●My tips and tricks to amazing writing ●
My name is Mya (aka Milheaven) and this is a book about my little secrets and tricks to successfully doing my passion, writing.
Everything from chapter titles, to dialogue, to writers block tips, I talk about...
Some people write like they've never read, seen or opened a book before. The formatting is horrible, and is really weird and isn't really like a story at all.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When I saw this story, I was trying to figure out if it was text messaging or real conversations. I understand it's a fanfic but the way the characters are behaving is weird and not realistic at all. The punctuation is a mess and the sentences are messy. And for me, this is a huge turn off when it comes to finding a story I want to read. I also strongly dislike stories that are one huge paragraph and have no proper structure.
I've been on this website since 2018, and to this day I like to go back and edit my work. I go back to my first chapters on my first books and realize how bad and messy my writing was and I honestly want to crawl in a hole and die because I know people read that when I know my writing is so much more improved. But that's how you grow as a writer. By being able to recognize past mistakes means you've grown and improved as a writer.
How to improve: A new speaker or a new scene change/"when the camera moves" are the times you write a new paragraph or break the lines. It makes your work easier to read
Number 2: Spelling and grammar
Oh the amount of times I have wanted to scream when this happens.
People make mistakes all the time, especially since there are about two different versions of English (American and Canadian/British). I honestly confused the difference between "breath" and "breathe" all the time but have worked on correcting that mistake. I even used to keep the letter "i" lowercased for some reason and I have no clue why.
I understand people may not understand or notice spelling or grammar mistakes, but if I find a story with multiple errors, I don't really want to read it.
How to improve: Proof read. Read other people's work and pay attention to the type of language they use. Notice the way words are written and meanings behind the words. Read your work again and again, at different times, to notice mistakes.
Number 3: Descriptions
I struggle with this still and it is the most annoying thing, especially in dialogue.
Example 1: "I don't know how I'm supposed to help you," she said, shutting the door. "You're being stupid."
Example 2: "I really don't understand how I'm supposed to help you." She sighed, letting the front door slam shut before turning to him, an annoyed expression lingering in her dull eyes. "You are being absolutely ridiculous," she muttered, shifting her weight against the kitchen counters, the cold counter causing shivers up her spine.
What sounds better and more descriptive? (If you say the first one, I will scream)
For the second one, I can picture what the character is doing and how she is feeling. Without clearly stating what is happening in the lines "front door slam shut" and "an annoyed expression lingering in her dull eyes", the reader can get an image of what is happening.
I know some writers who pack their books full of description or explanations. I don't like doing that because that is called leaving "info dumps". Those are paragraphs after paragraphs of information that I prefer to minimize and show without saying. So if my character is experiencing a difficult time, I will explain what has happened between inserts of dialogue without making it feel like an info dump.
These are 2 scenes from my book Partners in Crime. If you haven't read it, go check in out
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
My main note is that if there is no dialogue in process, feel free to write a few paragraphs of what is happening in the scene. But if there is dialogue and you are trying to express what is happening, don't write multiple info dumps.
How to improve: Make sure you give description so your reader can see an image of the scene. But please don't write paragraph after paragraph of information, especially if there is dialogue in process.
