BradyBunch's Practical Writing Advice · 10:22pm Oct 29th, 2021
When you're on the site for four years, you pick up a few tips, skills, and personal advice. Not all of it is within this post. But this is all useful advice that I have taken into consideration.
When the expression "write what you know" comes up, that usually infers that you have a specialization in a certain style and way of writing. But if you have nothing to write about, your authorship will come off as superficial. Get into the real world that you want to write about. Some of the best teachers of authors do not come in classrooms. They come from nature, from the experiences and trials you put yourself through. You can use the heartache and difficulties you have experienced to create convincing emotions within your characters.
Characters must contain a piece of the author, and yet be entirely separate characters from the author. As a unique individual, only you could come up with your specific character. No two original characters will be exactly alike unless you intend to do so.
If you are bored writing a specific scene, write a little bit ahead. Jot down a scene you have for the future; you can modify it later. This is like drawing a line from the start of the maze and from the end so they meet in the middle.
Ask yourself how something could go wrong, then make it go wrong, or as close to that result as it could get.
Make characters bleed. If you do this, it adds tension and stakes to the fight at hand. Also, make them stumble and fall and roll a bit; this isn't Hollywood, where people do seamless backflips and catch things in midair to form a mobile out of teacups or something.
Have at least one meaningful connection with each of the main characters. The more they connect, the better. Conversations should reveal character, convey plot information they otherwise could not have known, or inspire them to change their character.
Have characters be distinct. Give them something physical to differentiate them from the rest of the crew. In writing, the physical is frequently also allegorical.
Whatever you’re writing, make sure you are writing it for a purpose; make sure it has a point. Your readers want to read something hoping they can get something out of it. Their investment must pay off.
When you have to put off a project that is dear to your heart in order to complete a lesser project that will put bread on the table, that’s not selling out; that is called being an adult, especially if you have a family. The laborer is worthy of his hire, and authors have a responsibility to make it all worth it. When you open commissions and deliver according to the client’s specifications, that’s not selling out; that’s called giving fair value. But if you create work that you are or should be ashamed of because it will get you attention, honors, or money, you are a prostitute. Especially if that work is pornography.
Stay away from pornography. Avoid it like the plague. Run from it the same way Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife. Pornography is unequivocally an attack on the psyches of young men, which means it’s an attack on the family, which means it’s an attack on your fathers and brothers, as well as your sisters and mothers, which means it is an attack on society itself. I speak from experience; this will ruin you, even if you would like to pretend otherwise. If you are involved in watching it, shake off your chains. Take that snake and crush it into the ground with your heel. Channel what remaining drive pornography has yet to rob from you and fight like your life depends on it, because it does. You are in a boxing match that you cannot lose. Watching pornography in order to receive pleasure from ejaculation is like getting banging your head against a wall so you can feel satisfied when you don’t bang your head against a wall! You might say you're giving up porn, but there's nothing to give up. You already know what giving up feels like; you experience it whenever you indulge in your online harem. Don’t you want to know what it feels like to be free?
And for any authors that do decide to write pornography, you help contribute to the growing darkness in the world in your own little way. I plead with you to consider if this work is acceptable to write for your younger siblings, or your mothers and fathers, or for your Father in heaven. True freedom is not the freedom to indulge in sin at your own leisure; true freedom comes when you avoid pitfalls by living righteously.
Speaking of pitfalls, writers are not mystical beings that are exempt from the laws of society. If a man drinks and beats his wife, he is condemned by society, but if an author drinks, he is "tormented." Authors do not have mystical powers that no one else can access. Most flawed authors accomplished much despite their shortcomings, not because of them. Imagine how much better an author could be if he had mastery over his own body, his own actions, his own life! It was not the creative part of Ernest Hemmingway that pulled the trigger that ended his life. Even if you are not an author, cultivate discipline in your own life. It is a far greater success to overcome yourself than to conquer your enemies. You must be disciplined, or how else will your message resonate with your readers?
Resonate with them because you want your work to be remembered and treasured. Do not ever write for the elite class or the authorial establishment. They are the least important people to please, because they are the least open to new things and will give you the least amount of reward for your work. Too often, aspiring authors, musicians, and artists have failed to produce art that might have inspired millions, because they were aspiring to please the people who would never accept them in the first place. Jesus did not associate with the Pharisees; he taught the common people. To me, enough said.
