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tenshinoakuma) wrote2013-05-08 07:31 pm
tenshinoakuma) wrote2013-05-08 07:31 pm
Entry tags:
Some thoughts on writing (and creative pursuits)
It's been a while since I've posted anything like this, huh? :|a
Anyway, a conversation had me thinking about writing and how to improve in it.
I'm of the belief that technical skills are important in creative pursuits. I feel that technical skills are what frames the creativity, the good ideas, that people have. When the technical skills are lacking, that obscures what would otherwise likely be a great piece of work. A piece of writing that is technically sound but not terribly creative can still be enjoyed, but I feel that writing that's full of great ideas but lacking technical skill can be a chore to read. Sort of like how the enjoyment of music can be marred by unintentional off-key notes.
When it comes to writing, the usual advice is to write and write and write.
This is not bad advice.
But, it's like... isn't that rather directionless? In other creative pursuits, there are more specific ways to improve in them besides just "DO MORE"! For example, in art, you can improve your anatomy/sketching skills by doing 90 second gesture drawings for 10 minutes a day. In piano, you can improve finger control through practising scales daily. I am only using these examples because these are the experiences I'm familiar with.
In those pursuits, it's not like you get told, complete lots and lots of pieces of artwork, or practice by performing a piece over and over again, start to finish. No. I've never been told that, and in my experience, it's a relatively slow method of improving. My ability to produce good 'final products' improves much faster when I work on my technical skills than when I just jump straight to the 'final product'. If I don't know how to draw a belt, I go out and learn what a belt looks like and draw belts. If there's a part of a song that I always flub the notes, I practice just that section and focus on getting the notes correct, ignoring things like dynamics and articulation.
Basically, it seems that the road to improving faster in other creative disciplines involves lies partially in improving the technical skills of that particular discipline. And that's reflected in the advice given.
Maybe I just haven't been around enough on the internet or offline, but I rarely see this for writing.
Just things like, "write more", or "here is some useful information you can reference if you write about Mediaeval Times," which are not bad things at all. But I feel like the importance of learning/improving the technical aspect of writing doesn't get emphasised.
So... I guess this is a (WIP) collection of exercises/references that focus on technical aspects of writing:
Anyway, a conversation had me thinking about writing and how to improve in it.
I'm of the belief that technical skills are important in creative pursuits. I feel that technical skills are what frames the creativity, the good ideas, that people have. When the technical skills are lacking, that obscures what would otherwise likely be a great piece of work. A piece of writing that is technically sound but not terribly creative can still be enjoyed, but I feel that writing that's full of great ideas but lacking technical skill can be a chore to read. Sort of like how the enjoyment of music can be marred by unintentional off-key notes.
When it comes to writing, the usual advice is to write and write and write.
This is not bad advice.
But, it's like... isn't that rather directionless? In other creative pursuits, there are more specific ways to improve in them besides just "DO MORE"! For example, in art, you can improve your anatomy/sketching skills by doing 90 second gesture drawings for 10 minutes a day. In piano, you can improve finger control through practising scales daily. I am only using these examples because these are the experiences I'm familiar with.
In those pursuits, it's not like you get told, complete lots and lots of pieces of artwork, or practice by performing a piece over and over again, start to finish. No. I've never been told that, and in my experience, it's a relatively slow method of improving. My ability to produce good 'final products' improves much faster when I work on my technical skills than when I just jump straight to the 'final product'. If I don't know how to draw a belt, I go out and learn what a belt looks like and draw belts. If there's a part of a song that I always flub the notes, I practice just that section and focus on getting the notes correct, ignoring things like dynamics and articulation.
Basically, it seems that the road to improving faster in other creative disciplines involves lies partially in improving the technical skills of that particular discipline. And that's reflected in the advice given.
Maybe I just haven't been around enough on the internet or offline, but I rarely see this for writing.
Just things like, "write more", or "here is some useful information you can reference if you write about Mediaeval Times," which are not bad things at all. But I feel like the importance of learning/improving the technical aspect of writing doesn't get emphasised.
So... I guess this is a (WIP) collection of exercises/references that focus on technical aspects of writing:
- Nuts and Bolts: "Thought" Verbs [Tumblr, writing exercise]
- "Stops", Or How To Punctuate [free eBook, reference]