How do you develop manuscript skills as an author?

[A_veil_of_red_ink]

Sigh... I know this question might sound silly to some, but how do you develop manuscript writing skills? ?

English is not my first language, and I'm still a beginner in writing. While some people have suggested that I write in my native language, I prefer not to.

I’m looking for guidance on where to start and when. Should I even start? (Don’t take the last question too seriously.)

I need help!

For reference, here are some samples of my current writing-

Spoiler

Arkam staggered back, kneeling on one knee. He gazed at the small combat knife in his chest, below his collarbone.

His vision blurred, his hands trembled. With pain pounding in his head. He used the crate as a distraction while puncturing this knife. He thought, his lips curled into a grin.

"Damn Devil." Arkam's finger curled around the knife, pulling it out. Blood gushed like water, soaking into the coat.

Looking at Kashan, who moaned in pain. Kashan rubbed the area where Arkam had punched, his ribs broken.

"Did you use a neurotoxin on the knife?" Arkam strengthened his legs, standing straight. He glared at the knife, which had a dark greenish and crimson tint to it.

Kashan looked up, staring at him. He nodded. "Yes, I did."

Arkam smirked. "In the day of Neno, weapons and kinetic cybernetics. You still use poison? Shame on you."

Kashan frowned, then he grinned. "Yeah, in the war, you killed children, butchered women, and slaughtered men. In the name of order. Shame on you... immortal killer."

Arkam's eyes twitched. The heart pounded, and the toxin numbed the hands. "Yes, I killed many and have regrets. But that doesn't change that I did what was said..." Arkam glared at Kashan with no emotion. "...But you are the devil, who does anything for results." He clutched his jaw; his grip tightened on the knife.

Kashan chuckled, lifting his head and looking at the crimson light flickering above. "Arkam, war taught me many things, but the thing I can't forget is my inability. You or any other superhuman can be great at anything—fighting, survival, or fucking slaughter..."

A small grin spread on his face, while sorrow sank into his heart. "...but any 'normal' person has to do more to survive with you all around in a war. That's why I became something far more inhuman."

Arkam's face wrinkled, eyes twitching as he said in a faint voice. "Using living children and dead bodies as bombs, just to clear the gap between 'us.'"

Kashan's eyes came down, staring at Arkam. "Yes," with a blank face and an icy voice, he mumbled.

Putting the knife in his holster, Arkam drew the black matted guns, pointing at Kashan. The sirens rang loud as the red light flickered multiple times. Arkam's eyes blurred; now his limbs were numb. Arkam felt a sensation from his nose—blood came out of the right nostril.

Kasha smirked, "Stop, surrender. The toxin is already working, Arkam; I have the antidote." He extended his arm towards Arkam.

Arkam took a step—then another. He rushed toward Kashan slower than before.

Kashan's eyes narrowed. I can follow his movements. Well, time to finish this. Step back while he upholsters the guns.

Bang--He shot; the bullets with a greenish tint crossed the chamber, and they rushed at Arkam.

He dodged. Bursting through the relentless bullets. He closed the distance. A step away.

Kashan clenched his jaw. How is he moving like that? Wait...is he using the GEAR to support him? Leaped behind, gaining some distance from.

Arkam ducked and punched Kashan with the gun's butt—

Kashan recoiled, his vision blurred for a second. What? Even though he is slowed by the toxin, he maneuvers like that? I underestimated him. Kashan tensed his leg, throwing a sidekick to his temple.

Arkam stepped back; he blacked out from the sharp pain—the hell? How did he return a kick so fast? I underestimated him.

Kashan charged at him, slamming him against the pillar directly behind Arkam. The pillar cracked, rubble spread, and dust covered the area like mist.

Arkam spat blood, coughing a bit. He dropped to the ground. Face against the ground.

his face from the concrete. Then memories surfaced in his mind, like many shattered glass pieces around.

The smell of gunpowder and blood gave him nostalgia for the war...

...Arkam sat on the ground, supported by a chilly wall. The area stank of blood and sweat. Many voices whispered, getting louder.

He saw many soldiers around him, living under a dim bunker with captives. Women, children, and important men, tied hand and foot. They begged for freedom.

From the chamber next to his, sounds of women came—they moaned. While the children saw their mothers being assaulted by the soldiers.

With a rifle resting in his hand, he sat away from the voices. Having dark circles under his eyes, rough lips, and messy hair, he observed the scene.

Arkam stood up and dusted off his combat suit. He drifted towards the exit.

He squinted his eyes as the rays from above blinded him.

He covered his face as his gaze drifted towards the tree.

The tree, tall and withered, didn't hang fruit, but humans. A bloody pool at the bottom. The smell of rotten flesh and blood came from it. He marched towards it, sitting under it. He closed his eyes—a silence that felt unreal, not ominous, but a rest.

Then, a humming sound came from above. What is that? Arkam stood up as he looked around.

