: Re: How does a code monkey become a novelist? I have always loved creative writing, but honestly do not see software engineers that write fiction all that often. Heck, I do not see software engineers

I'm a software developer of some decades of experience, and I've written a lot of early drafts for novels so I have form.

What I have found helpful in my fiction writing is:

cohesiveness. Writing software teaches the need to have a complete logical progression from beginning to end. This make scene sequencing a natural thing to do, and means that plots are very likely to be cohesive.
persistence. You know that bug you spent a week chasing down? Now think about how that dedication to finding the problem will translate to debugging your plot timeline, or finding the right way to place a gun in your main character's hand at the proper time, or fixing the setting when you realise your orbital mechanics are entirely wrong.
extreme pedantry. I've been told by many writing friends that I generate very clean copy. Attention to detail is a useful attribute for both programming and story telling.

For myself, I identify as a writer who works in two media: code and English. So far I've only been paid for my code, that's all.

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: What are the tricks to avoid repetition in writing? After some time of working on my research, I usually have a structured information of my results, which I can best describe in bullets/numbers.

@Welton431

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: I have written my first novel and I think it's ready. What next? I've completed my first novel and done as much editing as I think I can as the author. What should I do next in order to

@Welton431

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: I've done a fair bit of tech writing and would put a lot of effort into writing simple, short sentences devoid of ambiguity and profligacy. I am currently reading a Richard Ford novel (The

@Welton431

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: The pacing of the writing must match the pacing of the scene. For a love scene, you need avid and languorous description. In an action scene, you need short, almost breathless wording.

: Re: How does a code monkey become a novelist? I have always loved creative writing, but honestly do not see software engineers that write fiction all that often. Heck, I do not see software engineers

More posts by @Welton431

: What are the tricks to avoid repetition in writing? After some time of working on my research, I usually have a structured information of my results, which I can best describe in bullets/numbers.

: I have written my first novel and I think it's ready. What next? I've completed my first novel and done as much editing as I think I can as the author. What should I do next in order to

: I've done a fair bit of tech writing and would put a lot of effort into writing simple, short sentences devoid of ambiguity and profligacy. I am currently reading a Richard Ford novel (The

: The pacing of the writing must match the pacing of the scene. For a love scene, you need avid and languorous description. In an action scene, you need short, almost breathless wording.

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