User:Yuanchosaan/Thinking Aloud on the Page

Random thoughts jotted down.

Things I have learnt about writing

 * Always be specific. Stories that one intends to be for everyone, to have grand, sweeping, universal themes, are really about no one and nothing. Write stories about specific people doing specific things for their own specific reasons. That is the voice of your story and the voice of your characters. Ironically, it is the specific which is more universal. When you write something specific, the audience will find elements in it that resonate with them, and they will make the connections themselves. They will believe in the sincerity of depth and knowledge. A character who is specific is more likely to be one that feels real, one that you can care about.
 * Corollary 1: Focus is a substantial contributor to power, or an excellent substitute. Choose what your story is going to say and let it say that. Pare down. Do not be tempted to add simply because something is "cool".
 * Corollary 2: Being specific applies to that fine element of prose, the detail. Observation is the greatest part of convincing writing. Watch the world around you: the way people walk, other senses, how light changes colour. One specific, unusual detail used correctly is more striking than an in-depth description with no unique elements. The way a master artist's rough shading suggests a figure, these details give a sense of verisimilitude that convinces an audience - their minds will do the rest.
 * Lines have more than one meaning, particularly dialogue. Everything actually means something else or something deeper. There is what is said on the surface, and then there is what that lines says about the character: their personality, their agenda, their emotions, how they say it, what they don't say.
 * Ideas are worthless, but every word you put down is a testament to the fact that you are a writer. Indelible. Inerasable.