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- Jul 21, 2021
This thread'll aim to achieve one thing: improving your writing with simple, concrete rules that can be applied overnight but improved upon daily. I'll link resources here from famous writers that I find and include some of my own objective rules, and if you like 'em, take 'em, but know that I'll be keeping my opinion out of it and the thread generally clean and unbiased.
Here's what I mean by a rule that might be considered 'opinion:'
1. Starting a sentence with 'started to, began to, went to,' is generally considered weak writing.
It both is and isn't. If your intention was to write, 'he started to walk to the door,' you should probably just say, 'he walked to the door,' because the previous sentence was more inactive than active. And in general, you want to write using strong active verbs rather than weaker ones. But if you intended to write, 'he started to reach for his sword, but before he could, an arrow struck him in the chest,' you've subverted expectations and changed your writing from inactive to active. And therefore, you can see why this advice might be considered opinion. It's subjective to what you, the writer, intended to do with those weaker verbs.
Here's what I mean by something that would be considered a hard and fast rule:
1. William Strunk in his book, The Elements of Style, suggests writers, 'omit needless words.'
> Casey pulled out her weapon and spun it from left to right, creating a dazzling effect as the sun struck the surface of the steel. John shielded his eyes and winced, and in that moment Casey stepped forward and struck him down with her blade.
> Casey unsheathed her sword, John shielded his eyes, and Casey struck him down.
One tells us the sun is shining. The other shows us. And that's obviously not all. The second is far, far punchier if you consider it in the context of an action novel. — Likewise, if you can achieve the same effect with one sentence rather than two, do it.
Orwell's six rules for writing:
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
Hemingway had very similar rules:
1. Use short sentences.
2. Use short first paragraphs.
3. Use vigorous English.
4. Use the positive, not the negative.
Commentary:
Orwell:
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
How many times have you heard, 'they fought like cats and dogs?', or 'as strong as an ox?' — In general, you want to leave these out of your writing because they leap out of the page and create an immersion-breaking effect for your reader. You rarely want to remind your reader that they're actually reading a piece of text, especially one with turns of phrase they might've already read before. You want them to remain immersed in your style, not someone else's.
Likewise, the narration of most writing comes from the opinion of the main character themselves. Would your character really describe something as, 'fighting like cats and dogs?' — Or would they use something character-specific? For example, if your character's a blacksmith, he might say the swords rang with the same sound his hammer did when it struck the anvil. Generally when similes pop up, they're better when they're character-specific.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
Writing has rhythm, and short words are easy to follow. Read that again. Writing has rhythm, and short words are easy to follow. (But long sentences that unnecessarily obfuscate themselves with multiple syllables can be a bit of a headache to hold onto.... case in point.)
The reason for this is ambiguity is the death of good writing. You want to use short, clear words to construct sentences because they create very clear images in the reader's mind: the red tree stood on a green hill next to an orange sunset. — Be specific.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
I exampled this already. But in general, you want to check your writing for fluff. If something isn't serving a purpose, or isn't there to create an intended effect, then it's distracting the reader from the intended effect. — Cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
The difference between showing versus telling. Easily identified when writers hinge their prose on, 'was, had, did,' and other weak verbs. Reading too much passive voice sends most readers into 'The Big Sleep.'
The car was driven off the road by Jimmy. — Passive. Someone's telling us what's happening. The car, the object, is telling us, the reader, what's happening to Jimmy, the subject, through an indirect action.
Jimmy drove the car off the road. — Active. You're in the character's shoes, and your ass is going over the cliff also. The subject, Jimmy, is you, and the object, the car, you're in, and the verb, drove, is happening to you. ... Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Stupid science bitches couldn't even make I more smarter! — Assume most readers have low reading levels. You'll sell more copy.
Hemingway:
1. Use short sentences.
They're punchy. They're quick. They smack the reader on the nose. And best of all... they're easy to grasp.
When you start cutting your sentences off, people start taking notice. It's the less is more mentality.
This is not to say you can't write long, flowing streams of consciousness, but there's always a time and a place for that sort of stuff; and by and large, you always have to set these things up with short sentences up anyway. Don't think these rules are suggesting you never use other techniques. No. What they're suggesting is that these should be the staples of any writer's toolbox.
2. Use short first paragraphs.
This applies more to novels than role-playing. But it can also be done in role-playing to create a certain effect.
