Best Writing Advice Comment
By Jo Ann
@akalinus (44233)
United States
February 15, 2025 12:59pm CST
One of the best tips anyone ever gave me about writing came as a unexpected comment. I read my entry at a writing group I belonged to.
It was about a man I met in a park. We became friends and he told me about his life and how the people in his life mistreated him, how he was married to a woman he did not love but they had a good life together. He told me about his career in building things and selling things he made.
He was a yarn spinner and I'm not sure everything he said was true, but it was entertaining.
In the end, he fell in his house and lay there for four days. Someone heard him on the fourth day and the paramedics came and took him to a hospital where he passed.
It was a sad story. Another writer paid close attention as I read. He said, "You kept surprising me." I vowed then to surprise people whenever I write. After that, I made sales.
14 people like this
11 responses
@somewitch (2326)
•
15 Feb
I don't like surprises except in this context but I'd call them something like "unexpected turns". But really, that comment was a great source of inspiration, and your post is too. Things stand out when they're eccentric, out of the ordinary and so forth, and it would be wise to take advantage of this fact in our creative pursuits. 
3 people like this
@somewitch (2326)
•
15 Feb
@akalinus Wow! 
You never know what a little thing such as a comment could mean for someone else out there. It's truly inspiring, especially at times when we feel lost, without a purpose or simply our self-esteem is not the greatest... we might not notice when we made a difference, but what matters at last is that we did.
You never know what a little thing such as a comment could mean for someone else out there. It's truly inspiring, especially at times when we feel lost, without a purpose or simply our self-esteem is not the greatest... we might not notice when we made a difference, but what matters at last is that we did.2 people like this
@akalinus (44233)
• United States
16 Feb
@somewitch I think the best thing to do is if you feel in your heart that you should say something, just say it. It might be just what the other person needs to hear.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (162856)
• United States
15 Feb
It is good to be open to advice and take it when you get it.
2 people like this
@akalinus (44233)
• United States
15 Feb
It was unexpected. People were paying attention.
When I go to a group, I never ask them what they think of what I wrote. I watch their reactions as I am reading. When they are looking far away, fiddling with things, or sighing silently, I can stop reading and no one would notice. I know that the story needs a lot of work.
@celticeagle (172445)
• Boise, Idaho
15 Feb
Sometimes the most insignificant thing can give a writer the input they need to continue. This man sounds like he was very interesting in deed.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (44233)
• United States
15 Feb
He was interesting, and there were fascinating people there. One said he was on the Russian Government payroll. Their histories made me feel insignificant but I liked listening to their stories. Some gave out copies.
The group broke up because a tree fell on the leader's son. The medical community abandoned him because they could not help much. She became a full-time caretaker. We started meetings at someone's house but then Covid-19 hit and no one went anywhere.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (172445)
• Boise, Idaho
15 Feb
@akalinus ........I remember a spiritual group I went to years ago. It was so entertaining and I learned so much. The other people were fun and interesting. I don't recall what happened to the group. This was long before COVID.
2 people like this
@akalinus (44233)
• United States
16 Feb
@celticeagle Was that like a church group? What is a spiritual group? It sounds intriguing.
2 people like this
@akalinus (44233)
• United States
17 Feb
@RebeccasFarm Those moments come out of the blue. I was not expecting that comment but it was good for my heart.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (144600)
• United States
15 Feb
Wow! I tell stories about my life all the time here...
I like reading the stories you tell. They're always interesting.
I hope you're doing okay today and the weather isn't too bad there.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (144600)
• United States
16 Feb
@akalinus I'm glad it's nice there. We're only getting into the 50s here before taking another plunge to single digits tonight. We're already down to 30F and it's only 9 pm.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (44233)
• United States
17 Feb
@DaddyEvil Well, spring is on the way. It may be delayed by a few months but it is coming your way.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (44233)
• United States
17 Feb
You are exactly right. It is hard to tell a story like that, though. You have to leave clues by foreshadowing or other tactics but can't be too obvious. I wrote part of a book with some supernatural elements. I read it in a group and noticed people pulling their chairs closer and paying attention. Much of it was based on my mother, a mysterious woman.
1 person likes this
@porwest (98541)
• United States
19 Feb
@akalinus Much of writing involves what's known as the "setup." It's almost a key element of writing, even. You can look at a movie like "Sixth Sense" and see one of the most amazing setups and plot twists in cinematic history. Granted, it wasn't a book, but the elemental stuff is still there and a perfect example of how writing can be used to lead the reader and present the surprise based on how carefully the story is crafted to setup that surprise.
@kaylachan (76401)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
15 Feb
That was a sad storry, that poor man. oh well.glad you liked the comment.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (76401)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
17 Feb
@akalinus That's the real tragady. He sounded like an amazing person.
@akalinus (44233)
• United States
17 Feb
Yeah, it is a sad story. I used to get his mail for him. We would sit outside on a bench and he told me stories. He did amazing things with wood. He sold wooden flowers, animals, or whatever you wanted and sold them to you or at flea markets around the communities. People did not treat him right.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (83484)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
15 Feb
As they say always keep them on their toes and guessing
@akalinus (44233)
• United States
16 Feb
I did not think of it, but it is a kind of drama.You would not believe some of the things he told me about, so I included some in the story. When our writer friend said I kept surprising him, that gave me a new angle to consider when writing. I hope he finds this, recognizes the circumstances, and knows he made a difference.
