Overly Mechanical Writing (& How to Fix It)
Today I'm waxing whatever on overly mechanical writing, or line level writing that leans heavy on telling, plodding prose--overwhelmingly and to it's detriment. Or, boring, ineffective, bad (or at least mid) writing.
Whether you've picked up a book and just couldn't connect to/engage with the writing, or you're a writer who worries their writing is falling flat, I'm going to share how to identify overly mechanical writing, common pitfalls/facets of it, and some tips for fixes.
This is an aspect of telling and cousin topic to "show don't tell." Also related to narrate vs. dramatize, a topic I've covered before.
To that end, here are related videos you can watch as well
Narrate vs. Dramatize: • NARRATE vs. DRAMATIZE (magical writing fix...
Filter Word and How to Fix This "Telling" Problem: • Filter Words & How to Fix This "Telling" P...
"Just" An Adverbs Take Down: • The Single WORST Word In My Book!
Bad Fanfic Writing Habits You Need to Break: • BAD FANFIC WRITING HABITS You Need To Break
The Worst Amateur Writing Mistakes: • The WORST Amateur Writing Mistakes | 22 No...
5 HUGE Amateur Writing Pitfalls & Their Fixes: • 5 HUGE Amateur Writing Pitfalls & Their Fixes
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction/When Writing Falls Flat
03:00 Bad Bestsellers & Reader Benchmarks
05:10 What is Mechanical Writing?
08:45 Facets of Mechanical Writing
13:01 Disclaimer: Everything In Moderation
14:21 Mechanical Writing Example & Analysis
19:30 Approaching Revision of Weak Writing
20:57 Revising (Part) of the Example
24:55 Sentence Rhythm & Flow
28:17 The Dance of Detail
30:03 Vague/Leading Examples & Fixes
35:17 Final Thoughts
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