I started putting together a list of writing tips, hoping to come up with 10. Right now I'm up to 63. :D So now I'm hoping I can hit 100. I'll try to post groups of five every so often. I would say every Sunday, but I don't know if I'll stick to that. I'm going to start with five problems that are all related and occur in many manuscripts, mine included.
1. Thinking you've told us something you haven't.
2. Not giving reader enough information. Making us work too hard to figure out what the hell is going on.
3. Not allowing characters to react to events.
4. Trying to create mystery by withholding information.
5. Thinking you understand point of view when you really don't. It's not enough to simply have the POV character in the scene. Put us in that character's head so we know what he's thinking about events going on around him.
This is wonderful stuff. Thanks for doing this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that. Very useful to me. The first 4 are problems I suffer from.
ReplyDeleteHulles and Paul, glad you found them useful! I know I'm repeating myself, but doesn't hurt to be reminded of these existing or potential problems!
ReplyDeleteanne
Funnily enough I was just thinking about #3. I'm reading the copy edits for book 2 and began wondering if my character had ever reacted to finding a dead body in book 1. I know she did when she first found it, but I don't remember any lingering effects from that shock. I could be wrong. I don't remember writing much of book 2 either : )
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty of them all. I like #5 "thinking you understand POV" . . . ha ha.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, Haha! So glad to hear someone else say they don't remember writing stuff. I actually forgot about a scene I wrote Saturday. :O I have to admit that writing creative nonfiction has opened my eyes to the more in-depth writing (mainly character reaction) I could be doing with fiction. I'm going to be anxious to put those skills into play if and when I ever get back to fiction, but maybe they won't translate.
ReplyDeleteLikari, I'm going to guess that at least 75% of beginning writers think they understand POV when they don't. They'll say they understand, then turn around and write something that proves they obviously don't.
ReplyDeleteOh, I really liked these -- and I like how you state them.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the others.
Sam
Thank you, Samantha!
ReplyDeleteanne
Since I write lean am really afraid I fail at #1 and 2 on occasion.
ReplyDelete