Stupid writing rules–Beware the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
by Anne R. Allen
Fake news isn’t our only problem in the era of social media. Fake writing rules are everywhere. Even I get taken in. I shared a meme on Facebook yesterday that gave a spelling rule that was 100% wrong. Thank goodness an English teacher friend set me straight. (Thanks, Bev!) Not everybody is so lucky.
I tell new writers to join groups and get feedback from other writers, but now I do it with the caveat that most of the feedback you’ll get needs to be taken with several shakers of salt.
Feedback is important for new writers. You don’t want to write in a vacuum. But the most important function of getting feedback may be to help you build up the thick skin you need to survive in this business.
It’s also great for finding out how many different ways your writing may be misconstrued.
But do keep in mind the actual advice you get is sometimes pretty useless, especially when it comes from people who aren’t in the business. (That includes some academic writing programs, which are often based on an art-for-art’s-sake philosophy that can generate some pretty unmarketable fiction.) So keep in mind that you should probably ignore most of the specific advice you get in a critique group.
Now, with the rise of social media, the chances of being fed stupid writing rules has increased exponentially.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect
The problem with groups is that the most ignorant people are generally the most sure of themselves.
This phenomenon has been scientifically proved. It’s called The Dunning-Kruger Effect. Scientists David Dunning and Justin Kruger of Cornell University did a study in 2000 that proves the least competent people are the most likely to overestimate their own competence.
I remember feeling perfectly confident I knew everything worth knowing at the age of four.
Then I went to school and it ruined everything.
So make sure you cross-reference if any suggestion for a change goes against what you’ve observed or heard from respected authorities. Look up any stupid writing rule in a writing guide that was written by somebody who’s actually been published. Preferably sometime in the past 50 years.
Get the Facts from a Reliable Source
Some of these “rules” are pretty comical—the opposite of what professionals consider good writing.
I have a feeling some frustrated new writer may have made some of this stuff up to justify bad writing habits.
When in doubt, ask a professional or look it up. There are tons of good books that teach the basics of how to write fiction. I like The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman (nice and short). Screenwriters’ bibles Story by Robert McKee, and Save the Cat by Blake Snyder are great for story structure, and of course every writer’s library should have a copy of The Elements of Style. (Although a lot of stupid writing rules have been created by twisting the words of Strunk and White.)
If you have a favorite nuts-and-bolts writing book, tell us about it in the comments.
I hope you’ll pass this post on to new writers who may be led astray by “the blind leading the blind” syndrome that can happen in social media.
12 Stupid Writing Rules Currently Making the Rounds
1) Don’t make your opening scene too dark.
A writer I met recently started her novel with a pastoral scene with no tension or plot: just a pretty scene with pretty people being happy. Somebody she respected as an “authority” had convinced her to cut her nail-biting car accident opener and substitute this.
I suspect the “authority” was fresh out of a beginning course on screenwriting. What he/she had told the writer to substitute for her exciting opener was an “establishing shot”
But contemporary novels don’t have establishing shots. The start in medias res (in the middle of things) and that’s what readers expect. Save the sunny afternoon idylls for your poetry.
She might also have been influenced by somebody who misunderstood the “hero’s journey” story arc. The “hero’s journey” theory of story, based on the teachings of Joseph Campbell, says a story must begin with the hero in his normal life at home, before the “call to adventure,” like Dorothy in Kansas before the tornado hits.
But home doesn’t have to be sunny and pastoral. You can have a storm brewing, and Miss Gulch can be pedaling that bicycle as fast as she can to reach Toto and do him harm.
Readers want action and emotion right away. Otherwise they’re on to the next book on the shelf or page. Here’s a list of 10 Things Your Opening Chapter Should Do. It doesn’t include painting pretty pictures.
2) A novel needs a prologue.
Seriously. I can’t believe this is still a thing. But apparently newbies are telling each other to do this.
Prologues are old-fashioned. Readers skip them. Publishers cut them. And agents positively hate them.
Here’s when you need a prologue: when you want an old-fashioned opener for a specific reason, like you’re writing Epic Fantasy, Historical Saga or Space Opera in the style of Star Wars.
Here are a few typical thoughts on prologues from agents.
“What is a prologue? Typically it is 3-5 pages of introductory material that is written while the author is procrastinating from writing a more difficult section of the book.” Former agent Nathan Bransford
“…the editor at the publishing house is gonna say ‘hey, people don’t read prologues, we always start with chapters’ and that’s gonna be that.” Agent Janet Reid
“If you’re writing the next Canterbury Tales, by all means; ancient prologue away. But if your style is grounded by more modern methods – nix the prologue, please.” Agent Natalie Lakosil.
If you’re in love with your prologue, no problem, but don’t let anybody tell you that you NEED one.
3) Don’t put contemporary references in fiction or your book will seem dated in ten years.
We used to hear this in writing classes back in the Jurassic days of my childhood. This was when all characters were assumed to be white and middle class and everything was supposed to be generic and Bobbsey-Twins-bland.
This is now. Things need to be specific to their culture and time period.
Plus books have a short shelf life these days.
You should be so lucky that anybody is reading your book in ten years. It will be more like two years if you go the trad pub route unless you retain rights and can self-publish after it goes out of print. A bestselling novelist I knew in the 1990s used to say “a book has a shelf life somewhere between fresh milk and yogurt.”
Brand names, celebrities and current events add a sense of authenticity that readers can relate to.
Cultural references also pinpoint your story in time. So go ahead and let your protagonist’s grandma go catatonic for three weeks after the 2016 US Presidential election. That will give historical perspective and tell us a lot about your MC’s grandmother.
4) When writing memoir, tell everything exactly as it happened, or somebody will sue you.
If you know somebody is likely to sue you if you include them in a memoir, it’s safest to leave the person out or heavily disguise them.
Better yet, fictionalize your story. For advice on how to fictionalize a “true story,” read Ruth Harris’s great post on the subject.
Remember a memoir should tell a story. That means it has dialogue and scenes. You can’t help putting less than accurate words in people’s mouths unless you recorded every word anybody ever said to you. (And if you did that, you have more problems than how to word your memoir. 🙂 )
For advice on how much “truth” to put into a memoir, here’s an enlightening post from Jane Friedman’s blog: How True and Factual Does Your Memoir Have to Be?
The authors of the post, Sarah Jane Freymann and Brenda Peterson, point out how subjective all memory is. No one person’s memory is going to provide 100% absolute provable facts. Unless the author is a robot. So don’t stress.
5) Novels can not contain contractions.
This one floored me. A writer heard this from an “editor”. (Which shows you should carefully vet freelance editors. Anybody can call himself an editor, so do your research before you hire somebody.)
If you follow this editor’s advice, every character in your novel will sound like Star Trek’s Mr. Spock.
People who speak English as a first language (and are not robots or space aliens) use contractions. If your characters don’t use them, your novel or memoir had better be set in a robot colony or on the planet Vulcan.
6) “Said” is boring. Use more energetic tags like “exclaimed”,”growled”, and “ejaculated.”
Whoever thought up this one must have read so many Hardy Boys books growing up that they became imprinted on their brains forever.
They’re also treading dangerously close to Tom Swifty territory.
“Said” is invisible to the reader. Any other dialogue tag draws attention to itself. Use other tags judiciously, the way you do with exclamation marks. You do use exclamation marks judiciously, don’t you!!?
Mostly you want to avoid tags altogether, except where they’re needed for clarity.
