6 Lessons I Learned by Going Through My Old Stories
Nov 17, 2022 · 2 mins read
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I’ve written 1000s of pieces online since 2014.
Recently, I went through my old stories and articles. To my surprise, I found many writing mistakes that all professional writers must avoid.
Here are the 6 writing lessons I learned from my old stories (Don’t repeat these mistake
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#1 The use of an ellipsis (set of three dots)
I thought it represented continuity, and was a semicolon's alternative.
I was wrong.
According to GrammarBook, ellipsis has two uses:
• To quote material at the sentence’s end.
• To express hesitation or thoughts trailing off.
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Another use of ellipses: To show one side of a phone conversation — to indicate the other person is speaking.
It’s best to avoid ellipsis unless in:
• conversation,
• dream sequences, or
• train-of-thought passages.
And it’s NOT an alternative to the semi-colon.
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#2 The liberal use of exclamation marks
I believed: exclamation marks = excitement.
But today, I know the best way to stir up excitement is by:
• clever use of pauses,
• dialogue, or
• by showing intense thoughts in the protagonist’s head.
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Exclamation marks can still be used to express:
• anger,
• surprise, or
• joy.
But using them often makes them less effective.
Readers will get annoyed if there’s one at the end of every other sentence.
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#3 Presenting dialogue as in real life
In real life, people repeat talking about the same thing.
But when reading a novel, no one likes to read multiple paragraphs that talk about the same thing without moving the story forward.
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#4 Beating about the bush
Readers lose interest if there isn’t anything valuable in each sentence.
Fillers don’t make for powerful sentences.
To avoid this, delete the sentences that don’t:
• take the story forward, or
• define the characters’ depth.
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#5 Using language you don’t understand
Replacing a word with its synonym never works.
Readers can tell if you looked a word up in a Thesaurus.
If you’re not confident about a word, don’t use it. Stick to the basics.
Focus on the quality & don’t aim for flowery language
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#6 Not writing for the reader
If you want to become a successful writer, your stories must:
• educate,
• inspire, or
• entertain the reader,
and give actionable takeaways.
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6 writing lessons I learned by going through my old stories and articles. TL;DR:
#1 Don’t use an ellipsis
#2 Stop using exclamation marks
#3 Present dialogue smartly
#4 Get straight to the point
#5 Don’t use synonyms just for the sake of it
#6 Write for the reader
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