Writing Techniques and Strategies

The video discusses 12 pieces of writing advice that significantly impacted the speaker's writing style. These include showing rather than telling, using strong verbs, avoiding 'ing' and 'to be' verbs, and ensuring specificity. The speaker emphasizes the importance of balancing hope and despair in scenes, making characters yearn for something, and embracing contradictions. The advice also covers making writing concise, using artistic incongruity, and ensuring every aspect of writing is interesting. The speaker encourages viewers to adapt advice that resonates with their personal writing style.

What is the main purpose of the video?

• To provide a tutorial on grammar.

• To discuss the history of writing.

• To share personal writing advice that improved the narrator's writing.

• To critique popular writing techniques.

What should a writer do if a reader can imagine an event without being told?

• Include a flashback.

• Add more dialogue.

• Skip showing it.

• Describe it in detail.

Why are strong verbs important in writing?

• They are easier to understand.

• They enhance the quality and engagement of writing.

• They simplify the narrative.

• They make sentences longer.

What is the benefit of avoiding 'ing' and 'to be' verbs?

• It makes the text more complex.

• It simplifies character development.

• It improves language control and clarity.

• It increases word count.

How does 'describe, don't explain' help writers?

• It makes writing more mysterious.

• It clarifies the concept of 'show, don't tell'.

• It focuses on character development.

• It reduces the need for dialogue.

What should a writer do if their story feels boring?

• Introduce new characters.

• Slow it down to add depth.

• Change the setting.

• Add more action scenes.

Why is specificity crucial in writing?

• It creates strong and vivid descriptions.

• It makes writing more vague.

• It simplifies the narrative.

• It reduces the need for dialogue.

What creates tension in a scene according to the narrator?

• Adding more characters.

• Finding hope and despair.

• Using complex language.

• Including a flashback.

What is the difference between a character's goal and yearning?

• Goals are external, yearning is internal.

• Goals are specific, yearning is vague.

• Goals are short-term, yearning is long-term.

• Goals are about actions, yearning is about desires.

Why are contradictions important in character development?

• They reveal interesting aspects of a character.

• They make characters less believable.

• They reduce the need for dialogue.

• They simplify the plot.