Writing a Story

When writing a book sometimes you may find it dull, so here is where you would be better off perking up the words you use; making them sharp and distinctive is always a challenge. Remember that we are many years away from  Dickens and Conrad with lengthy sentences weighted down with additional adjectives, not that adjectives are bad but too many could take the reader’s attention away from the point of the sentence.

  Taking your readers through the story by rephrasing certain ideas or key elements will guide them through properly.If the plot is complicated reiterating certain facts helps as guideline. It does not mean the writer has to be repetitive, he can also add some details as he moves along in the story so this adds color.

 When you do guide them through, it is best not to underestimate what the reader already knows or what he can surmise from reading descriptions which speak for themselves.A common error of play scripts and novels is when the author describes everything that the person does or has talk endlessly; silence in the novel allows it to breathe and makes reading more pleasurable.

 Sentences should be direct and to the point rather than convoluted. Now direct and indirect forms may be used in a sentence depending on who is doing the talking but the person who is talking should introduce the subject at the beginning of the sentence, unlike as in the passive form where it occurs towards the end.

 When writing the author should star off with a plan so that he knows what to expand on, this will help him organize his thoughts. This is great unless the writer just wants to ramble on as Kerouac did in his work, “On the Road,” and  there the rambling made good sense as he used the exploits of his daily life, and various career moves to connect events he encountered along the way.

There are other factors to know when writing, such as introducing surprise elements in the story, a new character appears for example or there is a sudden twist as new eveidence for a crime comes to the surface implicating that another character is guilty.