Ways I can improve my writing

As stated in my previous blog entries, my main focus in on creative writing. Over the past few years, I have went and researched on a multitude of websites, articles and reading materials that can help me improve my craft. However, most of the advice given on the websites on writing are pretty much the same. Avoid using adverbs, avoid passive voice, avoid using action-dialogue tags, use action to show feelings, show and not tell, etc. The advice I found the most practical and useful is this: "Read."

The more you read, the better you write. You cannot write if you don't read. Those authors who claim themselves as more of a writer than a reader can never improve themselves. I have put this theory to the test. An acclaimed novelist once said, read everything. Read in the genre you wish to write and read outside the genre of your comfort zone. Reading all genres will widen your writing perspective and enables you to become a versatile writer. I cannot claim to be a versatile writer yet, because I have issues writing non-fiction, academic papers as well as stories in the teen fiction genre. Initially, the only genre I am comfortable in writing is the fantasy genre, but the more I have read, I found myself to be able to express my thoughts and flex my writing skills in other genres such as paranormal, adventure, science fiction and horror.

I brought several writing help books last year. They're very pricey, around RM150 each, but it was an investment that taught me writing techniques and character expressions that I haven't thought of before. If it helps, here are the titles:

1. The Emotion Thesaurus
2. The Urban Settings Thesaurus
3. The Rural Settings Thesaurus
4. The Positive Traits Thesaurus
5. The Negative Traits Thesaurus

These are incredibly insightful if you're writing creatively. If you wish to use these in academic writing, I think that the only ones that would come in handy are the Urban and Rural settings thesaurus, where different places and environments are listed and explained in detail.

Another way I try to improve my writing is to write every damn day. It doesn't matter if you hit only 100 words on the laptop, or you binge write 3000 words in one go. My own personal record was 30,000 words in one week. The more you practice the craft of writing, the better you get. It is like learning an instrument, or taking your baby steps in acquiring a new skill. Everything is better once you get used to it.

Rereading and dissecting books also helps you to become a critical thinker and writer. You will be able to spot foreshadowing, plot holes, character growth and development in any book at any given time once you have read enough books and cut them open. I have a journal by my side where I record the vocabulary of creative prose I find intriguing or unique in a book and I would write them down. Then, I would study them and try to get something inspirational from them.

These are the methods I use to improve my writing. I usually write at midnight, or possibly a bit earlier, like around 11pm till midnight, something around that time because that's when the *darned* muse is awake.

The Kind of Writing I Like

The kind of writing that I like are mostly creative writing and the occasional poetry. Although I have tried my hand at writing formal essays, advertisements and whatnot, the formal language comes harder to me compared to writing fictional works.

Writing fictional works allow met to create new worlds where I am the creator, the person who dictates the living and the dead, the surroundings and its laws. I am able to explore various personalities of my characters through writing, put down their story into ink and paper. I can make up languages used by only the people in my story, draw up conflict and watch my story and character grow.

Sometimes it is like my characters have a mind of their own. Although I have plotted out most of the story line, there are a few occasions (Okay, I admit it, all the time), they like to take their destiny in their own hands and spin their own tale without sticking to the plot outline that I have laid out beautifully for them. There is this elation when you finish a story, even if it is only around 100,000 words, that swelling balloon of happiness in your stomach and the tears flowing from your eyes when you read the story that your characters have chose to tell. This is why I love fictional works. They are original, and they contain a piece of your soul, something that can trigger emotions in readers when they read your story. Their laughter, their tears, their frustrations at the character's obstinacy and faults, it fills the gap in your soul where you have poured into the story.

If given a choice, I'll go for the fantasy genre all the time. Paranormal comes as a close second, for the paranormal word can be as flexible as the fantasy world. The fantasy I love are epic-fantasy, high-fantasy and contemporary fantasy, although urban-fantasy can be interesting as well. When writing paranormal stories, I tend to stay out of horror, and delve into the romantic aspect of the genre.

Writing Reflection

I'm a writer. At least, I like to think of myself as one if you assume procrastinating and not writing to be a part of being a writer. I'm more of a fiction writer, dwelling in fantastical realms where my imagination can run free. Animals that speak, topsy-turvy worlds, magic, battle to deaths and corundums exists in fictional writing. Over the years and writing more novel drafts that I can remember, I have come to know that world-building is my strength. Whipping up an entirely fictional world, entire civilizations, languages and religion is of no problem to me. I've often swapped between first person and third person POV in writing and I'm more at ease when I'm writing in third person as there is more room to explore than being confined in my characters thinking. I've had a hard time writing convincing characters but that has changed after I watched a lot of TV series such as Supernatural that explores the complex arcs of characters and their personalities. Although fantasy is my main jam, I dabble in paranormal and sci-fi stories as well, although I much prefer the former.

My main weakness in writing is factual or rigid writing. I hate rules,  even fiction writing rules. To the hell with a complete drop of adverbs, no passive voice in writing and head hopping. Omniscient POV is hard to pull off sometimes, but when it is done right, there's a whole new world to explore. I tend to use metaphors, abstract and indirect terms when it cokes to academic writing, so I avoid it at all costs. However, that's going to change because UM offers a course in academic writing. I know it's going to be hard, but the end results will benefit me more than I can imagine.