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RE: Notes #32 - It's Show and Tell Time
It's always a fun time whenever a conversation between the slick Scotty B. and Naquoya is involved! Show 'em, uh, hmm.. It's hard to tell which of you is which, so that's always good. I struggle with it a lot as well. Maybe it's hard to curb those tendencies. Sometimes I wish there an AI assistant who just nags at you whenever you use too much adverbs. I did create a script that points out how many adverbs I've written, just so I'm aware of what I've been doing. If I would continue writing more, that was on me. Great reflection here, brother!
I think a lot of writers struggle with this one. Perhaps that's only natural. And one thing I did get from that book was that when writing a first draft you shouldn't even worry about it. If as an author we tend to think or write initially in a particular manner than we should write like that, and then on review mark up areas that could do with a deeper narrative.
So rather than fight it, we should write, and then review. That advice helped. It allows for the natural flow of the words to just come out, adverbs and all. Stunted descriptions also. Looking at it from that perspective also shows the need to step up as a writer in terms of reviews and further drafts. I don't tend to do more than 2 drafts for what I publish here. But they are all shorts at the moment.
So yes, it had lots of good advice. Not stifling advice, but ways to improve as a writer and see the results immediately.
As for the conversations in my head, I had the thought to write a book about it - call it Conversation's With God. Unfortunately someone else stole that title.
I should really be reading stuff like that more. Sadly, and I don't know why, my non-fiction reading tends to stray elsewhere. That's why I find your Notes so helpful because it provides an entertaining cliffnotes of those things. I think I much rather read your writing than those people anyway.
Ha! Well I guess that just gives you the challenge of thinking of a better title. Damn that Neale Donald Walsh! But, in a way, thanks as well.
There are a lot of books on the topic and not all of them are worth your time, unfortunately. That's where it can get tricky. I will certainly share the good ones I come across, and write posts on them, so hopefully that will help.