Challenge Yourself in Your Writing

We of course want to concentrate on writing a good story. But because it is the pre-eminent goal doesn’t mean it has to be the only challenge you undertake. I have found my writing most personally satisfying when I learn something new, either technically or emotionally, as I am working on a project.

For example, in my novel Scam!, I wanted to write a novel with multiple Points of View (POV). I switched among four while also moving the plot forward. So when the main characters were all in the same scene, I had to pay special attention to staying within each worldview. That is, risk-taking Lauren can’t suddenly be timid to make the plot flow more smoothly. And carefree Chris can’t become a strategist. This way, I was writing what I wanted while increasing my facility with the craft.

What kind of challenge?

What writing challenge you undertake depends on where you are in your writing process.  

Just starting out

If you are just starting, learning all you need to can seem daunting. But rather than being overwhelmed, remember that, like almost anything else, it is doable if you work on a chunk at a time.

What should you work on? Reread what you have written as if it is a stranger’s work and see if it prompts any ideas. If not, ask a friend to read it and discuss what he liked and what could be improved. However, remember that you need to know how to translate what your reader says into writerly action.  Getting the Most Out of Readers’ Opinions discusses how.

If that doesn’t work, here are some suggestions.

• Get rid of fancy-dancy speech tags like “he uttered, he shouted” and do the small fixes which still allow you to get across your intent. Read He Uttered! He exclaimed! for help.
• Adverbs (gently, sadly, angrily) can be a short-cut way to describe emotion rather than showing what it looks and feels like. Address that using The Danger of Adverbs.
• How we talk in real life—stuttering, pausing, repeating etc.—is perfectly okay. In real life. Even though fiction aims to simulate reality, fictional dialogue has its own rules. Find out what they are in Conversations versus Fictional Dialog.

Any of these would improve the quality of your writing and are eminently doable.

Farther along

If you’ve been writing for longer in either time or intensity, the best source of challenge is still a cool self-analysis of your writing. But here are some other possibilities.

• Readers are most engaged by protagonists who fight to change things. But writers often like to write about those who like to observe the world. Like they do. Using the post, Don’t Write about Passive Observers—Like You, review your story to ensure you have an active heroine.
• Besides writing great characters, you need to immerse your reader in a credible and captivating world. Use Creating the Fictional World to provide that.

 

 

So, write what interests you, of course. But try to include an aspect which challenges and increases the mastery of your craft. It will grow your confidence in your skill. It prevents you from getting stuck in a rut. And most of all, it’s fun.