A short paragraph grabs your reader's attention. If the first paragraph doesn't grab, your reader's gone; and so are your chance of selling a novel.
In role-play, you could write a simple three-part sentence to light up your partner's imagination. Something that engages the senses. Then start describing the setting (as is traditional in openers) afterwards.
3. Use vigorous English.
It's Orwell's 'active rather than passive' rule, except with a twist. Use strode instead of walked. Tossed instead of threw. Grinned instead of smiled. Bigger, better, more colourful imagery for your reader to digest. Hemingway was a fan of characters who were larger than life, a skill he achieved through his use of deceptively simple prose to create vivid imagery.
4. Use the positive, not the negative.
So interesting, this one, and one I'd never thought about until I'd read it.
Rather than saying, 'I don't like it when my coffee's served with milk,' why not just say, 'I prefer my coffee black.' Instead of, 'I'd rather not do that,' why not just say, 'I'd rather do this.' The subtle change in positive interpretations of situations creates a profound effect on the writing.
For one: its punchy. For another: readers prefer to read positive prose even when the situation they're reading about is negative, because negative prose creates this kind of dry, sluggish, unbearable effect on the reader, causing people to put the novel down. The trick is to present negative events in a positive way, whilst still achieving the negative connotations the story should have. That sounds a bit weird, right? But it's possible. Positive prose is approachable, content creators and copywriters know this; negative prose, like the kind I often use because I'm a no-bullshit asshole, isn't.
And that's the end of post one. I feel the need to say, (because somebody's gonna come along and misinterpret this), that these are not commandments. They're ground rules. You work up off of them. And then once you've mastered them, you're free to change the game. Want to stagger people with colourful descriptions of setting? Well, why not start using short, simple sentences, using small syllable words, then suddenly slap your reader across the face with a vivid paragraph of intense visual imagery? That's the set-up. That's what turns these rules into gold. Your toolbox can be used any way you want to create an effect, and by contrasting one technique with another, that's when things really start coming into play.
The way to get good at this is to force yourself to write with these techniques in mind. Write them on a sticky note and slap them next to the computer. Read similar texts. Study how your favourite author does it. Chances are even if they're someone you love because of their 'vivid description,' they've ironically done it with short sentences without you even realising it. Sneaky-sneaky, huh?
Here's what I mean by a rule that might be considered 'opinion:'
1. Starting a sentence with 'started to, began to, went to,' is generally considered weak writing.
It both is and isn't. If your intention was to write, 'he started to walk to the door,' you should probably just say, 'he walked to the door,' because the previous sentence was more inactive than active. And in general, you want to write using strong active verbs rather than weaker ones. But if you intended to write, 'he started to reach for his sword, but before he could, an arrow struck him in the chest,' you've subverted expectations and changed your writing from inactive to active. And therefore, you can see why this advice might be considered opinion. It's subjective to what you, the writer, intended to do with those weaker verbs.
Here's what I mean by something that would be considered a hard and fast rule:
1. William Strunk in his book, The Elements of Style, suggests writers, 'omit needless words.'
> Casey pulled out her weapon and spun it from left to right, creating a dazzling effect as the sun struck the surface of the steel. John shielded his eyes and winced, and in that moment Casey stepped forward and struck him down with her blade.
> Casey unsheathed her sword, John shielded his eyes, and Casey struck him down.
One tells us the sun is shining. The other shows us. And that's obviously not all. The second is far, far punchier if you consider it in the context of an action novel. — Likewise, if you can achieve the same effect with one sentence rather than two, do it.
Orwell's six rules for writing:
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
Hemingway had very similar rules:
1. Use short sentences.
2. Use short first paragraphs.
3. Use vigorous English.
4. Use the positive, not the negative.
Commentary:
Orwell:
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
How many times have you heard, 'they fought like cats and dogs?', or 'as strong as an ox?' — In general, you want to leave these out of your writing because they leap out of the page and create an immersion-breaking effect for your reader. You rarely want to remind your reader that they're actually reading a piece of text, especially one with turns of phrase they might've already read before. You want them to remain immersed in your style, not someone else's.
