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Post by havekrillwhaletravel on Nov 28, 2022 5:21:37 GMT -6
Something I've noticed is that I'll get stuck on certain metaphors, ideas, phrases for a certain amount of time. These things then make their way into my writing, so if I'm working on two different stories in a month, I realize I'll end up with the same ideas in both stories. For now, I usually leave them be unless they're far too similar.
But does this happen to you? What do you do about it?
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Post by Alatariel on Nov 28, 2022 17:17:42 GMT -6
Something I've noticed is that I'll get stuck on certain metaphors, ideas, phrases for a certain amount of time. These things then make their way into my writing, so if I'm working on two different stories in a month, I realize I'll end up with the same ideas in both stories. For now, I usually leave them be unless they're far too similar.
But does this happen to you? What do you do about it?
I definitely fall into familiar habits when writing multiple stories at once. I realized I use a lot of the same physical reactions to emotion for all my characters and needed to specifically make mental notes to differentiate between characters/stories. Not everyone feels guilt in their body the same way so I needed to acknowledge this and research more. I started reading more books by different authors and highlighting turns of phrases or descriptions I liked/thought were unique to my own way of writing. That way I could go back and study how others use words to describe mundane things like body movements in a space or facial expressions or physical manifestations of complex emotions. It's good to recognize these tendencies within ourselves. That way we can actively work to change them or improve. I think it's really common to get comfortable with using the same descriptors or phrases. I certainly notice it with some of my favorite authors. |
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Post by ScintillaMyntan on Nov 28, 2022 20:53:46 GMT -6
Back at university, the two stories I submitted to workshop in the same semester both ended with the main character gobbling fruit in excess. The instructor said I'm going to find myself doing it a lot, that it's a pattern that has some meaning in my head and will repeat until it's done. He said he had one of these himself with his own writing. But that never happened. After that I never had the urge to have a character gobble fruit.
I'm guessing I might have certain words or idiosyncratic sentence structures I use a lot, but if I do, I'm not aware of them.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Nov 29, 2022 9:30:05 GMT -6
Ugh, it's so hard to avoid falling back on personal stock phrases and metaphors. Nothing wrong with it in first drafts, of course. They're good placeholders, right? But once we notice them, it's probably worth the effort to revise them into something a little more unique to the situation/character.
I love the image of a cloud or moving or object "swallowing the stars and spitting them out again." I know I've used that one in two or three stories. ... Maybe four or five? LOL
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Post by Alatariel on Nov 30, 2022 20:20:31 GMT -6
Ugh, it's so hard to avoid falling back on personal stock phrases and metaphors. Nothing wrong with it in first drafts, of course. They're good placeholders, right? But once we notice them, it's probably worth the effort to revise them into something a little more unique to the situation/character. I love the image of a cloud or moving or object "swallowing the stars and spitting them out again." I know I've used that one in two or three stories. ... Maybe four or five? LOL The placeholder thing was a big realization for me! That it's okay to have all the cliches and lazy descriptions in the first draft because then you can move forward instead of stalling on finding the perfect metaphor or words. I'll even highlight the section and then keep going so when I'm editing I remember to spend some time making it unique. A couple of the romance authors I've read (really popular ones, too, with thousands of positive reviews) seem to recycle the same phrases/descriptions A LOT. I had to stop reading one of the authors I originally loved because I realized all of her characters were the same type of quirky with the same idiosyncrasies with the same love interests. It was really sad because I adored the first few books and then became bored. BUT there's another author who's brand is all about having quirky characters but they're all different and special and their love interests are absolutely unique. And even though this author has a distinctive voice that's similar in all her books, each one is still a joy to read. So...having a certain style is definitely okay, cultivating your own personal style is good. Consistency is appreciated among a fanbase, but you definitely want to be aware of becoming too comfortable in the tropes and characters you decide to use/create. |
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Post by RAVENEYE on Dec 2, 2022 12:58:57 GMT -6
