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The Craft of Writing

by Bridget Geegan Blanton

Invest time and effort into the craft of writing and you will find your voice. A style or a rhythm that is unique unto you. When you find it, your work is believable. Take a closer look at that unfinished manuscript and isolate those sections that resonate with you.


Your voice made an appearance in well-crafted paragraphs that advance the plot with natural yet effective precision. Most writers don't wake up one morning and discover their voice; instead they've been working to find it. Fits and starts eventually become regular appointments that you keep with yourself to write. Procrastination has no place in the writer's life. Silence the inner critic and do what it takes to improve your writing.




If it's character development that you need to work on, read about techniques other writers use. The character must become real to you. Take a moment and write down 100 traits that describe this character; whether or not it advances the plot is not the focus here. Make this character come alive in your own eyes. It is equally imperative that you create an outline for the novel. The outline assists you in character development. You know where the character has been and where they are headed.




The next time you're at a restaurant describe the scene. Create dialogue for a couple seated in a nearby booth. Use this tool to develop your insight into the motivation of the characters. What do you feel? What do you see and hear? If you envision a scene as you write, it becomes genuine. Keep in mind, that every bit of dialogue and action needs to be plausible and it needs to advance the plot.




Writers have an individual approach to their work habits. I stop writing for the day when the well runs dry and I'm simply not advancing the plot. This is the time when I do a quick edit on the morning's work. I may re-write several sentences or tighten up the language. Now it's time to allow serendipity to go to work. Walk away and get on with your day. I find that while I'm off doing something, my subconscious will continue to work on the plot. Out of the blue, the solution appears in my mind.




There's work involved in the craft of writing. A true writer has no choice but to write in spite of the challenges along the way. Good writing shows that you've done your homework, be it sentence structure or plot development. I also suggest that you purchase a good thesaurus. You will quickly discover that synonymns are a writer's best friend.




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