Getting closer to the voice, he narrowed his eyes. A young man sat on a branch, cleaning his black, matted gun, and hummed a tune—Melody, in a war?

The man saw Arkam, and a big smile spread across his face. He vaulted on the ground to stand opposite Arkam. "You are Arkam, right?" Extending his right arm to Arkam. "I'm Kashan, and I'm the commander of the squad inside the bunker," he said with a faint smile.

Arkam shook Kashan's hand. "I'm Arkam, the new cadet," he replied with no expression.

Still in progress.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

1. Read a lot.
2. Write.
3. Ask questions and do research - there are some guides that are good for certain markets (Strunk and White's Elements of Style is very useful in some areas, but, even with near annual updates, obsolete for others; Sadly, Penguin Books killed off The Writer's Market as a serious resource, it seems, but they do keep it in print and some other useful books in the Writer's Digest materials).
4, Read some more.

 

[expentio]

I know, it's probably wrong to do it this way, but I just started writing after I got the idea and developed the premise to a sufficient degree.
If you truly are into your characters, you can envision how they'd react in any given circumstances. Then you also decide on the events.
Where would your character want to go, and why would they do so? The other side is the world. What is important about the world? How do certain facts interact with your character's motivation, not to speak of all the other characters' motivations? Which would be involved (interested, currently present).
If you know all that stuff, you can develop what is going to happen next. It's only a question of getting all the premises you already have to align. With this, it shouldn't be an issue to develop the future events. This is why I like to write without a clear end in sight. Or at least, only a vague one. You can't go wrong if your characters simply remain true to themselves. You only need ideas for events that make sense. If you can avoid that the way you interweave your characters stops making sense, you should be golden. It's, of course, easy to go wrong, but as long as you truly think things through and manage to stay objective, it should work.

 

[just_darkjazz]

My advice as a fellow non native speaker is to really hone your fundamentals; punctuation, grammar and vocabulary. Especially the last one, you can never know too many words. And as you improve those the easier it will be to put your thoughts into paper, simply because you'll have the words to describe what you see in your head.

 

[Eldoria]

English is not my first language, and I'm still a beginner in writing. While some people have suggested that I write in my native language, I prefer not to.

Are you actually writing directly into English? That would be both amazing and incredibly difficult. You have to abstract the plot and translate it simultaneously. If you can reach this level, you've developed parallel thinking skill.

It's difficult; I can't achieve it. I live in a country where English is a third language. So when I write a chapter, I tend to separate the plot abstraction and the translation into two separate tasks. Especially today, Google Translate and Grammarly are incredibly helpful for translation.

So what I'm saying is: do what feels best to you. If you can write the plot and translate it at the same time, that would be fantastic. But if that's limiting you, separating plotting and translation might be worth considering.

Good luck! Best regards.

 

[MasterY001]

Are you actually writing directly into English? That would be both amazing and incredibly difficult. You have to abstract the plot and translate it simultaneously. If you can reach this level, you've developed parallel thinking skills.

It's difficult; I can't achieve it. I live in a country where English is a third language. So when I write a chapter, I tend to separate the plot abstraction and the translation into two separate tasks. Especially these days, Google Translate and Grammarly are incredibly helpful for translation.

So what I'm saying is: do what feels best to you. If you can write plotting and translate it at the same time, that would be fantastic. But if that's limiting you, separating plotting and translation might be worth considering.

Austria or the Phillipines? They're the first tri-lingual countries that came to my mind.

Anyway, I don’t have many tips since a manuscript should be custom for each author. The problem with using more classical teaching aids is that they tend to focus only on form and function. This is helpful if you struggle with organizing your thoughts, but it doesn't help with creating a narrative.

The most important thing to remember about manuscripts is to treat them like guidelines, not instructions. You can't be sure how well the story will turn out just by planning it. I often add, remove, and change pre-planned details when I actually start writing based on a feeling, and it usually works. Typically, all I plan in advance are the plot, its significance to the overarching plot, and some ideas I want to include.

 

[A_veil_of_red_ink]

Are you actually writing directly into English? That would be both amazing and incredibly difficult. You have to abstract the plot and translate it simultaneously. If you can reach this level, you've developed parallel thinking skill.

It's difficult; I can't achieve it. I live in a country where English is a third language. So when I write a chapter, I tend to separate the plot abstraction and the translation into two separate tasks. Especially today, Google Translate and Grammarly are incredibly helpful for translation.

So what I'm saying is: do what feels best to you. If you can write the plot and translate it at the same time, that would be fantastic. But if that's limiting you, separating plotting and translation might be worth considering.

Good luck! Best regards.

Whoa! What heavy words(parallel thinking skill), damn.?

This is my first time hearing it.
But thanks, i also have best regards and give us good stories.

And I developed this skill, in lockdown through Anime(Animes were not dub in my native language at that time. And I am greatful for that.)

Thanks again.?