Ugh, it's so hard to avoid falling back on personal stock phrases and metaphors. Nothing wrong with it in first drafts, of course. They're good placeholders, right? But once we notice them, it's probably worth the effort to revise them into something a little more unique to the situation/character. I love the image of a cloud or moving or object "swallowing the stars and spitting them out again." I know I've used that one in two or three stories. ... Maybe four or five? LOL The placeholder thing was a big realization for me! That it's okay to have all the cliches and lazy descriptions in the first draft because then you can move forward instead of stalling on finding the perfect metaphor or words. I'll even highlight the section and then keep going so when I'm editing I remember to spend some time making it unique. A couple of the romance authors I've read (really popular ones, too, with thousands of positive reviews) seem to recycle the same phrases/descriptions A LOT. I had to stop reading one of the authors I originally loved because I realized all of her characters were the same type of quirky with the same idiosyncrasies with the same love interests. It was really sad because I adored the first few books and then became bored. BUT there's another author who's brand is all about having quirky characters but they're all different and special and their love interests are absolutely unique. And even though this author has a distinctive voice that's similar in all her books, each one is still a joy to read. So...having a certain style is definitely okay, cultivating your own personal style is good. Consistency is appreciated among a fanbase, but you definitely want to be aware of becoming too comfortable in the tropes and characters you decide to use/create. Ah, yes. The highlighter function is key! My manuscripts have yellow all over them.  Anyway, I can't count the number of times my mother has voiced a similar complaint. She gets to binging a single author's work, then complains that after a while all the books sound the same, same plot, same kinds of characters, etc. Like all the books that whats-his-name wrote after "The Notebook" was a massive success. All his books were nearly identical. Apparently. According to my mom. I didn't read them. I get authors (and publishers) wanting to recreate a commercial success, but falling into that trap has to be terribly dull for the author. And once readers catch on, sales surely plummet. I guess some readers want the same experience over and over (like eating at McDonald's in every town you visit), but don't most people want new experiences from authors they like? Am I wrong to believe that? I loved Kate Morton's novels for this reason. They make take place during the same general time period (the world wars tend to be her area of focus), and the same theme (going back and forth through the decades to solve a family mystery of some sort), but each situation is so drastically different from the others, and the characters so dissimilar that her books were wonderful reading. I can't wait to see what she writes next. |
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Post by havekrillwhaletravel on Dec 2, 2022 23:45:49 GMT -6
I realized I use a lot of the same physical reactions to emotion for all my characters and needed to specifically make mental notes to differentiate between characters/stories. Not everyone feels guilt in their body the same way so I needed to acknowledge this and research more. I started reading more books by different authors and highlighting turns of phrases or descriptions I liked/thought were unique to my own way of writing. That way I could go back and study how others use words to describe mundane things like body movements in a space or facial expressions or physical manifestations of complex emotions. Yesss, this is so relatable. Mundane things are the hardest to write about, and it's so difficult to write about them in new ways. I highlight passages and phrases I like while reading, but never specifically looking for descriptions of expressions/movements. I'll keep an eye out for those and see where it takes me.
Ugh, it's so hard to avoid falling back on personal stock phrases and metaphors. Nothing wrong with it in first drafts, of course. They're good placeholders, right? But once we notice them, it's probably worth the effort to revise them into something a little more unique to the situation/character. I think my problem here is that I grow so used to seeing the placeholders in their … place that it feels weird to take them out. Instead, I end up tweaking and adjusting them slightly instead of switching them out for something new.
Back at university, the two stories I submitted to workshop in the same semester both ended with the main character gobbling fruit in excess. Okay, I HAVE to read those stories. In fact, MORE stories should end with characters gobbling fruit in excess. 
A couple of the romance authors I've read (really popular ones, too, with thousands of positive reviews) seem to recycle the same phrases/descriptions A LOT. I had to stop reading one of the authors I originally loved because I realized all of her characters were the same type of quirky with the same idiosyncrasies with the same love interests. I definitely feel this fatigue in some longer short story collections.
“And when I relate what eldritch abominations I witnessed, whose cyclopean features defy all miserable attempts at description, you will undoubtedly think I have lost all vestiges of my frail sanity and find my tale incredulous. It all …”
Err, no man, I find your tale very credulous because I’ve just read 10 other tales exactly like yours. Seems to be pretty common in these parts |
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