From "Bird By Bird" Chapter- "Dialogue" "You write a shitty first draft of it and you sound it out, and you leave in those lines that ring true and take out the rest. I wish there were an easier, softer way, a shortcut, but this is the nature of most good writing: that you find out things as you go along. Then you go back and rewrite. Remember: no one is reading your first drafts." As an aspiring writer, recently having read this book I could appreciate how the author encourages you to put the work in, and just do it. Get started and write your heart out. That's because hard work is involved, and everyone has to start somewhere. However, now having understood the perspective of Storygrid, I believe there is an easier more effective way to become a better writer. Through proper structure, deliberate practice, and feedback. If you just get writing and writing and writing going in circles, with no structure, or feedback, you are going to learn some habits that might not payoff and be hard to unlearn. Start smart, study masterworks, follow the structure and get some feedback and keep learning everyday. As a Storygrid student, I recently learned some Good writing advice, for writing scenes with dialogue. Namely to make sure your characters have clear objects of desire, the dialogue is misattuned, as well as follow the 5 Commandments (Inciting Incident, Progressive Complication Turning Point, Crisis, Climax, and Resolution. Practice doesn't make perfect Perfect practice makes perfect.
1 year ago | 7
The only quote I kept from this book was the one that wasn’t even hers, the one about all things in life being props we have to give back. The most ironic quote in a book that was an excuse to tell us what an interesting person she thinks she is was her editor telling her to stop making it all about her.
1 year ago | 2
I got this at a used store before I started writing and was like oh wow she’s smart. I opened it up again about six months into writing my novel, and thought oh wow shes closed minded over structured and toxicly rigid.
1 year ago | 3
i once heard that Hemingway’s preference for strong declarative sentences came from the Kansas City style sheet. don’t know if it’s true but it’s an intriguing origin story. https://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/books/article10632713.ece/BINARY/The%20Star%20Copy%20Style.pdf
1 year ago | 0
Story Grid
The video covering all the bad writing advice from ON WRITING is dropping Friday. This one is next on the docket.
What’s your favorite bad writing advice from BIRD BY BIRD?
1 year ago | [YT] | 47