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AllWriteFictionAdvice:June2012

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ALLWRITEFICTIONADVICE
A D V I CEONCR EA TI V EWR I TI NG

SA T UR DA Y, 30 JUNE 2012

DoesObservationMatter?
Imaginationaloneisntalwaysenoughtohelpyouwrite.
Writerscanfilltheirstorieswithasmuchmadeupstuff
astheylike,butthereisnosubstituteforastute
observationthekindofthingsthataddfinebrush
strokesandlayerstoyournarrative.
Observationisoneofthosethingsyoucanchooseto
includeinyourwriting,ornot.Itsentirelyuptothe
writer.Butwritingwithoutsomeobservationislikea
paintingwithoutcolour.Itsaboutnoticingthesmaller
details,thebackgrounds,theminutiae.Thekindsof
thingsthathelpbuildapicture,asceneoralandscapein
thereadersmind.
Artists,forinstance,dontpaintwiththeirhands
figurativelyspeaking,theypaintwiththeireyes.Thats
because,onadeeperlevel,theirobservationandstudy
oftheirsubjectiswhatistranslatedtothecanvas.The
sameistrueofwriters.Whatawriterobservesand
studiesistranslatedintothewrittenwordandthenbuilt
intothenarrative.
Observationplaysanimportantpartinwriting.Itsatool
thatwritersusetoembellishtheirdescriptionstogreat
effect.Itmeansthewriterhaspaidattentiontocertain
details,ratherthanglossedoverascenewithoutputting
inanyefforttosupportit.
Youcould,forinstance,writeaboutanighttimescene
http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.in/2012_06_01_archive.html

A LL WR IT E FICT ION
A DVICE

IsBackstoryNecessary?
CreatingLastingImages
TrustYourMemories
ReadingYourMSSOutLoud
SortingFactfromFiction

WE LCOME T O A LL WR IT E

Soyou'veembarkedonyour
fictionwritingjourney.
It'soneofthehardestthingsto
docreateawhole,believable
worldforotherpeopletoenjoy,
especiallyifyou'renewto
writing.It'salsooneofthe
loneliestjobs,especiallywhen
thereisnohelporadviceor
support...sorightheretherewill
behandyarticles,examplesand
simplestepbystepguidesto
helpmakethecreativeprocess
thatmucheasier.

FE BR UA R Y FE MME S
FA T A LE S

Thisnewdeliciouslydark
anthologyisoutnow,witha
rangeofstunningfemalewriters
toscareanddelightinequal
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AllWriteFictionAdvice:June2012

withafullmoonoveralandscape.Mostwriterswould
probablyoptfortheobligatorycloudsfloatingacrossthe
faceofthemoonscenario,ormaybementionthepretty
twinklingstarsclich,oryoumightmentionhowbrightthe
moonis,whichalsoseemstobeastaplefavourite.
Buthaveyoueverlookedatthemooninclosedetail?
Evernoticeditscolours?(Itsnotjustbrightandgrey).
Evernoticedthewayitshimmers(yes,evenatnight,due
toatmosphericconditions)?Evernoticedthewonderful
colourswhencloudssometimesobscurethemoonthe
rusts,thebluehuesorthepaletintscausedbythe
moonslightpassingthroughthemandthusmakingthe
cloudstranslucent?Evernoticedthedifferentwaysthe
mooncastsitglare?Orthatsometimesthemoonseems
smallinthesky,andothertimesmuchlarger?Andthe
moonhasdifferentphasesofcourse.
Thatsthedifferencebetweenpayingattentiontodetail
insteadofrelyingonclichtofillyournarrative.
Eventheseeminglytiny,unimportantobservationscan
makethedifferencetoyourreader.Dontunderestimate
howwellthereadersubconsciouslyabsorbswhatyou
write,becausethefinerdetailshelpthemtobuildan
entirepictureofthescene.
Observationalsoaddsahintofrealitytothewriting,and
readerslovethatkindoftouch,thatfamiliarity.Itmeans
thatifyouveexperiencedsomethingfirsthandorseen
somethingforyourselfnotjustpeople,placesorevents
andsoonthenthatsliceofreality,andtheabilityto
describeit,addsmuchmoretothenarrative.
Anotherimportantaspectofobservationisthatitis
closelyconnectedtotheshow,donttellmaxim.Take
flowers,forexample.Theyarentjustprettycolours.
Lookcloserandyoullseethatpetalshavetexture,
shape,definition,folds,lines,veinsetc.Cloudsbecome
morethanjustcloudswhenyoustoptoobservethem.
Coloursbecomemorevibrantthemomentyoustart
noticingthem.Peoplebecomefascinatingthemoment
youstudythemandsoon.
Everythingisobservableand,therefore,thereisalways
somethingthatyoucanaddtoyournarrative.
Ifyouwantyourdescriptionstobevividandauthentic,
thengothatlittlebitfurtherandshowthereader,dont
http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.in/2012_06_01_archive.html