Instead of “‘It’s freezing,’ Tom muttered icily,” say something like “‘It’s freezing.’ Tom shivered and buttoned up his overcoat.
7) Head-hopping is necessary if you have more than one character in a scene.
Um, no. A good writer does NOT tell us what everybody is thinking in every scene. That only confuses the reader. A skilled writer can show the reactions of other characters through the eyes of the scene’s point-of-view character.
After all, you’re seeing your entire life through the eyes of one point-of-view character: you.
And you probably know what’s going on. Or think you do.
Learn to use body language, facial expressions, and dialogue to let us know how key characters are relating to the action.
The exception is a story told from an omniscient point of view, which is not the same as head-hopping. Omniscient POV uses a god-like voice that knows everything. You’ll often see it in high fantasy, which is told in a “bard’s” storytelling voice.
An omniscient voice also works well in a humor novel, because it makes the story sound like a stand-up comedy routine. Carl Hiaasen does this brilliantly. So does Dave Barry.
But be aware omniscient POV in most genres seems old-fashioned, is hard to pull off, and is often taboo with agents.
For a hilarious take on the omniscient narrative voice, here’s a brilliant video by Nick Offerman in which the characters in a Western movie rebel against that all-knowing narrator.
For a great overview of POV, here’s a piece with some handy infographics from the helpful folks at Reedsy.
8) All internal monologue must be put in italics.
I’ve even seen this in guidelines from small publishers. It’s not wrong, but it’s not the norm.
Putting internal monologue in italics is a convention that comes from mid-20th-century pulp fiction. You especially see it in thrillers. Some literary authors, like William Faulkner, also experimented with it.
Contemporary authors like to use italics to show alternate points of view. I’ve seen both Terry McMillan and Marian Keyes do this. They’re both brilliant authors, and they used the device well.
But italics are on their way out. I’ve seen agents say in their guidelines they won’t read anything that’s italicized. That’s probably because italics are harder to read and cause havoc with electronic formatting, especially for ebooks.
These days, writers generally use the “deep third person” point of view that allows for inner monologue without dialogue tags. Here’s a great post on deep point of view from Rhay Christou at Writers on the Storm.
9) Never use sentence fragments: all characters must speak (and think) in perfect English.
Oh. My. God. If all your characters speak in complete sentences, they’ll sound as if they’re living inside a school book report.
Where they’re probably cohabiting with those Vulcans.
Even Jane Austen’s characters speak in sentence fragments. Shakespeare’s do too, as in: “But Soft!”
When you write a novel (or a memoir or a play), your aim is to to present realistic characters, not impress your third grade teacher.
I’ve met some people who insist that even fictional five-year-olds must have a perfect understanding of the subjunctive mood and never, ever mistake a gerund for a gerundive.
Do I have to say why this is a recipe for snoozerific, inauthentic, bad fiction?
Or farce. It could make a pretty funny farce. Otherwise, do not listen to these people.
Nobody uses perfect grammar when they speak. Not even Ph.Ds. (My parents both had Ph.Ds: one in English and the other in Classics, so trust me on this.)
The rules for writing fiction are very different from the rules for writing a scholarly essay. If you confuse them, you’re going to end up with a pompous, comical mess.
10) Never use the word “was.”
This is my unfavorite piece of writing advice. Unfortunately you see it everywhere. I wrote a whole post about the “was police” in 2012.
Using the verb “to be” in any tense is perfectly fine.”Was” is not always “passive.” The past tense of the verb “to be” is also used in creating the past progressive tense in English.
Passive: “The book was read by me…” Passive voice tends to sound pretentious and annoying. (But sometimes the passive voice is necessary, so don’t try to eliminate it entirely. )
Past Progressive: “I was reading the book when some idiot came in and told me the word ‘was’ is taboo for writers.”
If you change the construction to “I read the book” instead of “I was reading the book” you have no sense of timeline. It would be dumb.
Yes, doing a search for “was” is a handy tip for self-editing. It helps to weed out passive construction (when it needs weeding.) A “was” search can also pinpoint lazy writing habits like starting descriptive passages with “there was.” But there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with the word. People go way over the top with their hatred of the past tense of the verb “to be.”
Let it be. What starts out as a handy tip for self-editing can often be turned into a gobsmackingly stupid “rule” by people who don’t know what they’re doing.
11) In a memoir, everyone must have equal time.
Somebody has been telling memoirists that even if they were personal friends with Elvis, the King shouldn’t get any more space than Great Aunt Myrtle Mae, if the two people were “equally a part of your life.”
Sorry. Unless you’re writing an autobiography for your family’s eyes only, this is the worst advice possible.
First, a memoir is not an autobiography. Autobiographies are a chronology of a life from the cradle to now. Nobody’s likely to read them unless they’re written by heads of state, tech moguls, or members of the Rolling Stones.
A memoir should be the story of a particular incident or related series of incidents in your life that will be of interest to the general public. Maybe how you overcame a disability, had Elvis’s love child, or invented Post-It Notes.
So unless your Great Aunt Myrtle Mae was Elvis’s date for the prom, or a crazed fan who broke into Graceland and stole a leather jumpsuit in which she wants to be buried, only give her a walk-on part in your story.
A lot more people want to read about Elvis than want to read about how much you loved your Auntie. Sorry, but that’s the way human beings work. We’ve always been suckers for royalty.
12) Never read other writers while you’re working on a novel, or you’ll write like them.
We should be so lucky!
Actually this is exactly how many artists used to learn their trade. Picasso learned to paint by copying the masters. You can see the powerful influence of El Greco in his Blue Period paintings. But he’s hardly a hack doing bad copies of El Greco.
I think a new writer could do a whole lot worse than to write a story in the style of Vonnegut, or Faulkner or Jane Austen. It helps us see what works and find our own voice.
Copying the contemporary masters does wonders too. Stephen King said we should spend half our “writing time” reading. Don’t ever be afraid that you are “wasting time” when you read.
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Thanks, Anne.
Re prologues: I agree. There is a way around it if a specific bit of backstory is needed. Call it something else, and write it the way you would any first chapter–with suspense, conflict, and purpose. If it doesn’t have purpose, why is it there?
Novels can’t contain contractions? What? Where did that editor go to school? Contractions have been used in books since at least the 19th century.
Re italics: If an author uses them as extensively as George R. R. Martin in his Game of Thrones series, I agree. However, judiciously used, they can provide just the right touch.
Stupid rules? Never use semicolons. Never use adverbs. Never [Fill in the blank]. The keyword is never. As soon as I see a rule that begins with the word, my hackles of suspicion stand on end.
Kathy–I agree that a lot of the stupid rules happen when when people use “never.” That’s when simple tips ossify into rules and get passed on as commandments.
The contraction thing is totally gobsmacking, isn’t it? I first heard it over a year ago, and thought it must have been a single act of idiocy, but since then I’ve heard of other newbies who’ve been subjected to this nonsense.
Prologue material can be fed into stories in a number of ways. Sometimes even with a prologue. But telling new writers prologues are *required* is another example of Dunning-Kruger at work.
I just checked out your website and was intrigued by your work on IBS. I’ll be looking into your books! It’s a big problem that doctors seem to be pretty ignorant about.
IBS. *blech* It certainly can complicate life at times. I’m astonished at how many people suffer from it. Reminds me of a Facebook meme. If X% of people suffer from something, do the remainder enjoy it? Discuss at will.
