.

I've learned that while I've received 43 rejections that I am not giving up. Who knew I could be so determined?

I've learned that co-authoring is a great deal of fun, but the pressure goes way up when you do it in front of an audience.
 
Last edited:

Kudra

Back and on track
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
1,765
Reaction score
383
Location
London
Website
www.TheInternationalFreelancer.com
My list:

- I learned that while non-fiction skills don't translate to fiction, it's not rocket science and I'm fully capable of doing it.

- I learned that having learned English in India and as a second language, there will always be differences (and sometimes mistakes) in the way I speak or write in the language, and that's a strength not a weakness.

- I learned that my best work comes when I let loose and not care about what people will make of it.

- I learned that it's not the million-dollar words, but the million-dollar thoughts that count.

- I learned that I use way too many commas, and killing one here and there won't hurt.

- I learned that asking myself to choose between fiction and non-fiction is like asking myself to choose between my parents. Can't do it.

- I learned that I'm not a writer who writes for the market, and I'm okay with that.

- I learned that despite what "successful writers" say, the market will always support writers who follow a voice and not a market guide.

- I learned that I feel successful not by how much I sell or how much I make, but how much I love the process of writing every time I sit down to do it.
 
Last edited:

oneblindmouse

The new me
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
15,613
Reaction score
1,451
Location
Spain
I've learned that I can write good articles but don't know how to pitch them, and that the research and querying involved in pitching one's writing is a right royal pain in the butt.

I've learned that rejection is very demoralising.

I've learned that my poetry sucks.
 

ajkjd01

I just have to be faster.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 15, 2007
Messages
549
Reaction score
94
Location
in my dreams...
Website
www.addiejking.wordpress.com
I've learned that even one with the hide of a rhinocerous can be hurt by a nasty rejection. And how to deal with that one bad rejection that slips through the thick hide without trashing my own professionalism.

I've learned that when published authors give advice, there's generally a reason, and I ignore it at my own risk.

I've learned that even though someone may tell me that humor is the strongest point of my writing, I'm not confined to just writing the funny.

I've learned that critiques have layers. Sometimes you might see the point of what someone is saying but know that they have an underlying motivation for saying it. Learning to read people is sometimes the greatest skill in receiving in-person critiques.

Just because I'm used to getting critiques doesn't mean that I won't have a bad knee-jerk reaction to what someone might say. (I'm still in disbelief that I did that, and embarrassed. I know better than to respond with..."but it really happens!" DOH!)

My website sucks. Which is why I've torn it down for rebuilding in the new year.

That right now, it's okay to take some breaks from writing while life explodes. It would be different if I was under contract, or not writing at all, but I'm moving and changing jobs in two weeks. There's a limit to the brain power at the moment, especially since I just finished NaNo.

That my mother has finally read some of my stuff and understands my need to write. And is supportive. (Not that she wasn't before she read it, but I don't think she understood the need to try to build another career when I was already building an unrelated one)

That I can write an effective query and synopsis.

I can write a compelling opening chapter. And compelling doesn't require a fight scene, an action scene, blood, or a murder to suck in a reader.

I am definitely a writer who needs an outline for any story longer than 10K words. Shorter stuff might just take a few notes, but novel length works require more planning.
 

Ken

Banned
Kind Benefactor
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Messages
11,478
Reaction score
6,198
Location
AW. A very nice place!
I've learnt how important it is to research the markets you're sending your material to.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.