Introduction
Like many writers, I did not go to school for creative writing. A lot of tips and tricks and rules were learned on my own through random writing videos on Youtube, things I hear from other writers, books, etc. I’ve written for as long as I could remember and am on my way to publishing my debut novel hopefully by the end of the year.
I’ve made countless mistakes throughout my experiences and here are some tips I've picked up to improve my writing:
Get Rid Of Filler Words
As a writer, every word has to earn its spot on the page. Sentences should be concise and fluff-free. Examples of filler words are just, even, really, seem, very, basically, highly. These types of words often pop up when we speak, so it’s natural for writers to have the tendency to include what is more than necessary.
Filler words rob your writing of its own power.
In linguistics, filler words are short and meaningless, often used to fill up pauses, such as like, um, uh, er.
When these pop up three to four times in a sentence, it gets obvious and annoying. These words contribute nothing to your writing and can be eliminated.
Filler words exist to add length, not content.
“Basically, this sucks.” is the same in terms of substance as “This sucks.”
If words aren’t necessary, get rid of them.
Use Adverbs Sparingly
Much like filler words, adverbs take away the power from your own writing. Sometimes, adverbs can add meaning to your writing. Other times, they’re useless. In the latter case, they indicate weak writing and should be replaced by stronger verbs or adjectives. Adverbs modify verbs, but bad ones exist to modify verbs and adjectives that are already weak.
If a single, strong adjective or verb can be used in place of an adverb, remove the adverb.
There are two types of adverbs:
Adverbs That Modify Verbs
An example:
“He said loudly.”
If you removed “loudly” from that sentence, you’re changing the meaning of the sentence. As said before, we want to be concise with our writing. You can pick a more accurate verb.
“He yelled”, “He screamed”, “He shouted”, etc are more accurate and stronger verbs.
Adverbs That Modify Adjectives
An example:
“She is a very happy girl.”
“Very” doesn’t help with crafting a picture, but if you take it out of the sentence, it changes the substance. Therefore, find a better expression.
“She is a zealous girl”, “She is a vibrant girl”, “She is a delighted girl” are much stronger.
Remember To Use Sparingly
Sometimes, adverbs aren’t bad. Sometimes, they create a clearer picture, add stress, etc.
Only use adverbs to make a sentence more clear or vivid.
There’s a difference between:
“She is really gorgeous.” and “She is breathtakingly gorgeous.”
The former uses a useless adverb. The latter paints a scene.
Avoid Passive Voice
On a professional level, passive voice is demonized. Active voice is preferred in general, strengthening your writing and making it more direct. It’s more active. The subject does an action or is something. Subject is acted upon by the verb in passive voice.
The Difference
Active: Subject + Verb Performed By Subject + Any Additional/Optional Objects
Passive: Subject + Form of the “To Be” Verb + Past Participle of Transitive Verb + Optional Preposition
Active Example: Bob pet the dog.
Passive Example: The dog was pet by Bob.
As you can see, the active version is shorter and concise.
Sentences with “was”, “is”, “were” are instances of passive voice.
When To Use Passive Voice
However, there are exceptions. Sometimes, passive voice might be better. There are instances where the subject receiving the action is an important part of the sentence, such as contexts where science and legal action are involved or when the actor of said action is unknown.
“The poisonous liquid was poured into the beaker.” Scientists would perform the action, but the experiment being conduct is the main focus. This case would be fine.
“My passport photo was taken yesterday.” Here, the action is more important than the doer. We’re trying to emphasize that the person’s passport photo was taken- the part that matters. Whoever did the action is not important and can be omitted.
Use Simplistic Language
Ah yes, my final tip for today.
In contrast to what one learns in school about writing essays, using “bigger” words is not good practice for creative writing. Readers like to read language that is easy to understand. They'd rather not look up thousands of words in a dictionary to understand your story. It can be frustrating and turn off the reader. You’re not writing in a technical or legal context, so most of the time, you shouldn’t be using complex jargon.
If you use simple words, there will be no confusion about the meaning of what you’re trying to convey.
Your job as a creative writer is to tell a story.
Keep in mind, that doesn’t mean “dumbing it down”. You are getting your message across in an unambiguous manner the first time.
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I know it’s been months since I’ve last blogged. Been preoccupied with editing my book and getting feedback! That said, I will have more free time from now on to blog more!
This is E.L. Li, and I’m still writing what I want to read!