Cut out Clichés! {Advice I Don't Agree With I}

Hey all! Sorry I haven't written in a while, I just got back from a family vacation! No, not the Family Vacation--thank God!

So there's a lot of writing advice out there, yeah? On fiction, non, poetry, characters, plot, planning, dialogue, setting...there's writing advice for everything. And the thing is...a lot of those people who give the advice think they are 100% RIGHT.

Alas, not every person out there giving writing advice is right. Actually, there's a lot of writing advice out there that I 100% disagree with.

Especially when it comes to dialogue. Sure, there's some things that shouldn't be done (according to some people)...I get that...but what if I want to do it that way?

There's a lot about avoiding clichés when writing dialogue. But guess what?
People...REAL people use clichés all the time in their REAL dialogue. If we don't have those characters who sound like real people...what are we doing? Don't we want to make our novels/characters/dialogue as believable and realistic as possible? Don't we?

If we do...listen. Listen to those around you and how they speak. There's a lot of people who use cliché phrases...it's common. Don't overuse it in your writing, but don't cut it out either. I think it's a mistake. Using common phrases and dialogue that everyday real people use won't make you or your writing common.

But also don't be afraid to change it up. Mix the phrases up--the words, combine two or three--real people also do that in real dialogue.

So before you completely take advice about avoiding certain things in your writing...just think for a moment. Ask yourself if it's something people will find/hear everyday. If so, don't automatically get rid of it.

But some of the most important things to remember: Test advice and find what works for you. Find your style. Find what you enjoy. Take advice and mold it!

Hopefully this was a bit helpful!
God Bless!
Rachel

Unique Individuality

So I just realized that my last post was about three months ago. And my first post was in September. What? That hardly makes sense--where has the time gone? It's kind of freaky to think about. Like, what???

Okay, so there's this thing. That I've been thinking about lately. R.B. Denney and I were discussing this topic. (check out her unique blog here: https://writingishometome.wordpress.com/ --she has a great post on this topic as well!)
There are so many Christian teen (usually homeschooled) writing (writer) blogs. So many. And it's easy to get extraordinarily discouraged when thinking about your own Christian teen writing blog. Dude, it's so easy. Hence the reason I haven't posted since January...and even that was only a short book promotion. Okay. 

So, it's easy to get beat down in this super-uplifting culture of writers. We wonder where our specialness lies--what makes us stand out from the crowd? What makes us different than the other Christian teen writing blogs?

I mean, there's several things I can list:

1. Your unique voice. Everybody has their own way of talking and describing things. If you don't believe me (which you should because it's totally a part of life), just go check out a few different blogs. You will notice stark differences in expression.

2. Your experiences. Hello! Everybody is coming from different places. So the labels "Christian", "teen", "homeschooler" and "writer" might sound so generic and a dime a dozen, but those labels do not contain you. Seriously. There is so much more to you than those labels! How did you grow up? Where? Who have you met? What have you read? What are your passions and interests? What are your fears? Your life is your experiences and therefore lends to your unique voice.

3. Your design. Okay, this one probably sounds weird, but the way your blog looks matters. A lot. We all have different tastes, that's true. And that's great. But the way your blog looks will attract a general certain group of people. For instance, if your blog is all super bright and crazy, I'm more than likely not going to read it. Bright colors tend to hurt my eyes (so why am I staring at a white screen in a dark room? Don't ask...wait, I just did. ugh), crazy...I think that speaks for itself . I'm more of a laid back, muted colors kind of person. And not everybody likes that!

4. What we bring to the table. Okay, so the whole thing comes down to this. Everything above generally reflects this at some point. Anyway, one Christian teen writing blog might discuss book reviews and writing villains. Maybe that's it. And you might discuss characterization and the methods of plotting. Your views are going to be different than somebody else's on certain subjects. You might have a different way of creating characters than I do. Good! I want to read about it! I want to learn something from your blog!

Here's the thing, guys... God can use you if you are open to Him. You can write something (yes, even a blog post) that will touch somebody whereas another person's post didn't touch that person. He can use you and your words and experiences and everything to reach people for Him...and to encourage people. It's incredible. Don't underestimate God's power or His ability to use us for His Kingdom.

He made you the way you are. He loves you. You are special and unique, dear writer! Realize that and write from the depths of your spirit--allow Jesus to speak and work through you...and without realizing it...you'll stand out. Man, if you are speaking Truth, you will definitely stand out.

Like, just bleed truth, guys. ;)

Another side note: think about what you want to read in a blog and write about it! Think about the advice you'd like to hear on a certain matter--chances are, somebody else wants to hear it as well.
Take a step out and write even if you're unsure.

It will be okay.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, for the Lord rather than for men..." Colossians 3:23

Love y'all!

Ray AL (okay, so Ray AL sounds a little weird, but I desperately want a writerly name thing. I don't know! Suggestions?)