It pretty much keeps me from any in person promotions. Book signings, personal appearances, readings, classes, writer’s conferences…forget it. I never know when I’ll get an attack. And it’s difficult to explain why I don’t make commitments to these things any more, but it seems to get worse with age. My dad had it too.
I had about 70 I’d heard over the years (really, yes!) that I did up for a workshop. A lot of writers do something badly and take that to mean, no, it’s a rule you can’t do it. You can do anything you want–as long as you do it well. I’m thinking of trying head hopping in a future project because it is a legitimate craft technique when it’s done well.
The most destructive to me was hearing “Delete the first fifty pages.” The author of that piece of advice assumed that everyone was writing 50 pages of back story. I wasn’t doing that, so it caused me to start the story in the middle of the book instead of the beginning.
“To build a fantasy world, you must get a three ring binder, tabs, and then start building the world before you start writing. And, by the way, here’s a 100 question list for you to use.” Heard that, didn’t write fantasy for more than 15 years. Stuff like that sucks the life out for pantser.
“You must outline.” This one resurfaced a few weeks back on a writing page. A writer was greatly surprised you didn’t need to outline; she’d been told it was required.
Key point: Don’t get your writing advice from other beginning writers. They do not know what they are talking about.
Linda–All cringe-making “rules”, I agree! Thanks for these.
Some people love their 3-ring binders. I know a woman who spent 15 years with one of those binders. In fact she had a whole file cabinet. She had maps and drawings and profiles of every single character. Did she ever write that novel? Nope. She got Alzheimer’s before she ever wrote a word. I suppose all that note taking was a fine hobby for her, but it’s sad to think what she might have written if she’d given herself the chance.
“Delete the first 50 pages” is really harsh. Even “delete the first chapter” can be terrible advice. I did that with my first version of Ghostwriters in the Sky. I took a very good editor to convince me to rewrite the book and add a first chapter. I had started way too late in the story.
You’re right that the blind leading the blind is never a good idea. Get your basic information from trusted professionals, and take all feedback with a lot of healthy skepticism.
Great article, it’s fun to look back and see which wtiting rules gave you trouble and which ones didn’t. For me, number seven was definitely the big bugaroo. I rven went as far as to write a whole MG novel in the omni voice. Getting back to the third person limited was not too difficult, but nonetheless the overall effort was a great learning experience. By the way, the MG story now sits in a drawer. Perhaps, it will see the light of day some time in the future.
Bluefox–I once wrote a humorous Christmas story with an omni POV where a grandmother worked hard to make the Christmas fruitcake she didn’t care to eat because her family loved it so much. Then we heard how each of the family members hated the fruitcake but pretended to love it for grandma’s sake. I thought it was hilarious. But I got so beat up for my head hopping I shredded the story. Didn’t write another story for nearly a year. I wish I’d kept a copy. I think it probably was pretty funny. I hope your story gets out there!
Oy.
Some of these do boggle the mind. 🙂
I think a “Trash the Prolog” rule is as harmful as “You must have a prolog.” Although I agree that fiction should never suffer a slow pitch, some non-fiction needs one. It must be well-written, of course. Rambling remains unwelcomed. But there are times when an author needs to explain something about the book to a reader, something which may not be included in its pages otherwise. I have used brief “Author Notes” up front (a few paragraphs at most). I have used “About the Cover” to explain something that would otherwise remain overlooked. An example from my often humorous memoir, Warrior Patient, about the greatest medical system in the world trying, unsuccessfully, to kill me: the cover shows a patient watching a caduceus rising out of an ocean at sunrise (or sunset). It’s an allegory of hope and a totally, completely MISLEADING one. The symbolic staff, with two entwined snakes and two wings at the top, is often used by medical practitioners, and yet it has absolutely nothing to do with the practice of medicine. It is a mistake, particularly prevalent in the United States.
The U.S. Army Medical Corps adopted the caduceus in a patch for their uniforms in 1902. They should have used the Rod of Asclepius, which is the proper symbol of medicine, similar, but quite different. The Rod of Asclepius shows a single serpent wrapped around a rod, no wings in sight. The Greek God Asclepius, who was associated with healing and medicine, wielded his rod to help the sick and those who cared for them.
The addition of two wings and an extra serpent proved irresistible to modern medicine.
The caduceus, in fact, is a powerful symbol of commerce. It has historically represented trade, eloquence, trickery, and negotiation.
Initially, the patient sees the rising wings and serpents as a sign of hope. By the end of the book, however, he sees it for what it truly represents.
Because he does, he survives the greatest medical system our civilization has ever known.
This made a reasonable “About the Cover” page prior to the memoir’s first chapter.
I love your blog, and I agree with almost everything you write. – Temple Emmet Williams, former editor at the Reader’s Digest.
Temple–Thanks for pointing out that what is true for fiction is not true for nonfiction–as is often the case. I’ve edited the header to read “A *novel* needs a prologue.”
Generally a nonfiction book needs some kind of intro. It’s generally not called a “prologue”. But it may have several other bits of front matter:
1) Foreword, which is often written by an expert other than the author.
2) Preface, in which the author stands outside the book and talks about it, and perhaps tells why s/he wrote it.
3) Introduction–often an overview of what the author will cover in the book.
4) Author’s Note(s)–a less formal version of the preface, which may address selected aspects of the book, like your “About the Cover”
Thanks for the fascinating background on the Caduceus vs. the Rod of Asclepius. I had no idea!
Brilliant post Anne. I’ve seen a lot of these rules on my travels through the endless amounts of ‘writing advice’ that’s out there. I was also once told it’s best to Americanise my writing so that it doesn’t put off a potential audience. I’m ignoring that snippet of wisdom as I am English and so are all my characters. It would seem odd for my characters to suddenly sound American in and around Oxford where my books are based!
An editor suggested ‘nixted’ for ‘prevented’ and many more such, though my narrator is a retired Cambridge don, and wanted me to find another word for ‘punt’. My novel is set in Cambridge, England. Hoping I won’t have similar woes during the editing of my second novel which is set in Oxford.
Barbara Lorna Hudson
Mark and Barbara–That has to be the worst advice ever! And I fear it’s everywhere now. I got a comment yesterday on an older post from another Brit who had been told the same B.S. I can’t believe we Americans are so provincial we would pass around such stupidity.
Americans are the only ones who don’t use Commonwealth spellings. We’re the ones who are “wrong” if you want to look at it in those terms. But that’s stupid too.
My first two novels were published in England and I fought the proofreaders to keep my Americanisms, because my books were written in the first person by an American. She would wear “sneakers” not “trainers” and put on a “sweater” not a “jumper.” I figured that people who couldn’t figure that out probably wouldn’t get the story anyway.
But this dumbed down American reverse-snobbism is a new one on me. Brits should write British English. Canadians should write Canadian. And so on. Anything else would be ridiculous.
Hey Anne – another fine collection of advice. I particularly appreciate #12. Don’t read. HA! This equates to the suggestion that anyone who is living shouldn’t waste any energy on breathing.
Great work, once more.
CS–I know how ridiculous it is, but this is one I hear all the time. It is sort of like “don’t breathe” isn’t it? “Everybody breathes. Do you want to be a copycat?” Haha.
Thanks for yet another very helpful post. One rule that an agent told me when critiquing the first page of my second novel: “You should never have sex on the first page”. I didn’t take that advice and am glad to say the novel remains as it is and is in press.
Barbara–I’ve never heard that one. It probably has to do with the genre. Certain category romance lines have very strict rules about what page the hero and heroine must meet, when they kiss and when they can have sex. These have to be strictly followed if you want to be published by those lines.
