The Writing Secrets of an Aesthetic Writer

How do you write so well? 
How do you move a reader's heart? 
How do you make us feel that your characters are alive? 

These were the common questions I had received from my readers when I posted a thread asking: what do you want to know about my writing?

My writing, perhaps for all writers, requires great effort and patience—from crafting a good story to the application of elements of style, wordplays, and effective dialogues. Crafting a good story does not pop out of nowhere for me. It is properly planned and well constructed. It is not about having a beautiful plot and perfect characters. It is about you – the writer – your execution of the story throughout—and that needs patience.

It will take me a day to finish a short story that runs 1,000 words or less but the result is worth the effort.

But how do I do it?

I have my secrets, and now they are yours –

Describing the Scene Through Sensory Details

In a story, sensory details are my character's senses—what he sees in the environment, what he feels when he touches something, what he hears, what something smells or tastes like – I like creating imagery for all of it.
It plays an integral part that captures the reader’s attention until the very end of the story for sensory details indulge readers through the visuals. Basically, instead of just telling the audience what is happening in a room, I’m describing it so they can visualize being in the room themselves.

How does it work? Let us look for an example.

I would more likely read an author who writes…

I heard the bird chirped from the Acacia tree as soon as my eyes opened to welcome the sunlight's beam, permeating through the gaps of my window.

Than…

One fine morning, I woke up and I heard the bird in the tree, singing.

Sensory details on the first allow the reader to realize the scene is early morning and showing rather than telling that it is morning vividly presents the passage. Compared to the second passage, which is dull and lacks the art of creativity, the first passage creates the picture in a more effective and aesthetic way.

Another example:

The waves crashed against the rocks and extended to the pink, sand grains of Sta. Cruz Island, delivering a salty breeze.

Is better than…

The waves are collapsing in the shore of Sta. Cruz Island.

See the magic and beauty of describing?

Creating these worlds with words is really my favorite part—because we are creative writers – not expository writers. Our responsibility is to excite the readers' imagination and connect with them through visualizing the scene in our story even when if takes more words.

So, do not be afraid to describe what they see, feel, hear, smell, and taste. You’ll find out for yourself that it might strengthens the character's presence because through these sensory details, characters become real and alive. It allows you more space to create the mood and atmosphere before a character speaks.

The next time you are writing, let your readers picture the scene first, indulge them in the world you imagine through the use of senses. Let them see the lone fishing boat in the calm of the ocean, let them see the sun reflecting on the crystal surface of the sea, let them operate their senses. Let them feel what the characters feel. Let them be the characters.

Describing is a power you should not take for granted. It is a subltle element that opens imagination.

Therefore, describe, describe, and describe! Just know your limits.

Don't be afraid to mix action with dialogues

If you consider yourself a ‘beginner’, you might feel uneasy about incorporating action with dialogues. I certainly felt that way when I started writing. What if my readers won't be able to recognize the character that is speaking?
And so the tendency, after the dialogue, you exhaust tag lines such as 'he said' or 'she said' constantly which must be avoided and replaced by actions. Actions can strengthen the dialogue and the personality of your character. It is a subtle act of telling your readers what the character is feeling or thinking.

For example:

Clenching his jaw, he ran a hand through his hair and clutched a fistful atop of it. ''That girl...''
The door blasted open. She walked towards him, slittng her eyes, with her hand on her hips. ''What's with you, huh?''

You see the scene: the boy is problematically angry about something and the girl is hating how the boy is acting. You don't need to plainly say that the boy is angry and the girl is pissed about it. You write the expression and movements, and you leave what the characters are thinking to the readers.

Novels and short stories are not rivers of plain dialogues and taglines. There is an art of showing feelings through facial expression and movements.

Rules of Dialogues

Below, I have listed five important rules when writing simple dialogue scenes. Proper use of dialogues does not lose the reader's interest in the story and makes your works look more professional. So, it is important to know them. So even if you already know this, read on! If only to confirm whether I’ve been doing it correctly all this while…

Rule #1:

A direct quotation begins with a capital letter.

My mother screamed, ''Give me back my money!''

''Am I crazy?'' I thought.

Jimmy shouted, “See you at the game!”

“Is it true?" asked Cindy.

RULE #2:

When a quotation is interrupted into two parts with words like “he asked” or “the teacher demanded,” the second part begins with a lower case letter.

“Where is it?” Mrs. Baskin asked, “the box I told you to bring here?”

“One thing I like,” replied Jonah, “is you!”

RULE #3:

When writing dialogue, all punctuation marks at the end of the quotation go inside the quotation marks.

“I want to go visit the Philippines. Especially Zamboanga,” suggested Rome.

Camsy replied, “Didn't we go there last year?”

“I think we did,” added Erica, “but we didn't see the Fort Pilar!”

RULE #4:

Do not put a period at the end of a quotation followed by things like she said, mom asked, he explained, etc. Use commas, question marks, and exclamation marks but not periods. Periods end sentences.

“Professor Mikee is driving me insane!” Jazmine yelled.

“She is my favorite prof,” Tusk replied.

RULE #5:

Make a new paragraph with indention when a different person begins to speak.

"Last night, I dreamt that Jonah Riego noticed me," Raed said.

"Was that your wish?" Melody asked.

"Of course,'' Raed answered. "Who would not?"

Writing Your Emotions

You feel sad? Write a character that will die on the last page of your story. You feel happy? Write a happy ending. You feel lonely? Write a character with three friends going on a vacation on a beach. Feel hate? Write a character that kills all whom betrayed him.

Feel that emotion that triggers inside you and pour them on the paper (or your preferred digital device where you use Launchora). Your emotions would lead you to the creation of stories the moment you begin to rely on that emotion. The words will come out. The characters, the plot, the setting, the climax, everything.

That is what I am doing up to this point. My emotions predict the story I'll create. They are the ones who control my pen and not about what I think the story should be. I write whatever I feel. The moment you establish the emotion – which really is the core of your story – it cannot be taken away as you revise, and the more you read it, the more you realize the theme of your story.

Don't aim for perfection in the first phase. It can be done after the essence of your story is written.

The things I’ve shared here are the fundamental things that answer why my stories resonate in the hearts of readers after they read it. Or at least, this is how I feel about why my stories make people feel what they feel.

Writing a good story, as I said, is not all about having a good story to tell. It is about how you tell it—the craft and the emotions you impart while the story is being told.

The subtle beauty of it will naturally come out when you incorporate these elements.

Don't tell the others what you learned. It is our secret.

And now that you know what I know, there’s no better time than right now to start writing!