Stories are supposed to convey something. Some form of truth that you would see in the day to day in your life.
At least, that is what I hope to create with the way that I write.
The longer you live, the more you learn, the more you discover, experience and see. Then over time, it should make sense, and this feeling that you get… You hope that it would be conveyed in some way.
Life… It’s an interesting ride. A battle that you face, yet an experience that has countless layers that you unpeel each day.
People wonder about writing as a medium and how writing can only be conveyed when you have read thousands of texts.
Books certainly help. They are the medium that helps you create and to convey whatever meaning you want. However, I do think that life does help you in conveying words, meanings, messages or the lessons that you learn throughout your life.
What have I done to showcase life in stories?
Throughout writing Conjured Secrets, I have taken to consideration, especially as of this draft to think more about the experiences that I have faced, and to try to create a story that is engaging, hopefully relatable, and something that I hope that people will come and look back to over time.
It is good to have a story that conveys these experiences. Even if you have to add a bit of flattery language throughout the scenes just to put in what you’re describing, I do think that it is always a good thing to sort of think about and relate to how you would feel in a specific situation, then try to figure out how to convey it in the best way possible.
I will admit, sometimes, it takes a while to get the words down as you want it to be written. A way other people can understand what you are trying to convey throughout your story and to stick to it.
But I know. As with any thing, sometimes, it is difficult to know where to start. Even if you have been there for a while and you want to do something that can help your story pop out a bit more. Here’s what I have done to help make my story pop out more:
Read and understand stories
Books are the usual way that people would read your stories. Looking to other people’s worlds and reading your writer’s voice. Reading multiple different genres can give you a point of view as to what to bring into your writing style. Some people may have a preference, some that may not fit within the mold of what they like to read.
The stories I usually go for is nonfiction books, which if you are a fiction writer who likes to read nonfiction, that’s ok! It can teach you all kinds of lessons for your worldbuilding! However, it is vital to read the genre that you want to write about to understand how it works. This can help you create a compelling story if you were to use stories from one or more genres! I mean, there is nothing wrong with using horror tropes and incorporate it into your sci-fi or fantasy book to make something that is a bit different! It can enhance your story in ways you may not expect, if done right.
Observe real life
Now this is a different point of view, which you could lump movies into this as well, but it is good to have a view of the people around you interacting with each other, and to see the type of energy that they bring into the conversation. Quirks of people, their mannerisms and their way of speaking and living throughout the world can tell you just as much — if not, more than writing can.
This can also reveal on how you want your characters to be, their inner conflicts, their experiences. It can all be conveyed if you listen to what other people are thinking and talking about, and trying to understand their point of view a bit more.
Jot down your experiences.
This can be done with journalling or writing prompts, anything that will make you translate your sightings to paper!
It helps improve the way you write and convey your ideas to paper. Heck, there is nothing wrong with writing poetry either, since that can help you convey imagery. It helps convey, showcase and understand your style better the more you write it.
Writing is a skill that needs to be improved on. But like other skillsets, you don’t need to just write to improve, you can always look at a different concept or idea and translate it the best way you can! This is so you can explore, test ideas and improve in your sense of writing.
It is not the easiest thing to do every day, but by consistently trying to do one of these tasks a day, it can help you improve on your writing skills and help you become a better and articulate writer.