Sometimes the guidelines for a particular line get passed on as rules for an entire genre. That may be what happened here. Or maybe the agent was hoping to place your work in a particular line or with a specific publisher. Those rules aren’t bogus–they’re very real and must be followed exactly–but writing category romance isn’t for everybody. I know I couldn’t do it.
I’m glad you were able to place your book with a publisher that allows for more leeway in storytelling.
Great post, lots of good advice. Luckily when I started with my critique group they were all seasoned writers and told me to ignore their suggestions if I so chose. I HAVE been told not to use was and is was running, was reading – but using it does give you a sense of time passing, and I think sometimes that’s necessary. BUT I have written two books with a prologue, two without. The prologues were absolutely necessary to the murder in the mystery; I’m trying hard not to do that!
Noelle–People who want to eliminate the past progressive tense are idiots.. “I was enjoying nice meal when the phone rang” does not mean the same thing as “I enjoyed a nice meal when the phone rang.” People who can’t tell the difference should not be in the writing business.
Prologues are sometimes necessary, but often a skilled writer can get the information into the story without them.
Loved the saloon video! It was hilarious!
M.L. Makes you think twice before using that omniscient narrator, doesn’t it? 🙂
Dare I even start a comment without going on and on for pages? Okay. I won’t. I’ve been victim to so many of these I’m embarrassed to say. I’ve gone through entire books I’ve written looking for and deleting the word “was”. And that’s just the beginning. I will not go on. Suffice it to say you’ve written yet another GREAT post about what we should not do. I wish I’d read this in 2009, Anne. Where were you? Oh, sorry, I’m sure you were right here. It was “I” who hadn’t found you yet! AACK! Anyhoo, thank you for this. My learning curve has gone upward – which is a good thing, right? Thank you.
Patti
Patti–Oh, those “Was” Police! They’ve put many a writer through endless hours of agony, only to leave them with an unreadable manuscript.
Actually, I was only just beginning this blog in 2009. Not many people had discovered me. I did have a column for a zine called Inkwell Newswatch, out of Toronto, but I don’t think many people found me there, either. 🙂
Fabulous column Anne. Really so much misinformation out there. I do absolutely agree with your recommendation of Robert McKee’s STORY. It should be a bible for novelists as well as screenwriters. I was fortunate enough to attend his three-day seminar in New York, and wrote about some of the things I learned from him on my website at http://www.joannaelm.com/what-makes-a-good-story
He is terrific.
Joanna–How awesome that you got to study with McKee himself. One of his most important teachings is hard for beginners–at least it was hard for me. It’s what you point out in your blogpost: the challenges need to be progressive, not successive. Each one must come from the one before and lead to the solution, not just be a series of events. Thanks!
Anne, thank you for checking out my blogpost so promptly. You are awesome.
Refreshing to read such good advice…and from someone published and more. Going to save this to help me when I have a stupid rule quoted at me. Many thanks.
Roland–Do feel free to print this out and take this to your next critique group meeting, or link to it in a forum or discussion group! 🙂
Wow Anne, those are some doozies. A few of them are new to me. And I laughed out loud about the ‘was police.’
There’s a new one (or maybe it just seems new because the emphasis seems so strong) about the first sentence having to be perfect – and that a reader will decide on your book based on that one sentence alone. Maybe it’s not a stupid rule and I’m just a stupid writer – but I still believe a reader will give a writer a few paras even a couple of pages before they throw the book in the slush pile. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a spectacularly good first sentence but I’ve heard writers utter this as though it’s a religious ritual. The first sentence should definitely be good and hook your reader, I’d agree with that, but I’ve seen writers write ridiculously long sentences in an attempt to get everything into that one sentence. And really what they end up with is a hot mess that nobody, even Mr. Spock, could understand.
Am I wrong or is this a stupid rule?
Great post, I’ll be passing it along.
Cheers,
Annie
Annie–That is definitely a stupid rule. In fact there’s a whole contest devoted to making fun of it. It’s called the Bulwer-Lytton Bad Writing contest. Their website seems to be down today. But it’s all about ridiculously long first sentences of novels. Based on this one from Bulwer Lytton’s *Paul Clifford*
“It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.”
You definitely want to hook the reader in the first page. But that doesn’t mean cram in a lot of information. It means do something that grabs their attention or stirs emotion. And that doesn’t have to be the first sentence. Thanks for bringing that up.
Nope, no lecturing by anyone on anything at anytime. i was very fortunate early on to find a few writer’s blogs that I really enjoyed. i got to know them first as a regular person who happened to be good at writing (one is a professional writer, and currently runs his own e-zine, is a freelance editor and all-around good guy. Love his work), so I was able to glean a lot of tips about writing in general and my work in particular.
For a good writing book, I would suggest checking out either “Write With Fire” by Charles Gramlich (he has some other fine writing related books too) or “How To Write A Western in 30 Days” by Nik Morton.
One side note: I use italics extensively as the majority of my characters telepathic, so when they want to have a conversation, intimate or otherwise, sans eavesdropping by the outside world, they go telepathic. Only those internal conversations get italicized.
GB–Thanks for the suggestions! Those are new to me.
There are times when italics are very helpful, and that would be one of them. Authors also can use them to show different points of view when there are two first person narrators. They can also be used to show text written in a letter.
Great post as always — when I got to #6 I choked on my oatmeal in mid-cackle — my new laptop is a mess! Oatmeal glue-goo — wait till it’s dry or try to smear it off now?
Thanks for the extra links too — will be checking out the deep POV to add to other understanding of it.
Maria/TigerXGlobal
Maria–Oh, no! I hope your keyboard will survive. I think it might be easier to get off when it’s wet. Dried oatmeal can be kind of like cement. Tom Swifties can be hilarious.
I eagerly await reading your blog post every Sunday and, as usual, this one does not disappoint. I have been writing for a couple of years and have joined a critique group. I’ve learned a lot from them, and from reading books about writing and surfing the internet. I’ve heard some of the “rules” you mention. Fortunately, I do not always listen. As one of the participants in my group said, “It’s your book. You decide what you think works.” I could spend hours perusing the excellent links you provide. I just read about “Deep POV” and the scales on my eyes fell away! Thank you.
Madeline–Most critique groups are helpful. I have learned a lot from them over the years. But I do hear horror stories, and I’ve run into a couple of those Dunning Kruger people in groups, especially when there’s no moderator.
I learned about deep 3rd person POV before it even had a name. A writing professor had us do an exercise: “write in first person, then change it to 3rd & you’ll never slip out of your POV character’s head again. It worked.
Love this list!
Confession time: For a while there, in my crit group, I was the “was” police, but it has made all our writing less passive. I’ve backed off, but I think it’s worth mentioning to new writers. A good rule of thumb, is to try to have only about 20% passive.
Here is an analyzer: http://www.aztekera.com/tools/tobeverbs.php
This is not full proof, but it can help point out where you “Could” make some passive sentences active. Some versions of Word will also underline passive sentences and suggest how to rearrange the verb and subject to make a stronger more active sentence. But agree that sometimes, you WANT a passive tone and its the best fit.
Question: if no italics for internal dialogue and you write in past tense, but want the internal dialogue in present tense, I find the transition awkward without italics. Of course overuse is a problem. I read one book where the author put internal dialogue in parentheses. It drove me nut, but I got used to it, and the book was very entertaining.
