by Lisa Beach

Created on: December 09, 2008   Last Updated: February 27, 2009

Writing is my passion, and it always will be: in fact, I think that that is the reason many of us at Helium are here; to share our knowledge, and put to use that passion. And to become really good, [whether you write fiction or not], there ARE practical rules to follow.

Whether you write fiction or not, [there are testimonies, memoirs and regular articles] the first thing to do is to know the story you want to tell through and through. For fiction or any writing that is personal, make sure things happen the way they are supposed to. Do not, for example, change the eye description of Character A part way through the book, if it's a decent story, readers WILL notice and call you on it.

If it's for a magazine or other factual piece, make sure you keep to the subject, word length, style and tone of the article, and have all your quotes and/or phone interviews correctly identified. Again, readers will notice.

Second, and this is for fiction, know your characters and plot. You could be writing a book, novella, or short story, but your characters mustn't act in a way they wouldn't all of a sudden, and your action plan, or plot, should not waiver. For example, if you start out writing a drama, it should not evolve into an action thriller. Nor should a genre novel turn literary.

It's not absolutely necessary to draw up a plot before you start writing, but if you are a new novelist, I recommend it, it's a useful tool to track where you want the story to go; where you want it to end, and how you plan to get there. And also, you may notice that as you write, the plot evolves: when a character does something unexpected, say in Chapter 3, write it down. Either changed the plot notes you have for that chapter, or add it in, and go on. Characters WILL take you off on tangents. Usually when you least expect it.

Then there's reliability. Would what you are writing fit into your story as a whole: could it really happen? Fiction writers need to keep an eye on reliability; they don't want a Sci-Fi novel to end up in a setting that seems unreal.

For research or article writers, even those who write trendy pieces for magazines, the content must not vary. You will end up being demoted if you are staff, passed by if you are freelance, or merely snubbed if you are new. For non-fiction, it's "know your subject, know it well, or leave".

Dialogue: don't have characters talk in a way that goes against who they are. A priest won't talk like a detective, a detective won't talk like a school marm,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>