Written by: Tara De Wet
Grammar and storytelling are two very different things that contribute to good writing. There are several elements that improve the quality of one's writing: sentence variation, vocabulary, cohesion, and much more! But we're going to focus on grammar and storytelling for now. While it is true that not everyone, especially new writers, successfully incorporate both, it is important to remember that they are skills that can be honed with practice. The two go hand in hand, obviously, but ultimately a writer's most significant asset is their ability to tell a story. Once you have that down the rest will follow!
However, don't let mistakes taint your writing! Follow these tips to hep you improve.
1. Write the dialogue first. This step is not for everyone, but it can help to get an overview of a scene before you flesh out the details. If you've got an idea of how a scene should play out write the dialogue and skeleton actions in between. An example would be something like the following:
"This is all your fault!"
*punches a wall*
"You need to calm down before you break your fingers!"
Later on, you can add details and descriptions.
2. Don't wax poetic when the situation doesn't call for it. Poetry is usually complex in its description in an especially abstract way which usually makes writing seem slow and hard to process for readers. For characters, when their thoughts are poetic then that usually means they're taking in a lot of detail at once and if it's described in a very long-winded way it can make a panicked situation seem too drawn-out and overall not as panicked as you might want it to seem. However, when the scene is very romantic or emotion-filled then poetic language can be a powerful tool when describing complex or otherwise indescribable emotions. Just be sure that your writing isn't too convoluted or dense, though.
3. Don't be afraid to make bold or baffling statements or scenes as an opening line. Following a statement such as "The greatest tragedy of my life is being a writer" with the ever-classic "Okay, let me start from the beginning" can be an interesting way to introduce the plot. This is just one example, but it can be really fun to play around with cyclic plot structure.
4. Don't get trapped by common errors! Something I've noticed a lot in writing is the incorrect use of each other/one another. Just remember that each other is only used when talking about 2 people whereas one another is used when talking about more than 2 people. Always check for common errors!
5. If you find it difficult to find one word or term for something, just write down exactly what you're thinking (or use the site One Look Thesaurus). Sometimes the word you're looking for doesn't exist and you should just describe the action or feeling the best or most concise way you can.
6. Do your research! If you aren't writing what you know, at least try to find a semi-credible source about the topic you're tackling. A little example would be disinfecting wounds with alcohol. Writers tend to make the mistake that all alcohol can be used as a disinfectant. That is false. Drinking alcohol is as good as tap water as a disinfectant and pouring an entire bottle of vodka on an open wound will do little to stave away infection. If you can't find a credible source, make use of online forums like Quora where ordinary people and professionals give advice and accounts of their experiences.
7. Who and whom are not interchangeable! Let's say that you're writing dialogue and you're unsure whether to use who or whom. The sentence is "To _ do I owe the pleasure?". If you need to check for the correct use of who/whom, ask yourself this question: how would this question be answered? In this case, the answer to "To _ do I owe the pleasure" will be "I owe him the pleasure" therefore the correct word to use would be whom. If the answer was he then the correct word would be who. For example, if someone were to ask "_ is at the door?" and the answer was "He is at the door" then who would be the correct word to use. Same goes with she/who and her/whom or they/who and them/whom.
8. Dashes are important! When a term represents one idea such as all-encompassing and self-indulgent then it requires a dash to show that it means one thing. If you say "it was all encompassing" the question would be asked "what is it encompassing" because without the dash you are implying that those words are separate ideas and that all of something is encompassing something, which doesn't make sense (much like this description XD but I hope you get it anyway).
9. Remember subject-verb agreement/concord. Always ask yourself "is the subject plural or singular?" and make sure the verb corresponds.
10. Adverbs always end in -ly. That’s just how it is.
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