I have a reputation as a writer. That was how people got to know me-I would write, and people would read it. Most would like it, and so more people knew me and so my popularity grew.
That doesn't make it any easier. In fact, it makes it harder. A reputation means expectations. And that means that the more you write, the less you are pleased with it. Some people came overcome
this. I get around it by simply writting-I don't put that much thought into it. However, as more and more people get into the descriptive side of the hobby, I suppose that I should
pass on some of my wisdom to the young 'uns (What am I talking about......half the people I know who write are probably twice my age)....
Grammar. The first and most important point I can make is grammar. I know that some of us aren't from an English-speaking background and don't have accses to a good an education
as some of us, but at least tell us or make an effort to get better. Use full stops. Use capital letters. Don't use repeated dots to flow into another sentence. Use paragraphs to seperate
ideas and events. And, for the benefit of us all, spell. I normally ignore a story that has a first sentence that has words that are so badly spelt I can't tell what language
they're supposed to be in, and so will most other people. Don't be too proud to admit that you need help-there are plenty of online dictionaries that are anonymous. For that matter,
there are plenty of other tools out there to make you better. And don't pass off other people seeing drafts of the story. Peer-reading can save you alot of time and also helps you gain
another perspective.
Focus. Once you have the idea in your head, keep it. It is a good story if you have a strange idea that you think out and stick with to the end. It is a bad story if you change your
mind every sentence and end it with '....and then he/she/it woke up from the dream!' Don't give up on something halfway, either. In the space of writing that sentence alone I have
left the room and wandered around the house for a few minutes looking for something that I know isn't there. That's one of my problems, and I'm ready to admit it. Abandonning something that
you don't think will work is wrong-even if no-one else reads it, then at least you've done some practice and found out something about yourself and your ability.
Originality. Be. Original. Think about it like this-one Ultramarine or Ork story is alright, but if we have hundreds of them that all pretty much follow the same storyline, then what's
the point of doing another? Think outside the barrier that is conformity. If you think of an idea that no-one else has thought of before, then don't discard it-embrace it. Since no-one has seen it
before no-one can tell you that you're doing it wrong, can they? If you want to write about Ultramarines and Orks, then by all means do it-but realise that you're going to have to do something
special to get people to notice it. Have a revolutionary idea in it, have an unpedictable ending, have the entire story enacted by sock puppets, whatever-just make it something else.
I suppose the point of plagarism goes here as well. Basically, if it ain't your story, then don't pass it off as your story. It's alright to base your story on another, it's alright
to be heavily influenced by a story, but it is NOT alright to just steal a story. And if you do base your story on someone else's then credit them with the inspiration-it gives them some credit
and gives you some as well. Of course, if someone steals your story then it must mean that you're doing something right, doesn't it?
They're ain't no such thing as 'writers block' Believe me. It just means that you're too scared to start writing. You got some praise for one of your stories and now you're afraid
that you won't be able to write another story as 'good' as that one. Get over yourself and just write. Harsh? Yes it is, but it's one of the most common things I hear as an excuse. I used it myself
and I got the same advice from people that are far better at this than me.
'But!' I hear you cry, 'Can't you just tell us how to write a story, rather than all that new-age rambling?!' And the answer is that I can't. How I write could be vastly different to how you
write. I won't be there to stand on your shoulder and tell you what to do. You have to develop your own style and get comfortable with it. I can, however, part with what I think makes a good story.
A twist is the fine art of the unexpected literary development. Use them to make your reader stop and think about the course of the story. Making your reader think about the story will often make
them feel far more involved than they actually are. Every writer strives for that moment where they can make the reader go "Ohhhh, so that's what's happening! I never saw that coming!" It's a great feeling and
one I encourage you to exploit to the fullest........but to a certain extent. The occasional twist is a good thing, but having so many that the reader doesn't know what the hell is going on is not. The analogy
I use is stabbing yourself in the gut-the first time, people are pretty shocked. The second time, people are still pretty shocked. The 50th time and people will just get sick of it and stab you in the head to make
you stop doing it (an analoy that shows how pretty traumatic my childhood was ^_^) Use it, but don't abuse it.
Paranoia is what I have to put up with every day. I am a pretty paranoid guy, and the best authors will exploit this. The context of our stories is not a nice place. There are conspiracies against practically
everyone in the galaxy. Use that mindset. Make the reader feel as if they are the only ones that understand everything that's going down in your story and then smack 'em up with another conspiracy. Make subtle hints at various
points of the story that don't make that much significance until the addition of a single sentence later in the story suddenly puts them all in context. But don't abuse it-see the points above to see why. The best conspiracy comes
from above, but the most enthralling ones can come from within. Take that as you will.
If you want detail, be detailed but it never hurts to be obscure. It's fine to go into detail, but never be too complete. Describe what is neccessary and a little more, but nothing else. It allows the reader to apply
their own images and ideas to the story, allowing them to better emphaise with the story and keeping them interested. We've all read a story where the main character, in our minds, looks the way we want them to look rather than
how they actually look-and as a result we feel more for the character. Our individual bias' and prejudices will shape how we see something, and if you give us an exact picture of something, then it won't work as good if you
left the details a little fuzzy.
No-one is perfect, especially people that don't exist. A perfect character is pointless. Even Superman has his kryptonite. If you create a character that always defeats the bad guys without taking a hit, and has a
perfect smile and hair cut is boring. The anarchist within us all loves to see our 'heroes' fall-we like to see them get smacked around and beaten. We like it when they fail, because it brings them down to the everyday ordinary
level that we all live on. That's why bad guys are so popular-they're powerful, but they always have one fatal, human, flaw.
Stay away from cliches. Or else.
Lastly, the most important thing is......... The reason you started to write was probably to have fun. You had an idea that you wanted to share and you sat down and saw it to the finish. If you're not having fun with it anymore,
then why are you still doing it? If you don't enjoy doing it anymore than stand down and let others fill the void you create. Use what you know to help others if it is not helping you anymore. And lastly, repeat after me:
It isn't real.
It's just a game. At the end of the day, you're writing a story about little plastic and metal army men set in a world that doesn't exist. If you like to write then go ahead and do it-just remember, it isn't real and shouldn't
dominate your real life. There are many things that are far more important and should take priority.
So, you've sat there and taken in everything that I've just written. The question that I now ask you is-"What are you going to do now?" If you want to write, then I've done my purpose. If you've picked up something from these scattered
comments then I've done my purpose. So go, and think. And if you feel like it, write. These points are just my personal opinion, so it's up to you how you use them. Just use them well.
-Dasleah
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