Category Archives: How To WriteAs I considered advice to give writers on How to Write a Book, it occurred to me that it’s much like offering advice on how to parent; every book (or child) is different. There’s no secret formula or fool proof plan to achieve a successful outcome. In fact, most of the process is trial and [...]
1. Pronouns should follow the Nouns to which they refer, without the intervention of any other Noun.
Avoid, “John Smith, the son of Thomas Smith, who gave me this book,” unless Thomas Smith is the antecedent of “who”. Avoid also “John supplied Thomas with money: he (John) was very well off.”
When, however, one of two preceding [...]
The Lord of the Rings has been used as a template in so many fantasy stories; a young, naïve character must take a trek across many lands, encountering a slew of cultures and creatures along the way. Most of the names can’t be pronounced and the bad guys are usually called Orc. The reason The [...]
The New Year hasn’t brought much good news.
According to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc, the labor market faces persistent weakness in 2009, with more than 1 million job cuts expected due to weak spending among consumers and businesses. Despite a massive economic stimulus package, many don’t expect economic expansion until 2013.
But it’s not [...]
I’m a fan of horror stories, but I don’t care for lots of gore and guts. Those who aren’t familiar with the horror genre may assume it is ultra violent and bloody, but the truly horrifying works are those that have a creepy atmosphere and high emotion. Stephen King, the master of horror writings, spends [...]
The writer must have eyes to see the vivid side of everything, as well as words to describe what he sees. There is a cramping restriction of an insufficient vocabulary; not merely a loose and inexact apprehension of many words that are commonly used, and a consequent difficulty in using them accurately, but also a [...]
November is novel writing month. If you’re one of the thousands who have dreamed of writing a novel, now is the time.
Get ready - Do the preliminary work on your novel. If you don’t have a story idea, observe the world around you and take lots of notes. Once you have an idea [...]
Let clearness be the first consideration. It is best, at all events for beginners, not to aim so much at being brief, or forcible, as at being perfectly clear.
1. When using the Relative Pronoun, use “who” or “which” if the meaning is “and he” or “and it”, “for he” or “for it.” In other cases [...]
Writing clearly–so far as arrangement of words is concerned–is a mere matter of adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and auxiliary verbs, placed and repeated according to definite rules. Even obscure or illogical thought can be clearly expressed; indeed, the transparent medium of clear writing is not least beneficial when it reveals the illogical nature of the meaning [...]
A detective story is a type of mystery which has a character, whether a professional investigator or amateur, who solves a mystery. When you decide to write a detective story, consider the setting, character, the mystery (conflict), clues which will lead to a satisfying climax and conclusion. I think detective stories, more than any other [...]
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