Duncan P. Pacey

It's not often I update, but I've managed to find some time today to add an exciting new part to the Book on SHOW, DON'T TELL! 
          
          For fantasy or historical writers, this one may be particularly useful. In the update I talk a bit about the importance of diversifying your WEAPONS AND ARMOUR, why you should do so, how to use it as an opportunity to world build, and I've created a list of images for you to see to learn new terms. Should be pretty helpful!
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/317098813-the-book-on-show-don%27t-tell-how-to-write-more

Hi all, thought you might find these useful! These are my GOLDEN RULES OF BEING EDITED, which I give to everyone whose work I am editing. It's hard to receive edits sometimes, especially if they disagree with something you felt very passionate about. Following these rules is a good way to check yourself before you spin out, and to ensure you get the most out of your relationship with your editor.
          
          THE GOLDEN RULES OF BEING EDITED
          
          1) An editor’s comment is not a command, even if worded as a suggestion. “An editor can tell you where something is wrong, but not how to fix it”. You are allowed to disagree with your editor and ignore what they suggest.
          
          2) You do not need to defend your work to the editor.  You and your editor are on the same team. However if you lack clarity on what is being suggested, that’s something to reach out about.
          
          3)If you start to feel emotional (defensive, angry, offended, overwhelmed, self-conscious, not good enough, etc.) at any point while reading your editor’s notes, take a break and come back later.
          
          4) Editing is not the destruction of your writing. It is your writing. 
          
          Write these down somewhere! You'll need them one day.

Duncan's Tip Writing Tip for the Holiday Season! READ READ READ
          
          Want to be a writer? Don't forget you also need to be a reader.
          
          Reading books is a great way to practice writing. And I don't mean just stories published here on Wattpad, which can be all over the spectrum. You must ensure that you're mixing in professionally edited, professionally published works into your reading lists so you get a 'feel' for what a book looks and sounds like, across genres. It's very healthy to read outside of your own preferred writing genre! 
          
          By reading avidly, you'll see how other writers tackled scenes similar to what you've struggled with. You'll see proper grammar put into action, which could inspire you to change up how you write. You'll be able to absorb a few different writing styles, which may help you better identify your own voice.
          
          DON'T FORGET THAT READING IS OFTEN FREE. Join your local library and read everything you can. Or, look for their e-books so you don't even have to leave the house. For example, here in New Zealand you can download the Libby app and sign up to it with your local library card, giving you instant access to free e-books. My understanding is that there are similar apps overseas, and in the US you can also get some Amazon books for free via your library card.
          
          So - READ READ READ. It will improve your writing without you having to write anything!

Just finished editing "Natural Magic" by Robert Westley (@ACNP000). Thoroughly enjoyed reading this oddball fantasy comedy, and I highly recommend it if you want something a bit different for your next Wattpad read! The first draft is a really interesting intro to Westley's world, and I think draft two is going to really shine. Definitely one I hope to see on a shelf one day.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/309031111-natural-magic

Ready for more advice on how to SHOW, not TELL? I just updated the book with a new chapter on writing about MOTION. 
          
          How do you describe someone walking in a way more visually interesting than just "Bob walked over there"? Well, learn about breaking down motion into its individual components, telling a story with those components, and finding more interesting words to use in the new chapter.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/317098813-the-book-on-show-don%27t-tell-how-to-write-more

It's nearly the end of 2022 and my little Wattpad experiment is complete. I joined this platform back in May to see what it was, and whether it was something I wanted to pursue. It's been an interesting half-year since! I've read so many great stories and met a lot of dope new writers, making this a most successful experiment indeed.
          
          As we move into 2023, I'll be changing how I operate here on Wattpad.
          
          ➡ I will continue to produce free writing advice as knowledge sharing is very important to me, so keep following along here and tell all your friends whom you think'll benefit. 
          
          ➡ I'm also offering book editing too, although it's booked out at time of writing so you'll need to wait for it to re-open.
          
          Over on my writing profile, @DuncanPPacey:
          
          ➡ "Grung: A Frog Wizard" will not continue, as there's no place for my sweet boy in the next phase of my writing. I need the time to work on books I intend to actually publish and sell, more information for which will come later. I'll come to him later when I once again have the brain space for his chaos.
          
