Almost all inclusive advice

[BobbyBrandt]

I received an e-mail with a link to this advice that, while much of it gets mentioned here frequently, this seems like pretty all-inclusive advice for someone considering dabbing their toe into the water to write a story.

 

[NotWise]

From his list, my big problem is writing the story without overthinking every sentence.

 

[TheLobster]

I'm not sure I agree with his chess approach to setting up the story -- first the premise (what he calls "spark"), then pieces characters, then the chessboard locale(s) -- but that's probably because I mostly write only the premises which are so overarching that the other two elements are almost self-evident in how they fall into place. His approach is a bit more systematic, and that's okay; it's probably better for more 'mundane' premises which can be made unique through intriguing characters and whatnot.

The advice to make the first draft (deliberately) messy is also a matter of personal style. I generally edit as a I go, since it helps me get back in the groove, so I wouldn't leave any 'bad' sentences that don't look onerous to fix. I do admit that the more polished this first draft gets, the more reluctant I am to cut large swathes out of it, so I don't discount his advice completely.

The rest is just good suggestions that get my wholesale thumbs-up.

 

[TheRedLantern]

I love pretty much all that advice. I think every section could turn into its own article, except the "Create characters readers will care about" which could be a whole book series. Last week, I watched Brandon Sanderson's two lectures on character from his 2025 class and it reoriented my entire approach to writing and made me figure out why I'd been struggling with my other (non-erotica) writing.

The advice about ruthlessly cutting what's not helping is, in my experience, the advice that separates the top few percent of writers from the rest of the pack.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think it's generally good advice, although different authors will approach the lessons differently. I edit as I go. I don't necessarily demand that every sentence be perfect to my eyes, but I edit as I go to make it more or less what I want.

I think step 6 is important and I probably overlook it more than I should. That's the process of severely editing the story after the first draft is done. That's good advice that I don't always follow.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I'm not sure I agree with his chess approach to setting up the story -- first the premise (what he calls "spark"), then pieces characters, then the chessboard locale(s) -- but that's probably because I mostly write only the premises which are so overarching that the other two elements are almost self-evident in how they fall into place. His approach is a bit more systematic, and that's okay; it's probably better for more 'mundane' premises which can be made unique through intriguing characters and whatnot.

The advice to make the first draft (deliberately) messy is also a matter of personal style. I generally edit as a I go, since it helps me get back in the groove, so I wouldn't leave any 'bad' sentences that don't look onerous to fix. I do admit that the more polished this first draft gets, the more reluctant I am to cut large swathes out of it, so I don't discount his advice completely.

The rest is just good suggestions that get my wholesale thumbs-up.

I agree. Writing involves style, and styles vary. I wouldn't encourage anyone to discard their own style based upon this advice.

However, if the advice he gives allows someone to try their hand at writing and lets them develop their own style, what can it hurt.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Hmm... Almost everything there is something that I've already known because James Scott Bell wrote about it in many of his books. However, about number five... the easiest way to practice leaving mistakes in is by ditching the computer and forcing yourself to handwrite the story in black ink. I know that because I've been doing it every day for 247 days so far, and it does break the perfectionist compulsion of going back.

 

[NotWise]

Hmm... Almost everything there is something that I've already known because James Scott Bell wrote about it in many of his books. However, about number five... the easiest way to practice leaving mistakes in is by ditching the computer and forcing yourself to handwrite the story in black ink. I know that because I've been doing it every day for 247 days so far, and it does break the perfectionist compulsion of going back.

I'm not eligible for that solution. I can't read my own handwriting.

 

[THBGato]

Number 6 is the one I find hardest. I'm too impatient - I want to jump to number 7 (the polish). Yet, when I bothered to do number 6, I definitely get the best results.

 

[iwatchus]

ditching the computer and forcing yourself to handwrite the story in black ink

I type quickly and that is not nearly fast enough to keep with how I want to write drafts. I know I leave lots of mistakes as I'm going. My writing would never keep up, and like NotWise, I would not be able to read half of it anyway.

I also have to ask. Does it have to be black ink? Blue wouldn't work?

 

[KittyOfSteele]

I'm not eligible for that solution. I can't read my own handwriting.

Honestly, I can't read Bataille's handwriting, but he managed to read his own. The act of handwriting itself can make it more readable the further you write.

I type quickly and that is not nearly fast enough to keep with how I want to write drafts. I know I leave lots of mistakes as I'm going. My writing would never keep up, and like NotWise, I would not be able to read half of it anyway.

I also have to ask. Does it have to be black ink? Blue wouldn't work?

Yeah, my two cents were for people who, unlike you, always end up going back, such as me. You can't fix ink.

As for the color goes, I don't know. Does it have to be handwritten in cursive? I prefer black ink because it's the easiest to find.