I discuss Rules That Need to Exist in my Chandler's Ford Today post this week, but how can we apply this specifically to our fiction writing?
Rules for Writing
When it comes to writing rules, there are specific ones I always follow. These are:-
1. Keep my prose, punctuation, grammar etc simple. It helps clarity and pacing.
2. Always edit on paper, not on screen.
3. Read work out loud.
4. Accept the first draft is only that. Of course it won't be perfect and that's fine. That is what editing and polishing are for.
5. Be entertaining whether I'm writing blog posts, flash fiction, or short stories. I want my readers to engage with what I'm writing and a simplistic, entertaining style is a good way to do that.
Rules for Characters
1. The character must be someone I can identify with, even if I loathe them and their attitudes. There has to be some spark of understanding why someone has turned out the way they have.
2. The character must be memorable (whether it is for good reasons and they're the hero, or for bad ones where they're the villain). What they must never be is forgettable, else why have them in the story at all? If you've got a character you think you can cut out of your story, you almost certainly can because they're not contributing anything and your tale will tighten up in terms of word count and pacing if there is no unnecessary baggage.
3. The character must have at least one distinctive thing about them that can't apply to anyone else or handle situations in ways that are unique to them.
What rules for writing or for characters do you use and why?
Image Credit: Pixabay. Captions over on CFT.
Rules for Writing
When it comes to writing rules, there are specific ones I always follow. These are:-
1. Keep my prose, punctuation, grammar etc simple. It helps clarity and pacing.
2. Always edit on paper, not on screen.
3. Read work out loud.
4. Accept the first draft is only that. Of course it won't be perfect and that's fine. That is what editing and polishing are for.
5. Be entertaining whether I'm writing blog posts, flash fiction, or short stories. I want my readers to engage with what I'm writing and a simplistic, entertaining style is a good way to do that.
Rules for Characters
1. The character must be someone I can identify with, even if I loathe them and their attitudes. There has to be some spark of understanding why someone has turned out the way they have.
2. The character must be memorable (whether it is for good reasons and they're the hero, or for bad ones where they're the villain). What they must never be is forgettable, else why have them in the story at all? If you've got a character you think you can cut out of your story, you almost certainly can because they're not contributing anything and your tale will tighten up in terms of word count and pacing if there is no unnecessary baggage.
3. The character must have at least one distinctive thing about them that can't apply to anyone else or handle situations in ways that are unique to them.
What rules for writing or for characters do you use and why?
Image Credit: Pixabay. Captions over on CFT.
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