measure.Iamprivilegedto
haveeightshortstories/poems
publishedinthisbook,soifyou
likeyourdamesalittledarkand
dangerous,thisisthebookfor
you.

NOW A VA ILA BLE ON

A MA Z ON

FebruaryFemmesFatalesThe
Book

WIS E WOR DS ...

Writingislikebeingmarried
youhavetoworkhardat
maintaininghappinessand
equilibrium,butinvariablyone
alwaysendsupinthedog
house.

A BOUT ME
A J HUM PA GE
UNIT E DK INGDO M

I'vebeenwritingfor
over25yearsand
startedoutinthe
publishingindustry.I've
publishedarticles,studyguides,
poems,flashfiction,short
storiesandanovel.Ialsowork
fulltimesoI'mALWAYS
working.
V IEW MY CO MPL ETE PR O F IL E

BLOOD OF T HE FA T HE R

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AllWriteFictionAdvice:June2012

justtellthemtheresayellowflowerinafieldoracloudin
thesky.Letyourobservationscometolife,letthem
touchthatflowerandseethoseclouds.
Youshouldalsoutilisethesensestoenliventhe
narrative.Somanywritersoverlookthesensesthey
forgettodescribescenesadequatelytheyforgettohint
aboutscents,colours,textures,tastesandsounds.This
lastonesoundisbyfarthemostneglectedin
narrative.Thereisalwayssoundaroundus,sowhydo
writersforgetthatitsthere?
Anobservantwriterisacleverone.Why?Becauseits
theonethingthatmarksflat,boringtellingdescription
fromvibrant,richnarrativethatshowsthereader.
Everythingweseeandhearandexperienceformsabank
ofmemoriesandrecollectionstousewhenwriting.So,
nexttimethereisathunderstorm,stopandlistentothe
sounds.Watchhowtherainformsonwindowsor
surfacesseehowthewindplayswiththetreesandso
on,lookattheshadesofthesky.Observeandpay
attention.

NowavailableonAmazonKindle
UKandUS

BLOOD A ND GUT S
A NT HOLOGY

Doesobservationmatterinfictionwriting?Yes,
absolutely.

YOUASCAREDYCAT?Now
availableatAmazon

Nextweek:Howtopolishyourprose.
PO S TED B Y A J H UMPA G E A T S A TUR D A Y, J UN E 30, 2012
2 CO MMEN TS :

L IN K S TO TH IS PO S T

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FE BR UA R Y FE MME S
FA T A LE S S T OR IE S

SA T UR DA Y, 23 JUNE 2012

Whattypeofwriterareyou?
Thetortoiseorthehare?
EveryoneknowstheoldfableabouttheHareracingthe
tortoise,andtheassumptionthatbecauseofhisspeed,
theharewilleasilywin,untilhedecidestotakeasnooze,
leavingthetortoisetoovertakehimandambleacrossthe
finishline.Mostwritersfallintodiscernablecategories,
dependingonhowtheyapproachwriting,andsomecould
bedescribedasharesandothersmightbemorelike
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AllWriteFictionAdvice:June2012

tortoises.
Writersareasindividualasfingerprintswhenitcomesto
writing,buthowdoyouapproachyourwriting?Areyou
thekindofwriterthatlikestodispensewithmeticulous
planningandinsteadrathergetrightintothewritingand
lettingthestorygowhereverittakesyou?Orareyou
morelikelytotakethetimetocarefullyplanindetailand
plothowyourstoryandcharacterswillevolve?
Perhapsyoufallbetweenthetwotypes.Youmightbea
mixofbothyouliketogetonwithit,butmightdoalittle
bitofplanningbeforehandtoactasaguide.
Somewriterstearheadlongintotheirwriting,spurredby
inspirationandexcitement,theypushoutasmuchas
theycaneveryday,whileothersliketoworktospecific
dailywordcountsasasettarget,andfeeltheyhavent
achievedanythingunlesstheyvewritten2000wordsor
so.