          ➡ I'll keep posting the odd short story as it's been a lot of fun to test ideas for Wattpad's various Ambassador competitions. Anyone who has enjoyed my science fiction will continue to get more to read.
          
          ➡ I finished publishing "Smack-dab, in the Middle of Nowhere' here on Wattpad so anyone can read it for free. It was my debut novel, published in 2017, and is still one of my favourite stories to date. Please enjoy!
          
          To everyone celebrating the holidays this month, have an awesome time! And a very happy new year to you all. See you (and your books!) in 2023.

Duncan's Tip o' the Week! WRITE TWO PROJECTS AT A TIME
          
          I left this as a comment on my previous tip but actually, it could do with being highlighted.
          
          A great piece of advice I was given once was: "Always write two projects at a time. That way you can procrastinate one by doing the other."
          
          It has served me well these past years. If I get mad writers block and all my usual tactics (walking away and taking breaks) don't work, sometimes I find I can switch to the other project and gain a burst of inspiration. So even though I'm procrastinating, I'm still progressing.
          
          If you like to create in more than one medium (i.e. writing + music or video), you may find switching mediums may also help keep your creativity up while you rest your brain.

Duncan's Tip o' the Week! TAKE A BREAK
          
          I repeat this advice often, and always will.
          
          Walk away.
          
          Just walk away.
          
          Like many other jobs, writing is often seen to be something you have to grind through. Something you can force if you just have the right work ethic. The right attitude.
          
          But, force is not often conducive to creativity. Creativity is like water - try to slam it repeatedly and it can feel as hard as concrete. But, allow yourself to slow, to relax, and you'll slip right in.
          
          The brain is very good at fixing things in your mind, circumventing writer's block, having revalations and epiphanies, when it's not being pushed.
          
          So walk away.
          
          If you have writer's block, if you're feeling tired, if you're sick of your work, if you can't write another word, just walk away. An hour, a few hours, a day, a few days - go do something totally different, and don't think about your work. Come back fresh and healthy and you'll likely find things that stumped you previously are revealed to be no more than a trifle to deal with.
          
          Just don't leave it too long or you might start to forget crucial details. You don't need a year's break, you probably just need a few days. But you should experiment with what works best for you. Everyone is very different, after all.

Duncan's Tip o' the Week! ENSURE EACH SCENE ADVANCES THE PLOT
          
          Note here I'm saying 'scene', not 'chapter' - each chapter will be built out of one or more scenes, and generally speaking each scene should advance the book in some way.
          
          Every scene in a book should push the book forwards, with few exceptions. While there are some authors who get away with taking breaks from the plot to advance the lore instead or to show consequences of the plot (Terry Pratchett comes to mind), 95% of the time each scene must have a definitive purpose. It will introduce a character, a conflict, an obstacle, something to learn; or it will advance one of those that was previously introduced. A character will continue to descend towards their low point, or ascend towards their high point. But they /must/ do one or the other.
          
          As you write each scene, ask yourself: "How did the story advance in this scene? How are the characters or their situation different at the end than they were at the start?"
          
          If your MC is a small-town gal walking to school at the start of a scene and is still a small-town gal walking to school at the end of the scene, question the purpose of the scene. Did she learn anything? Was she challenged in any way? Has she fallen or been lifted up? Did she meet another important character?
          
          If your first chapter is your MC waking up, stretching, getting out of bed, brushing their teeth, getting dressed, and finally going to work, how did any of it advance the story? Was there conflict or stakes? Obstacles of any kind? Have we set something up for the future? Was any of it important? If it's just banal, you can probably delete it.
          
          It's hard for me to pinpoint every little way a scene could advance the book because it all depends on the scene, and the book. So I hope this mentality helps you broadly, if not specifically - question every scene. Make sure it advances the book.

Hi all! Been radio silence from me for various reasons but one is that I've been piecing together a WRITING SCHOOL. If you're a new, beginner or early-intermediate fiction writer looking to expand your skill set by WRITING, not just listening, this school will help you out a lot.
          
          Learn more here about how it's being hosted and where: https://www.wattpad.com/story/325573051-the-writing-school