That’s not to say you should become a sellout and create shallow drivel. But people desire inspiring stories and wonderful experiences. Out of the very small percentage of the population who read books, not many of them want the mush you serve the elite. You must therefore strike a delicate balance between stuck-up poetry and airport-bookstore quality fiction. If you want actual appreciation for your work, make it respectable.
“But how can I inspire people in my writing if my technique is so bad?” It is more important that you say something, rather than just learn how to speak, then speak nothing. Your writing techniques will never, ever be perfect. But they only have to be good enough to communicate the ideas you want in an entertaining and thoughtful way, and your readers will forgive you for your flaws. If, however, you have nothing insightful, intriguing, inspiring, or useful to offer in the real world, you deserve to be forgotten, and I promise that you will be.
You gotta read books. Sure, I guess I’d like it if you read my stuff, but you also gotta read actual books too. Novels, classics, history, sci-fi, redpill books. Not just to benefit your own skills as writers, but also because it is good for your health. You deserve better things than what you can find in airport bookstores.
Older books and novels will give you tools. They will give you inspiration. They will show you what techniques work, and what pitfalls to avoid. But you must not allow their dead hands to dictate the flow of your own pen. Do not stay so stuck with the authors of centuries and decades past that you do not progress in your own work.
One of the most important books to read for your own benefit is the Bible. For me specifically, the densest sections would have to be Genesis, Isaiah, Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, the Epistles of Paul, and Revelation. Even if you don’t want to read it because you aren’t religious, it would be folly to not be familiar with the most famous book in world history that shaped the face of Western civilization. You should read the Book of Mormon too, because it is a perfect compliment to Biblical teachings and the two of them run together. Here's the link to the first chapter that you can read online. You can also read it offline if you install the Gospel Library app. Read it to be familiar with my beliefs and with the Gospel, and also to understand some of the references I put into my works. Read in faith, and read hoping to glean spiritual insights. Seek out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning by study and faith.
Speaking of which, you gotta find God. It’s a crazy world out there, and it’ll only get worse. God will give you purpose, perspective, and motivation. It will be almost impossible to mentally and spiritually survive the following years if you do not have a solid foundation. Do it and watch your life get better, I dare you. I hope you can seek out and study the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, because I firmly believe we have the fulness of the Gospel, but if you happen to join the Catholic or Methodist churches, that’s perfectly fine too. Our church does not have a monopoly on truth, and some of my closest friends and role models are Catholic.
And when you do come unto Christ and be perfected in Him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness, stop apologizing for your beliefs. Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. Satan wants you to be unsure of it, but are you really going to listen to him? Why do you want to let in influences that actually want to destroy you?
Speaking of which, never compromise your beliefs to receive adulation and applause from the establishment--from the mob, from social media, from the government, from false friends, from the Left, from Anarcho-Capitalists, from RINOs, from neoconservatives, from transnational corporations. They would eat you alive otherwise, and all you’ve really done is prolong the inevitable, since they will turn on you eventually. Scum and evil comes in all shapes and sizes in your life, in your nation. If you bend to every gust of wind that comes your way in order to stay safe, you will never stand for anything, and you will fall for everything.
Make peace with your neighbors, with your family, and with God. Could you say, if you had been called to go home to Him today, that your heart had been sufficiently humble, and your thoughts, words, and deeds clean? If you had felt the spirit of Christ in your life, if you have ever felt at peace, I would ask: can you feel that way now?
Mosiah 4:9: Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
Be strong in the faith; never kneel, never bow, to anyone except God.
To add to all of this, there's a few writing tips I've picked up too:
1) Set the mood. Before writing a scene, ask yourself "what mood should the reader be in when reading this?" Whether it be tranquil, furious, calm, tempestuous, loving, hateful, healing, and harmful, there's always some music to listen to that will amplify those emotions and make you focus on that mood when you're writing that scene.
Want to describe some grand, sweepingly-epic city but you just can't find the words? Take a step back, find some grand orchestral suite, and listen to it.
Want to describe a high-speed action scene but keep stumbling over things? Put on some music to get your blood pumping.
Want to describe a romantic scene between two characters but you just can't nail the emotion? Put on some slow, quiet music that brings peace to that overthinking, tempestuous mind of yours.
The words will always come.
2) Talk to your characters. No, don't look at me that way, I'm not crazy! ...Well, not too crazy, anyway. But seriously, talking to your characters doesn't make you insane. In fact, it can not only give you someone to talk to during those lonely nights, it can also tell you more about that character's personality.
