You are hereDecember 2009
December 2009
#6: Verb Tenses
INTRODUCTION
#6: Show Don’t Tell
You've heard it ad nauseam. It's the first rule of writing fiction for a reason. And when applied to your own writing, all you can do is stare at the prose and ask yourself "where am I not showing? Everything's there!"
Resist the urge to call the critique a hapless twit. It's the first rule because everyone makes it when they begin to write. Even experienced writers can slip into it. "Telling" a story is the quickest way to get the story onto paper, because it summarizes ninety percent of the story. Consider these two experts:
#6: Characters: Creating a Cast List
This is a technique I learned about writing Tin Man: Pirates of the Nonestic. I noticed other writers had created cast lists of who would portray their OCs if the fanfic was filmed and decided to try it out. My guess as to why I never had before is so much of what I have written is cartoon-based. Casting those are handled completely differently.
#5: Readers’ Demands
I comment a lot about putting the readers’ wants ahead of the author’s. One reason is because beginning writers don’t usually consider their audience when they start a story. As you have seen in the writing tutorials, there are many options that can be influenced by thinking of them instead of treating them as the enemy to be conquered. Most readers get a kick out of getting replied and having an exchange of ideas with someone whose works they enjoy.