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Thesetypesdontreallyplanororganisetheyjustgo
withtheflow.And,onaverage,theyspendlesstime
reflectingonthestoryormusinghowplottwistsand
charactersshoulddevelop.Theyliketojumprightinand
justgetonwithitwithoutworryingtoomuchaboutthe
intricaciesofwriting.

Submit

S T YLIS H BLOGGE R A WA R D

Ifthisresemblesthewayyouapproachwriting,youre
morelikelytobeahare.
Somewriters,ontheotherhand,approachwritingina
diametricallyopposingway.Unlikehares,theytaketheir
timetoplaneverything,theypourovereverysentence,
everyword,theyspendhoursthinkingoftheright
construct,therightdescriptions.Theyrethinkingofplot
andcharacterdevelopment.
Inthattimetheymightonlyproduceafewhundred
words...ornoneatall.
Ifyouidentifywiththiskindofwriter,youremorelikelyto
beatortoise,andthatsnotmeantinanegativeway.
Neitherisbeingahare,becausethetypeofwriteryou
aredoesntreflectofthequalityofthewriting.Nomatter
yourapproach,eventuallytheendresultshouldbea
highlypolishedpieceofwork,becauseitistheediting
afterwardsthatcounts,nottheactualwritingofthe
piece.
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AllWriteFictionAdvice:June2012

Harewriterstendtoapproachmostthingswithgusto,
whiletortoisewriterstendtotakealongtimetoconsider
theirwritingandalsotheyreflectmoreoftenonwhat
theyvewritten.
IfallintothetortoisecategoryIliketoplan,Iliketoplot,
Icanspendhoursconstructingandthendeconstructing
sentencesandparagraphsandIcanspendjustaslong
decidingwhatwordstochoose.Imighttakeanhourto
writehalfapage,itmightbethatIonlywrite500wordsin
onesession,othertimesitmightbemore.
AgoodexampleofatortoisewriterisJamesJoyce,who
famouslycommentedtoafriend,whohadenquiredhow
Ulysseswasgoing,Ivewrittenawholesentencetoday.
WhenthefriendenquiredagainonJoycesprogressthe
nextday,Joycereplied,Forgingaheadwonderfully.
TodayIcrossedoutthesentence.
AnotherisOscarWilde,whooncesaid,Iwasworkingon
theproofofoneofmypoemsallthemorning,andtook
outacomma.IntheafternoonIputitbackagain.
OrwhataboutClarenceBudingtonKelland.Igetupin
themorning,tortureatypewriteruntilitscreams,then
stop.
Howweapproachourwritingisanindividualthing.Some
ofusplan,someofusdont.Someofusreflect,some
neverthinkaboutthewritingtoomuchuntilitstimeto
edit.Someofuscanproducethousandsofwordsinno
time,someofuscant.Somejustwriteandletthestory
gowhereitwantstogo,whileothersplanrightdownto
thelastdetail.

June(5)
DoesObservationMatter?
Whattypeofwriterare
you?
TheArtofForeshadowing
VaryingtheNarrativefor
BetterWriting
TricksoftheTradeHandy
Tips
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April(4)
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2010(32)

T WIT T E R

YoucanfindmeonTwitter:@AJ
Humpage

FOLLOWE R S

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withGoogleFriendConnect

Members(266) More

Someofusmightbehares,someofusmightbe
tortoises,othersareinbetween.Themostimportantpart
ofthewritingjourneyishowitsalleditedandpulled
togethertomakethefinishedproduct.Thatswhat
counts.
So,whattypeofwritermightyoube?
Nextweek:Doesobservationmatter?
PO S TED B Y A J H UMPA G E A T S A TUR D A Y, J UN E 23, 2012
2 CO MMEN TS :

