ofunsaidwords

[ofunsaidwords]

f*ck writing rules

Not something I usually write on the blog, but I just wanted to put this out there some way or another, especially for new and budding writers. 

When you first start out as a writer, people tell you “oh, do this” or “do this instead”. And of course, as a new writer, you do it because someone said it’ll make your writing better.

In some instances, it does make it better. It may make your writing less cluttered. But in some cases, you can choose to forego them. Why? Because you’re adhering to someone else’s writing style and not yours.

I took English Language as a subject. In my first lesson, the teacher asked us to define the word ‘style’. We were the kind of class to not answer anything lest we get it wrong. But it was getting to the point where she would pick on us. So, I raised my hand. Style was what made a writer’s (or any artist's) work unique to them. The choices they made and the vocabulary they used contributed to their style. And everyone has a different style.

Take fashion as a more visible example. What differentiates party style from business style? For women, party attire is usually composed of dresses (long or short) and stilettos while business attire is more modest, with nothing above the knees, and flat shoes.

It is the same for writing. We can differentiate writers based on how they tell stories using their language.

While I do not fault people for imitating a famous writer's style when they first begin writing, you're going to reach a point where you start making your own decisions. You might argue with Grammarly or ProWritingAid or Hemingway Editor. Good. Argue. Styles transcend all conventions. Because if there's one thing the writing editing platforms fail to comprehend (as they are AI) is the impact of one's style on a reader.

The main thing I learned from English Language was the impact a piece of writing could have on a reader. What makes this piece emphatic? What makes this piece encouraging? What makes this piece the way it is?

It is all in the style. It is all in the language. It is all in the form. These words probably won't make sense to people who didn't study English Language in depth (i.e had more literature-based content in English class or took English Literature), but it is not hard to learn. The hardest part is applying it to your own writing and being conscious of it.

So, f*ck writing conventions. Listen to people's tips on how to make your writing better, but make the final call. Don't want to accept their suggestion on different word choices because it doesn't feel the same? Reject it. You have every right to.

You are not writing to please others. You are writing to please yourself. That is the first mistake new writers make.

You're the only one with the power to make your stories come alive. So why should you adhere to other people's rules?

Make your own rules. You'll find it's easier to write that way.

P.S take this post with a grain of salt. Some conventions are worth following and some tips are worth listening to. Some conventions and tips may even become your writing style. At the end of the day, it's your story (just like life!). The best way to write a story that is impactful is with intention and purpose.

#writing #writers #tips #writing tips

[ofunsaidwords]

How do I console myself knowing that I do not know who I am? I still look in the mirror and wonder, how is that me?

loving yourself is easier said than done // random quotes i’ve said #???

#self love #who am i #self discovery #healing

[ofunsaidwords]

good morning, have a good day. good night, sleep well. eat well, stay safe. (and beneath all that, just know i love you, too.)

— ingat ka din // a series of poems (for the one i love) #3

#poetry #love #falling in love #falling into place #little things #ways to say i love you

[ofunsaidwords]

i am meant to be good with words but whenever you say something,  i can't find the right ones to describe how happy i am with you.

— speechless // a series of poems (for the one i love) #2

#poetry #love #falling in love #falling into place

[ofunsaidwords]

in between finding love and finding myself,  i found you. 

i told myself I wouldn't fall for you,  then I just had to go and do it anyway.

the truth is even after all the people i met,  after all the time i spent,  all the walls i tried to build it was always you. 

— it was always you // a series of poems (for the one i love) #1

#love #falling in love #falling into place #poetry #freeform

[ofunsaidwords]

Sometimes I wish you’d come back. Then I remember I was never important to you in the first place.

— moving on still hurts // excerpt from a book i’ll never write pt.5

#excerpt #excerpts #excerpts from a book ill never write #excerpts from a book i'll never write #post breakup #getting over an ex #getting over a breakup #getting over someone #getting over you #love #unrequited love #unrequited feelings

[ofunsaidwords]

If you asked me three months ago if I liked the boy that sat a few tables away from me, I would’ve shrugged and said, “I don’t know”, because I didn’t. After all, broken people can’t love.

