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Writer's Digest Handbook for Novel Writing, David Madden summed it up: "Be brief, as always."

SELECTION OF DETAILS

Since quantity of description is an issue, a decision must be made as to which details of description to include and which to exclude.

"Readers love details, as long as they are interesting, authentic, and colorful," according to Janet Evanovich in How I Write. But "You don't need to tell us every detail. Pick a few and the reader will supply the rest from his imagination."

David Morrell, in Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing, states "The rule I follow is that, if I can assume readers are familiar with a place, I don't need to describe it at length. Only if I'm adding something new do I get excited about describing it."

". . . some things don't need describing. Never state what's implied. And don't imply what's stated, either," says Peter Selgin, in By Cunning and Craft.

Stephen Roxburgh, (publisher of Front Street Books) in Children's Writer (November 1999), states that "The test for including a detail is relevance."

"Details give your work texture, depth, and credibility," observes Susan Bell, in The Artful Edit. She also notes that "When you edit, remove random details. Significant details are the ones that describe more than what is visual. Choose the detail that has an echo behind it." Also according to Bell, "Your obligation. . . is to carefully select details that both mean the most and are the most authentic."

NOUNS: CONCRETE VS. ABSTRACT

Where possible, use concrete nouns instead of abstract nouns.

"A concrete noun refers to a material object (the table, a dog), whereas an abstract noun refers to something intangible (love, art)," according to Gary Lutz and Diane Stevenson, in the Writer's Digest Grammar Desk Reference.

David Morrell observes that "When you read the word "apple," you automatically see an image of that object in your imagination. Concrete words are triggers that instantly prompt you to imagine the physical experience that the words represent. By comparison, notice how hard it is to deal with abstract words. Honor. What happened in your imagination when you read that word? You saw a blank."

VERBS: ACTIVE VOICE VS. PASSIVE VOICE

One of the first admonitions writers learn is to use active voice rather than passive voice. As explained by Gary Lutz and Diane Stevenson, the use of passive voice isn't incorrect, "but it creates a strange and unnecessary sense of disembodied action." Examples provided by Lutz and Stevenson include:

* John hit

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