You are hereApril 2010
April 2010
#10: Writing Credo 2010
I had a professor (in the playwriting class I believe) who recommended creating a credo especially about your writing life and updating it every year. If you keep it up as a regular habit, you can use it to see your growth. I'm a few years behind and don't remember what I did with the last one I wrote. It's around somewhere; I never throw those things away.
#10: Nouns
We're covering the basics for the next few Grammar Guides. We've already defined verb tenses, verbals, and clichés. Now it's time for us to look at people, places, things, and the words that replace them in a sentence. Bear with me, I know you've heard all these definitions once already in school. Hopefully, now you're paying attention to the subject at hand and not the cute boy or girl sitting in the desk next to you.
#10: Judging All Characters and Triage the Protagonist
The steps I am about to propose are not written in stone. Their order can be changed, as long as the principle is maintained: major matters are attended to first.
Stein on Writing page 278
We want to start with a hardcopy of the story you’re editing. It’s easier to work from paper, and after you’ve made major changes, you can reprint and look at a fresh copy. What are major changes? Anything that changes the bulk of the work; fixing characters, plot, setting, style. Grammar and spelling mistakes are easy.
#10: Plot: Subplot
Everyone working on novels will be glad to hear this section deals completely with you. A novel must have at least one subplot; otherwise all you have written is a really long short story. As Levin puts it: "A novel is not only longer than a short story, it's wider." (Get That Novel Written 67)