Likewise, the narration of most writing comes from the opinion of the main character themselves. Would your character really describe something as, 'fighting like cats and dogs?' — Or would they use something character-specific? For example, if your character's a blacksmith, he might say the swords rang with the same sound his hammer did when it struck the anvil. Generally when similes pop up, they're better when they're character-specific.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
Writing has rhythm, and short words are easy to follow. Read that again. Writing has rhythm, and short words are easy to follow. (But long sentences that unnecessarily obfuscate themselves with multiple syllables can be a bit of a headache to hold onto.... case in point.)
The reason for this is ambiguity is the death of good writing. You want to use short, clear words to construct sentences because they create very clear images in the reader's mind: the red tree stood on a green hill next to an orange sunset. — Be specific.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
I exampled this already. But in general, you want to check your writing for fluff. If something isn't serving a purpose, or isn't there to create an intended effect, then it's distracting the reader from the intended effect. — Cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
The difference between showing versus telling. Easily identified when writers hinge their prose on, 'was, had, did,' and other weak verbs. Reading too much passive voice sends most readers into 'The Big Sleep.'
The car was driven off the road by Jimmy. — Passive. Someone's telling us what's happening. The car, the object, is telling us, the reader, what's happening to Jimmy, the subject, through an indirect action.
Jimmy drove the car off the road. — Active. You're in the character's shoes, and your ass is going over the cliff also. The subject, Jimmy, is you, and the object, the car, you're in, and the verb, drove, is happening to you. ... Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Stupid science bitches couldn't even make I more smarter! — Assume most readers have low reading levels. You'll sell more copy.
Hemingway:
1. Use short sentences.
They're punchy. They're quick. They smack the reader on the nose. And best of all... they're easy to grasp.
When you start cutting your sentences off, people start taking notice. It's the less is more mentality.
This is not to say you can't write long, flowing streams of consciousness, but there's always a time and a place for that sort of stuff; and by and large, you always have to set these things up with short sentences up anyway. Don't think these rules are suggesting you never use other techniques. No. What they're suggesting is that these should be the staples of any writer's toolbox.
2. Use short first paragraphs.
This applies more to novels than role-playing. But it can also be done in role-playing to create a certain effect.
A short paragraph grabs your reader's attention. If the first paragraph doesn't grab, your reader's gone; and so are your chance of selling a novel.
In role-play, you could write a simple three-part sentence to light up your partner's imagination. Something that engages the senses. Then start describing the setting (as is traditional in openers) afterwards.
3. Use vigorous English.
It's Orwell's 'active rather than passive' rule, except with a twist. Use strode instead of walked. Tossed instead of threw. Grinned instead of smiled. Bigger, better, more colourful imagery for your reader to digest. Hemingway was a fan of characters who were larger than life, a skill he achieved through his use of deceptively simple prose to create vivid imagery.
4. Use the positive, not the negative.
So interesting, this one, and one I'd never thought about until I'd read it.
Rather than saying, 'I don't like it when my coffee's served with milk,' why not just say, 'I prefer my coffee black.' Instead of, 'I'd rather not do that,' why not just say, 'I'd rather do this.' The subtle change in positive interpretations of situations creates a profound effect on the writing.
For one: its punchy. For another: readers prefer to read positive prose even when the situation they're reading about is negative, because negative prose creates this kind of dry, sluggish, unbearable effect on the reader, causing people to put the novel down. The trick is to present negative events in a positive way, whilst still achieving the negative connotations the story should have. That sounds a bit weird, right? But it's possible. Positive prose is approachable, content creators and copywriters know this; negative prose, like the kind I often use because I'm a no-bullshit asshole, isn't.
And that's the end of post one. I feel the need to say, (because somebody's gonna come along and misinterpret this), that these are not commandments. They're ground rules. You work up off of them. And then once you've mastered them, you're free to change the game. Want to stagger people with colourful descriptions of setting? Well, why not start using short, simple sentences, using small syllable words, then suddenly slap your reader across the face with a vivid paragraph of intense visual imagery? That's the set-up. That's what turns these rules into gold. Your toolbox can be used any way you want to create an effect, and by contrasting one technique with another, that's when things really start coming into play.
The way to get good at this is to force yourself to write with these techniques in mind. Write them on a sticky note and slap them next to the computer. Read similar texts. Study how your favourite author does it. Chances are even if they're someone you love because of their 'vivid description,' they've ironically done it with short sentences without you even realising it. Sneaky-sneaky, huh?
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