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The Top Ten Rules for Writers |
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Written by Anne Wayman
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Saturday, 25 March 2006 |
You want to write a book? Or, maybe you want to write a short story, poem, play, or screenplay. Whether you're writing fiction or non-fiction, there are certain things you need to do if you want to be successful. Here's my top ten list for successful writing.
- Write often, all the time, everyday! Write in secret, in public, take notes at family reunions and at the theatre. Become the weirdo who is known for always having a pen, a pad and a roving eye.
- Show, don’t tell, use concrete and specific details and all five senses
- Plot should be secondary to strong characters, but still be present.
- Read broadly, read deeply, read in a variety of genres, read consciously, READ
- Keep writing, especially, when desperation, depression and doubt are your three best friends. Push on!
- Read your work aloud to find mistakes and places where sentences and dialogue don’t flow.
- While you are in the midst of writing a novel, ignore number 4. Reading other people’s prose and stories can dilute your own voice.
- Know your subject. Readers will not trust (i.e. read) authors who write a story about racecars, but don’t know the difference between a V8 and a V6 engine.
- No two scenes should create the same tone or have the same purpose. If you have a sentence that conveys an idea such as, “She was a good writer”, cut out any sentence with the same subject. “She could create a page of beautiful prose whenever she wanted.”
- Make your readers ask big questions. Does money make happiness? And small questions. “Is she going to get kicked out of her apartment?”
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 08 November 2008 )
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can 2 11 year old kids write a novel about lets say