L IN K S TO TH IS PO S T

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SA T UR DA Y, 16 JUNE 2012

TheArtofForeshadowing
Awritersjobisntjustabouttellingastory.Itsmore
complicatedthansimplestorytelling,becausethereare
somanydevicesavailabletohelpwritersimproveand
enrichtheirwriting.Oneveryusefultoolavailableto
writersistheartofforeshadowing,orinsimpleterms,the
artofsubtlerevelation,forewarningandteasing.
Itssurprisinghowmuchforeshadowingisoverlookedin
fictionwedontalwaysthinkaboutlittlethingslikethis
andwetendtoforgettheminuteintricaciesthathelp
bringdepthandrichnesstoourstories.
Whatdoesforeshadowingdo?
Foreshadowinghasmanyfunctions,fromprovidingsubtle
hintsaboutcharactersorsituations,cluestoeventsyetto
happen,toimpartingnecessaryinformation,butitalso
servestomovethestoryforwardandtosometimes
deliberatelywrongfootthereader.
Foreshadowingmoreoftenthannotbringsanextra
dimensiontothestory,becauseitmeansyouarehinting
atwhatmightcome,whatmighthappen,whatcould
occurfurtherintothetale.Itsaboutteasingthereader
withsnippetsofinformation,bymakingthemprivytowhat
ishappening,thereforethereaderwillknowwhatmight
happen,butyourcharacterswillbeoblivious.

Chapter&NovelLengths
Justhowlongshouldachapterbe?
Whatsthebestlength?And
doesanovelhavetofitintoa
setamountofwords?Theseare
justtwoo...
Flashbacks
Whatisaflashback?Flashbackis
oneofthoseusefultoolsthata
writercanusetoenhancea
story.Itenrichesand,ina
sense,nourish...
Subplots
Imoftenaskedbynewwriters
howsubplotsshouldevolve.
Somewritersfindsubplots
difficulttogettogripswhile
othersareputofftry...

WOR K S OF A J HUMPA GE

http://ajhumpage.blogspot.com
ThrillersChillers'n'Killers

SHA R E IT

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Thismeansthereadercanlookforwardtoaneventthat
mighthappenfurtherintothestory,ortheymighteven
guesstheoutcome.
Foreshadowingalsoaddsalittletension,anticipation,
moodandatmosphereregardingwhatmighthappen.It
createsthatsenseofsuspense.
Youmightwanttodeliberatelyfoolthereaderinto
thinkingsomethingwillhappen,andthenthestorytwists
inanotherdirection,butithastobejustifiableandshould
notleavethereaderfeelingcompletelymanipulatedina
waythattheyfeeldissatisfiedorcheated.

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Oneimportantprocessistomovethestoryforward.
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AllWriteFictionAdvice:June2012

Foreshadowingdoesthisbyallowingthereadertojump
intotheforeseeablefutureofthestoryandguesswhat
mighthappen,thusteasingthem.Thisallowsthestoryto
moveforwardbecauseofanticipationandguesswork.
Writerscanalsouseforeshadowingasadeviceforplot
development,becauseifthereisasnippetofinformation
orasymbolicteasethatisdirectlyassociatedwiththe
plot,thenonceagainthewritercanmakethereaderprivy
toafuturestorydevelopment.
Effectiveforeshadowingisaskillithastobesubtleand
symbolicwithoutgivingtoomuchaway,orbybeingtoo
overt.Ifnotdonecarefully,theforeshadowingmight
seemtooobvious,toocontriteortwoforced,andmight
allowthereadertowhollypredicttheoutcomeofthe
story.Henceastoryorfilmorplaybecomestoo
predictable.

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Whyisitimportant?
Ifawriterfailstoincludesomeformofforeshadowing,
thenthereisadangerthatanincidentoroccurrencein
thestoryhappenstoounexpectedlyandleavesthe
readerconfusedandwonderingwhyitwasntmentioned
earlier,orwhytheyareconnected.

AJ Humpage
Author and artist

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Theskillwithitisnottogivetoomuchaway,butatthe
sametime,thewritershouldntprovidetoofewdetails
thatitsbecomesconfusingforthereader.
Howisitachieved?
Foreshadowingshouldhingeonlikelysignificant
eventsinthestory,soitsaboutfindingoutwhichofthe
significanteventsorincidentsyoucouldforeshadow,then
plantlikelyhintsorperhapsimpartinformationtotease
thereader.Youmightdothisbymentioningsomethingin
dialogue,somethingthatthecharactersareplanning
perhaps,oryoucouldhintwithinthenarrativeabout
somethingsignificant.
Youdonthavetobeovertyoucoulduseweather,like
gatheringstormcloudstosignifysomethingdarkaboutto
happen,oritcouldbetherepetitionofacharacters
wordsorbehaviour,itmightbethesymbolicnatureofa
specificcolour,somethinghappeninginthe
background...itcanbeanything,aslongsasitis
significanttothestoryandspikesthereadersinterest.
Andofcourse,ifyoudoforeshadowsomething,make
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AllWriteFictionAdvice:June2012

