Friday, July 20, 2007

DA GUIDELINEZ #1

If real estate can be boiled down to three words: location, location, location, then writing can too: tighten, tighten, tighten. With tightening, look for plot or character tension on each page (see Maass' "Writing the Breakout Novel"). Avoid unnecessary details and wordiness. Remember the rule of three--most people only remember up to three things in a list. Watch for redundancy. Ensure your dialogue moves the story forward.

2 comments:

Lois Karlin said...

Saw your link on Crime Scene Writer. Good luck with the blog! I too have a development theme with a bad-guy (not a major player however) named Manny!.......wanted to let you know 'Muse Needed' is a great signature line!

Rick Bylina said...

Thanks for dropping in. You were my first commenter.