I agree about contractions in dialogue, but find them off-putting in narrative sometimes, but then it depends on the POV and tense as well.
I’m so glad you wrote this. I shared with my crit group as most of these have come up in our weekly discussions.
Tam–The important thing that the Was Police don’t get is that “was” is used for many constructions besides creating the passive voice.
The past progressive tense has nothing to do with the passive voice. NOTHING. Eliminating it only makes your writing choppy and sort of stupid.
Do read the examples I put in the post. These are two different things entirely. One is a tense and one is a voice.
Thanks for the link to the passive voice detector!
Internal dialogue in the present when a novel is written in the past tense would be problematic. I can imagine italics might help.
Yes. Sorry. Totally agree about “was.” I just meant it can be a flag for someone who doesn’t understand passive voice, which I did not at first. I do now. Sorry, if it sounded like I was disagreeing or not comprehending your examples.
Not all the “to be” verbs need to be changed either. The analyzer just points them out to help you decide if they can stay or if you can rearrange the sentence.
Beautiful giraffes roam the savanna. (active)
The savanna is roamed by giraffes. (passive)
Sand dusted her shoes red. (active)
Her shoes were dusted with red sand. (passive)
Anyway. I’m grateful for all the swell advice.And I hope the analyzer can be of help to those who like me don’t always catch my use of passive voice. Still on my writer’s journey and leaning along the way!
Tam–A search for “was” can always catch a few bits of lazy writing. I do it myself, so I’m not saying it’s wrong, by any means.
And for anybody who’s prone to using the passive voice, it’s good to use that kind of analyzer. But I think too many writers pretzel themselves trying to avoid the passive voice when it’s perfectly okay.
Your example of “her shoes were dusted with red sand” is a great one. That may be a better construction choice in most stories. We’re probably much more interested in her shoes than the sand. We want to lead with the more important noun.
The “no passive voice” rule is to avoid those awful pompous weasley statements like “a good time was had by all” or “mistakes were made.”
But of course if you have a weasley character, stuff like that is great in dialogue. 🙂
Excellent post. I only (partially) disagree with the one about current references. Granted, I’m influenced by the fact that I’ve had to revise a number of my backlist books from the Eighties and Nineties, and winced at some of the references.
If you’re writing YA, you need to be reasonably current, But today’s hit videogame or app will be passe six months from now, not just in ten years. Sometimes, it’s better to invent a game or movie star. If you hold up a real actor as the perfect heroic figure and he subsequently commits a heinous crime or dies horribly, it will affect the reader’s reaction. So my advice would be to use current references and slang judiciously.
I’ll admit to a pet peeve: when a writer bases much of the emotion on a song or movie I’m not familiar with. A reference is fine, but too much emphasis and the point is lost. The same is true when, instead of describing a character, the author says he looks “just like… (your favorite movie star).” That pulls me out of the story and strikes me as lazy.
Now I’m going back to writing my 102nd book (a Safe Harbor Medical mystery). Thanks for a great column!
Jacqueline–Those are some very good points! I do think some YA and Chick Lit goes overboard with the pop culture references. And saying a character looks just like…(pop hero du jour) can be really off-putting for people who aren’t into trends.
But I’d never thought about reversals of fortune! And they do happen. Cuddly father figures turn out to be sexual predators. Hilarious comedians die tragically. So their names bring up very different emotions from what were intended when you wrote them.
Thanks a bunch! And congrats on your 102 book! You’re the most prolific author I know!
Oops! I meant to add the words “Free Book” to my previous comment. Thanks.
Madeline–You’re on! I’ve been wondering if nobody was seeing that part of the post.
Wonderful post! Will be pointing my students to it. I particularly love the point about not reading the work of others when you are writing. I was asked about that when on a big panel recently. My answer: “Honey, I have been writing fiction professionally since 1989. If I didn’t read other books when I am writing, I wouldn’t have read a book since 1989.”
For an experienced author, reading the work of others is a big part of our professional development.
Melodie–Isn’t that a crazy one? And I’m hearing it all the time these days. “I’d love to read your books, but I can’t because I’m working on a novel.” Huh?
“I’d love to eat food, but I can’t because I’m studying to be a chef.” Nobody said ever.
Thanks for sharing this with your students!
Good to know…Great tips 🙂
J L–Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks Anne. Perfect reading for a gloriously rainy California day! Some of these “rules” made me cringe, some made me laugh out loud. Made me think about rules in general. Rules in life. They change with the passage of time. Just like writing rules.
Rules, rules, rules.
I guess rain makes me reflective. Ha!
Christine–Isn’t this rain wonderful? Great for staying inside and working on that WIP!
Great article! A question: why does the list of 12 have a heading that reads “8 stupid writing rules”? 🙂
Jennifer–That would be because there’s enough stupid to go around for everybody. 🙂 And I don’t have a proofreader. I had 8 rules when I started, but I kept thinking up more yesterday and… I didn’t change it. Until now. Amazing how many people read this without calling me on that. Thanks!!
No problem, and happy to be of service! 🙂
Oh. My. God. This post really nails it. First, my two favorite craft books are “Story Engineering” by Larry Brooks and “Getting Into Character: What Novelists can Learn from Actors” by Brandilyn Collins. Both give sound advice for writers at all stages of their career.
I do use prologues when I use a later scene as my hook, then backtrack to, say, the midpoint, where I pay it off. Or when the prologue takes place in a different time and/or place, but only if it’s germane to the actual quest. The thing about prologues, IMHO, are that many new writers use them to dump backstory, which is a surefire way to kill your story. Other than these two exceptions I can’t think of any reasons to include them.
Never heard “can’t use contractions” or “must use complete sentences.” I’d die without my sentence rhythm. 😉 As you mentioned, the so-called rules to remove all “was” words and gerunds drive me crazy!
Sue–Thanks for the suggestions! I haven’t read Brandilyn Collins book, but I’ve heard good things. I’ve always said that acting is great training for a novelist. Every one of your characters needs to be asking “what’s my motivation?”
That is exactly why publishers hate prologues. Newbies use them as dumping grounds. Readers skip the boring parts. Nothing is more boring than in info-dump.
I’m with you. I can’t think of anything less appealing than a narrative voice that sounds like a robot. I don’t know what people are thinking.
And don’t get me started on gerunds….
Nice post, Anne. 🙂
One important factor on the “no italics on internal discourse” thing is that non-italicized internal discourse is in the same PoV as the rest of the story. So if the story’s 3rd person past tense, the internal discourse is, too.
I’ve seen a number of authors get confused because that detail’s been omitted.
Over the years, I’ve encountered some authors who essentially admitted to spreading false advice on purpose in order to reduce or sabotage the competition. Perhaps some of them were joking, but at least some were telling the truth. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these things come from that.
Carradee: “I’ve encountered some authors who essentially admitted to spreading false advice on purpose in order to reduce or sabotage the competition.”
OMG that is so…awful. But unfortunately I can believe it. There’s a weird competitive thing in some writing communities. As if the act of writing is some sort of videogame and we’re all enemies to be eliminated. That makes my heart hurt.
If an author is using italics to show a different POV then yes, they are absolutely necessary. Or maybe something even more, like a different font.. What we aim for is as much clarity as possible for the reader. The reason italics aren’t as in vogue as they used to be is they don’t translate all that well to digital and they can be harder to read.
Carradee: “One important factor on the “no italics on internal discourse” thing is that non-italicized internal discourse is in the same PoV as the rest of the story. So if the story’s 3rd person past tense, the internal discourse is, too.”
