What are the characteristics of a Novice Writer

Discussion in 'Author Discussions' started by primaryweapon, Apr 29, 2021.

  1. primaryweapon

    primaryweapon Well-Known Member

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    So I ask this question because I fail to see the novice in my own true and focused writing ability and as I practice and research in an effort to rid myself of any of these qualities I can never seem to find the faults other than simple mistakes due to quickly jotting something down, posting, or writing an idea quickly to get to the next just have it written and make progress.

    I’ve watched videos and taken tons of classes (high school/vocational, college, & online courses but this isn’t me boasting) and the qualities/characteristics most of these educators tell you about seem like common sense to me. So below are the parts of my research that are qualities of or things a novice writer fails to do with my idea of why it’s common sense to me.



    1. Elaborate details but don’t do it excessively.

    (Duh, the things you want to stand out or the way you set an atmosphere visually upon a character or location/setting you should elaborate on the details and what you would consider excessive as the writer or critic depends on the writers skill of cohesively connecting ideas without losing the trail for the reader to follow)

    2. Forgetting the basics in syntax and usage of literary tools.

    (This is something you’re taught basically K-12 at different levels and I understand some people have a hard time learning so no knock on them, just keep practicing till it’s second nature and even then you will still need an editor to double check your work.)

    3. Organization of Ideas

    (I may be coming off harsh with this but,

    if you don’t have an idea of what you want to write about, do research.

    if you do have an idea but don’t know where to start, do research and find a blueprint or a foundation of rules to follow or better yet a template and fill in the blanks.

    If you have an idea and know where to start do research, find a template, fill in the blanks and plug & play ideas as necessary you don’t necessarily have to use a template to the T! It’s nice to have a guideline but mold it to your story not vice versa if you can manage. Otherwise that template will lead you to writing exactly the same thing as someone else who followed/used it.

    I could keep going but you catch my drift like that plastic bag that happen to miss the 7/11 garbage can outside during a rainstorm in the midst of a hectic rush back to the safety of a nearby vehicle to avoid as much rain as possible.)

    4. Poor plot points and character development.

    (This may seem hard to do for most but that’s because in my opinion it’s very subjective. A Dr. Seuss book is a simple read with shallow premise that is taken at face value by a regular reader and to a theorist it’s a well of hidden logic and ideologies. I feel like this is easy to solve by just deciding your demographic, the where and who will be reading this tale of yours for the plot portion. In other words how simple or complex will your plot be and how will you back it up. Can a simple plot be poorly written? Yes but I feel it’s hard to mess up a simple plot. I could elaborate more here but I don’t feel like it.

    As for character development obviously don’t thrust it all onto your reader unless you have proper pacing that enables you to do so. trust me it’s possible to thrust all of the MCs primary persona in one go there have been many cheap ways to do it that we are familiar with. Don’t stress back story it will rear it’s ugly head almost instinctively as your telling your story especially if there is time for reflection for any of your characters.

    5. Understanding POVs/Multiple Perspectives.

    (this is sort of like #1 I mentioned formerly with elaborating but more along the lines of cohesiveness of the ideas. So this in my eyes requires skill to properly weave perspectives to interact or not touch at all to either express individuality or similarities. The more POVs, the harder it is to accomplish a understandable plot or trail for the reader to follow.)

    6. Introduction/First impressions

    (Some think this is sort of like coming up with the name of created character in Skyrim that you plan on role playing with in your free time but in truth it’s much more simpler. Dive into your story either set the stage for the actor play or set the mood of actors and how it effects their environment. No need for flashy words or a deep quote that you feel encompasses the focus of your plot, unless you can obviously, but don’t forget to elaborate but not excessively.)


    So once again I ask the question in the thread subject line to seek the following from others:


    1. If there are faults in the things I’ve said then correct them

    2. If there is additional info that helps push a point I made, add it.

    3. What other characteristics or qualities are there that I may have missed so I can take those and screen them towards my own abilities and research and practice to improve.


    All of this allows me to grow and hopefully others if they can understand my viewpoints. Personally I plan on writing a light novel with a precise business plan nothing unique as far as the plan just something that suits me. I’ve written plenty of short stories and wrote plenty songs but I believe I have the aptitude to at least write a good light novel for others to enjoy I will not be paying for an editor as of the early chapters but I have faith if people can still read a series with horrible translations I’m sure they can still read my series with some of the grammar errors I may have.
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2021
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  2. Meloman

    Meloman My dog is lazier than me

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    Probably giving up... is one of the poor characteristics of a novice writer. I suffer from of let’s write about X today. Then the next moment, hey Y idea is great too.

    I have over 150 started stories saved on my laptop, but barely any are over 20 pages in... probably if I just continued with one story and even if it had plot holes and bad character development etc, it would still have been better that it never being finished, nor posted for others to read on one site or another.

    But hey, thank you for sharing your own ideas and experiences
     
  3. Saorihirai

    Saorihirai Well-Known Member

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    honestly, I would really just advise paying attention during school. Many of the basic rudimentary problems I see people have with writing stories can honestly be solved through k-12 education. (or any equivalent). If you're writing in english and you aren't proficient in it or are not a native speaker, then again, please improve your english before trying to write seriously. Otherwise, write in a language you are knowledgeable in.

