u/NylonTrackPants

OK. So, my feelings about bringing things across platforms is that I generally try to avoid it (unless it's a video that illustrates a point or a technique that's useful.) But there's something I've been seeing on TikTok that I think we should discuss here.

Apparently, someone (I'm not sure who, I've been looking for the original video and can't seem to find it) commented that "It's ableist to use big words in writing." The response to this has been overwhelmingly negative, and for the most part rightly so. The idea that people with cognitive challenges will feel diminished when they encounter a big word in print assumes that such people haven't developed strategies for this very situation.

People who have cognitive issues, learning disabilities, etc. have been taught how to deal with their limitations in constructive, proactive ways. Then they encounter things they don't recognize or don't understand, they don't curl up into a tiny ball and weep bitterly; they use the strategies they've developed to overcome that problem or side-step it.

Also, when a professionally trained writer goes to writing school to get a BFA or an MFA, they are taught to avoid using large words unless they are absolutely necessary. "Know your target audience" is a critical concept every writer wants to learn and master. If you're writing genre fiction, the general rule is to write around a 7th grade reading level.

Seriously.

Most best sellers are written at a 7th grade reading level. Stephen King writes so that 6th graders can read his works.

Again, for those in the back:

The target goal of a writer is for their work to be readable by someone who reads at a 7th grade reading level.

But that's genre fiction and some people like literary fiction. What about that level?

Most of the classic literary works of the 20th century are actually written at a 5th to 6th grade reading level.

Contemporary literary fiction goes up to about the 9th grade reading level.

What makes literature good isn't the size of the words, it's how well the author uses them. Kinda of like...nevermind. :D

What makes literature good isn't the language used, it's how it's used to describe setting, show characters' motivations, and move the plot.

I can see a reason for using big words in literature, and it's not to be witty or clever. Big words shoved into the mouth of a single character makes them less relatable, less sympathetic, more pedantic, and less likable to the reader.

Consider:

"Your efforts to obfuscate what was undertaken in your crapulent state a fortnight ago shall not assoil you," the constable barked. "We have discerned you inveigled your neighbor to betray his adjuration and then sought to assuage the misdeed by profferring anodynes! Villainy!"

Who wants to punch that guy in the face?

So, I began writing professionaly in 2000. I wrote for the website of a major label rock band (still going strong) and was compensated in-kind (free tickets, free backstage passes, free vacations in one member's home in the Hollywood Hills.) I was writing mostly snarky, somewhat pithy essays about various counter-culture topics including psychedelia, the paranormal, and alternative spirituality. I didn't think what I was doing was "work" per se, but it was. I was pretty good at what I did at the time, but I kept my day job.

One two skip a few years later and I'd completed my MFA. I'm still mainly an essayist, but I have an MFA in popular fiction.

So, here's some writing advice for those of you who love the art but are new to it.

1. Write what you know. Authenticity creates strong voice. When you write about the places you know, the personalities you know, and the events you know, your voice will be strong. If you start with where you are and the kinds of people you meet daily, you'll create characters and settings that come across as believable and realistic because they are.
2. Use the beat mechanic in short-form fiction. When TV writers write a story, they craft scenes which are logically connected by the phrase "so then." Using this kind of structure in short-form fiction writing works well. Character's actions should be logically motivated and flow from one scene to the next.
3. Use scene-and-sequel when writing long-form fiction. A scene is a unit of action. A sequel is the unit of reflection that follows a scene. If a character acts, then their actions will either succeed or fail. Most often, tension is heightened by failure and this failure demands reflection on the part of the character (usually the protagonist) who tried and failed. Scene -> Sequel -> Scene -> Sequel -> ... is the order. Action demands outcome which motivates reflection and a realignment of goals or approaches.
4. Kill your darlings. This phrase is almost cliche but can't be repeated enough. It means this: Do not construct a sentence around a favorite word, a paragraph around an amusing sentence, or a chapter around a particularly clever paragraph. Writing like this will lead nowhere fast. I can spot a darling as soon as I've read the first page of the chapter it occurs in even if it's on the very last page. How? The entire chapter is geared towards supporting a single sentence and it's painfully obvious. It creates a jarring experience for the reader and can stop your narrative dead in its tracks as your reader wonders "What did I just read?"
5. Read craft books. Get some craft books--The Elements of Fiction Writing are a great place to start, "Bird By Bird" is a must, "Save the Cat" is also essential, and so is "Screenplay" by Syd Field. Read them. Apply their lessons in your writing. Apply their lessons when you consume literature. This will teach you the nuts and bolts of writing.
6. Consume literature. Read. Read everything. Watch movies. Watch TV. You're not a comic book reader? Become one, even if only occassionaly. You don't like (insert genre here)? Read it. Watch it. You don't play videogames? Play some. Look at where writing happens. Don't like poetry? Read it. Listen to it--rock, hip-hop, country counts, as well.
7. Above all else, write and keep writing. Write what you can, when you can. Let others critique your writing. Hear their criticism and work with it. Learn how to reject criticism that is meaningless, learn to embrace meaningful but harsh criticism, and apply that criticism to become a better writer.

I hope this helps.

Hi, guys.

New to Reddit but not new to writing.

I am curious as to how many of you use AI in your writing process and to what extent do you use it?

Do you think that caveats about AI use in writing are overblown or not stringent enough?

Honest and original thoughts, please.