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writercises Original Posting 7/20/2019
Writer's Digest, December 1991 on pages 26-29 had an article by Jules Archer about common problems. "New writers tend to repeat each other's mistakes – errors you can easily avoid with care and rewriting. A veteran writing instructor points out 10 of the most common flaws."Here are the 10 most common errors that Jules saw and his solutions.1. Expository diarrhea. He gives an example of a paragraph filled with details, and utterly boring. Hanging up the telephone takes one long sentence. Walking into the corridor is another one. And so on. "Such scenes get written because new writers are often unsure how to move a character from one place to the next, so they do it by describing every physical movement. The correct way to reposition a character is quickly and simply, eschewing pointless detail, just as films do by a swift cut from one scene to the next. A simple space break between paragraphs can move a character to a new place, introduce a new scene, or show passage of time.2. Runaway Dialogue. "New writers believe they must reproduce such small talk to make the conversation realistic. But that's not the economical way characters talk in professional short stories." It may not be exactly the way people talk, but dialogue that advances the storyline and gets to the point quickly feels more natural to readers.3. Obscure writing. Watch out for pronouns that the reader can't identify. Anytime a reader has to stop and reread a sentence or paragraph, you, the writer, have not been clear.4. Anti-climactic sentences. Jules' example is "Sam Gordon was guilty of murder, cheating on his taxes, and cutting into supermarket lines." Unless your writing comedy, put the most serious thing, the most powerful thing at the end of the sentence.5. Unclear antecedents. Here's Jules example. "Weeping in despair for the death of his one love, the hospital was grimly silent around him." Weeping hospitals! Whoops.6. Deadly lead paragraphs. Your lead paragraph must be interesting and hook your reader. "Which lead would make you want to read on? The story lead that offers an interesting conflict or problem has a better chance of capturing reader interest."7. Change in focus. Who is the point of view? Set it up, and stick to it. "When you're telling a story through protagonist's viewpoint, you can't have anything happen outside of the protagonist's presence or knowledge."8. Think pieces. Make sure you do your research. Not just an opinion piece, but something specific with solid facts.9. Misspellings. "A more basic flaw is submitting a manuscript full of misspellings." Especially if you are self-publishing, you need to catch that yourself.10. Not rewriting enough. "Perhaps the most destructive of these common mistakes is the failure to rewrite sufficiently." Throw out the garbage language, and write the best you can.It's basics, but sometimes we all need a reminder. So take something you've been working on, and check for those basics. Expository diarrhea, runaway dialogue, obscure writing, anti-climactic sentences, unclear antecedents, a deadly lead, bouncing focus, lack of specific facts, misspellings, and not enough rewriting?Right? Write!
Writer's Digest, December 1991 on pages 26-29 had an article by Jules Archer about common problems. "New writers tend to repeat each other's mistakes – errors you can easily avoid with care and rewriting. A veteran writing instructor points out 10 of the most common flaws."Here are the 10 most common errors that Jules saw and his solutions.1. Expository diarrhea. He gives an example of a paragraph filled with details, and utterly boring. Hanging up the telephone takes one long sentence. Walking into the corridor is another one. And so on. "Such scenes get written because new writers are often unsure how to move a character from one place to the next, so they do it by describing every physical movement. The correct way to reposition a character is quickly and simply, eschewing pointless detail, just as films do by a swift cut from one scene to the next. A simple space break between paragraphs can move a character to a new place, introduce a new scene, or show passage of time.2. Runaway Dialogue. "New writers believe they must reproduce such small talk to make the conversation realistic. But that's not the economical way characters talk in professional short stories." It may not be exactly the way people talk, but dialogue that advances the storyline and gets to the point quickly feels more natural to readers.3. Obscure writing. Watch out for pronouns that the reader can't identify. Anytime a reader has to stop and reread a sentence or paragraph, you, the writer, have not been clear.4. Anti-climactic sentences. Jules' example is "Sam Gordon was guilty of murder, cheating on his taxes, and cutting into supermarket lines." Unless your writing comedy, put the most serious thing, the most powerful thing at the end of the sentence.5. Unclear antecedents. Here's Jules example. "Weeping in despair for the death of his one love, the hospital was grimly silent around him." Weeping hospitals! Whoops.6. Deadly lead paragraphs. Your lead paragraph must be interesting and hook your reader. "Which lead would make you want to read on? The story lead that offers an interesting conflict or problem has a better chance of capturing reader interest."7. Change in focus. Who is the point of view? Set it up, and stick to it. "When you're telling a story through protagonist's viewpoint, you can't have anything happen outside of the protagonist's presence or knowledge."8. Think pieces. Make sure you do your research. Not just an opinion piece, but something specific with solid facts.9. Misspellings. "A more basic flaw is submitting a manuscript full of misspellings." Especially if you are self-publishing, you need to catch that yourself.10. Not rewriting enough. "Perhaps the most destructive of these common mistakes is the failure to rewrite sufficiently." Throw out the garbage language, and write the best you can.It's basics, but sometimes we all need a reminder. So take something you've been working on, and check for those basics. Expository diarrhea, runaway dialogue, obscure writing, anti-climactic sentences, unclear antecedents, a deadly lead, bouncing focus, lack of specific facts, misspellings, and not enough rewriting?Right? Write!