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Hello, and welcome to the Helpful Tips forum! Unlike the main page of BGW, where specific topics are listed and covered, this is a space where you can find more minor suggestions that will help you improve your writing and give you an extra burst of inspiration. New tips will be added progressively.
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#1. Be careful when and how often you use the word was. Look at the three sentences below and compare. The first uses the word was, and the second two avoid it.
- She was wearing a dark, dazzling dress that billowed out behind her in an elegant train, sweeping over the floor as she danced.
- She wore a dark, dazzling dress that billowed out behind her in an elegant train, sweeping over the floor as she danced.
- The dark, dazzling dress that she wore billowed out behind her in an elegant train, sweeping over the floor as she danced.
The difference may be small, but it can change so much in your writing. I’m not saying you should never use the word was, because it’s often necessary. It’s best to, when you’ve finished writing the first draft and have started to go back and fix things up, use the Find and Replace tool to find all occurrences of the word was. Read the sentence that each one is used in and decide if you really do want to use it there, or if you can change it and make it better.
#2. If you’re like me and find it difficult to add enough emotion when writing in the third person, I recently tried something that might help. I’ve always found it so much easier to be expressive in the first person, but then when I want to add some pieces from someone else’s perspective (say, if the MC is unconscious, or something) I can’t just randomly switch perspectives without it feeling unnatural. So, I want to write in the third person… but how do I keep it just as expressive as when writing in the first person?
(Before I give you my tip, please note that this won’t work if you’re writing in the third person omnipotent, where you can see from multiple third person perspectives. This is only for if you’re writing in the third person but from one point of view.)
Write everything in the first person, just how you normally would. Don’t worry about third person yet. Once you’ve finished writing, use the Find and Replace tool to find all occurrences of the words I, me, my, myself, our, we, we’re, and us. Comb through them and, if you need to, change them to the pronouns you would use in the third person perspective like she, he, they, etc. Occasionally you’ll have to use the character’s name as well. You may have to edit a little more afterwards so things feel more natural, but I’ve found this is the best way to get over that non-expressive bump.
Don’t forget, though, that you won’t have to change every single occurrence of those words. Sometimes they’re used in dialogue or quotes and such, where they’d be needed. Just make sure you do want to change the word before you do.
Beginners Guide to Writing 