“Writing is easy. All you do is cross out all the wrong words.” – Mark Twain
You’ve written an action-packed plot full of great twists. It’s got fascinating characters who grow and develop. You’ve maintained a consistent point of view, provided incredible descriptions of the setting, and even offered a profound message.
Yet, every time you read the story, it feels flat. Vanilla. Dare I even say…boring?
As a long-time novel and short story editor, I’ve read hundreds of manuscripts in which this was the case. Clearly the writer grasped some basics of storytelling. But like a comic who understands what makes a joke funny yet can’t get his audience to laugh, something in the story was missing.
After analyzing those manuscripts, I realized that many shared the same flaws…lots of passive voice…lots of exposition…lots of fat writing. Unfortunately, these authors had not yet mastered the craft of writing. Their delivery fell short.
In comedy, delivery is just as important as the words of the joke. Arguably, it’s a good portion of what makes the joke funny. Likewise with storytelling, craft is as important as the plot or characters.
Techniques such as varying sentence lengths, using active rather than passive voice, and avoiding clichés all make one’s writing stronger. Recognizing these methods is important because style can be the difference between readers buying more of your books or giving you a bad review at Amazon.com.
You can learn the craft of writing through a number of books available for purchase either at your local bookstore or online. There also are plenty of free articles and videos (including my blog) that are online.
As you master the craft of writing, you’ll begin producing better stories. It will be an amazing experience for you. You’ll soon start to realize the talent you always knew you had…at the very least, you’ll discover that simply taking a few minutes a day to practice your craft will lead to some impressive results.
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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past 15 years, I’ve helped more than 400 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the Storytelling 101 writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.
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