Four Things That Make Your Writing Boring (and how to fix them!)
“Hi, I’m Rob.”
“Sorry, did you say Bob?”
“No, Rob.”
“Oh, sorry. Nice to meet you, Rob. I’m Larry.”
“Nice to meet you too, Larry. I’ve never been to this coffee shop, have you?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Are you sleeping after reading that? I almost fell asleep writing it. Dialogue in books doesn’t have to accurately reflect how we speak in real life, unless you’re ironically trying to show how pedantic it can be, as in a comedy series like The Office, where they slow down everyday office occurrences to poke fun. In most books, aim for dialogue that sparkles a little brighter than the mundane conversations people have.
Ask yourself, Which moments will help the reader see my characters in action? What they are thinking or feeling as the conversation is happening, that will move your story forward?
There are many problems with the example dialogue above, but here are some guidelines to start with:
- Skip introductions or summarize instead of making us wade through them whenever possible. A simple, The man introduced himself as Rob, would be just fine here.
- Eliminate prompting dialogue. This is where one character asks a question (“did you say Bob?”), or prompts another character to repeat themselves. Watch for this in your dialogue, and collapse it down to eliminate the feeling of redundancy.
Problem #4: Not Enough Exciting Showing Details in Your Scenes
Implementing each of the tips above will inevitably reduce the word count in your scenes, and that doesn’t always feel great, when you’ve fought hard to get the words down and watched your book grow. But be ruthless, eliminating boring elements that will stop your reader from getting hooked on your story, because this reduced word count will give you breathing room to add in details that will really make your writing pop.
Every scene in your book should have a balance of showing, and telling. Drawing out important moments by sharing a specific showing detail or two will always draw readers in, making your story come to life for them.
Not sure what I mean by showing, or telling? You can get more information on that here.
Click here for a wealth of show-don’t-tell resources!
Making Your Writing Exciting for Readers
Eliminating the boring writing habits listed above will increase your book’s impact on your reader, making them stay up late into the night to finish your pages, fall in love with your story, and share it with their friends.
Not sure if you’ve developed some boring writing habits along the way? Get a writing assessment! Until Black Friday, I’m offering an introductory Writing Assessment, where I’ll evaluate a sample of your writing and coach you where to focus to make your writing as impactful to your reader as it can be. Get details at www.suzyvadori.com/10pagereview
The post Four Things That Make Your Writing Boring (and how to fix them!) appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.
The Bookshelf Muse is a hub for writers, educators and anyone with a love for the written word. Featuring Thesaurus Collections that encourage stronger descriptive skills, this award-winning blog will help writers hone their craft and take their writing to the next level.
Source: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2024/11/four-things-that-make-your-writing-boring-and-how-to-fix-them/
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