Q: Do you have any advice on how to make my writing stronger?
There has been concern from possible submitters that the quality of writing won't be strong, either because of lack of experience in writing, or language barriers. Here are some tips and tricks to better edit and improve the quality of your story.
-Every sentence can be cut down. Avoid wordiness.
-Eliminate Passive Language. Remove phrases such as 'to be', 'will be', 'was done.' Example: "The orc was killed by Samuel." Instead, use "Samuel killed the orc." This is one I personally struggle with in my own writing.
Every sentence should contribute to the story. Example: "The sword lay on table and, like everything else in the knight's cottage, it was coated in several months worth of dust." This one sentence contains plot and character.
Nothing ever 'is' or 'was'. Look for better verbs whenever you can. Example: "She was skinny and her dress was brown." Instead use "A brown dress draped her thin frame."
Avoid repetition. Watch for using the same word multiple times in a sentence or paragraph, and look for similar ones to replace them.
Search (Control F) 'of' and 'that'. This will help tighten sentences. Example: "John said that it was Jane's birthday." Instead use "John said it was Jane's birthday.
Embrace shorter sentences. The shorter the sentence, the better you keep your reader's attention. That said, there should also be variety. Short sentences are good for action and quick pacing, whereas longer sentences slow down the story, giving the reader a chance to pause.
Avoid word ambiguity. Example: "It could get hot." Instead try "It could become hot." Also watch for redundant words, such as 'rose up,' fell down.'
Destroy your adverbs. Search for descriptors ending in 'ly' and change them. This is the strongest place to show, rather than tell the reader what's happening. Example: "Walked quickly" Instead try "ran, jogged, or skipped."
Second example: "'I hate wizards,' he said angrily." Instead try "His eyebrows furrowed and he thumped his fist on the table. 'I hate wizards.'"
Eliminate dialogue tags. Use them sparingly and provide more information to the reader at the same time. Example: "'I'll let you know tomorrow,' said Samantha." Instead try "Samantha drained her cup and set it down. She looked up at Michael. 'I'll let you know tomorrow.'"
Avoid words ending in'-ing'. These are generally used in passive language.
Watch for subject/verb confusion. Example: "The dog brushed her bicycle and it fell over." What fell over, the dog or the bike? Instead try "The dog brushed her bicycle, knocking it over."
Avoid 'suddenly, unexpectedly, then she...'
Now the most important part.
After going through these editing tips, (congratulations if you managed to stick with me this far), go back and have the computer read your story out loud to you as you follow along. This will let you hear what sentences sound clunky, catch repetition you might not have noticed, and clean up punctuation. It also helps with misplaced words and spelling errors. Sometimes I forget to put in a word such as 'and' or 'of' in a sentence, and this helps catch those errors.
Let us know if you have any further questions, and I hope this helps.
