Writing.Com General Discussion

the difference between being a reader, and a writer who's reading, is that a writer looks at how the author of the book is reading did it.

A reader, just reads and enjoys the ride. :)


Let's move on to your hubris problem. Bah humbug. Every writer thinks they know enough to start writing. If they didn't, they'd never start writing. Even if they don't understand the theory, because the theory is embedded in our brains and we've been absorbing stories our whole life. They go a certain way, and when they don't, they run the risk of being a bad story.

Merging these two together, when you learn about 3 act structure you'll start seeing it in the things you read. When you learn about Scene and Sequel, you'll start seeing authors who use it. When you learn about exposition, you'll start seeing blocks of text that don't need to be there. When you read a book with a slow start, you'll start thinking about how you could have started at a different point in the story, and told the same story, but gotten to it faster.

Here's a book I recommend by Deb Chester. The Fantasy Fiction Formula. It breaks down the process of writing a book. Explains Scene and Sequel, which is useful to understand, even if you don't follow it strictly. If you are aiming to write a fantasy or sci-fi or action thriller kind of book where things get harder for the hero, it' s a good model. It's a good read even if you aren't, because it will catch you up on the basics that still apply to your genre (whatever it is). It's got a lighter tone, so it's easy to read.

Read up KM Weiland's blog at writers helping writers, and CS Lakin's. Those two give away a ton of advice and explanation. Between that and FFF, you'll have caught on a lot of writing craft.

And keep writing. Put the next thing you learn into the next thing you write.