Total Pageviews

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Writers Take Warning!

As an avid reader, I hate slogging through page after page of descriptions that have absolutely nothing to do with advancing the story. Don't bother with minutia! Set the stage. Give the reader the minimum amount of detail. Mention the parts important to your story and skip most of the rest.

Show me who your characters are---don't tell me. That's no fun! I want to discover and evaluate your characters on my own. What's worse, if you have to point out to the reader who is the hero and who is the villain, you've failed as a writer.

Your prose may be absolutely beautiful, but if you can't tell a decent story in a clear manner, you are wasting your time---and the reader's. Don't make me want to beat you about the head! ( Really, I'm not a violent person, but there have been times...)

Keep on writing and write better!

MRTighe