Stephen King's Top 20 Rules for Writers. Image by the USO, via Flickr Commons In one of my favorite Stephen King interviews, for The Atlantic, he talks at length about the vital importance of a good opening line. “There are all sorts of theories,” he says, “it’s a tricky thing.”
“But there’s one thing” he’s sure about: “An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.” King’s discussion of opening lines is compelling because of his dual focus as an avid reader and a prodigious writer of fiction—he doesn’t lose sight of either perspective: We’ve talked so much about the reader, but you can’t forget that the opening line is important to the writer, too. This is excellent advice. Revision in the second draft, “one of them, anyway,” may “necessitate some big changes” says King in his 2000 memoir slash writing guide On Writing. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
Related Content: How to Weave Backstory Seamlessly Into Your Novel. My first science thriller, Freezing Point, opens with the crew of a fishing trawler braving rough seas off the coast of St. John’s, Newfoundland: The wind howled around the solitary trawler like an angry god. Inside the wheelhouse, Ben Maki braced himself as an errant wave hit broadside and the trawler listed heavily to starboard. Sleet spattered the windows on the port side. White patches of sea ice told him they were close. Who is Ben Maki? —by Karen Dionne Backstory refers to the characters’ history and other story elements that underlie the situation at the start of the book. But as authors, we need to be careful: Backstory by definition takes the story backward. Too Much, Too Soon One of the most common mistakes I note when I’m called upon to offer comments on aspiring authors’ manuscripts is that the author has included too much backstory in the opening pages.
Including backstory in the opening pages is the same as saying to the reader, “Wait a minute—hold on. Timing Is Everything. Grammarly | Instant Grammar Check - Plagiarism Checker - Online Proofreader. 5 Ways to Get Rid of Your Damn Empty Modifiers. I discussed the need to get rid of empty emphatics when I gave you 8 words to seek and destroy in your writing, but just saying that you should get rid of a thing doesn't say much about the right way to do so. Today I'm going to show you a few of my favorite ways to get rid of your empty modifiers. What exactly is an empty modifier?
It's any word whose only role is to intensify the word it's modifying. The prime candidates here are "very" and "really," but "extremely," "intensely," "totally," "absolutely," "quite," and many other emphatic modifiers make the list. Further, many emphatics that shift meaning slightly or add some flavor (e.g., "just" or "damn") should be approached with skepticism, and it's easy to find flimsy "-ly" words that show us why the road to hell is paved with adverbs.
I'm not saying that empty modifiers should never be used. 1. Sylvia was very crazy. This is the easiest and often the best solution. 2. Bob was really ugly hideous. 3. Shane was really tall. 4. 5. Make the Difference. Plots. Disciplines > Storytelling > Plots Different plots | The story structure | See also Stories have plots or storylines, by which the stories are told. One of the ideas in storytelling is that there are a limited number of plots. Here are some of them (or maybe all -- who knows?) , with commentaries on many elements: Different plots Booker's Seven Basic Plots: A modern perspective. The story structure Here are expositions of the classic heroic storyline, which many similarities, plus more general structures. The Five-Stage Story Structure: Common to many stories. See also Leadership. Writing. Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. These rules were originally tweeted by Emma Coats, Pixar’s Story Artist.
Number 9 on the list – When you’re stuck, make a list of what wouldn’t happen next – is a great one and can apply to writers in all genres. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it.
Now rewrite.Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations is a descriptive list which was created by Georges Polti to categorize every dramatic situation that might occur in a story or performance. To do this Polti analyzed classical Greek texts, plus classical and contemporaneous French works. He also analyzed a handful of non-French authors. In his introduction, Polti claims to be continuing the work of Carlo Gozzi, who also identified 36 situations. Publication history[edit] “Gozzi maintained that there can be but thirty-six tragic situations.
This list was published in a book of the same name, which contains extended explanations and examples. The list is popularized as an aid for writers, but it is also used by dramatists, storytellers and many others. The 36 situations[edit] Each situation is stated, then followed by the necessary elements for each situation and a brief description. See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit] How to Become a Writer — The Harsh Reality. 4inShareinShare Since starting this blog last year, I have regularly been asked about how to become a professional writer. Mary, one of my keener subscribers (see – I didn’t forget you), recently raised the topic again and prompted me to think some more on it.
For many, the article that follows may seem negative and discouraging. That is not my intent. I merely want to illustrate the harsh realities of the grit, learning, commitment and – let’s face it – luck that goes into convincing someone to actually pay you for your words. Harsh Reality Number 1 – Writing is Like No Other Job I achieved the goal of professional writing last year, a few weeks before I started this blog to discuss my experiences and observations. Writing is definitely not a regular job. Finding work as a writer is more akin to launching a career as an artist. What is the lesson here? This leads to the next point. Harsh Reality Number 2 – Supply Far Outstrips Demand The lesson? Above all, writing is about clarity. 25 Ways To Fight Your Story’s Mushy Middle. For me, the middle is the hardest part of writing.
