Genrewonk

August 16, 2010

From conversations I had at a party this weekend:

1) After you establish a character in a story, make sure you ask yourself the following two questions before every subsequent appearance of that character:  Where were they since we last saw them?  And what were they doing during their time off-screen?  It’s easy to lose track, even with a major character, and pick their thread up right where you left it.  But there’s little else that’s as jarring to a reader as following one character through a week’s worth of activity, and switching to someone else who’s apparently done nothing but a paragraph of introspection in the intervening time.

2) All writing rules are optional.  But only if the following condition holds: You know exactly why you’re breaking said rule.  And not in some vague wishy-washy sense of being bold or artistic.  There is a concrete effect you are trying to achieve.  Also, just as important, the intent is only justified if the rule-breaking succeeds in the effect you’re trying to accomplish.

Category: writing