Wednesday 4 August 2010

WRITE IT'S WEDNESDAY

10 KEYS TO THE MANSION




←Taking the dream from this


To this →




Wednesday is all about writing advice. I am going to keep it short and sweet. Shorter and sweeter than last week, when I got a bit carried away – probably on the subject of brevity ;)




1  Write it simple - avoid clumsy, flowery or literary styles  
2 Be natural, use the flow of your own language. 
3 Write brief and powerful sentences . 
4 Trim out as many words as you can so your narrative can move along quickly. 
5 Tighten up the sentences, to increase the drama. 
6 Keep your descriptions brief :-/ a  few details will get your reader on the right track;  
7 Trust your reader to fill in the ↑ gaps from their own imagination. 
8 Balance your ratio of longer to shorter sentences, depending on the affect you are trying to achieve. 
9 Remember some sentences need to be longer 
10 Your ability to layer meaning, to ice the surface with subliminal messages, will only work if the links are fluid and the cracks are invisible.

In general, when it comes to writing, if not to mansions, less is more.

8 comments:

  1. I always have a hard time tightening sentences. :) thanks for posting, I'm a new follower and looking forward to more.

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  2. Hi Summer
    Thanks for the Follow.
    I find the rule "Thou shalt not over burden the reader with details" my road to perdition ;)

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  3. Tighten up sentences, increase the drama.

    Oh yes, the bane of my existance as well. Great post Elaine.

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  4. Great post! Trim words and tighten up sentences. I will look out for those. I read something I wrote the other day when I'd taken my notebook to the top of Blood Mountain. I'd written brief, choppy sentences. And the effect was breathtaking.

    Great post, that rebel, Olivia

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  5. Timely post! I just spent the last week chopping all my sentences down. The manuscript is so much better now.

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  6. Great list! I get incredibly wordy - it's a side effect of not writing to outline, I think. Trimming down is a good thing to remember.

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  7. Hi Anne
    Tighten to sharpen. I'm glad it isn't only me that struggles.
    I included the little Bane in my post!

    Olivia :)
    You sound so excited about the power of the notes. I bet the view was as breathtaking. Sometimes their is raw power to be tapped into: the right setting can be inspiring.
    I'm surrounded by pictures. The eyes of one wolf has been watching me for a while now. My external conscience.

    MC - Thanks for the comment. Tightening sentences adds to the drama and to the air of professionalism.

    Hi Belle
    You are wordy too? Welcome to the home of wordy! You should feel right at home. ;)
    Good luck with the trimming and the editing.

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