Here's some writing process for you...

Here I am working on pudding plotting my current novel. Each card is a beat.

Editing--Show and Tell, part 1

I have heard "show, don't tell," at least a thousand times from writing teachers, gurus, workshop leaders, etc. However, just like those who warn against hyperbole (*w*), these teachers often didn't bother to explain what they mean by "show" or "tell," or why one is preferred over the other.

I think as students taught to be writers of nonfiction, we are trained to write summaries so much that we assume that shortcuts are not actually twisty weedy tracks, but the main roads of good writing. We begin to apply these shortcuts  to our own writing instead of creating something memorable.

For example: "He was sad."

When we tell our readers how our characters (fictional or not) are feeling, we are being lazy. No one is going to remember that sentence, and they won't feel sad, either.

On the other hand:  "He snuffled into a tissue damp with tears as he stared with wet eyes at his dead dog."

Here the writer does NOT tell how the character is feeling, but it is evident. In fact, not only do you know that the character is sad, you know how sad, for how long (enough to wet at least one tissue) and why. Plus, if you've ever had a pet die, you instantly empathize with the character.

Make your words work. The second passage does so much more than state a feeling: it gives action (crying), it gives a character sketch (he loved the dog), and it implies a story (why is the dog dead?). And it's only one sentence. One sentence that doesn't TELL you that the man is sad. It SHOWS you how he's feeling.

I am reading Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King, which I am finding useful. (I will post a link to it in the sidebar). I like their concept of "RUE," which is "Resist the Urge to Explain." Simply, let your characters move, and don't explain why.

In non-fiction, the onus is on the writer to spell out his meaning to the reader. In fiction, the writer gives hints to meaning and the reader spells it out for herself. This is why two people can have wildly different interpretations of fiction (as they do for art, music and other art forms). The art is in the ambiguity. Let the ambiguity be, but leave me a trail of fat breadcrumbs in the forest.

Your prompt for today is to look at a piece of your writing and find a spot where you have told the reader how a character is feeling. Re-write that scene without the emotion words, and make the character do something that reveals how she is feeling. 

Please post your exercises to the comments below.

Go write! Have fun!

m

"Writing" Thread--Introduction

As I said in my earlier post, I want to write tips for writers that I would normally give during my writing classes at the university where I teach. These posts will be categorized under "Writing" so you can search for them easily.

I am also going to write them in the order I would discuss them in a class, so that each post will build a little on the knowledge presented in previous posts. However, each post will stand alone, so if you just need a little help with style, you won't need to go back and re-read the post on brainstorming (unless you'd like do, naturally). 

Below is  a list of a few of the things I hope to write about this summer: 

1. Creating--that is, brainstorming, games, listing, and other ways to turn on the creative juices
2. Drafting--writing fast, locking up the editor, and other ways to get that first draft out. 
3. Revising--Editing, proofreading, "re-seeing" your writing
4. Style--those things which separate "good" from "Great" writing 
5. Grammar--the mechanics of writing, mastery of which creates clear meaning. 
6. Vocabulary--When to use the $5 words and when not to (and what they mean)

Also, I hope to make these posts fun. This one isn't so much fun, so I should throw in an example with an aardvark or something. Nah, that would be trying too hard, and you smart people would see through that ploy. 

This is finals week at the University, so by Friday, I hope to be free of teaching obligations, so I can post on a more regular schedule. Here's hoping!

Until then, here is your writing prompt for the week:

What is the single biggest obstacle between you writing as well (or as much) as you'd like? 

You may post your response to the comments below.

Send me questions via Twitter (twitter.com/#marenster) or FaceBook (facebook.com/marenbradleyanderson). 

m

Stephen Fry Kinetic Typography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY&sns=fb

This expresses the quintessential debate I have with my husband about grammar, and why, though I teach Writing to Freshmen in college, I am not hugely devoted to prescriptionist grammar, as my husband is.

Ironically, he is the person who sent this to me.

I love that man.

m