best writing advice I can recall
I'm sure I've actually received a lot of helpful writing advice that was amazing and helped me a lot, but my memory could be better, and, well, this is the best advice I can recall at the time.
"Skip the scenes you don't want to write." I.e., skip the boring bits. Write the interesting parts of your story, and your readers will find them interesting, too. If something bores you, how will you keep the reader's attention?
I specifically set out to use this advice when I wrote this story: Parallel Hutch. And it worked really well! I enjoyed writing it intensely, it meant a lot to me, and it seemed to mean something to some readers, too. And most of all, for me, the story never dragged. I only wrote the scenes that mattered to me and held my attention. It worked really great! :D
A similar thing happened when I was writing Men and Dragons. That story required a scene I really didn't want to write. At least, I thought it required it. But I was bored silly by it and wanted to move on. So, I skipped it. I thought guiltily that I could always go back and write it later. But my betas never complained. My editors never complained. Nobody noticed the lack of that scene at all! I feel like I got away with something...but maybe, just maybe, it simply proves that advice for me. If it doesn't interest me, why would it interest readers?
I will note, though, that sometimes I have to write scenes I don't want to write. If I'm putting off writing a scene because it's difficult for me (lots of action, or emotionally draining, or one of the characters I love is really hurting), I still have to write it. Only if I'm bored by a scene do I get to skip it. :)
When I wrote Voyages of the CI5 for the Professionals Big Bang last year, there were several scenes I really didn't want to write, but it was because I found them emotionally difficult, not because they were boring. And I'm glad I worked my way through them eventually, and am pleased with how they turned out. I also tried to avoid writing things that bored me with that story, and I think overall it worked.
I'll let you know if this advice ever doesn't work, but for now, it seems like pretty much the surest way for me to write an interesting story. Only write scenes that are interesting to the writer! :-)
----
Stories mentioned in this post:
Parallel Hutch (AU)
part 1: http://starskyhutch911.livejournal.com/751191.html
part 2: http://starskyhutch911.livejournal.com/752444.html
part 3: http://starskyhutch911.livejournal.com/753621.html
part 4: http://starskyhutch911.livejournal.com/754071.html
part 5: http://starskyhutch911.livejournal.com/754191.html
Men and Dragons
http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=706&category_id=69&manufacturer_id=319&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1
Voyages of the CI5
http://archiveofourown.org/works/544171
"Skip the scenes you don't want to write." I.e., skip the boring bits. Write the interesting parts of your story, and your readers will find them interesting, too. If something bores you, how will you keep the reader's attention?
I specifically set out to use this advice when I wrote this story: Parallel Hutch. And it worked really well! I enjoyed writing it intensely, it meant a lot to me, and it seemed to mean something to some readers, too. And most of all, for me, the story never dragged. I only wrote the scenes that mattered to me and held my attention. It worked really great! :D
A similar thing happened when I was writing Men and Dragons. That story required a scene I really didn't want to write. At least, I thought it required it. But I was bored silly by it and wanted to move on. So, I skipped it. I thought guiltily that I could always go back and write it later. But my betas never complained. My editors never complained. Nobody noticed the lack of that scene at all! I feel like I got away with something...but maybe, just maybe, it simply proves that advice for me. If it doesn't interest me, why would it interest readers?
I will note, though, that sometimes I have to write scenes I don't want to write. If I'm putting off writing a scene because it's difficult for me (lots of action, or emotionally draining, or one of the characters I love is really hurting), I still have to write it. Only if I'm bored by a scene do I get to skip it. :)
When I wrote Voyages of the CI5 for the Professionals Big Bang last year, there were several scenes I really didn't want to write, but it was because I found them emotionally difficult, not because they were boring. And I'm glad I worked my way through them eventually, and am pleased with how they turned out. I also tried to avoid writing things that bored me with that story, and I think overall it worked.
I'll let you know if this advice ever doesn't work, but for now, it seems like pretty much the surest way for me to write an interesting story. Only write scenes that are interesting to the writer! :-)
----
Stories mentioned in this post:
Parallel Hutch (AU)
part 1: http://starskyhutch911.livejournal.com/751191.html
part 2: http://starskyhutch911.livejournal.com/752444.html
part 3: http://starskyhutch911.livejournal.com/753621.html
part 4: http://starskyhutch911.livejournal.com/754071.html
part 5: http://starskyhutch911.livejournal.com/754191.html
Men and Dragons
http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=706&category_id=69&manufacturer_id=319&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1
Voyages of the CI5
http://archiveofourown.org/works/544171