sureyoucarryitout.Donthintatsomethingandthendo
nothingaboutitandleavereaderswonderingwhator
howorwhy.
Example:
Helookedatthecrimsonroseontheseatbesidehim,
richincolour,atokensymbol.Hehadalwaysluredthem
withrosesthedeepcolouroflife,velvetytothetouch,
lushwiththetemptationofloveanddeath
Thisextractforeshadowsfutureeventsthroughthe
symbolicnatureofarose.Hehadalwaysluredthemwith
rosesisamassivehint.Lushwiththetemptationof
loveanddeathThissuggeststhatwhoeverhegives
therosetomightendupintrouble.
Itsunderstatedandsubtleenoughtosinkintothe
readersconscience.
Summaryofforeshadowing:
Hintatinformation
Givecluestoeventsyettohappen
Movethestoryforwardthroughrevelation
Teasethereader
Misleadthereader,butalwaysmakeitjustified
Evolveplotdevelopment
Whicheverwayyoudecide,dontmakeittooobvious,let
thereaderdotheworkbecausetheyareverygoodat
readingbetweenthelines,butmostofallletthemenjoy
thatsenseofanticipationandsuspenseofwhatmight
come.
Nextweek:Whattypeofwriterareyou?
PO S TED B Y A J H UMPA G E A T S A TUR D A Y, J UN E 16, 2012
6 CO MMEN TS :

L IN K S TO TH IS PO S T

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SA T UR DA Y, 9 JUNE 2012

VaryingtheNarrativeforBetterWriting
Thereare,onoccasions,whenfictionwritingcauses
numerousheadachesforwritersintheirpursuitofbetter
http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.in/2012_06_01_archive.html

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writing.
Oneofthoseheadachesistherateofuseandoccurrenceof
heandshewithinsentencestructures,andinparticular,
theincidenceoftheoldhesaid/shesaid.
Heandshebecomesocommonplacewithinthenarrative
whenwearewritingthatwetakethemforgranted,butits
notuntilyoureadbackthroughourstorythatyourealise
justhowmuchyouhavereliedupontheirusage,andonly
thenyoucanappreciatehowclunkyyourdescriptionsmight
appeariftheyareoverused.
Ofcourse,usingthemiscompletelyunavoidable.Wealldo
itandwedoneedthem,butaswithadverbsandadjectives,
writerscanlimittheamountofhesandsheswithin
sentencesbytighteningandtidyingthenarrativesothatit
notonlyreadsbetter,butitlooksbettertothereaders
eye.
Lookbackthroughpreviousmanuscriptsandstoriesandyou
mightbesurprisedjusthowmanytimesitoccurs.Theycan
clogthenarrativewithoutyouevennoticing.
Thisisatypicalexampleofwhatyoumightfindinan
averagestory(Ivehighlightedtheoffendingtags):
Helookedather,unsure.
Shesmiled.Iwouldnthaveaskedifitwasntagoodidea.
Thebreezecoiledaroundthem,chillynowthecloudshad
gathered.
Itsnotthat,hesaid.Ijustdontthinkweshouldgoback
there.
Shesidleduptothecar.Wedonthaveachoice,Mike.I
wantthathouse.
Hisshoulderssank.Hecouldfeelthehintofrainonhis
face.Heapproachedthecar.Butthathousegivesmethe
creeps.
Whilethereisnothingactuallywrongwiththeabove
examplesentencestructure,itcanbefurtherimprovedso
thatitreadsbetterandismoreconcisebyimprovingthe
writingandvaryinghowsomesentencesarestructuredso
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thathesaidandshesaidorhethisandhethatetc,dont
makethewritinglooktoostilted,wearyorrepetitive.
Youcandothisbyreplacingheorshewiththecharacters
nameeverynowandthen(alwaysuseinmoderation),you
couldrearrangethesentenceorder,oryoucouldremoveor
addcertainwordstomakethesentencesmoresuccinct.
Areworkedexamplemightreadlikethis,withthemodified
narrativehighlighted:
Michaellookedather,unsure.
Shesmiled.Iwouldnthaveaskedifitwasntagoodidea.
Thebreezecoiledaroundthem,chillynowthecloudshad
gathered.
Itsnotthat.Ijustdontweshouldgobackthere.
Jesssidleduptothecar.Wedonthaveachoice,Mike.I
wantthathouse.
Hisshoulderssank.Heapproachedthecar,feltahintof
rainonhisface.Butthathousegivesmethecreeps.
Thefirstlineusesthemalecharactersname,Michael.The
fourthlinedispenseswithspeechtagsaltogether,because
itsclearMichaelisspeaking.Thefifthlineusesthefemale
charactersname,Jess,whilethesixthlinemakesuseofthe
narrativetocompletelyrearrangeHecouldfeelahintofrain
onhisface.Heapproachedthecarandchangestoabetter
choice.
Theseexamplesareverysimple,buthopefullytheyshow
howalittletweakingandaforethoughtcanimprovenarrative
withoutthatmucheffort.
Intheend,itallcomesdownvariationandmoderationto
sentencestructure.Getthestructurerightandyouwont
havetoworryabouthowmanyinstancesofheorshe
sprinkleyournarrative.
Hesaid/shesaid
Thesameprincipleappliesaboutconstructingbetter
sentenceswherehesaidandshesaidcropupatevery
opportunitywithoutthewriterevennoticing.Again,itsall
aboutvariationandmoderation.
http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.in/2012_06_01_archive.html

