Now that everyone is home from RWA, and we've celebrated the 4th of July with lots of food and fireworks, it's time to put our noses to the grindstone. I've mentioned how I love notebooks. I plot in them, make notes in them, have them here and there and everywhere, so obviously being my undisplined self, I forget which notebook holds what. I was going through a stack of them the other day while looking for notes I may have misplaced on book three. I found a gold mine.
Not notes on book three, but writing tips I've jotted down. I wish I knew who to attribute them to. Some may have come from a workshop I took by Debra Dixon, some from other writers, and some from me, things I've picked up over the years. But it was so nice to run across them. We all know these tips, but no matter how long we've been writing, it always pays to stop and look at the basics. So I'm posting ten tips here and hope it inspires you the way it did me. This is Part One. I'll follow with more next week.
1. RUE: Resist the urge to explain everything. Less is more.
2. Allow readers to get to know your characters gradually. It's much more interesting.
3. Don't reveal too much too soon. Keep readers guessing.
4. Give readers only as much backstory as they need at that given time. Describing every detail limits readers imaginations.
5. Develop characters through dialog and action. It gives them dimension so they aren't cardboard cutouts.
6. Don't go overboard on emotions, especially ones you've already shown, or they'll lose their power.
7. Use setting carefully. It's powerful and can really solidify the atmosphere, but too much and you risk losing the reader.
8. Avoid cliches, unless it's the character speaking and it fits her or his personality.
9. Use strong verbs and watch the "ly" words. It's better to use a strong verb than one weak verb and one adverb.
10. Show don't tell. This is a basic but biggie that we all know, but it's easy to slip back into.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
16 comments:
I love when I come across gems like these. Hmmm, speaking of which, I really need to clean out my office now that book two is done. Never know what I might find.
Kari, we all know these tips, but it was so inspiring to run across them. It really made me stop and think.
Yep, you never know what goodies you might find. Congrats on finishing book two. That's cause for celebration!
I agree, Anita, we know the basics but sometimes through the process and deadlines of writing we tend to dismiss them. It's nice to read over them and say "oops, yup, haven't been doing that one!" :-)
I love notebooks too (goes along with my office supply fettish). I keep them everywhere, and have the same problem that I can't remember which notebook contains what info! LOL. I should just shelve them on the bookshelf!!
I have little reminders about my desk on my certain weaknesses, but I just might have to tack up a few basic, but important, rules!
Can't wait to see what you put up next week for Part 2!
These are great reminders, Anita. I would add that Donald Maass says absolutely no backstory until after page 30. I follow that religiously. You can hint at it, but nothing more than a paragraph making the reader want to know more.
As for cliches, Christine calls me the queen of them. I love using them...think they paint the picture so vividly. I do have to watch, though, and make up analogies of my own instead.
You know me. I do everything in notebooks!
Can't wait until next week's continuation.
Thanks for the tips Anita. If you don't mind I'll print them out for future reference
Barbie Jo, I think we get better at writing and we start focusing on more advanced techniques, and it's easy to forget the basics. When I found this list and started to read over it, it was like a burst of inspiration. I started questioning myself..."Have I been doing that, and that?"
I don't know what I love about notebooks so much, but I do. So does my daughter. In the beginning I was good. I labeled them. "Faeland and Bree" so I would know, but then I would get an idea for another story and since I had that notebook, I would put it there. I so need to get organized.
Liz, I have to be careful of backstory and cliches. I love cliches. I've heard Margie Lawson say if you want to use cliches sparingly, give them a twist, so it's different.
Lindsay, print away. I wish I knew where all the tips came from. Probably a ton of different sources.
Thanks. I can't wait for next weeks installment.
Thanks for the great reminders!
M
Great tips, Anita!
Never hurts to review the basics. One of my writing teachers told me she periodically re-reads Strunk & White's Elements of Style. Can't wait to see what you pull out of your magic notebook hat next, Anita!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is this way about notebooks! LOL I need to gather them all up and type up the notes I've scribbled in them. Heck, I may have written down some winning lottery numbers in there or something!
Marilyn, Gerri, Pat, and Donna. Thanks for stopping by. A basic refresher was very good for me. After writing for a while, you instinctively know the rules, so you aren't necessarily thinking about them when you write, which makes it easy for the bad habits to creep up and bite you in the butt.
All GREAT tips...some are harder to adhere to than others. LOL But this is a nice reminder. ;o)
Post a Comment