If you asked me now if I liked the boy who randomly said pick-up lines over any random thing and joked about fantasy and reality and lived an ocean away, I would say, “Maybe”.

I’m falling in love with the idea of love again and, I know it’s going to hurt somewhere, but my god does it feel amazing to love and be alive again.

— humans were always made to love // excerpt from a book i’ll never write pt.4

#love #falling in love #falling into place #alive #i am alive #excerpt #excerpts from a book ill never write #excerpts from a book i'll never write #excerpts

[ofunsaidwords]

We want to die a little just to feel stronger—to give us some character. But sometimes, it only breaks us more.

why we crave suffering // random quotes #3

#quote #death #death tw #suffering #quotes inspired by books

[ofunsaidwords]

I don't think it ever occurred to Achilles that Patroclus might die first and that's what breaks me. Imagine loving someone so much you wish for them to outlive you. Until they don't. Then what?

— chiron was right // excerpt from a book i'll never write pt.3

#love #patroclus #achilles #the song of achilles #iliad #excerpts from a book i'll never write

[ofunsaidwords]

“Is it easy?”

“What is?”

He smiles. “Knowing you never had to leave me.”

“It is harder to be relieved than to grieve. I am happy knowing I didn’t have to die in front of you, but I grieve knowing you’ll never grow old and have a bright future.”

— what i imagine patroclus and achilles' conversation would go // except from a book i'll never write pt.2

#dialogue #dialogue prompt #patroclus #achilles #the song of achilles #excerpts from a book i'll never write #except #iliad

[ofunsaidwords]

it's eleven in the evening and you read those excerpts of poets reminiscing about past loves and suddenly, they come back to mind again. they make your heart ache in a way you don't realize. but once you do, you try to push it away and forget their name. you miss them, but you know you should move on.

notice how i didn't mention someone. did a name still pop into your mind?

(i'm tired of still being in love with you. can't i just forget you?)

— of a love i'll never have // excerpt from a book i'll never write pt.1

#excerpt #excerpts from a book ill never write #freeform #reminiscing #memories #love #post breakup

[ofunsaidwords]

It's hard to be lonely when you forget what loneliness feels like.

i want to be loved // random quotes #2

#quote #lonely #loneliest #things i've said #in my life

[ofunsaidwords]

I like to say I seek pain because I want to feel something when there's nothing else to feel.

the reasons why i love angst // random quotes #1

#quote #angst #daily thoughts #things i've said #in my life

[ofunsaidwords]

it hurts to breathe. i don't know why. one day, i was breathing fine, my chest didn't hurt, but then the next, it hurts so bad and i can't breathe. even my throat hurts. (heartburn or heartache, they don't feel any different.)

untitled no.1 // of unsaid words #11

#poetry #freeform #i cant breathe #chest pain #heartache #heartburn #unrequited feelings #unrequited love

[ofunsaidwords]

is it bad that even as i look at you now, ten months from when it was 'us' and not just 'me' and 'you', i still find you handsome? you get more handsome every day. i couldn't stop looking at you and having my heart race again. but then, i saw him— another boy— who was my distraction from you. and so, while i ignored your presence, i fell in love with his. (can i ever escape you?)

distractions, distractions // of unsaid words #10

#poetry #freeform #post breakup #crush #love #unrequited love #unrequited feelings

[ofunsaidwords]

the stars have been telling me i'll find love soon but every day passes and nothing happens. i've always chased, never waited because waiting meant risking the 'what if's and 'maybe's we would have. now, i don't know if i want to chase or be chased. the stars say  someone will fall in love with me and tell me, but where are they? do i know who they are? will they be everything i want? (i want to believe it, only because the stars said so.)

the stars // of unsaid words #9

#poetry #freeform #love #falling in love #stars #fate

[ofunsaidwords]

i don't know if i hate falling in love or i just keep falling in love with the wrong people. (is there really such a thing as 'the one'?)

love sucks // of unsaid words #8

#poetry #freeform #love #falling in love #soulmates