Oft-given advice to new writers

Gotta keep it exciting. No one wants to read about 'boring, everyday stuff'.

I remember reading 'It's not enough to put your protagonist up in a tree with a broken leg. Let's throw rocks at him while he's up there.'


@_@ Can't remember where I read that, but I think of it every time one of my characters is going about on otherwise boring business. I look at the sitch and say, 'hey, I bet I could get Merrick into a fight before he gets to the tavern' ...

Elidibus said:

Oh, pick me pick me!

*is picked*

Yay!

Second draft=First draft minus 10%

Did I do good?

=D

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Actually, with me it's the other way around. First, I write the bare bones action and dialog and on the second draft I add description and everything that makes the scenes go alive.

Establish POV immediately for every scene.

check your fly before a pitch meeting.

Unzip your fly before each pitch meeting, especially if your surname is Holmes.

Great Ideas are meaningless. Great Ideas are a dime a dozen.
Execution via good writing is the ONLY thing that matters.

A shitty idea that is brilliantly written will sell long before a horribly written great idea. Just watch any Will Ferrel or Adam Sadler movie for proof. The public only cares about execution.

Good writting = Good execution of an idea.

Execution, Execution, Execution

Did I mention execution is important?

Mel...

p.s. learn the craft i.e. learn to effectively execute your ideas. See a theme here?

It doesn't happen until you put your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard.

Beware repetition, repetitive words, phrases, sentence structures, gimmicks, etc. break up the flow of the story in a bad way.

If you use the word "house" and need to use it again in the same or next paragraph, then next time say "home", then after that use "place" then after that "domicile", etc. etc. until you build enough distance so that it doesn't seem like a repetetion.

Some words are invisible, but most nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and descriptors are not.

If you say 'ruby red lips' then guess what. You don't get to use the word 'ruby' again until you've built up enough distance so that the reader doesn't remember that last usage (usually a couple of pages).

There is no scientific formula for it, you have to develop an ear for it.

Lastly,

Be very very very very careful of using repetition as a form of emphasis. It is not near as clever or necessary as you think. You should limit yourself to about once per few pages, but again, no hard and fast rule. You must develop an ear for it.

Mel...

This one is not often said, but I'll throw it out anyway.

Finish something, Poser.

If you think this is rude, go here:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118356

I'd be wary of alternating nouns too much though. Some words like 'house,' 'home,' or 'place' are fairly common and can stand repetition more than a word like 'domicile.' While too much repetition is a bad thing - repetition of a common word is usually better than using an uncommon word that makes people think you are reaching.

The trick is always to make sure that the reader is focused on what you're saying not how you're saying it. Once you have them wondering how many synonyms you're using for 'house' you've lost them.

I never use synonyms for nouns. If something is a house, it'll always be a house or 'it', unless the narrator or POV character finds a more specific way to refer to it.

Dave.C.Robinson said:

I'd be wary of alternating nouns too much though. Some words like 'house,' 'home,' or 'place' are fairly common and can stand repetition more than a word like 'domicile.' ....

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True,

but I think you are thinking about my repetition comment from the standpoint of decent writing. however, a good beginner litmus test (and first approximation) is to just be on guard for repetition.

House was not a great example, that was just the first thing that popped into my head. And I didn't mean it so much in the sense of using too many synonymns, more in the sense of just repetition in general.

Write two paragraphs and use the word house 5 times and there is a good chance that repetition will be a problem. This means that you either are being way too long winded, aren't using combined sentences enough, or not effectively using pronouns. Whatever the problem, the fact that you are being repetitive will be a good clue that there is another underlying problem.

Also, using the exact same (or similar) phraseology too close together is another type of repetition that breaks the flow.

I did put a disclaimer that you have to use your ear and that some words are invisible.

But repetition is one of the first and most obvious beginner mistakes I run across.

I would use it more like a rule of thumb just to keep you mindful of being repetitive. Repetition is definitely one of the things I root out during my later drafts.

Mel...

I'd actually be more worried about the same turn of phrase than I would be about simple repetition of words. I do agree with your basic point that repetition is easy to overuse and breaks the flow, though I personally think reaching for synonyms can often lead to a worse problem.

Mixing up common words is fine, so long as it's clear that all such words refer to the same thing. Otherwise you run the risk of confusing the reader who may not be sure if word 'x' and word 'y' are being used to avoid repetition or to refer to different things. Using an uncommon word to avoid using a common word twice in two paragraphs (especially a noun) is more likely to hurt than help. The real key is clarity.

It's the kind of thing I would be more likely to focus on in the edit phase than the initial writing phase myself.

Forget memoirs unless your famous.

Better have a platform for a non-fiction book. (Actually true)

You're the only one who can sell your book. (The credo of tons of POD publishers)

Tri