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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3 |
I have been struggling with writing forever. I feel that my word choices are very limited and even if I memorize all the words in the English language, I don't think I'm able to utilize them to the fullest. I see how others can explain and describe something so beautifully in writing and I can't seem to use descriptive words in my writing. How do I learn to write from "He cleared his throat" to "snorts heavily, as phlegm and other assorted organic debris is shaken loose from his nasal passages"? Please help.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
First, I'd go for the plural of the verb. Second, I'd ask myself why I'd want to write something so gross to begin with.  Welcome aboard, Duck, and have fun!  Lot you can learn here from us fellow amateurs.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
i think it starts first with seeing.
we have seen so many things, that even the most glorius become, quickly, unless we make an effort, old hand.
the sun rises every day, and we expect it to, but when was the last time you got up before dawn, and went someplace you could watch it?
and not just the sun... watch what happens arround you. if you are a city, maybe, you'll notice the fresh smell of bread, as the bakery doors are opened and the fleet of truck start their rounds, you might hear the harsh, rough sound of metal gates opening, in small shops, with the click and clunks of the locks being removed. the steady background hum of traffic, changes, as more traffic enters the road, and things move slower, can you hear the the rasp of the air breaks? and the low rumbling of large trucks as they gear down to slower speeds? as it get lighter, suddenly, the street lights blink out.. most in my city are controlled by light sensors, and one sensor might contol a string of 10 or more.. you can watch their light die, like phantoms of the night, vanquished by the encroaching light of the sun..
or you could just say, the sun rose and the city came to life.
if you don't see the detail, you can't express them. start small... you don't need a big vocabualry, (but it helps, because a single word can create an image-- above i wrote a factual sentence about the mechanism that turn off street lights.. and followed it with a image, a fanciful way of expressing the same facts.. on long straight streets, it is interesting to watch the lights go out sequentually.. and to imagine they are beings, who die in sunlight.
and read good descriptive writers, and become aware of the way they use words to create images.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
1. K.I.S.S., or "keep it simple, stupid." For example, an apt description with "everyday" words is usually better than one that uses flowery or ostentatious words.
2. Show, don't tell. Anne Rice tells, Jane Austen shows.
3. Brevity is the soul of wit.
4. Like just about anything else, you get better at writing the more you write. Write something. Read it back to yourself as if you were reading it out loud. Or better yet, read it out loud. Does it have a coherent flow, or does it sound awkward? Re-write if necessary. Repeat this process until you are satisfied.
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
Read. Then read some more. When you're tired of that, read yet more.
Read good stuff. Read bad stuff. Learn to tell the difference.
Then write.
Write some more. Repeat as necessary.
Writing bad stuff is easy. Writing good stuff is hard. You won't automatically write good stuff, but if you have learned to tell the difference between good and bad you'll be able to see it for yourself.
This is not an easy road. I've been writing for half a century, and while I'm getting better I sure as hell ain't good!
Oh. Don't be afraid to join a criticism group. Helping others to write better makes you a better writer.
TEd
TEd
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526 |
Not advice - only a note. You're not the only aspiring writer who struggles with how to use effective words to communicate exactly the right nuance. I'm not sure whether perfection should be our goal, but we shouldn't be too disappointed when we fall short of that particular mark. How much writing is flawless?
Anyway, great advice you've received so far - every bit of it - start small, visualize, simplify, read a lot of good stuff, and also some bad, practice discriminating, write, write, write. I've followed most of it myself and while I'm not near where I want to be, yet, but I'm not so far from my goal as when I started. If only I'd had a proper measure of longitude when I'd started this voyage.
good luck,
k
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3 |
Do you all think simple writings are better than descriptive writings? Or is it just a style that you find as you write? I always feel that if order for someone to see what you are describing you must be detailed.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
Do you all think simple writings are better than descriptive writings?
i don't think that there is a conflict between simple and descriptive. I think good writing can be both simple and descriptive.
Or is it just a style that you find as you write?
I always feel that if order for someone to see what you are describing you must be detailed.
Describe your hand to me..
is it small or large? are the fingers long and thin, or short and stubby? its well sinewed and muscular? or soft and flacid? does it have any tatoos or scars, or does it have smooth, soft supple skin? what about your finger nails? are they short or long? cut or bitten? manicured or ragged? can i see the half moons on your nailbed? and what about the shape of your nails? large and square? of rounded or oval? how about the palms? what about the lines on you hands? deep? are you hands stained from a job or vocations? do you have ink or paint or metals, embedded into your finger tips? hairy? or not noticible so? are there rings on your fingers?
and while i have phrased these as either/or questions, don't respond, or think of them as either/or.
could you describe your hands so well that i could come to know you by looking at your hands?
you might say there is nothing special about my hand(s), but that is not true.. and one or two words, make a big difference..
soft, mottled, crepe gave way to tight, thin stretched skin that could bearly contain the knarled hooked fingers. and you think of an old person, with arthitic fingers.. and even that poor sentence got change 3 times, and no soon than i post, i will think of better words to create the image.. and there it is: Write it again! and again, and again.. until you have it right.
and if not hands, something else, small but
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526 |
To my mind, writing simply and writing descriptively aren't mutually exclusive. A piece can be comprised mainly of very simple words in a relatively simple grammatical structure and yet be evocative.
Of course, without having comfortable access to a large vocabulary one risks generating page upon page of trite and repetitive phrases that make for a painful reading experience. I never use a thesaurus, but I think one could come in pretty handy to a professional writer - as would a dictionary. But an enumeration of all the words one knows is not the same thing as one's working or functional vocabulary.
Getting the word a day from this site and from merriam webster is a good way to gently stress one's vocabulary neurons, but I also do the tried and true thing of noting words and passages I don't understand when I read so I can look them up later and ponder over them. It's not a quick fix, of course, but over time, it really helps. Also reading a wide variety of things can help.
You might also try to develop exercises for yourself. For example, pick a topic and try to write everything you can about that topic and then hone what you've written into a coherent essay.
Since I'm not a writer you should not take anything I say seriously. I think you're in the right place here to work on your vocabulary and get insights into meanings. If you're interested in improving the style of your writing, you might want to check, as well, with usenet groups like misc.writing. Haven't checked in with them in a few years, but maybe they can give you ideas for exercises - or perhaps even suggest a regimen for developing specific skills.
k
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439 |
Two piees of advice about writing in general :
Compose in Fire
Re-write in Ice.
Just write, write, write, keep writing until you have dissapated the passion and said all you want.
Then, re-write (edit) in a dispassionate, cool-eyed way until you feel it's the best you can do.
And as one great editor said to me after watching me when I was struggling over a story .... "When you come to a good place to stop, for God's sake STOP!"
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