I have this problem with my writing structure and I would like to have some insight as to how to properly structure my writing. Two in particular being the pacing of my story and my usage of the word ‘You’ when writing. Any more advice on other structural tips would be helpful.
1 Like
Do you have some pieces of writing (a paragraph or section) where you feel you have struggled to structure it as you would like? I think that a general question of how to structure your writing is too vague for others to provide meaningful answers. Or if you mean on a grander scale (i.e. across a chapter, or multiple chapters, then I would suggest forming some specific questions or posting a WiP).
I’m rubbish at all the correct terms for grammar and sentence structure, so forgive me if I describe this incorrectly. For reducing the number of ‘you’ in your writing, you can instead change the focus of the sentence away from the MC and instead towards observable things in the scene that imply the actions you wanted to describe initially.
For example, you may first write something like:
“You enter the room and see two people staring at you. You feel a flicker of fear as you wonder whether they are going to harm you.” - 5 in one sentence.
This can be re-written thus:
Upon crossing the threshold the two people waiting inside stare up at you. It is impossible to tell whether they are dangerous or not, but it does nothing to stop the flicker of fear that erupts in your stomach" - same content, only 1 you and a 1 your!
4 Likes
These threads have covered the topic of the repetitive use of second person (you) or talked about the related topic of second person. They might offer some insight.
Using "You"
The repetitive use of "you" in second person
First Person vs. Second Person
Second Person POV Writing Styles
Writing POV: First Person vs. Second?
Otherwise @Sinnie has nailed the explanation of how to change up the repetitive ‘you’ in these stories. It takes a little practice to change from the formula displayed below.
And these threads have covered the topic of writing structure, both in general and specific to IFs:
5 Likes
Since more specific threads have been posted, I’ll close this so the conversation can continue in the more specific threads.