Writing it like it is—a challenge for any writer. There is always that nagging tendency to explain, over-explain, describe, tell, inform, communicate—an insane inability to leave well enough alone.
I have been struggling the last few days to tell it like it is, without extra pose, poetry, pretense or opportunities to show off, and I can’t say for sure I’ve been managing it.
I must admit, I generally end up taking out a bunch of words from a post before it gets posted. Usually, it’s a good thing. I try to let myself just to do whatever at first though, just to get something on screen. That’s a huge first step, and I’m lucky to get that far!
Sometimes direct and no embellishment is the best way.
It is Annie, but just like the most simple-looking dishes are sometimes the toughest to cook right, writing simply is an art of the masters, not easily achieved.
I sympathize.
I wish someone had given me advice regarding this before I started my first novel. Towards the end of it I finally grasped the concept of hinting at, not spoon feeding. Be it moods, sensations or parts of the plot – less is definitively more.
I am making all my mistakes and doing all my experimentation before I start on my novel in right earnest.
Honest, hard-hitting journalism. Hm. Sounds like quite a challenge, Damyanti, but if anyone can do it, you can.
Me, I’ll stick with horror … and maybe I’ll try hard-boiled style to work UP to the honest, hard-hitting stuff. 😉
Um, I just meant fiction. Fiction needs to be told like it is sometimes, and yes, it is hard to get it just right.