If you're struggling to write dialogue, ask yourself "how would they respond to ME if I were to talk to them?" And then...just talk. Let their personality shine through the words that come from your mouth, and then when it's over and done, try to capture that same energy and personality.
People have often told me that the dialogue I create for my characters is absolutely brilliant. Well, that's my secret --- I talk to them. I talk to Ponies. I talk to Humans. I talk to Dragons. I talk to Angels. I talk to a whole host of creatures that most people have never even heard about. I talk to people.
People, real or fantasy, are still people, and they aren't just words on a paper. They have lives, dreams, hopes, skills, likes, dislikes, loves, hates, friends, enemies, beliefs, and so much more, just like us. The only difference is that they're so far away, beyond our world, that they can only talk to the one person they've been able to reach: YOU. You're their only hope to let the world know that they're alive. You're telling their story, creating their world, crafting their very soul, word by word.
3) Take a step back and look at the world around you. We all get burnt out, that's a simple fact of life. Sometimes, no matter what you do, the words will just stop coming to you. The characters will stop speaking, the music won't help, and even prayer might not be enough. When this happens, ol' Doc GT prescribes one simple remedy, which is guaranteed to cure the sickness known as Writer's Block: take a walk. Step away from your computer, get out of your house (wear a mask, of course, and stay safe), and simply go walking.
It doesn't matter where you go, whether you go down a forest path or a concrete jungle sidewalk, just walk. Let your mind rest and relax as you take in the sights around you. Listen to the sounds, look at the people around you, watch the world turn for a few hours and observe what happens. I guarantee you, every time you do this, you'll find something new, see something new, and hear something new. Every time. Sometimes you may even hear the voice of God whispering gently in your ear, telling your mind what to write, and your heart what to feel. Let the world's troubles wash away from your broken heart for a moment, and let the wonders of Creation and the joys of life rejuvenate your soul.
It may take days, weeks, months, or even years, but someday, those words that inspired you once will do so again, and when that day comes, your characters will welcome you back with open arms.
To anyone reading this, if these tips have helped you in some way, then you know what to do. God bless you, keep on writing, be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes.
5601493
That is all fantastic advice that I support wholeheartedly. I've done all of this and more. You are wise and learned, and I am very proud of you.
Don’t write what you think what other people would like to read. Don’t even write what you know other people would like to read. Write the kind of story you would like to read. Be the only person whose opinion matters during creation.
Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Be willing to play with ideas, no matter how nonsensical they might look on paper.
5601519
All this and more. I wrote my stories because I wanted them to be told; they were in my head, and I wanted them on paper. So I hand-wrote more than three hundred words on lined paper, more than thirty-three chapters of my big book. I loved my story enough to do that.
5601519
My thoughts exactly! That is what I do with my writing, I write what I would want to read. It is all about writing what you enjoy and have fun with. If that genre just so happens to be clop for instance, go for it....if it is war, go for it, if it is a silly comedy, go for it. I know some people are truly concerned about placating others on here but this is my question for them, are you writing what you would read or are you simply putting out material that you wouldn't read just so others will? If one doesn't enjoy what they write, their quality will suffer.
5601516
I know you have a certain set of morals but when it comes to writing, authors should write things they enjoy. I know you have good intentions with your advice but I have to disagree. People can write porn and not devolve into some sort of amoral scumbag....and yes I'm one of those individuals. My view is if you don't like the porn stories, don't read them. And regarding your political statements.....I'm simply going to say let's agree to disagree.
I'm glad you posted this. I've been thinking about writing my own stories for a bit now, maybe even making it a hobby but I've been putting it off due to my insecurities and over thinking things. If I ever do decide to go through with it this will surely help, thank you.
5601567
I'm glad I could help. I'm so lucky I found you!
5601582
Really? That's definitely a new one, you don't know how happy that made me
Well I'm glad you were the first friend I made on this site (if you think we are that is)
5601607
It's really too bad I'll have to leave. I wish I could get to know you better, that you could study my work and understand more fully who I am.
5601613
My thoughts exactly, it really is a shame you'll be leaving but it's better that it happened late than to never have happened at all.
That's partly why I've been actively commenting on your posts so much. My thought being, "Well I should make their last days here enjoyable, even if all I do is just leave one little comment here and there. Hopefully it'll at the very least make them smile".