Use Specifics

Here’s an email I wrote to someone in a critique group who had just written me a quick note on one of my suggested tweaks to her latest chapter:

"Hi Connie,

"Funny thing. For some reason, during breakfast or my wake-up dream or something, I thought of your novel and your bad guy, Don Dillman. Right now he's just a name to me, maybe with some hearsay badness about him. We know he gets Sally's hair to stand on end. We ought to see an example of his couple most villainous traits on display in some side, indirect way, not specifically against Sally. Don will come more alive for the reader instead of being just a stand-in "name" for evil. We readers need to see it happen, not just by hearsay (in just a sentence here or there, not take an entire chapter or anything), maybe some rude, thoughtless remark at one of his helpers or henchmen or some other way to illustrate a specific "talent" that can be used later against Sally.

"And, I'm sure you know the following: no matter how sound anyone's advice, you don't have to use every comment in some mechanical way. It's your option to not use our "helps." The story (and reader satisfaction) should be king.

"I'm just talking as in chatting, but it's nice from my point of view to have two or three regulars in our group helping me see some angles I hadn't stopped long enough to consider. I appreciate the group for that, even if it does slow my apparent writing volume down.

"Thanks for stopping to say something on my quick jotting."

Critique groups are one way, sometimes a bit trying and time consuming, to make sure what you write makes sense to the general reader out there. The key here is how "using specifics" can enliven your fiction. Also,show us, don't just tell us about important traits of your characters.

Write on, everyone.

Hook Your Reader

… AND reel that elusive fighting little fellow in. Here’s the bit I sent to Becky Levine’s blog this morning. (See http://beckylevine.com/2008/11/30/les-edgertons-hooked/ .) It’s pertains to one of my favorite books on writing fiction … well, I guess the principle needn’t be limited to fiction. (This version has been changed a bit; I can't let little things go.)

The thrust of the book (Hooked by Les Edgeron) is that readers have shorter attention spans now than in the days before 250 channels on TV. Edgerton is no slouch of a teacher on this modern day imperative, namely, introducing the nub of the conflict, action, and key characters early. And I mean early, like in the first sentence. How? Read the book for answers.

I've been handing this small format, paperback to folks in my writers critique group. I don't like pandering to low-attention readers–am I only adding to a bad trend?–but there's a bunch of competition for what used to be "reading time." Thx for good article, Becky [Levine]. [Becky had written a review of Hooked in her blog, so that's what I'm thanking her for.]

So there it is in a nutshell. Especially if you’re a beginner and haven’t bounced a lot of bad tries off of irritated agents, editors, and publishers. Why not go in armed with this knowledge? Why not reflect it in your much improved work? Oh, sure, keep your basic story and your trademark “voice.” Tweak up those characters the way you like to. Keep that energy, that inspiration you have pent up inside you and apply your butt to the chair in front of your keyboard. Les Edgerton is mainly working a bit on the structure here, especially the first few chapters, in this quick little book, condensing all those first words you wrote down to essentials, piquing interest right away. It’s a short enough book at 236 pages. I got it at Amazon. Sell something in 2009, and I'll try to match you. Good luck.