Writing is a journey that changes you from the person you were when you first stepped foot on the road. This well-known fact doesn't just apply to writing, but reading as well.
Since deciding on starting my self-publishing journey, I have been attending a number of writing retreats and classes, reading up on the best way to go about the publishing process, and how to define your drafts to make them read worthy. Working with an editor has not only given me more insight on writing (my own in particular) but how to construct a story that keeps the reader turning the pages.
One thing I have found myself doing more and more is pointing out these flaws and potholes in other author's works as well.
I used to be a very avid reader, but have fallen off the horse in the last five years. This year, I have dedicated myself to reading 20 indie author titles and giving honest reviews on their works. I've only hit four books so far, but in those four books, I have picked and pointed out so many things that I usually wouldn't have. One of the most significant things I have found that writers do is this,
Too much telling.
Here I go again, that age old saying of Show, Don't Tell. It's so annoying to hear countless times but that doesn't make it any less true. When it comes to writing, it is so important to show other than tell. Information dumps are no fun to read if they aren't done correctly. Most of the time, it slows down your flow and, especially if you tell too much, takes the readers right out of your writing.
The most aggravating tell I've read in books so far is leading with dialogue followed by an explanation as to why the character said what they did. I don't see a point. The reader is able to figure our certain things in your story without the need to explain every little detail. Unless, you're reading manga (don't get me started on manga) if you used dialogue to indicate a certain characteristic or information, you do not need to tell the reader afterward. Give your reader some credit. If they are able to read, they possess some intelligibility to decipher your writing and understand what you were trying to convey. And sometimes, explanations come and they carry no significance to the plot. As a writer, you need to ask yourself this question to every paragraph,
Why does the reader need to know this?
Do this after you read over your draft for the first time. Please, first just write it first. Get everything your mind created dumped on the page. The hardest part is finishing your draft. Once it's done, let it rest for a week or two before even looking at it again. All the technical stuff comes later. Get that draft done!
Then, go in with a fine toothed comb and keep this question in the back of your mind. Whenever your characters are telling the reader something, ask yourself why.
Does it come up again and help drive a certain point or event? Is it something the reader needs to remember in order to understand something?
If the answer to these questions is YES then by all means, keep it in there, but maybe fix how it's structured. How can you make it so less is more? Adding to dialogue is the easiest, most effective way of doing this, but not the only way.
I am by no means an expert on writing, I am a mere apprentice, learning as I go through the process. I have done my fair share of telling and, right now, I am learning how not to do it. But I am finding that many authors, both indie and traditional, still fall into the telling zone. Of course, genre, subject matter and other circumstances in your writing (like fiction over non-fiction) may play a part in why telling is used so strenuously.
Remember, if you are writing with the intention of publishing, write for the reader. I am not saying don't write what you love, but you have to keep in mind that no one is going to enjoy reading your work if you're only writing for yourself and not for your audience.
Until next time, stay classy 😉
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