Bite Sized Tips! #1
Hello, all!
It’s been a while since we’ve had some simple writing tips. I’ve been sharing big ideas such as “Sounding Like a Writer,” “You Just Don’t Get It,” and others. To break up that pattern, I want to share five bite-sized writing tips!
As always, when there are tips, there are even more! Subscribers on Patreon and DeviantArt get exclusive access to even more tips and examples. Don’t miss out! 😊
Tip #1: “A” VS “The”
"The" is to talk about something very specific such as a known and singular object. For example, "the apple" is more specific than a random "an apple.” For example, if a character walks into a room for the first time, you can use “a” as you point out and introduce the different details and objects for the first time. Once those items are known, then you can switch to using “the” to explain them.
For example: “I entered the room. There was a table on the back wall. I approached the table to pick up my pen.”
As you can see, this line establishes that there is a table. Once the table is introduced to the reader, “the” is used to refer to the now known object.
If you begin with, “I entered the room. The table was on the back wall. I approached the table…” “The table…” makes it sound like the table came out of nowhere since your reader did not know there was a table in the room yet. Be sure to always introduce new objects first.
Tip #2: Capitalization of Names and Titles
If you have a character that is referred to with a title, it is important to keep that title consistent with capitalization. When you state a character’s full title, along with their name, it is capitalized.
Example: Captain James Len.
When you refer to the character by only their title without their name, it is lowercase.
Example: “Have you met the captain?”
When using characters with titles, I also recommend keeping their names consistent. While a character can be called many things, depending on the relationship of the person saying their name, this is important. For example, Captain Len’s husband might call him “James,” but his crew will call him “Captain Len.” It gets confusing if everyone calls him something different. For example, you write one scene where two crewmembers interchangeably call the captain, “captain," “Captain Len," or “James.” That is confusing because it can be hard to keep track of.
Tip #3: Over Explaining Actions
It’s easy to write some things in your story more than you need to. For example, if a character hears something, you don’t need to tell me that their ear is hearing it and that the sound is coming into their ear.
For example, “Her ears focused, taking in the sound of music.” This is very wordy. I suggest saying only “she listened.” Or, just say what the sound is.
Also, when we are told there is a sound, we know that the character can hear it if it is in their point of view. It’s the same idea as, when your character is talking, you don’t go out of your way to say they “open their mouth” every time before they speak, correct? That is an assumed action and does not need to be said. (Breaking down actions in this way can be done in high-tension moments to build up the tension, but is not recommended in normal moments.)
Tip #4: Double Wording
Sometimes when writing, you over explain certain details. For example, you might say, “I closed the door shut.” While this is true and gives the reader a clear image, you are telling us twice that the door was shut. Once with “closed” and again with “shut.” To avoid this, write only, “I closed the door,” or “I shut the door,” instead of both.
Tip #5: Suspended Hyphens
This tip is a tip of convenience! A well-known rule, it is one I love to point out. When I worked around the clock as a copywriter, I became familiar with the suspended hyphen to make my sentences more concise.
When writing copy, you are often rewriting the same information over and over again.
For example, I was writing about a storage service. I had to say that the service had both “long-term storage and short-term storage.” I also had to vary how I said it to avoid repetition.
Did you know you can break up these words like this?
“short-term and long-term storage” > “short- and long-term storage”
The rule here is to suspend the hyphen to replace repeating words. It’s just nice to sound less wordy. The more you know! 😊
Conclusion
I hope you all enjoyed these tips. I feel that these small notes are sometimes the biggest help when reworking a draft. I often make a list of one or two things I would like to look for in a draft and then focus my edits on that direction. It helps if you are feeling overwhelmed or are unsure about how to approach your work next.
What are some of your favorite writing tips? What would you like to see in future weeklies? Let me know in the comments or send me a note!
Best,
Danni Lynn, Evangeline40003