    If you don't have a strong foundation in simple language and writing, don't expect yourself to be an author or writer. Personally, I really hate when people write stuff, ask for help and then you see the majority of their problems come from a lack of basic grammar and organization. (And no I don't mean that writers should always have perfect grammar and syntax but come on. At least have the basic understanding and from there, you can work on it.)

    IMO you can't teach someone all the nuances of writing a story if they don't even know how to write a proper academic paper/essay. It's the same thing in undergraduate study or any writers workshop. Before you take any creative writing course/writers course, you need to have the basic skills down. (They make you take introductory english where you work on writing essays and just improving your technical writing skills.) They will NOT teach you how to write sentences, organize ideas, or use proper grammar. It's learning on how to write a *story* not just write. If you want to learn how *write*, then start off by writing academic papers and essays. So please before you try to write stories, at least have the foundation down. THEN we can move on from there on all the other aspects of writing fiction.

    Sorry if this came of harsh to many aspiring writers here, but all I'm saying is that pay attention during school lol. I know you have amazing ideas, worlds, plots, and characters all planned out but before you can even begin to bring all that to life, you have to have the basics down. Most important tho, is to keep working at it!
     
  4. aintg

    aintg Fairy Queen of the Demonic Sect

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    I second this opinion. From my experience as an English teacher, most people in general (young and adult alike) often ignore the basics of writing, from choice of words to even simple punctuation, capitalization, or spelling.

    I'm not a professional writer myself, but I would say that if one wants to produce a powerful writing, premise only isn't enough. Delivery matters, and engaging delivery is always backed up by good writing style, which can only be achieved if the writer is familiar with and can apply the basics.
     
  5. Saorihirai

    Saorihirai Well-Known Member

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    yea honestly it's shocking how many people want to be writers but don't have the basics down. I don't know what people think writing a book entails, but one of the things you have to do in order to create a book is to WRITE. If you don't know how to write, then consider yourself done.
     
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  6. primaryweapon

    primaryweapon Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for your input, the things you have said reinforced my thoughts upon the matter and helped clarified some of the details I've been searching for. I had a feeling it was the basics and honestly even as a pro-writer you will still come upon basic errors, but the difference between a pro and a novice messing up the basics is that the pro will recognize and proceed to correct the errors prior to submission anywhere. We all make mistakes and no author will be 100%, instincts will be instincts and bad habits sometimes appear. The greatest literature works appeared after most if not all of their basic errors were corrected so don't be so hard but definitely pay attention to the basics.
     
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  7. Saorihirai

    Saorihirai Well-Known Member

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    Of course. No matter how experienced you are, grammar can be a really fickle thing. And don't worry about your first drafts having fundamental issues. Those are meant to horrible and can easily be fixed with a thorough revision from the writer. All great works starts off looking like garbage. The only thing you have to careful about is that if you are a novice and can't fix it by yourself, then even though it's completely fine to get a editor for that, you have to be consciously trying to improve. Editors can help with fixing up the rudimentary issues but they can't go further than that. There is only so much they can do. Any further and you'd be losing your integrity as a writer.

    The basics are reallly important and it honestly just gets you to the starting line of writing a good book. Perfect grammar and syntax won't make your work perfect. As contradictory as that sounds. That's just the difference between writing fiction and writing academic papers.
     
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  8. Feng Tian

    Feng Tian Well-Known Member

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    Point in case: I have read studies which were about 95% more entertaining and interesting than the average xianxia novel. Its nigh impossible to make up for a broken setting in fantasy, and xianxia happens to have fanfiction-tier world building. If not worse.
     
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  9. Xian Piete

    Xian Piete Author of many mediocre stories

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    Stop writing like translators. Every line you write isn't a new paragraph.

    Oh, another thing people do that makes your work hard to read... When you sit down to write your character dialog...

    "I don't like seeing you stare at Steve during our meetings."
    "I don't know what you are talking about."
    "Hey, do you want coffee?"

    vs

    John looked at Amy and then spoke in a soft yet firm voice, "I don't like seeing you stare at Steve during our meetings."

    Amy looked confused, "I don't know what you are talking about."

    Steve poked his head back in the room and asked, "Hey, do you want coffee?"


    One way makes it hard to impossible to follow your dialog. You figure out which is which.
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2021
  10. PRSBlacklight

    PRSBlacklight Member

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    God, the writing 20 pages then stopping a story has got to be the worse trait of a novice writer. I'm not saying I'm not a novice writer but it hits home so much that my grandchildren will feel it.
     
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  11. Kasaix

    Kasaix Active Member

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    this was really helpful thank you for the post.
     
  12. N1gh7R4v3n

    N1gh7R4v3n Bounty Hunter for skittles

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    Gotta disagree a bit here. Decently written dialogue between two characters doesnt need to constantly remind the reader who's talking. If a new character is introduced to the "scene" Then yea, but if its just two characters standing and talking, it gets REALLY wordy and annoying to read after longer than 2-3 exchanges
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2022