1)
Don’t wait for the muse to strike.
Go to work. Write regularly. The muse visits those whose fingers are tapping
keys.
2)
Trust your creative mind and your
material. You don’t have to know everything about
the characters or how the story will end. Writing is exploration, and the
process is organic; characters do come alive and the story will grow itself.
3)
Writing is rewriting.
Crappy first drafts are common. First, let your wild
mind roam. Later, put your editor (analytical/critical mind) to task, improving
story structure and refining the prose.
4)
Nouns and verbs tell the story;
adjectives and adverbs bog it down. Nouns and verbs are the power
words in every language. Select specific nouns and potent verbs. (Use
adjectives and adverbs sparingly: A tiny dose boosts the story’s vitality, but
overdosing is deadly.)
5)
Use all five senses. Sights,
sounds, smells, textures, flavors—on every page.
6)
Reveal the setting subjectively, through a character’s perceptions and
reaction.
How does the character experience the environment of objects, architecture,
furniture, clothing, landscape, weather, etc.? This technique delivers the
setting and reveals the character at the same time.
7)
When to show, tell and ignore. Understand
what to include and what to leave out, and your story will zoom along.
8)
One scene at a time. Scenes
are the building blocks of the story. As you write, focus within the frame of
the individual scene. “Be here now.”
9)
Don’t write about
emotions; write about people in situations. Writing
about fear or anger or sadness creates melodrama. Focusing on characters in
situations creates emotion.
10)
“Omit needless words; make
every word tell.” (William Strunk) Cut flab and echoes. The
DELETE bin is a writer’s best friend.
11)
Forget about “style.” Write
to communicate, not to impress. Concentrate on effective storytelling.
Focus on who, what, when, where, why and how (also, Why should we care?). Style develops itself. You are a
unique human being, and you will naturally give birth to your own style.
12)
Get us to care about your characters
from the outset, or the story will fail.
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