Knocks

The best way to write better is to read and write a lot. That’s it. Really. There are more advanced techniques and exercises, but those come secondary to these two things.

I read a lot of traditionally published books across all genres for pleasure. Exposure to different writing styles is important. It subconsciously expands my vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure. I even finish ‘bad’ books I don’t like, because I learn what I dislike and what not to do in my own writing. (I read fanfic for fun, but imo it doesn’t count for this purpose. Reading fanfic exclusively means your writing will end up ‘fanfic-y.’ That’s not a goal of mine. But if you’re not concerned about that, then you do you.)

I write every day, unless I’m going through a deep depression. It started intentional and has grown to habit. I’ve learned to just get the words and emotions out—the ‘essence’ of the scene—without worrying too much about the technical bits and sentence structure. It’s basically a way to get from point A to Z. I can always fix it and make it better later, but I can't fix something that doesn't exist.

I write down a lot of half-finished scenes or tidbits of conversations as they pop into my head, place them in a timeline where I think they’ll make sense, and write around them. They get weaved in as I go.

Fill my creative well. Besides reading, I listen to music, watch TV, movies, play games, and create art. Art inspires art.

I’m young, but I’ve been through major emotional events, and I’ve been lucky to be exposed to some truly cool people, places, and experiences. I think some writers have a harder time starting out because they lack a breadth of experiences, so live your life. Have unique experiences, walk around in public, observe people, eavesdrop, have conversations with strangers, do things that scare you, etc. I wrote 90% of the rough draft for Drowning while living in Japan. So many scenes started as seeds from everyday life, big and small.

I outline my stories, but in the loosest possible way. Vague guardrails with a few key scenes I have already imagined vividly. [Literal excerpt from an outline: On mission. Bad argument about something, pinned to a wall. I had imagined part of the wall scene. That was it.] I don’t always know the exact beginning or end, but I have a sense of how I want something to start and finish. That way I can always keep plot moving forward. From there, I do a first draft, writing scene to scene and filling as much as I can. I skip parts where I’m stuck and go back later when the overall story is taking shape.

For all characters, major or minor, I identify their external and internal conflicts, and the arc they need to complete. I don’t force characters to do things they just wouldn’t do. If I want them to do something specific that seems like a leap, I need a step-by-step plan of action to get them there.

After the first draft, but before any rewrites, I’ll comb through and identify my main plot, major character arcs, and any subplots and themes I naturally created. I decide what makes sense to keep or cut, and what needs to be added to create a fluid story. I throw them in an excel grid and organize key events/actions chapter by chapter. Again, this is a loose tool so I can make sure I’m staying consistent.

I imagine myself as each character at one point or another. While I’m writing from the main POV, I’m still feeling things from the other character POVs. I understand the reason behind what they’re saying or doing, even if the main POV doesn’t. This allows for reveals down the line, and also allows the characters to interact organically without me breaking the fourth wall.  

For important conversations, I usually have the characters speak around the main topic. Dialogue is driven by subtext of emotions, scene atmosphere, ongoing events, etc.  

I’ve learned to trust the process. Nothing is good the first time I write it. I can’t stress this enough, because I got stuck on it for years. Writing is editing. First drafts are just about getting the story out, and then I let it rest and go back to edit—sometimes minor edits, somethings entire rewrites. But I write the first draft just to make things happen, and I write honestly, even if it sounds cheesy. I can edit out the cheesiness, but the raw emotion underneath is the secret sauce and even in the worst drafts, there are little diamonds in the rough that I keep. Sometimes they drive the entire scene, or even the entire character’s motivation. My best content come from messy writing with my most vulnerable thoughts.

Stephen King’s old adage about killing your darlings remains true. I’m an over-writer by nature. I tend to par down what I write quite a bit. Sometimes there’s lines that I absolutely love and want to shoehorn in, but they’re just not jiving with the narrative flow. Removing something that doesn’t fit always makes for a stronger piece. I save what I cut so I can repurpose it later.

When I start feeling stagnant or bored with one project, I flip to another to reignite dopamine. Different tense (past/present), different POV, different tone or genre. That way when I return to the old project I was stuck on, it feels fresh and new and I can pick up again.

Finally—I’ve been writing for a long time. Since I was a little kid. You just get better at something the more you practice, and I never really stopped. My writing was bad for a long time, and frankly, even my best stuff can still use some polishing. But one day I went from ‘this is awful, I hate it’ to ‘I actually like what I’ve written and I'm proud of it.’ It’s just a matter of sticking with it, like most other things.