Writing with a Great Recipe for Storytelling

Writing with a Great Recipe for Storytelling: Using the Proper Ingredients.

Have you ever sat down to a good meal and realized the chef used too much salt or some other spice in the food? Most of us have. Salt and pepper on food is a good thing, but too much of any spice can ruin everything.

Good chefs know that salt and pepper enhance a meal when used properly, but they also know seasonings should be used in moderation.

Writing with a Great Recipe for Storytelling: What in the world does cooking have to do with writing?

In the writing world, adjectives and adverbs are like salt and pepper. They add flavor to writing, when used in moderation. Too many adjectives and adverbs can spoil an otherwise good story. writing with a great recipe for storytelling is a must.

Writing with a Great Recipe for Storytelling: Meat and Potatoes

Noun and action verbs are the meat and potatoes of writing. No meal can be prepared properly without the main course. It’s the same with writing. Good noun and action verb usage is a staple of writing.

Writing with a Great Recipe for Storytelling: An example:

The huge man walked heavily to the old wood cabin. His large muscles bulged under his old worn shirt.

Writing with a Great Recipe for Storytelling: Good Storytelling is more than good grammar.

The above sentences are grammatically correct, but they can be enhanced. The following corrections improved the sentences. They give the reader a more vivid picture of the scene.

The giant lumbered to the shack. His muscles rippled beneath his tattered shirt.

Writing with a Great Recipe for Storytelling: Improvements to the first set of sentences were as follows:

Weak adjective-noun combinations were replaced with stronger nouns, (huge man – giant, old wood cabin – shack).
Weak verbs and adverbs were replaced by stronger verbs, (walked heavily – lumbered).
A weak adjective and verb was replaced by a stronger verb, (large muscles bulged – muscles rippled).
And weak adjectives were replaced with a stronger adjective, (old worn – tattered).

Both example sentences were acceptable, but the second sentence was much stronger. Writing effectively demands that the writer examine his work for the best possible nouns and verbs. Adverbs and adjectives should be used to enhance the story just as salt and pepper enhance the taste of food.

Writing with a Great Recipe for Storytelling: Investigate

Search your stories for offending adverbs and adjectives. Weak adverb-verb combinations like “ran quickly” might be replaced by a stronger verb such as “raced.”

Writing with a Great Recipe for Storytelling: CAUTION

Don’t worry about weak adverb-verb combinations or weak adjective-noun combinations during your first draft. Get the story on paper first. Searching for weak combinations is a big part of the editing process. The more you inspect your work the easier you will recognize weak combinations in your writing.

Writing with a Great Recipe for Storytelling: Conclusion

Just as a chef learns to use proper ingredients for a meal so must a writer learn to use the proper ingredients for his writing.

Copyright 2010 J-me

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