Author, Compulsively Readable Thrillers
POV is sometimes called “head-hopping,” and it’s probably the most common mistake new writers make. It means you can only be in one person’s head during a scene. Sometimes that means just a subtle difference, but it’s important.If you do it incorrectly too many times, it will stop a reader and take them out of the … Read more
That first sentence (or two) is critical. They must make the reader keep reading because they HAVE to know what’s going on. That means starting “in media res,” in the middle of things. Like these: “The man with ten minutes to live was laughing.” The Fist of God by Frederick Forsyth “The small boys came … Read more
One of my favorite writing books is Annie LaMotte’s Bird By Bird. And one of my favorite chapters is “Shitty First Drafts.” Read it. Welcome it. Write as horrible a first draft as you can. But get it down. Only then will you be able to revise and make it better.
People don’t speak with perfect grammar (except for your fourth grade teacher). So feel free to make your dialogue as colloquial as the character’s education and background dictates. Narrative, however, should always follow the rules. You might wonder whether that includes a character’s thought process (ie his/her internalizing or thinking, but not dialogue). The answer … Read more
In dialogue, quotation marks go AFTER the period or question mark: “Did you pick up the things we needed?” Jim said. “I didn’t have time,” she said. “You’re kidding. You had four hours!” “I was writing.” She smiled. If you forget, just pick up a book or a newspaper to check the format. Apparently, it’s … Read more
You don’t need three adjectives before a noun. You don’t even need two. Adverbs as well. Look for opportunities to delete redundancies and streamline your prose. A lot of this fine-tuning happens during revision.
Here is where I sound like your fourth grade teacher. Grammar IS important. But it’s not rocket science. You can learn all those pesky rules (and English has more rules than most languages). Why? Because knowing the rules will make you a better writer. When you know proper grammar, it’s easier to eliminate dangling participles, … Read more
A common mistake writers make is this: “I was afraid of the man that held a gun in his hand.” Because “man” refers to a person, it should read: “I was afraid of the man who held a gun in his hand.” (Actually, that could be shortened to read “I was afraid of the man with a … Read more
Do you know when to use a semi-colon instead of a colon? When commas are mandatory? You should. It makes a huge difference in how a reader absorbs your prose. Punctuation tells your reader when to pause or when to race to the end of the sentence or paragraph for the payoff. Help your reader … Read more
We are taught to use all our senses when we write narrative. But sight and sound usually predominate. Personally, I believe the sense of smell is our most powerful sense. We all relate to the stench of garbage, or the aroma of Chanel No. 5. Smell adds a unique element to our writing, one which … Read more