AboutSusan Rand Expertise Questions about writing in general, creativity (how to make your writing totally YOU - unique as you are); how to make it stand out from the competition; how to spark your creative juices; how to make it flow; how to make your characters seem like real people; how to control emotion in the reader and much more! Please no homework questions.
Experience I have been writing and teaching writing for several decades. I have written 5 books and several short stories. Over the years I have read and studied many books on "how to write." I can correct spelling and usage mistakes, and I know punctuation.
Education/Credentials BA in the Humanities, with an emphasis on Written Communication, 1982
Expert: Susan Rand Date: 10/24/2006 Subject: not just another kid
Question sometimes i feel like my writing is like stereotypical teen writing:only about boyfriends, dating and the like(not that people who write about those things are bad, just that they're a bit overused)I guess i just want to be . . .different. have you ever felt that way? how did you overcome it? thanks for reading. later.
Answer Hello Marcy:
You have raised an interesting question. I think all writers feel that way from time to time: as a category, writers are harder on themselves than any other professional people I've come across. They demand perfection of themselves when perfection is not possible. Your writing isn't perfect, neither is mine, or anybody else's.
That said, consider this: those subjects are your subjects; they are what you know about. Write what you know, right? What makes them "unstereotypical" is your own personal experience, reactions, and emotions - the way you express them. Like so many others, I imagine the reason your work seems unsatisfactory to you is that is could be more original. Cliches have a habit of creeping into your writing without your really noticing them. Go here: http://www.gardendigest.com/cliche.htm (You will have to cut and paste as this site does not support hyperlinks) for a helpful list. You can likely express these thoughts in a different way.
Go over your writing and weed out every one. When reaching for the right words to express yourself, you should ignore the first 3-4 phrases that come to mind, for they are sure to be cliches. Go past them and make up something fresh and unusual from your own mind - this is an art that can be learned. You might want to start with similes, which are fairly easy. Then, later, you can tackle metaphor, which is a subject for the intermediate writer.
I hope this helps. If it does, a nice rating would be greatly appreciated. I am proud of my high score over 800 questions.
