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• Never describe something that is not there. Describe what IS there.
DON'T: There were no trees as far as the eye could see. DO: Flat, barren plains rolled as far as the eye could see. DON'T: Unlike the others, he wasn't covered head-to-toe in scars. DO: Unlike the others, his skin was pristine and untouched.
- If you place a noun in your sentence (e.g. trees) your reader will instantly imagine trees, regardless of whether you're describing trees or lack thereof.
- It's not technically a mistake to have these descriptions nor is it grammatically incorrect. It's just a neat trick to gain better command of your reader's interpretation of what you are describing.
- But also this doesn't always apply. Just keep in mind that for your sentences to gain maximum effect, describe what IS there, not what's missing.
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Cliche scenes are not always bad, you just need to make them more interesting for your readers.
• WAKING UP - I know maraming ganito sa Wattpad. Opening your story with your character waking up is yes, cliche but it is not necessarily bad. If you think that it is necessary for your story's development then go for it, but please, h'wag naman buong chapter one ng story mo ay iikot sa paggising at morning routine ng main character mo.
- This also goes for scenes kung saan magigising ang character mo beside a total stranger, and instead of getting freaked out, he/she just laid there with one arm supporting his/her head and shamelessly admiring the stranger's beauty.
• A LONG-ASS PARAGRAPH OF DESCRIPTION - I have nothing against long paragraphs in a story, I actually like them. But having a really long and flowery description at the beginning of your story may bore your reader instead of motivating them to read your story. Mostly ng readers dito sa Wattpad ay nasa "teen" years and most of them ayaw magbasa ng mahahabang paragraph ng descriptions.
- Lagi rin akong nakababasa sa mga critique shop na ina-advise ang mga writers to avoid writing long descriptions and I'm totally against that. If you think that writing a long-ass paragraph is necessary for your story's development, then go for it.
• BACK STORY/EXPOSITION DUMPS - Same with waking up, this is also not necessarily bad. Backstories are better integrated into your plot instead na isang bagsakan mong isuka (sorry, can't think of a better term. lol) sa readers mo. Weave your character's back story into the present timeline of your story and believe me, mas magkakaroon ng attachment ang mga readers mo sa kanila.
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