![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Dec. 3rd, 2007
My Writing Rules
Dec. 3rd, 2007 11:08 am(here are the rules I mostly follow except when breaking them seems like a good idea.)
1.) Keep the POV clear, even if you have to overuse names rather than misleading pronouns.
2.) If POV changes in a story, try to give each POV roughly equal space.
3.) Facts are subservient to the story. If a fact contradicts something essential to the story then ignore the fact, provided you can do so subtly.
4.) Let stories seek their own length. (Corollary: If you are writing to a set length, choose a story to fit it. You can't take an epic's worth of idea and fit it into a drabble.)
5.) Try to find the *exact* right word to fit not only the meaning and the characterization, but also the emotional tone.
6.) Don't cling to your first idea if the story suggests something better.
7.) Change tempo within stories in order to keep the reader hooked. If all your sentences are the same length it won't be as interesting.
8.) Mentally read your story aloud. If you run out of mental 'breath' and you aren't aiming for that feeling in the reader, then break up sentences, add commas, etc.
9.) Try to describe things without describing them. Such as 'he ran down the corridor, blue painted bunnies mocking him from the walls' instead of 'He looked down the long hallway at the murals of rabbits'.
10.) If you want a strong emotional tone, internal dialog is good. It's usually best to restrict it to one character, with no one else knowing what that person is thinking. They should react to what they can observe. You can break this rule by having more than one character thinking, but unless they're telepaths or can claim intimacy, they shouldn't be able to tell what the other person is thinking. In general, characters shouldn't know everything you know.
11.) You should have more insight into the background than you use. Fine it down and leave the unsaid to color things.
12.) Cut out the fat. Most stories read better if you remove all the loving little frills so dear to our hearts. Drabbles are excellent training. Once you get the hang of telling a story in 100 words, you'll find it easier to trim unnecessary verbiage from longer stories.
13.) Commonly used words such as 'little' 'very' 'pretty' and 'some' weaken the word they qualify. Omit them except when necessary, or when they're in character in dialog.
14.) Suit the words to the character- not just the dialog. For some reason, I can never see Avon as 'scared', but 'frightened' works. This is extremely subjective, but you should at least try to make it sound right to you.
1.) Keep the POV clear, even if you have to overuse names rather than misleading pronouns.
2.) If POV changes in a story, try to give each POV roughly equal space.
3.) Facts are subservient to the story. If a fact contradicts something essential to the story then ignore the fact, provided you can do so subtly.
4.) Let stories seek their own length. (Corollary: If you are writing to a set length, choose a story to fit it. You can't take an epic's worth of idea and fit it into a drabble.)
5.) Try to find the *exact* right word to fit not only the meaning and the characterization, but also the emotional tone.
6.) Don't cling to your first idea if the story suggests something better.
7.) Change tempo within stories in order to keep the reader hooked. If all your sentences are the same length it won't be as interesting.
8.) Mentally read your story aloud. If you run out of mental 'breath' and you aren't aiming for that feeling in the reader, then break up sentences, add commas, etc.
9.) Try to describe things without describing them. Such as 'he ran down the corridor, blue painted bunnies mocking him from the walls' instead of 'He looked down the long hallway at the murals of rabbits'.
10.) If you want a strong emotional tone, internal dialog is good. It's usually best to restrict it to one character, with no one else knowing what that person is thinking. They should react to what they can observe. You can break this rule by having more than one character thinking, but unless they're telepaths or can claim intimacy, they shouldn't be able to tell what the other person is thinking. In general, characters shouldn't know everything you know.
11.) You should have more insight into the background than you use. Fine it down and leave the unsaid to color things.
12.) Cut out the fat. Most stories read better if you remove all the loving little frills so dear to our hearts. Drabbles are excellent training. Once you get the hang of telling a story in 100 words, you'll find it easier to trim unnecessary verbiage from longer stories.
13.) Commonly used words such as 'little' 'very' 'pretty' and 'some' weaken the word they qualify. Omit them except when necessary, or when they're in character in dialog.
14.) Suit the words to the character- not just the dialog. For some reason, I can never see Avon as 'scared', but 'frightened' works. This is extremely subjective, but you should at least try to make it sound right to you.