Polls for Christian Writers discussion

What's a piece of advice that didn't work for you?
For me, it's a quote that goes something like, "If there's a gun on the mantel in chapter one, make sure it goes off in chapter four" (not exact quote, just the idea). This made me believe that every detail I added had to be important to the plot. I think that's part of the reason I struggle with adding descriptions...

I'm struggling a lot of character feelings and stuff. I've tried and tried to make them feel and sound real, but it's been hard.

I actually asked a friend of my mom's who writes for advice, and she told me to watch Twilight.... :/

R.S. wrote: "What's a piece of advice that didn't work for you?
For me, it's a quote that goes something like, "If there's a gun on the mantel in chapter one, make sure it goes off in chapter four" (not exact q..."

I've heard that one a lot too! I understand the basic principle, but I don't think it works just so for everyone!! It's hindered me and helped on many occasions :P

Olivia wrote: "R.S. wrote: "What's a piece of advice that didn't work for you?
For me, it's a quote that goes something like, "If there's a gun on the mantel in chapter one, make sure it goes off in chapter four"..."

I understand this advice and I don't take ANY writing advice seriously unless I honestly believe it to be tried-and-true.

The whole point of the gun-on-the-mantle is that it has to add something to the story. If it doesn't add to the story, it's not meant to be there. Even if it doesn't go off, it has to add to the scene (as a prop or something to help set the mood, or help you imagine the room more clearly) or demonstrate the personality of the character who hung it there. That's the point of the 'gun-on-the-mantle' advice. They're saying that it has to add something to the book instead of just hanging there for no reason.

Show don't tell.

For years and years I had no idea just what that meant. I've come to understand it now, but people were always telling me to "show" instead of "tell" without explaining how to do it, or indeed what "showing" and "telling" were in the first place. It was frustrating.

Someone once told me that most writers are just natural-born writers, and that most of us aren't cut out for writing. I don't know if that counts as writing advice, but it sounded like that to me. What the person omitted was that we all are born not knowing how to write and have to develop that skill our whole lives, even if we never choose it as a profession. Heck, even the "best" writers spent a long time developing the craft and still never got it quite right.

So did I think it was useless advice? Yes. And it hurt at the time. It still kind of bothers me today, but I think I've become a stronger person.

"Write what you know."
Although I do understand the principle behind this, and I'm sure for some writers it would help rather than hinder them, I don't think it should be used as a blanket rule for each and every writer. For example, I am forever being told I should set my stories in the country I live in because "it's what you know, and people always write best about things they know". But for me personally, I find it best and easier to set my stories (for the most part) in the country that greatly influenced me as a young child and one that inspires me with most--if not all--of my story ideas now :)