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Write Better
A Expose-Lit Guide
We all need to.
Ponder, for a moment, these questions:
Because – though this may surprise you – good writing is more likely to get: a Daily Deviation, feature, prize, comment, favourite, or solicitation for publication (yes this happens on dA).
Read.
Obtain critiques.
Read resources.
Write.
Challenge yourself.
Oh yeah. And read.
Ponder, for a moment, these questions:
1. What was the first piece you ever wrote? How bad was it? How far have you come?
2. What is your favourite piece of literature? For how long had its writer been writing when he/she wrote it? How far have you got to go until you can write that well?
Assuming you’re somewhere between Total Beginner and Literary Genius, you have already travelled some distance along the path to better writing, but the way is long and you have many miles to go. Most published authors are just dallying at inns down side alleys a few miles ahead, exhausted or daunted by the length of the long, long road.
Catch them up, steal their pony, and gallop ahead laughing.
"Why bother?"
Because – though this may surprise you – good writing is more likely to get: a Daily Deviation, feature, prize, comment, favourite, or solicitation for publication (yes this happens on dA).
"But how can I improve?"
Read.
Obtain critiques.
Accept them with grace: first by learning to be self-aware in your writing; second by editing and practising technique.
Read resources.
Do you write prose? Or poetry? Struggling with plot? Voice? Want to get started with some solid research, or polish up after the draft is done? Are you mystified by metre? Or hacked off because the thing you actually need help with isn’t listed here? Somewhere out there, there is (probably) a tutorial for you.
Write.
Decide what works in your piece. Decide which bits let your piece down. Edit. Accept your own imperfection and be determined to improve. Write more.
Challenge yourself.
Join a hardcore prompt or workshopping group and write something like nothing you’ve ever written before. Enter a competition; read the other entries (especially the winners) and see what you can see.
Oh yeah. And read.
Read everything. Read bad stuff and good stuff. Work out why the bad stuff is bad (and identify any features which redeem it) and why the good stuff is good (and how it could be even better). Read “Literature” and popular fiction, poetry and plays, ancient classics and modern fripperies, ancient fripperies and modern classics. Try new things. Step outside your comfort zone. Keep reading.
Ready to move on?
FAQs
How do I get a DD?
Critique
Daily Deviations
The #Expose-Lit project aims to hook up dA writers who feel lost, overwhelmed or overlooked, with the literature community at large. Why not join us?
!
It's been a week or so. I am still around. Go me.
one. life updates
(People's personal lives are my favourite thing about journals. Pls skip if that is not you.)
I am (a) no longer teaching (short answer: "I like teaching, I don't like being a teacher"), (b) not entirely true, I'm tutoring maths and English, and teaching creative writing to kids and teens some weekends, (c) I'm also doing temp bar work. Which would be fine if it weren't for people, (d) I'm also doing an MA in writing for young people starting September. Very much looking forward to meeting a load of weirdos like me and hanging out with them for a year. And writing, obvs. (
?
I keep trying to come back and I keep failing but I want to be part of dA again I miss it.
(Also, I'm totes under-employed now, so IT'S POSSIBLE?)
Swimming / Hammers
This term-time business is a lot of hassle and involves far more effort than I have the effort-muscles to put in.
Right now I am organising summer concerts, a zoo trip, finishing end of year reports, involved in various art week shenanigans and getting a pack of children prepared for sports day, I'm getting observed tomorrow, and that's relatively little in comparison to all those people putting in real effort-muscles. I'm mostly just swimming from day to day. Using doggy paddle. I'll get to where I need to be eventually, anyway.
(And that is? Summer holidays with brain still basically intact. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...)
Ham
Wildlife Rescue Adventures
#hammeredpoetry is back, and now accepting prose entries as well as poetry.
Read about Prompt 8: Story-telling and the Power of Three
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Wildlife Rescue
We've been looking after some friends' felines while they've been travelling in New Zealand. They send us texts such as "sitting on a beach in the sunshine drinking beer. Our lives are so hard :(". Meanwhile we have become very attached to their cats.
Two days ago I was washing up and gazing out the kitchen window. The young ginger male, fittingly called Loki, was stalking through the overgrown lawn, thinking he was soooooo camouflaged.
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Comments35
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this is pretty cool. c: I want to improve my writing as well and I'm definitely going to take this advice!
I do have to ask though, how do you get out of writers block? I have at least seven or eight stories in my head right now, but no matter how much effort I put into trying to write one of them out (I like to take them one a time because multitasking while writing is a dumb idea) i still can't seem to make the words flow. any suggestions for a writer in need of help? =0
I do have to ask though, how do you get out of writers block? I have at least seven or eight stories in my head right now, but no matter how much effort I put into trying to write one of them out (I like to take them one a time because multitasking while writing is a dumb idea) i still can't seem to make the words flow. any suggestions for a writer in need of help? =0