Well, I gave up italics for internal dialog early on, and now it’s annoying (but that’s just me!). However, I interpret internal discourse in much the same way as external discourse: always in first person present. I’ll think about it but right now, I can’t even think about how to write internal discourse in third person past, which is what the narrative is. I’d take any suggestions about examples, etc. (though I may not follow them, LOL.)
Thanks for an enlightening post!
I disagree with the rule of not including prologues. I was advised to include a prologue, by a best selling author. She told me to pull some specific info from the first or second chapter of an epic science fiction story, and put it into a prologue. The author was Diana Gabaldon during a crit appointment at a writing conference. I also don’t mind reading prologues, depending on the type of book. I want backstory if it’s before the story begins and connects with some of the plots or incidents in the novel. Some books don’t need it, some are enhanced by prologues.
I did not include a prologue with an alternate history story I’m working on because it didn’t suit the story. Aren’t rules like guidelines? You need to assess if they add to or detract from the novel.
DG–I have bolded the part of my section on prologues that people seem to be missing. Prologues are very much part of certain genres that are going for an old-fashioned epic feel, like high fantasy, historical saga, and space opera.
Gabaldon’s books are certainly old fashioned on purpose and would qualify. So would epic science fiction in the Star Wars style as I have said in the post. Alternate history would definitely require a prologue or some kind of introduction.
Where prologues tend to be over-used for backstory info-dumping is in contemporary mysteries and thrillers. Often the information can be put into a first chapter or added later in the story.
The point of this post is that ALL novels do not need prologues
Hi Anne, thanks for these reminders to a very important topic. I also enjoyed reading the comments.
I shall return to click on and view some of your links.
Have a pleasant Sunday.
Jacqueline–Thanks! The link to the narrator video is especially entertaining. 🙂
I remember reading that you should never read fiction while writing it (so rule #12). Save it for when you’re not writing. If I did that, I’d never get to read fiction again. And that’s never going to happen. The other rule similar to this was don’t read the genre you’re writing. But how will you know your book is similar to one already out there (or is another me too in a trend) if you don’t read in your genre?
Stina–Isn’t that a weird “rule”? As if there’s a time when a professional writer isn’t writing. And don’t read your own genre–I’ve heard that one too. As if you shouldn’t know what your readers expect of you!
Fun post, but I don’t understand your issue with italics and ebooks. I’ve formatted a lot of ebooks over the years and have never had a problem. Now, drop-caps, those are a PIA.
Thanks for this. I always enjoy them.
Stephen–It’s not my issue. It’s something I’ve seen agents complain about. I’ve even seen some say they won’t read a manuscript that contains any italics, which seems a little harsh. But I think it’s because they like to read submissions on their tablets and italics don’t convert easily to something they can read.
Personally, I don’t like to read big blocks of text in italics on a printed page, because I have old eyes and they’re harder to read.
Thanks for stopping by!
Renni Browne told me [she kindly responded when I emailed her] that I could put a second voice in a different font, and not indented either. I’m not quite sure about the non-indentment, but I liked the idea of putting a slightly different font [not capitals like Terry Pratchett’s Death of course] instead of italics. Is this common?
Came on over from https://jenniferkellandperry.com/2016/11/20/12-dumb-tips-new-writers-share/ to read move about the dumb tips and glad I did I do think some of these tips are common sense but then again many people do not have common sense.
Joanne–Thanks for stopping by! Nice people over at Jennifer’s blog! You’re right about the common sense. People who don’t spend much time online are probably scratching their heads. 🙂
I have nothing against the “be-verbs” (be, are, was, is, were, etc.) . Shakespeare used the infinitive twice in a very short sentence and rode it all the way to literary immortality. But, as you suggest, it can be a sign of lazy writing. When I was an editor at the Reader’s Digest, we had several editors that would pluck a few pages out of the middle of a manuscript and circle all the “be-verbs” with a red pen. If they found more than a half a dozen on each page, the manuscript quietly rejoined the slush pile with a kind note of “not quite what we want.” Harsh, perhaps, but reality.
Temple–I think it’s sad you have to explain the nature of the verb “to be” to any writer. I’m always amazed at how basic grammar skills are neglected these days. How tragic that people might be rejected on the basis of using a verb tense that editors don’t understand.
Dumbing down seems to be the name of the game these days. I know I have to keep my vocabulary limited in both my novels and my blogposts. I have a little robot who tells me when my vocabulary “ease of reading” goes over a certain percent. I also limit my correct usage of the subjunctive to characters who have advanced degrees.
I totally agree.
Now I am going to slip in an admission of guilt.
Because of this wonderful blog that you write, I went back and looked at a prolog I had in a non-fiction book of mine. I loved it. It had humor and pathos. I often used it as an introduction to seminars and signings. It drew both laughs and downcast eyes.
I yanked it out of the book, in every edition from Kindle and Nook to paperback and hardback. God bless print on demand. Still, I checked afterwards to see if I was bleeding anywhere.
Guess what? The book is better, much better, without the prolog. It doesn’t need a warm-up batter. I can still use the spiel in speeches, of course.
So, thank you, Anne, for teaching an old dog new ways to write better.
Temple–My goodness! I wasn’t intending to discourage anybody from writing a prologue or a preface. I just quoted some of the contemporary thoughts on the subject.
But if it helped you have an Ah-ha moment with your current WIP,–great! I tend to think some kind of intro is useful in a nonfiction work, but if you can start right away with chapter one, your formatter will thank you!
Thank you for affirming my thoughts about ‘was.’ Sometimes you have to use that word. I wish #12 was true. Now I’m trying to think of which writer I would want to read while I’m writing.
Susan–The verb “to be” is awfully handy. A taboo on it is pretty crippling to anybody writing in English.
I first heard that “rule” when I was reading Margaret Atwood. That’s why my reaction was “If only!”
A very helpful article. I now know what to do about prologues and italics.
I might italicize very, very sparingly, just for effect.
When starting a novel launch it a bit ahead and then cast it back as an example. This resolves the issue about using a prologue. The point, though, is to grab the reader.
da45ve–Thanks! There are a number of ways to resolve the prologue issue in a contemporary novel, including using a prologue. 🙂 Folding in backstory slowly along with the action of the narrative is the preferred way these days.
There are lots of ways to grab a reader. It doesn’t have to be by exploding things or chopping off heads, but we have to get their attention in some way, either with emotion, action, or something unusual happening.
Re prologues. J.K. Rowling’s “The Casual Vacancy” has a prologue(possibly). Except it isn’t titled “prologue” it’s titled “Sunday” which is followed by chapter one. Probably one of the most gut wrenching pieces of writing I’ve come across. All 2 and a 1/3 pages of it. I don’t think italicizing is such big issue if there isn’t a lot of it. Most of these wrong rules only really apply to stuff that is overdone. I would hate to pass up the chance of a FREE BOOK, because no writer has too many “how to” books, right?
Leo–You’re in the running for the Free book! I’ve heard great things about that Casual Vacancy opener from some people and others didn’t like it at all. It’s on my TBR list, so I can decide for myself.
You’re right that all these “rules” happen because a lot of newbies tend to overdo the opposite.
But anything works in writing if it’s done in moderation…and done well.