It’s easy to get the stallions moving in the beginning — a stun gun up their asses gets them stampeding right quick. I don’t have much of a problem with endings, either; you get to a certain point and the horses are worked up into a mighty lather and run wildly and ineluctably toward the cliff’s edge. But the middle, man, the motherfucking middle. It’s like being lost in a fog, wandering the wasteland tracts. And I can’t be the only person with this problem: I’ve read far too many books that seem to lose all steam in the middle.
Narrative boots stuck in sucking mud. Seems like it’s time for another “list of 25″ to the rescue, then. Hiyaa! 1. Fuck the three-act structure right in its crusty corn-cave. 2. Hey, when you fake an orgasm, you gotta commit. 3. The shape of a story — especially the shape of a story’s middle — is a lot of soft rises and doughy plateaus and zoftig falls. 4. 5. 6. Sometimes, a story just needs blood. 7. 8. 9. 10. DarkCopy - Simple, full screen text editing. Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Rules For Writing Fiction. LyX | LyX – The Document Processor. PageFour - Novel Writing Software - Software for Creative Writers - includes a tabbed word processor and easy navigation area.
Ideas. Neither the Billionaire nor the Tramp: Economics in Speculative Fiction by Jeremy L. C. Jones. I sat at a table full of professors and tried to explain the idea of world-building. This was five years ago. Jeff VanderMeer and I (along with about a dozen others) were scrambling to put the final touches on Shared Worlds, a writing and world-building camp for teenagers at South Carolina's Wofford College. There was a math professor, an English professor, a few historians, and a mix of others from a mysterious world I think of as "The Sciences. " I babbled on, trying to figure out how to bridge the "lingo" gap and get everyone to understand. (I mean, where do you begin to explain the notion to someone who doesn't think about this stuff every day, all day?)
Of course, I didn't really need to bridge anything. Then an Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance named Dr. "You should have a class on economics at Shared Worlds," he said. My first thought, I am ashamed to say, was, Eew! "Economics! " My expression, I'm sure, was somewhere between blank and horrified. This went on for a while. Exercises for Fiction Writers - Page 2. Plot Scenario Generator. The most annoying sound in the world. 5-Step Secret To Great Fiction. By Suzanne Harrison Stephen King says he starts his novels with a "What if? " question. What if a woman and child are trapped in a car by a rabid dog?
What if a family pet buried in a Pet Semetary came back to life? What if a young girl could start fires with her mind? I have also heard many other bestselling novelist such as Jodi Picoult, Janet Evanovich and Nicolas Evans lay claim to the same thing. And I have heard others say they just saw an image in their mind, or had a persistent sentence knocking on the inside of their brains, and they just followed that to where it lead them. And while their insight and tutelage is invaluable, when I was a budding writer it left me with another question. What's next? It's all good and fine to have a starting point. So in answer to the "What next?
" Step One: Desire It is essential that your main character want something. This "desire line" is the golden thread that will run through your story. Step Two: Conflict or Opposition Step Three: Moral Dilemma. 100 Exquisite Adjectives. By Mark Nichol Adjectives — descriptive words that modify nouns — often come under fire for their cluttering quality, but often it’s quality, not quantity, that is the issue.
Plenty of tired adjectives are available to spoil a good sentence, but when you find just the right word for the job, enrichment ensues. Practice precision when you select words. Here’s a list of adjectives: Subscribe to Receive our Articles and Exercises via Email You will improve your English in only 5 minutes per day, guaranteed!
21 Responses to “100 Exquisite Adjectives” Rebecca Fantastic list! 25 Things Writers Should Stop Doing. I read this cool article last week — “30 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself” — and I thought, hey, heeeey, that’s interesting. Writers might could use their own version of that. So, I started to cobble one together. And, of course, as most of these writing-related posts become, it ended up that for the most part I’m sitting here in the blog yelling at myself first and foremost. That is, then, how you should read this: me, yelling at me. If you take away something from it, though?
Then go forth and kick your writing year in the teeth. Onto the list. 1. Right here is your story. 2. Momentum is everything. 3. You have a voice. 4. Worry is some useless shit. 5. The rise of self-publishing has seen a comparative surge forward in quantity. 6. I said “stop hurrying,” not “stand still and fall asleep.” 7. It’s not going to get any easier, and why should it? 8. 9. The mind is the writer’s best weapon. 10. 11. 12. Writers are often ashamed at who they are and what they do. 13. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 14. 36 Writing Essays by Chuck Palahniuk. 1: Establishing Your Authority Chuck teaches two principal methods for building a narrative voice your readers will believe in. Discover the Heart Method and the Head Method and how to employ each to greatest effect. 2: Developing a Theme At the core of Minimalism is focusing any piece of writing to support one or two major themes. 3: Using “On-The-Body” Physical Sensation Great writing must reach both the mind and the heart of your reader, but to effectively suspend reality in favor of the fictional world, you must communicate on a physical level, as well. 4: Submerging the “I” First-person narration, for all its immediacy and power, becomes a liability if your reader can't identify with your narrator. 5: Nuts and Bolts: Hiding a Gun Sometimes called "plants and payoffs" in the language of screenwriters, Hiding a Gun is an essential skill to the writer's arsenal that university writing courses almost never touch upon. 6: Nuts and Bolts: “Thought” Verbs 8: Nuts and Bolts: Using Choruses.