Read Like A Writer

There are two ways to learn how to write fiction: by reading it and by writing it. Yes, you can learn lots about writing stories in workshops, in writing classes and writing groups, at writers' conferences. You can learn technique and process by reading the dozens of books like this one on fiction writing and by reading articles in writers' magazines. But the best teachers of fiction are the great works of fiction themselves. You can learn more about the structure of a short story by reading Anton Chekhov's 'Heartache' than you can in a semester of Creative Writing 101. If you read like a writer, that is, which means you have to read everything twice, at least. When you read a story or novel the first time, just let it happen. Enjoy the journey. When you've finished, you know where the story took you, and now you can go back and reread, and this time notice how the writer reached that destination. Notice the choices he made at each chapter, each sentence, each word. (Every word is a choice.) You see now how the transitions work, how a character gets across a room. All this time you're learning. You loved the central character in the story, and now you can see how the writer presented the character and rendered her worthy of your love and attention. The first reading is creative—you collaborate with the writer in making the story. The second reading is critical.


John Dufresne, from his book, The Lie That Tells A Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction

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Wednesday, April 19, 2023

A Simon & Shuster Writing Editor Tells - "What I Expect When You Submit Your Manuscript"

 

A Simon & Shuster Writing Editor Tells - "What I Expect When You Submit Your Manuscript"

A Simon & Shuster Writing Editor Tells - "What I Expect When You Submit Your Manuscript"

Anica Mrose Rissi, Executive Editor for Simon Pulse, has created a checklist of things to do to help keep your manuscript from being rejected.

  • Revise, revise, revise! I don't want to read your first draft, ever. (Tip: Your novel isn't ready to send me until you can describe it in one sentence.)
  • Start with conflict and tension to raise questions, arouse curiosity, and (like musical dissonance) create the need for resolution.
  • Start with the story you're telling, not with the backstory.
  • Throw people directly into a conflict and let her get to know your characters through their actions. (Yes, this is another way of saying, "Show, don't tell.")
  • Give people something to wonder about and a sense of where the story is going—of what's at stake.
  • Avoid explaining too much too soon. Don't be obvious. Trust people. Trust your characters. Trust your writing. If you find that long chunks of your story need to include long explanations, go back in and write those chunks better, until the story explains itself.
  • Make sure your story has both a plot arc and an emotional arc. Cross internal conflict with external conflict. Give your characters moral dilemma, and force them to deal with the consequences of their choices.
  • Read your dialogue aloud. When revising, ask yourself, "What is the point behind this dialogue?" Make every scene and every sentence count. You should also be asking, "What's the point of the sentence?" What is the point of this scene?"
  • Use adjectives, adverbs and dialogue tags only sparingly. Make sure your details matter.

    (Writer's Digest) 

 

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