Oh, man! I was in two facebook groups for authors and I got the WORST advice possible from the admin. They thought because they were in charge of a facebook group, that made them experts on All Things Fiction. If anyone would show proof that they were providing erroneous information, they would troll the individual until they either left the group or were kicked out. In BOTH groups they went so far as to browbeat new members (and coincidentally, new writers) that their way and advice was “law” and the only one worth accepting.
I never bought into that. I was much more of the school of Hemingway: We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.
There really is only one rule of writing: Just write.
Christina–Oh, how awful! I’ve heard of online groups like that. And I’ve been involved with in-person groups that nearly fell apart because somebody came in and tried to take over (usually someone much less experienced than the rest.)
This post got shared on a couple of other blogs and people have been arguing with stuff I didn’t even say and sending me nasty tweets. I keep thinking–why the *&%# aren’t these people writing? Sigh.
You’re so right. There are no rules. If you learn to write well enough anything goes. And you learn to write by…writing.
The original version of my novel had a prologue. But while I was rewriting it, I took a Google maps journey to my main character’s hometown and found an apartment building that looked like the one I created in my mind. I was drawn to another apartment building across the way. Seeing this place made the wheels in my head spin and the end result was a “proper” Chapter One.
Jens–What did we do before Google Maps! Isn’t it fun to go house shopping for your characters? I use Real Estate sites too, so I can go inside of houses and find just the right one House shopping can spark all sorts of creativity.
How very cool that Google Maps even jolted you out of your prologue right into chapter one. Great story!
Really instructive, Anne. Your penchant for light-hearted humour is joyfully visible. I am here thanks to Jennifer’s reblog. The connect is greatly relished. Best….
Raj–Thanks for stopping by, and thanks to Jennifer for the shout-out. I’m glad you appreciate my humor. 🙂
I keep encountering the reverse argument about prologues – that *no* story should have them! IMO it helps for writers to understand when a prologue isn’t necessary, and also to know their genre – as you say, they are still common in epic fantasy. 🙂
Brian–Each genre has its conventions and Fantasy and some types of SciFi as well as Historical fiction tend to have prologues. They’re not as common in contemporary thrillers, mystery and romance, but if they work and they’re done well, they can work in any genre. But generally an experienced writer is more likely to be able to write a good one than a beginner.
We have a ‘was’ and ‘were’ agent for the grammar police in our group. We also have a fervent believer in the Hero’s Journey as the blueprint for all stories, thinking it’s the only story structure out there. Both great writers, so their theories work for them, but don’t necessarily apply to all things at all times.
I’m surprised at some of those rules you mentioned. Do people really oppose contractions?
Great post and a good prompt to rethink our own pet theories 🙂
Chella–The Was Police and the Hero’s Journey people can be closed minded to the point that it’s impossible to communicate with them. Often you simply have to tune them out. Smile sweetly and say “duly noted” and move on. Their brains have calcified.
The contraction people seem more than a little unhinged. But it’s a growing movement. I want to ask them to name one good writer who doesn’t use contractions, but I fear they’ll say “God” and tell me that the King James Bible is the only good book they’ve ever read, or some such thing. There’s a fanaticism involved that makes me very wary of challenging them. I give them a wide berth.
I love this post so much! You’re absolutely right. Around the time I was writing my 3rd nov, I was online friends with a woman who was on her second. She used to blog writing tips. I remember saying to her that I didn’t feel that I was qualified to blog writing tips yet, and she didn’t take the hint. Following her novels’ lack of success, she has now set herself up as an editor.
Oh, those rules…. I haven’t heard some of them because I a) don’t read how to write blog posts by amateurs, and b) don’t take much notice of this year’s ‘must have’ or ‘must do’ anyway. I’ve noticed that ‘was’ is the new ‘adverbs’ when it comes to the writing witch hunts, though. Ah – I’ve just discovered why I see so much head-hopping in debut novels I review……
Terry–“This didn’t work for me, so I’m going to insist you do it.” isn’t the best marketing slogan, is it? I hear this stuff because writers come to me asking if it’s really true that….whatever. They’ve often been working hard trying to rewrite their books to these impossible specifications.
You’re right that “was” is the new adverb. Haha!
I can’t read a book with a lot of head hopping, unless it’s done by a master of the omniscient voice like Carl Hiaasen. I find them too confusing.
The only rule that matters is “Is this clear to the reader?”
I feel quite strongly that there are 18 essential Rules for better Writing. There are 18 here, but not necessarily the essential 18 – https://tomhocknell.wordpress.com/2015/01/16/writing/
Tom–LOL! Love it. Especially about writing in a bed of biscuit crumbs. I think they must be McVities. 🙂
So that’s what it’s called! Explains people like Donald Trump! LIsten, I have and do break all these rules, frequently. Mainly coz there are no ‘rules’ for writing. I was chatting about this very topic with a friend embarking on her first book. She was very down because she had been ‘told’ she MUST plot everything first, and she was finding it impossible.Once I’d enlightened her as to ‘The Hedges’ method: Just pile in and see what happens ..she was a lot happier! It’s a bit like teaching: those who can teach. Those who can’t, teach teachers!!
Carol–The Dunning Kruger Effect explains so much, doesn’t it? And all those rules for plotting make me crazy. Thing is, like all rules, they work for some people. But I’m not one of them.
You might like the article in this week’s New Yorker on Lee Childs’ writing process. One of the most successful thriller writers in the world–and he’s a total panster. No pre-plotting at all.
10) Never use the word “was.”
Thanks for including this one. It’s one of the few writing topics that’ll make me jump on a soapbox. News flash to editors: English uses auxiliary verbs. That doesn’t make the sentence passive, as you point out. I’ve had pieces rejected for that reason. Just thinking about it riles me!
Time to take my blood pressure meds …
Mike–it’s my pet peeve. An article about it is what got me my first gig with a writing magazine, so others do feel the same. But it’s an uphill battle. Nobody studies grammar anymore. They just learn stupid writing rules.
I know..”O Tempora, O Mores!” I sound like an old geezer, don’t I? But I do fear a dumbing down of language is not doing us any good.
Excellent reminders, all about staying true to your own voice, telling your own story.
In a workshop for creative nonfiction, I did get some good feedback by listening for repeated comments. More than one participant said they wanted more of my recollections and not so much of the more-generic background – it was hard for me to push myself to center stage, as it were, but it was the right thing to do.
On the other hand, one young woman rather snootily objected to some of my word choices, because she “didn’t like the word.” Or didn’t know what it meant: when I told of my character’s evening at a gallery opening, 4 hours of standing in fashionable but too-tight boots, I described the aftermath as she painfully “minced back to her hotel room” – the young woman said, “You mean WINCED, of course.” … of course I didn’t.
All in all, the experience helped me let go of some of my perfectionism – just write it the way I hear it. Some people will get it, others won’t, and that will always be the way of things.
Thanks for a great post, filled with vivid and useful details.
– martha
ML–I’ve written often about the benefits and pitfalls of critique groups. As you say, if you hear the same thing from several people, you know that section of your story probably needs work. The suggested fixes may not be what are needed, but they have brought something to your attention and that’s helpful.
But the members who make their critiques all about them are not helpful. “I don’t like that word” or “Don’t give her red hair. I hate red-heads” or “I can’t read above a 5th grade level” is just a time-wasting display of narcissism. You have to hope you can move on quickly. Nothing helpful can come from somebody like that.
In Elizabeth Murphy’s books all the animals speak in italics. So far, no formatting issues, but that is just the best way for them to talk! Great topic, Anne.