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Heresverysimpleexampleofthekindofscenethatwriters
slipintowithoutrealising,wherehesaid/shesaidbecomes
commonplace:
Theresnowhereforyoutogo,hesaid.
Notunlessyouhelpme,shesaid,tight.Ineedtogetinto
themountainsandfindhim.
Butyoucouldbeheadingintotrouble,hesaid.Hismen
willkillyou.
Areyougoingtohelpmeornot,Simon?sheasked.
Look,itsnotthateasy,hesaid.

Nowheresthesamescene,tweakedtocutoutsomeofthe
hesaid/shesaidtags:
Tilleygrippedherarms.Theresnowhereforyoutogo.
Notunlessyouhelpme,Alexsaid,tight.Ineedtogetinto
themountainsandfindhim.
Butyoucouldbeheadingintotrouble.Hismenwillkillyou.
Hereyesdarkened.Areyougoingtohelpmeornot,
Simon?
Hesighed.Look,itsnotthateasy.
Byswitchingthesentenceorder,removingsometagsand
addingafewwords,youcanmakethesentencebetter,
tighter,andinsomecases,youcandoawaywithallthose
speechtagsaltogether.Allittakesisalittletimetothink
abouthowyoustructureyoursentencesbyaskingyourself
CanImakethembetter?
Butshouldthisreallymatter?
Inthegrandschemeofthings,notreally.Notunlessyou
wanttobecomeabetterwriter,thatis.
Awriterisasonlyasgoodashisorherwillingnesstolearn.
Ifwritersdontwanttolearn,thatsfine,buttheywillnever
evolveandthereforeneverimprove.
http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.in/2012_06_01_archive.html

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Iftheydowanttolearn,thenthelittlethingslikethisare
justasimportant,sonexttimeyoucatchyourselfwriting
heandshetoomuch,orhesaid/shesaidumpteentimes
inascene,takeamomenttodecideifyoucanreworkthe
narrativeandmakeitbetter,tighterandmoreconcise.
Nextweek:Theartofforeshadowing
PO S TED B Y A J H UMPA G E A T S A TUR D A Y, J UN E 09, 2012
3 CO MMEN TS :

