So you want to improve as a writer, and you've finally hit the wall where creativity alone is getting you nowhere. How can you improve and what should you look at (if you haven't already)?
THE TOOL BELT.
Grammar. Plot. Characters.
#1: Grammar
Without a doubt the quickest way to get your manuscript tossed off a publisher's desk is poor grammar. It shouldn't come as any surprise then that a fundamental part of an writers job.
If I asked you "What is an editor's job?" you might tell me "fix grammar and stuff". That's sorta true, but you can't leave grammar exclusively up to the editors. You just can't. Most of the time it's not their job to fix it anyway.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS:
- Paragraphing.
- Extremely basic comma placement. [Sometimes it gets tough, I know]
- Ending sentences appropriately. [Avoiding run-ons]
- Dialogue syntax. [This is the #1 mistake]
- Capitalization of proper nouns.
- Basics: (Their/They're, You're/Your, Were/Where, etc).
If you can't get your shit together with those basics, no one will want to touch your novel, especially publishers or agents.
#2. PLOT
I'm not going to give a comprehensive breakdown on how to plot in this section, but suffice to say it is important to learn. A lot of the problems I see as a developmental editor consist of the following:
- Plots driven exclusively by circumstance. ["Plastic bag plot"]
- Deus ex machina.
- Inconsistent time lines.
- Broken or nonexistent subplots.
- Lack of character arc (they are exactly the same as when the book started).
- Random "clutter" chapters / "side-quests"
- World building inconsistencies or inundating over saturation thereof. "Walking tours"
Without understanding the structure of your story, you don't actually have a story. You just have things happening that loosely correlate on a timeline. Poorly translated Animes often suffer this fate. You don't have to have a full plot, or hell even ANY plot in mind when you start out, but you need to know the methodologies to planning.
#3 Characters
Understanding what a character is can take years. No amount of natural talent is good enough. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. It's a great start, but talent alone isn't what it takes in the modern market. This isn't the 1930's. Everyone and their sister is writing the same characters, and you need to do better. The quicker you start studying what it means to write a CHARACTER (as opposed to just assigning trivial dialogue to your D&D character sheets) the sooner you'll be off to the printing press.
Tropes aren't Dope!
Writing characters is more than just inventing their traits and personalities. You have to understand them in your world, more than just their talents and powers. One of my favorite activities is actively putting myself in the shoes of a character. This is a great way to get to know them. Pretend the motion picture is already made and you're a millionaire. You're sitting on the panel at Comic Con taking questions as your character.
What is your purpose?
Why did you leave?
What drives you?
What are your weaknesses? Fears?
What gives you strength?
Who do you like and dislike?
These questions are just samples. There is a fun little subreddit called /r/iamafiction. You should check it out!
So there you have your tool belt categories and some of the nuances. Just knowing the categories and tools is a good start. However, it's up to you to master them in whatever way you see fit. The sooner you start, the better.
Follow me @GlitchHippy on that site with that bird.
If you're looking for a freelance editor (manuscripts all that), you can email me a 500 word sample to GlitchHippy@gmail.com.
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