Writing Tips & Advices from WWG Members

COMMON WRITING MISTAKES

Ang pagsusulat ay katulad ng paglalakbay at pakikibaka sa buhay. Mahabang lakbayin, nakakapagod, nakakawalang-gana minsan, nakakatamad, at minsan ay walang kasiguraduhan ang patutunguhan. May mga pagkakataong masasaktan ka dahil sa masasakit na salita at makatatanggap ng mga panghuhusga dahil sa iyong mga mali. Gayunman, upang marating ang dulo ng lakbaying ito, kinakailangan mong maging matatag at matapang. Learn from your mistakes and never repeat them.

Here are some common writing mistakes and writing tips that will surely helpful to you from ButiNalangTanga, the founder of the WWG FAMILY GUILD.

1. Making excuses
●Say you're too tired
●Postpone work until "later"
●Fail to work because you're too busy right now
●Wait for inspiration
●Plan to get right at it "tomorrow"
●Give up because (editors) (agents) (readers) (critics) are unfair. (Fill in as many as you want.)
●Tell yourself you're too old (or too young) to start
●Blame others in your family for your lack of free time
●Say your job is too demanding to allow you any other activity
●Tell yourself that your story idea isn't good enough

*Lahat 'yan ay excuses bakit tayo humihinto sa pagsusulat at 'yan ang pinakamatinding cancer na mahirap gamutin. Paano magagamot 'yan? Madaling sabihin, mahirap gawin at 'yon ay "Stop from making excuses."

2. Considering yourself too smart
Do you consider yourself more intelligent than most of the stories and novels you read?
●Do you believe contemporary fiction is sort of beneath you in terms of intellectual attainment?
●Do you figure your readers–when you get them–will be dumb compared to you?
●Do you discriminate writers in the bestselling list?

*'Wag tayong maging masyadong mataas na parang alam na natin ang lahat, unless sigurado kang nasa level na nakakapagturo ka na ng iba at nakikilala ang sulat nila dahil nag-improve sila. Pero 'yung ipagpapalagay mo na masyado ka ng magaling ay hindi dapat. Ang core value nga ng Guild is "a writer with good attitude and humble heart". So, put this as a note, guideline 'to para 'di kayo maligaw–Never write down to your readers.
●Don't assume your reader is dumber than you.
●Never–ever–sneer at published work.
●Think you're too smart to sell? baloney!
●Come down to earth! That's where the readers are.

3. Don't show off when you write
Ito 'yung 'wag kang magyayabang ng expertise mo, example doctor ka o engineer, gagamitin mo lahat ng terms na alam mo, okay lang naman na may professional aide 'yung work mo, pero 'pag masyado na 'tong overloaded sa mga info, mabobored na ang nagbabasa. Dapat 'di na fiction ang sinular mo kundi encyclopedia.

4. Don't expect miracles
Hindi magic ang pagsusulat, kung tingin mo na di ka gagaling, mali ka. Kahit ako ay lame magsulat dati. Nag-start ako ng 2012 magsulat at hindi ko ma-a-attain 'yung writing skill ko without practicing and experimenting.

Just remember to take all criticisms constructively, kahit na ang mean nila sa'tin, kahit na bash lang dating nila. Doon tayo matututo. And again, be humble to take all criticisms.

5. Don't warm up your engines
Don't start ang kwento sa heavy background,  lalo na 'yung mga static description, pati 'yung daan, mukha ng daan, at structure ng buong lugar. You can do it along the story but not in the beginning.

So start the story with the first sentence, not description unless alam mo 'yung tinatawag na progressive writing.

*Paano po magandang umpisahan ang kwento? Start it with "threat".
Iyong tipong unang problema, kung 1st POV ka, pakilala mo muna si bida, description ng mukha niya ganun, then biglang may threat.

1. Any time you stop to describe something, you have stopped. Asking a reader to jump eagerly into a story that starts without motion is like asking a cyclist to ride a bike with no wheels—he pedals and pedals but doesn't get anywhere. Description is vital in fiction, but at the outset of the story, it's deadly.
2. Fiction looks forward, not backward. When you start a story with background information, you point the reader in the wrong direction, and put her off. If she had wanted old news, she would have read yesterday's newspaper.
3. Good fiction starts with–and deals with– someone's response to threat.

6. Don't describe obvious things
-Tipong pati paglubog ng araw na gagamit ka pa ng poetic writing, 'di naman masama 'yun pero OA na kasi ngayon 'yung gano'n.
Basta describe natin 'yung more on emotions and 'yung content ng scene lalo na 'yung klase ng lugar ng scene.

7. Don't use real people in your story
'Wag gagamit ng totoong tao, it means 'yung characteristic nila kasi boring at dull 'yun, maliban na lang kung biography ang isusulat ninyo pero this is for most of us na fiction writer. Kaya don't forget to use character archetypes for reference.