Victoria–Italics can be used to show POV switches, letter writing, dream sequences and other “out of the norm” situations and that works fine. There are lots of times when a switch is necessary for clarity.
These days publishers often use different fonts rather than italics now that we have that option. I just read a Marian Keyes novel with four fonts: one for each POV character.
What I’m talking about is the convention of having all internal dialogue in italics, which comes from pulp fiction. That isn’t required in contemporary fiction. Internal dialogue is clear without the italics and italics can be harder to read.
It’s hard to weed through so much bad advice, especially when it is given in absolutes. Glad you posted this:)
Raimey–Thanks for stopping by! Absolutes are almost always dangerous, aren’t they?
That’s how you know it’s bad advice if it is an absolute. Well grammar and punctuation should follow the ‘rules’ as much as possible, but even they can be bent for characterization and story when needed. 😛
AMEN, I said.
🙂
Thanks, Anne, for sharing this. It helped put some old and mythical rules to rest.
Denise–I’m glad this post helps!
The writers and cridics on the Wattpad website seem to think that
“8) All internal monologue must be put in italics.”
Is an iron clad rule and for the life of me I can’t get them to see otherwise, it drives me mad. I can’t even ask for a critique any longer as they’ll ignore my authors not and go right o pointing out that I’m not using italics. Almost everyone on the website is infected with this mindset, it’s so sad. 🙁 I’m slowly moving my story/s into my word press blog, I hope that the people there aren’t so hard headed and misinformed. I’m not saying people can’t use italics but to practically demand that a writer use this is crazy. Thank goodness the readers aren’t like this and just enjoy reading the story. Writers/critics need to chill.
Robin–Real editors and agents who have been in the publishing industry for more than five minutes do NOT go for this. In fact I’ve seen agents who reject on that alone. Sometimes they just say “NO ITALICS!” They’re very hard to read.
Putting internal monologue in italics is a technique that comes from pulp fiction of the 40s and 50s and it seems to have become entrenched in YA and MG in the last decade. That probably explains why Wattpad users expect it, since it mostly attracts young readers.
But it is simply NOT DONE in serious literary work and it looks cheesy to many professionals in the industry. .
Please excuse the late reply I’m not getting any email alerts (arrg!) and just happened to land on this website again when in Google.
So that’s what’s going on! I know that most on there are younger than I am (not all I’ve met a few older writers, and a couple of older published ones.) I’ve only met one other writer that writes in deep pov so have finally come to understand I just can’t get a good critique any longer as the writers on there just understand it at all, or worse when I explain it to them miss the point completely. I’m not being stuck up they really don’t. *Sigh*
Wow, I’m real glad I don’t use the italic much then (the main character has a spirit that’s kind of piggybacking in her body so I figured it’d be okay to use italics there, at least until I can figure out a way to make sure readers aren’t confused by the inner thought dialogue going on.So if you have any ideas to get rid of those italics, let me know thank you! As I still dislike using them even for that reason.)
I do not want it to be thought o as cheesy, I’m trying to make this a really powerful fantasy story boot isn’t lame.
Okay I check marked the boxes i hope I get emails this time. If not i’ve bookmarked this page and will check it soon. Do you know if a website that has an easy to use writing editor online that is better then Wattpad’s? I mainly like writing right in a browser so my Grammerly extension can work, otherwise words/letters are inverted way to often and turn my ms into mush.
Robin–Sorry you’re not getting notifications. You’re not the only one. WordPress is updating and things have been really squirrelly. They keep shutting me out and making me moderate my own comments.
As far as electronic editors go, I’m not a fan. I’m old school and those electronic editors are programmed by people who don’t know grammar as well as I do, by a long shot. Word’s grammar-check keeps putting apostrophes in the wrong place. It has me screaming at the screen.
Some publishers seem to want italics these days, especially if they publish YA genre fiction, so the best thing is to check with the guidelines before you submit.
But generally deep POV is the preferred POV and most pros do not do it in italics. I hope you can get some more grown-up critiques. Try CritiqueCircle.com.
*note and go right to pointing
Please excuse the typos I can write better than this, I guess the band aid is making me do more than average. lol? >_>
*too
Man maybe not the bandaids fault, what is with my typing today? I wish like heck I could edit my postings on here not being able to is really frustrating.
Also, thank you for replying to my comment. <3 Boy, I wish I could talk with an editor and find out if I'm on the right track. I guess they are too busy, helping with books. ;-; That's what kills me half of me is sure I'm doing way better then before and it just feels right, but the other doubt filled half whispers :what if this is wrong", "you can't do that", all the time… Arrrg I mostly push though trying to ignore it and focus on on burning goal: End it, finish the damn book already! Once that happens the "what if shuts up."Usually, if it doesn't it's beer time. xD I want so badly to get this ending right why are revisions so hard??
Robin–No worries about the typos. I wish WP allowed editing of comments, too.
You might want to hire an independent editor to look at your first 10 pages or so to see if you’re on the right track. An editor I can recommend is Kita Mehaffy. Her deets are on our resources page under “self-publishing resources” down at the bottom. She has an MFA and is a multi-award-winning author.
I can also recommend agent Noah Lukeman’s “The First Five Pages” –it’s a classic that’s well worth having in your library.
I’ll take a look, tks. Sorry I take so long to reply I lost the bookmark.
# 8, 9, and 10 seem to be treated like word from Godvin Wattpad and many critique websites, it’s gotten so bad that they can’t even tell when a writer is doing them on purpose. It’s depressing. 🙁
A thing that never seems to be talked about is when a writer realizes that they can’t take other writers advice any longer as they’re past the point of understanding the basics and have written so much they have their own way of writing and follow their own rules that work for them. Without flaunting the rules just for the sake of doing so.
What’s sad is other writers on writing sites don’t see it that way and think you’re being stubborn, but really just trying to find a connection with them wanting just one person to read the story and not focus on the mechanics so damn much.
*Sigh*
Robin, it sounds as if you’ve outgrown the amateur online critique groups. Try to find a beta reader who is a little more savvy. Critique groups can help, but you have to ignore most of their advice. Here’s a link to my post on Why You Should Ignore the Advice from Your Critique Group. (And BTW, if you don’t want to keep losing us, you can subscribe. We don’t send anything but the weekly notice that a new blogpost is up. NO sales emails.)
https://selfpublishingsites.com/2014/08/why-you-should-ignore-most-of-advice/
That was a very entertaining list. Thanks 🙂
I’ve encountered several of the ones you brought up over the years, I’m sad to say.
One of the worst pieces of advice for fiction that I’ve gotten is the good ole “Only write what you know and have personal experience of.” Because we’re all, apparently, able to get first hand experience of what it’s like to ride a dragon, fly a starship or battle evil monsters from the dungeon dimensions
Mae–“Only write what you know” is a ridiculous rule, isn’t it? I remember when I was writing my first stories when I was 10 or 11 and I stupidly showed one of my stories to my Latin professor father. My character was, of course, a princess in a fairy-tale setting. My dad handed it back without saying anything but “you should write what you know.” I never showed him another story. But I did keep writing. 🙂
I realise this is an old post, but… it’s “in meadias res”. ????
Attila–Haha! I did leave off the “s”, a typo I’ll correct. Thanks. But it’s “in medias res” No mead is involved. The Romans much preferred wine. 🙂
Actually, the more correct Latin is “in mediis rebus,” but tradition seems to keep the accusative feminine plural “medias” and the nominative “res.” “Rebus”, the ablative of res/rerum, is the form that includes the preposition “of things.”