L IN K S TO TH IS PO S T

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MONDA Y, 4 JUNE 2 0 1 2

TricksoftheTradeHandyTips
Aswriters,werealwaysonthelookoutforhelpfuladviceandhints,and
everywritershouldgetusedtousingsomeofthetricksofthetradein
ordertoimprovetheirfictionwriting.Theyaretheretomakeoutlife
mucheasier,andourwritingmuchbetter.
Hook
Notsurewheretostart?Startwithahook.Somethingthatinstantly
sparksthereadersimagination.Getstraightintotheheartofthe
actioninyourfirstchapter.Thatwaythereislesschancetoborethe
reader.Grabthemfromthestartandkeepupthesamemomentum.
Slownarrative
Whenyoureadthroughthenarrativeandyoufinditseemstoplodinall
sortsofareas,thatsaclearindicationthatyouneedtoadjustthepace
ofthenarrativebyspeedingthingsupandgivingitsomebalance.
Slownarrativeoccurswhentherearefewactionscenes,verylittle
conflict,notmuchdialogue,toomuchdescriptionandnotenough
balance.Also,prologuescanmakethepacebecomeslowbefore
youveevenstartedwritingthefirstchapter,soavoidthem.
Youcanadjustthepaceofthestorybyaddingdialoguerelevanttothe
story,actionwherenecessaryandconflictallofthesetoolshelpmove
thestoryforward.
Fastnarrative
Whenyoufindthenarrativerunningawayatablisteringpace,without
leavingyoubreathingspace,thatswhenyouneedtoslowthings
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down.Thisgivesthereaderchancetopauseandreflectandalso
doesthesameforyourcharacters.
Youcanaccomplishthisbyseeingwhereyoucouldaddsome
reflective,slowersceneswhilestillmovingthestoryforwardperhaps
withsomemoredialogue.Descriptionisabrillianttoolforslowingthe
pace,orperhapsyoucanuseaflashback.Thesehelpbreakupthe
paceofthenarrativeandallowthereadersomebreathingspace.
Movingthestoryforward
Thisisanimportantpartoffictionwriting.Youmustalwaysmovethe
storyforward.Ithastohavethatmomentumuntiltheend.Butwhatif
youthinkthestoryisntgoinganywhere?Whatifitseemstohave
cometoahalt?
Thereareseveralwaystodomovethestoryforward:
Revealpartsofthestorythroughdialoguethismovesthestory
forwardandalsoincreasespace.
Pivotalactionscenesalsohelpmovethestoryalong.
Createimmediacycharacterisationandgooddialoguehelp
createasensethatthereaderisrightthere,withinyourstory.
Providenecessaryinformationinotherwords,useyour
characterstoimpartpertinentinformationabouttheplot/story.
Thiscanbedonethroughtheirinnerthoughtstheiractionsor
throughdialogue.
Doesitallmakesense?
Readyourstoryaloud.Thismaysoundstrange,butitworkswonders
foryourwriting.Thatsbecauseyouarenotjustreadingasyounormally
wouldanovel,butyouarelisteningtotheresonanceofthenarrative
anddescriptions,youarelisteningtothedialogue,youarelisteningto
howthewholethingsoundsandflows.
Youwillimmediatelynoticeifthenarrativedoesntflowcorrectlyorifit
doesntfeelright,youwillinstantlypickuponcheesyorirrelevant
dialogue.Youwillnoticeglaringplotflaws,youwillnoticeifyouneed
moredialogueordescription,orwhetherthestoryneedsmoreorless
pace.
Youwillbecomeawareofthesethingsbecausewedontalwaysdetect
themwhensimplyreadingtoourselves.
Cliffhangers

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Needawayofkeepingthereaderinterested?
Cliffhangers.Theartofagoodstoryisnotonlybeingabletotella
goodstory,butalsotheartofteasingthereaderateveryavailable
opportunity.Thatmeansleavingalittleteaserattheendofeach
chapter,somethingthatmakesthereaderwanttoturnthepageand
findoutmore.
Alwaysengagethereaderwhereverpossible.Youemploythesame
tacticattheendofkeyscenestoo.
Plantinformation
Itdoesnthavetobeoverthetop,butplantingsimple,subtlehintsfor
thereaderkeepstheircuriositybrewing,somethingtheywillknowor
becomeawareoffurtherintothestory,(butthecharacterwont).This
keepsthereadersinterestfirmlyonthestory.
Toomuchdialogue
Toomuchdialogueusuallymeanssomecharactersaretalkingirrelevant
rubbish.Theconsequenceofthisisthatitdoesntmovethestory
forward.Cutouttheextraneousdialogueandreplacewithdescription,
actionorconflicttobalancethingsup.
TheBigSleep
Areyouindangerofsendingyourreaderintoadeepsleepwithastory
thatseemslimpanduninspiring?Ifso,thenyourstoryneedsaction
andconflict.Certainlynostorycanbeastorywithoutconflictofsome
sortthisiswhatdrivesthecharactersandthestory.
Ensureyouhavetherightbalanceofactionscenesandconflict
betweencharacters.Entertainyourreader,dontborethem.
Alwaysrememberthatyourstoryneedsconflict,action,dialogue,
descriptionandpace,andaboveall,youmustalwaysmovethestory
forward.
Nextweek:Varyingthenarrativetoavoidtoomuch'hesaid/shesaid'.
PO S TED B Y A J H UMPA G E A T MO N D A Y, J UN E 04, 2012
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