What writing advice have you received here that you think is worth sharing?

[RagnarHairyBreeches]

I have to laugh. I saw Earthquake at the movies too. You must all be the same age as me.

I read about Sensurround in an electronics magazine at the time and was just hanging out for the experience it. I saw it in Adelaide. In so far as movies are concerned I was impressed. My chest picked up the feeling of the sound. I actually enjoyed the film. My partner, who saw it separately, thinks it was all a load of crap. Particularly the Sensurround. We always argue on that point.

 

[AG31]

I had a reader / self appointed story "reviewer" comment that some of my writing felt too "clinical."

While I didn't agree with some of their other critiques, I did take a look at the story in question and realize they had a point.

And so I have since strived to avoid over use of more clinical sexual terms in my writing and focus less on body parts and more on feelings and emotions.

What is it about "clinical?" I know it turns off a lot of readers, but I like the restrained tone it can set.

 

[Djmac1031]

What is it about "clinical?" I know it turns off a lot of readers, but I like the restrained tone it can set.

I think it was generally about how a a sex story can read "Insert Tab A into Slot B."

Which, in fairness, is an easy trap to fall into while writing, focusing more on who is doing what to / with specific parts of the human anatomy.

 

[StillStunned]

Perhaps not directly writing advice, but from my interactions here I've learned a few things to add to my female characters that I didn't before. Small details about clothes, and how they feel and make the character feel, and an awareness of the potential threat posed by male characters.

 

[OddLove]

What helped me most recently is using a 'Read Aloud' feature to help with proof reading. It was recommended by a couple people on here at different types, and I ended up using Balabolka because how minimal and simple it is, plus it's free. Once I discovered that, stopped using all 'Grammarly' type software/tools cause I was kind of offended the software wanted to rewrite or restructure some of my sentences. Like wtf do they think they are. Some kind of superior AI? No thanks.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I dare say there's a balance between what you need to say/explain simply because you have a lot to get across vs. not boring the reader.

I have a similar problem. In another story I am writing, I went into detail about a particular aspect - a plant. A critique noted it was like reading a scientific journal article rather than a story. I could see that. But it was awkward for me because all the 'clinical' stuff I was detailing was important to the plot. If I were to leave it out the reader may not have understood what was happening. Getting the balance just right is difficult. I'm struggling.

In term of clinical terms I just go with what feels natural. I never refer to pussy. For me it's always vagina. Seldom tits. It's usually breast. And I tend to use the terms penis and dick equally. Whatever you do, someone will always find it wrong. So, it's probably best to simply please yourself in your writing style.

Info dumps in Sci-Fi are always a challenge. I generally like David Weber but in his Honorverse novels he falls down the info dump rabbit holes from time to time.