Writing Guides

I've never felt the need to use any type of guide for my writing. I know that there are a ton of books out there on how to write a short story, poetry, etc. For myself, and I'm assuming many others, writing has always come naturally. However, I find that a lot of people are very repetitive in the way that they say things in a story. Now, we all have a thesaurus on our computers, but how many people really use it?

A few years ago I received two books for my birthday:

Building Believable Characters
and
The Writer's Guide to Character Traits

These two books are fairly interesting and I think they'll help newer writers. For the most part they told me things that I already knew. For instance, they have sheets that you can write down everything about your characters on. Everything from eye color to favorite food to political views. It really helps to organize your characters' qualities. I've always done this on my own and if you never have, I recommend it. It definitely helps a lot.

These books also go over a lot of other topics like different types of personality traits, different ways to describe appearance, a quick guide to words in other languages, names and their ethnic origins, jobs and their descriptions as well as much more.

If you're looking for something to help you with your writing or even to just enhance your skills, I'd recommend them.

I will have to check out these books..

It's always goof to hear about some new writing guides! I look at them all the time, but for the most part they talk about things I'd already figured out myself.
I always make plot notes (which are very general) and characters profiles before I start any story. It make it alot easier if you have a basic personality andlook designed for them beforehand. Although I often end up deviating from them.
Not that that's a bad thing! Characters are supposed to develope on their own

I love to read writing guides. I know many people think that you are born a writer and don't need that, but that is just cocky and stuck up. I mean, if you really love to write, then you should look into the art of writing because none of us were born knowing. But a lot of writing guides say pretty much the same thing and most of the time the writer knows that by common sence.

Like all of the writing guides say that you need a plot, well DUH. I think that even a writing idiot would know that you need a plot. Or they all say that you need likeable characters, once again DUH. Who would read a fic if they hate the characters, lol.

But there are some stuff that you could learn from writing guides. I have noticed that a lot of FP writers tell rather then show and it needs to be the other way around. Also, I learned from some guide (which was written by an editor and a published author) about details. There are a lot of people who belive the myth that many details makes the story better. The truth is, it slows the story down. Honestly, would you read a book where 3 full pages described how bright the sun shined? I'm not saying that you don't need detail, that would be stupid. But a lot of writers over do with it. The other day, I was reading a fic that said something like "his deep, blue, wondering eyes looked at her", that was terrible. Way too much bad detail and it really slows the story. The correct way to post that would be " his blue eyes stared at her and she could tell he was wondering. It was all in his deep eyes": it has the same meaning but it doesn't slow the story down, instead, it adds to the story.

Actually, I would tend to disagree with that. I would say that the first way was closer to the better way to write it because you don't break it up into a lot of sentences. It flows better written in that way and really doesn't slow anything down.

Stories do need to have detail in them and a lot of times, a lot of detail is necessary. I don't run into many stories that have "too much" detail. Instead, I find myself writing reviews asking for more detail and less dialogue. You have to find a happy medium.

I love stories with a lot of dialogue. Well thought out dialogue, anyways. Stories with too much detail. . . well, I like them, if I'm in the right mood. Usually, I find myself skimming if it's just too heavy. I get so bored. That might have something to do with my short attention span, though.

I really, really enjoy stories that are at a medium with both detail and dialogue. I love when it just fits, perfectly, and one does not unbalance the other.

That's what I'm talking about. I'm a mainstream/contemporary reader and writer so I tend to do the same thing. If the story has too much detail in it, I just skip it or fall asleep. I think detail needs to be mixed in nicelly with the dialogue or the action around, otherwise, it's a drag to read.

It's funny that you should mention this, because my friend VestDan (a fellow FP author) and I were discussing it the other day. It's a hard rule to learn and understand when you're still a young writer. When I try to quote the 'show don't tell' rule some give me queer looks, like they don't have a clue.
It's probably one of the most important things you'll learn as a writer, and it's still hard to follow at times.
But I agree that 'show don't tell' is beneficial and if anyone doesn;t know what I'm talking about I suggest you find out!

It deffinetly took me a while to understand it. But last week I was reading a published novel and I noticed that the characters had great chemistry without her telling me that they had chamistry. I started looking at the style of writing she used and finally I understood what it ment. A lot of times, even published authors find it hard to show. I have read some books that were doing nothing more then telling.

I definitely have to check out those books, they seem real helpful. Especially for a young writer like me.

I don't use those books and try to learn each passing time I write. Though it does sound intresting to help me get off my feet and my books into a publishin deal.