Writing the feeling when you re-read and rewrite your sentences over and over

[AetherialCore]

Have you ever had that feeling when you want to convey something to the reader but struggle to find the right sentences to do it, worrying whether the flow of the paragraph or chapter was good enough?

I know that a writer should not underestimate the readers' intelligence by dumbing things down like they're idiots who can't read; but as a writer, I also want my story to have a good reading flow.

It has been two hours, and I got less than two-hundred words thanks to being stuck in this state. Send help.

 

[SailusGebel]

Yes.

 

[APieceOfRock]

Yes. I jsut break down what I want to describe to its most simple form and edit it. That seems to work a lot of the times.
But I never experience it when writing fight scenes. If you can't put it into words the first time around, maybe you shouldn't put it in at all.

 

[LilRora]

In Camus' "The Plague", one of the main characters is rewriting the first sentence of his book over and over, wanting it to sound as good as it possibly can. His dream is to write a story that would amaze people.

And yet, all he ever writes is a single sentence, rephrased over and over.

Don't be like him.

My advice is to take a break and come back to it later, then write it, focusing on how you want it to sound and the most important pieces of information, and leave just the way you do at first. Don't overthink it; just include what you want to be there, how you want it to be there, and move on.

For how, remember that you do not have to write perfectly, but in consistent style - the problem with objectively perfect storytelling is that it's not beautiful or immersive. Think who and how is telling the story and imagine them doing just that.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

Have you ever had that feeling when you want to convey something to the reader but struggle to find the right sentences to do it, worrying whether the flow of the paragraph or chapter was good enough?

I know that a writer should not underestimate the readers' intelligence by dumbing things down like they're idiots who can't read; but as a writer, I also want my story to have a good reading flow.

It has been two hours, and I got less than two-hundred words thanks to being stuck in this state. Send help.

I get your concerns, but as I've learned in my writing journey, you can't develop your writing skills and style the moment you let fear and the drive for perfection consume you.

That's why rewrites are there. Sure, the first few chapters or volumes may be a work in progress, but you can rewrite them anytime. The drive for perfection is good as well, as long as it gives you the drive to continue to strive for improvement. However, if you let that hinder you from writing, might as well fuck it and wing it (which I did, and I'm glad I did).

Thing is, readers are different. And they will have different takes and preferences on what is good and what sucks. As such, it would be stressful and exhausting to rely exclusively on their feedbacks. Strive for perfection, and you'll end with excellence. But you'll have to come out with something so you can learn how to improve.

 

[owotrucked]

I, myself, doze off mid-sentence when reading stuff, so I always assume that everyone missed half of what I wrote. Just gaslight the reader that everything is consistent lol

 

[BlackKnightX]

I know that a writer should not underestimate the readers' intelligence by dumbing things down like they're idiots who can't read;

Dumbing down? No. Keeping it clear and simple? Yes. I always try to keep my prose as simple as possible. I want the reader to forget they're even reading at all and completely immerse themself in the story. That doesn't mean I can't and won't be artistic, though. I only do that when the story asks for it, certainly not all the time. But the number one rule stands: keep it clear and simple.

And yes, I do have those moments.

 

[Cipiteca396]

... What is the problem sentence?

 

[J_Chemist]

Have you ever had that feeling when you want to convey something to the reader but struggle to find the right sentences to do it, worrying whether the flow of the paragraph or chapter was good enough?

I know that a writer should not underestimate the readers' intelligence by dumbing things down like they're idiots who can't read; but as a writer, I also want my story to have a good reading flow.

It has been two hours, and I got less than two-hundred words thanks to being stuck in this state. Send help.

I find my issue being repetitiveness. I get stuck in the loop of wanting to describe something to create the proper picture and my words end up either overlapping or outright repeating. It's certainly an issue but the easiest way I've found to alleviate it is to read it out loud. I don't do it often but I end up mumbling to myself when my brain gets stuck and it helps a little.

I've also caught myself struggling with finding the proper words, but having at least something to go off is helpful. Slap it into a thesaurus or google search some synonyms and it'll help you get along the right track.

Also helps to continue being as much a reader as you are a writer. Seeing how other people write things and use words will help you develop your own writing so when these sorts of things happen, you've got some mental examples to go with.

 

[SailusGebel]

... What is the problem sentence?

Every sentence is a problem sentence once you read it more than n-th amount of time. It's like when you repeat one word over and over again in a quick succession, eventually it stop making sense. I'm not sure about OP, but in my case it's Semantic satiation, or something similar.