I think I suck

One of this biggest fundamental things I discovered about writing is this:

Have a reason why you're writing what you're writing.

That's not to say, don't use your imagination. But something I consistently see in what I would call 'bad writing' are descriptions about characters or environments that don't have a *reason* to be there. Why is it important the color of a characters eyes? Or hair? Or what they like to eat? Why is it important their bedroom? The mess? The location they're in? Attach a reason, make sure there's a reason. What do the things you're writing about, say about the world you're writing about?

One of the first things many people do when getting into writing is describing how cool or awesome looking everything is, when it has little or nothing to do with the *story* that's being told.

Example, which of these examples is clearer?

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Jake was what would you would call an angry man. By the time he was thirteen he had killed a thousand people, and by twenty-one he had killed a hundred thousand more. He was a violent man with violent beginnings, and even violent ends. This is his story.

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Jake had pink hair. He had wild eyes and wild tattoos and wild hair to match - also pink. He sometimes played clarinet. He often ate cereal and liked bacon and eggs too. This is the story about a man named Paul who liked to sell insurance and became good at it.

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Ok, I know those are absurd examples. But only one of these will pass the smell check.

Just remember that what you write should move a story forward and be connected to what you're trying to tell. There's nothing wrong with giving descriptions and settings, but tell us why we need to know about these things. You don't want to frustrate a reader with flowery prose and descriptions that go nowhere and for no reason. If there's a beautiful forest, is it to offset the destruction that's about the occur? If a man is a pretty boy and naive, is it to contrast his ugliness, cynicism and wisdom in the end?

Give us a reason to keep reading.

/r/writing Thread