Guest blogger Daryl Hajek discusses a writer’s journey.
I was taught to learn to read and write at a young age, even before kindergarten. My parents had told me, because of my deafness, they were determined that I was going to learn to read and write. That was the beginning of my journey into reading and writing.
As Stephen King says, “Read a lot, write a lot.” I do this by reading two or three books (or ebooks) concurrently, but that’s a quirk of mine. I also write at least one hour a day, up to eight hours, depending on my mood or how I’m feeling.
Learn as much as you can about writing. Take a writing course or two. Get how-to books on writing. Join a book club. Network with other authors/writers online via social media.
Get a professional editor which is an absolute must, no exceptions whatsoever. Otherwise, unedited works show and may cause long-term regrets and embarrassments. It’s most important to learn from your editor, as well. I gained a healthy bit of edification from my editor such as eliminating redundancies and not repeating the same descriptive adjectives or adverbs in your narration, especially within the same sentence or paragraph.
Keep expositions to a minimum so as not to drag the story down and bore the reader.
Omit the following dead/boring/over-used words: was, actually, literally, quite, virtually, got, things, stuff, just, really, very, a lot, and action verbs ending in “-ing,” such as “running,” “skating,” “dancing,” and so on. Instead, use action words like “he ran,” “she skated,” “they danced,” and so forth. The reason is that these words weaken the author’s writing (in the narration), but it’s okay to use them in character dialogue because that’s how people talk. Equally, leave out clichés, idioms, and slang from the narration except for character dialogue.
Another thing to cut from writing are speech tags, such as “Gary muttered quietly,” “Melissa said bitterly,” and “Carl barked angrily.” They also make for weak writing. Stick with the traditional “he said/she said” way of writing. In fact, “he said/she said” is practically invisible to the reader’s eye. If the author needs to use speech tags, I’d recommend using them sparingly.
Avoid clichéd characters, such as the typical black-cloaked villain with those smoldering eyes or the golden-haired Miss Goody-Two-Shoes. Rather, make your characters realistic, like the average person, such as the guy next to you. But, don’t make those characters boring. Give each character a little something intriguing, add a certain idiosyncrasy (i.e., a nervous tic) or a condition (i.e., deafness or Asperger’s Syndrome).
As a first-time deaf author of general mainstream mass-market fiction, if I can do it, so can you!
Daryl Hajek is the author of Blood Blossom. He is currently at work on his next novel.
Kathy Myers
Thanks Daryl for your concise advise. I’ve read Stephen King’s “On Writing” twice. It’s a masterful blend of personal narrative and useful tips.
Mark Twain was a stickler for avoiding “very”. He joked that If he was tempted to write “very” he wrote “damn”. He knew his editor would cut it out for him.
Re; better verbs, grammarian Constance Hale’s book “Hex, Vex, Smash, Smooch” is an interesting read on that subject. (as the title suggests.)
And re: cliches. Aren’t they supposed to be avoided “like the plague.”