Poke A Hole In Your Bucket

 

What? You're not staring at a bucket? Bucket. Barrel. Same thing. Both can hold water. Some are just bigger than the other. One is wood. One can be wood. So guess they are not that different after all. Or maybe they are different to just be different. Either way, we won't go debating the bucket and barrel scandal today. Unless of course you want to debate that. Have at it if you like. Oh! I guess barrels roll better than buckets. I got one. Point for me.

What? The points don't matter? Hmmm. That may be copyrighted. Better not say that all too loud. 

Anyway, time to forget the old song of a hole in your bucket and not fix it. If your bucket doesn't have a hole then make one. I obviously don't mean this literally. Unless you are hard up for a shower. Maybe then you may want to put a hole in a bucket and dangle it over your head. There is a case for literal. Point for me.

If only the stupid points mattered. Guess everything shouldn't be made up. Guess I should get on with it. Guess I should stop saying guess. Or maybe I should say I guess and not use so many guesses and Is. Looking at that one could make Is is. Oh, how things can go.

Have I broken rules? The mold? The mould? Not that nasty mold that can poison you. The other mold. Or mould. I used both. That is bad. I'm here where they use mold, but I'm using mould. Oh the shame. Next I'll be saying neighbour and not neighbor. Meh. Tomato. Tamato. 

Can you see my big hole yet? Do I need to put my foot through it to make it bigger? Not sure how you can do that with a non-literal hole, but I guess you can imagine it up. Unless you can't. If that is the case then you really need a hole. Maybe two. Okay. Foot now going through hole.

Rule is to do this. This is the ONLY way. You will never make it unless you do THIS! Never use lots of !!!!!!. Do this. Do that. Don't do that. Don't do this. This is your bucket. This is your barrel. This is all you get. Roll with it. Or walk with it if it is a bucket. One may get hard on the arms and the other the back. Stick with it though. Don't color outside the lines. Colour within them. What!!!!!!!!!!!!! You failed. You'll never make it. It's color. Not colour. No. It's colour. Not color. 

Ummm. Potato. Patato?

Can you see my hole now? I bet you can. 

Don't get pigeon holed by a rule or some advice. Don't even get pigeon holed by me. If you like the rules you go by then stick to them. If you don't then kick them to the curb. I know. Another idiom. Oh the horror.

Do you find any of the rules or advice you've gotten have not been good for your style? Have you ever tried to go against the rules? Did you make a hole in your bucket yet? Or barrel? Anything to add on holes? I may have said it a bunch. At least I didn't put an "An" after poke in the title. That could have gone in a whole other direction. Maybe my bucket then would be the butt of a joke. Wouldn't want to put my poor barrel's butt on the line. Not sure the clothespins could hold it. 

I think my bucket officially has no bottom to it. Is it even a bucket then? Maybe we should ask the barrel. Anyway, keep poking those holes and only plugging the leaky ones. You know. That ones that want you to write a story that goes and and and and and and and and or and and and and and and or and.

The and!

Rules, Guidelines, and Just Plain Bad Advice by Lynda Dietz, Editor

My (now-adult) kids think I’m a rule follower. And to some extent, I am. But oh, back in the day, I was a rule breaker all the way. I think part of my problem with rules was that I needed to understand the “why” of them to know whether it was worth my time to follow them or not.

In the writing world, there is always someone pointing to this rule or that one, telling us to ALWAYS do this or NEVER do that. Even among editors, you can get fifty different opinions from forty different people—statistically impossible? Never say never—on how to properly edit a passage.

That alone is a prime example of why it’s important to know the real rules (yes, there are some) and the guidelines that are misinterpreted as unbreakable commandments. What makes people stifle their creativity based on a misunderstanding?

The writing world is made up, for the most part, of people who want to be successful, whether that means becoming obnoxiously rich and famous, typing “THE END” after working on a story for years, selling enough books each month to afford extra things, or quitting their day job because they can earn enough to live on, even if they’re not famous.

Those who want to write a good story and perhaps be commercially successful tend to look at what other successful people have done, and use that as a guideline. Guidelines are great. I love guidelines! They give a big-picture sense of what can be achieved if certain other conditions are met. Good advice is known as good advice for a reason, right?

The problem comes in when the good advice is repeated often enough out of context that it becomes known as a rule, or a set of rules. Perhaps even unbreakable, never-do-this-or-you’re-not-a-real-author kind of rules. And those are just plain bad.

Enter the Worst Writing Advice, usually stated with a note of disdain or accompanied by a wagging finger and severe eyebrows. The Worst Writing Advice is never asked for and rarely researched for validity. It’s stated firmly and the conversation is not two-sided. No one questions why, and no one asks for clarification. And yet—

The recipient often takes that WWA and repeats it to someone else. Before you know it, all kinds of people are quoting a rule that isn’t a rule, and they’re ready to arm-wrestle anyone who dares to call them out on it. Such a violent sport sometimes, being a writer.

Think about these bits of writing advice you may have heard, masquerading as hard & fast rules:
  1. Get rid of all your adverbs
  2. Never end a sentence with a preposition
  3. Always write in complete sentences
  4. Never use contractions
  5. Never use semicolons in fiction
  6. Always remove the passive voice
  7. “Said” is boring and you need to spice things up

The above examples are valid advice sometimes. But they shouldn’t be confused with actual rules, and nobody should be made to feel bad about themselves if they don’t follow that advice. Here are some reasons why it may be given:
  1. Adverbs can be overused as a crutch by some who haven’t yet gotten the hang of showing v. telling. Let’s assume those forty editors mentioned earlier have forty writer friends. Write “he spoke angrily” and ask what they picture when they read those words. Some may picture shouting; some may envision speaking through gritted teeth; some may hear a voice getting more shrill with each word. If you show those actions, the reader gets the clear idea that the speaker is angry, the type of anger that’s happening, and the adverb “angrily” is unnecessary. But guess what? Adverbs are real words and sometimes they’re the exact word you’re looking for, so go ahead and use it. Just find that balance between “overuse” and “completely forbidden.”
  2. Terminal prepositions. This not-a-rule goes back centuries to a talented but overblown poet who gave an opinion once, and everyone taught it as a commandment from that point forward. It’s fine if you end with them, and it’s fine if you don’t. Just don’t try to wrangle your words into a mess of a sentence to avoid it.
  3. Pfft. That’s my opinion of this one. Always writing in complete sentences is for schoolchildren who are learning the structure of the sentence. It’s not always practical in real life, and it kills any impact a writer may be trying to make, whether for shock value or merely for emphasis. She opened the door to the kitchen and gasped. Blood. No—cherry pie, everywhere. The floor. The cabinets. The walls. And . . . the curtains? The black Lab puppy sat in silence, facing the corner, head down. Complete sentences would make this sound like a children’s book. They’re not bad, and most of your sentences will be unfragmented, independent clauses. But don’t stress the ones that aren’t, if you’ve done it on purpose.

The list goes on. Knowledge is different from wisdom. Knowing the rules so you can break them for effect is great. Knowing when your rule isn’t even a rule at all is even better.

I’m a copyeditor who has worked with authors in a variety of genres, both in fiction and nonfiction. I live with my husband and kids in the northernmost tip of western Pennsylvania—right on Lake Erie in wine country, so my backyard smells like grapes in the fall. (We can’t smell anything in the winter because our noses are frozen shut.) I’ve kept an editing blog for over five years and love the writing community I’ve gotten to know. I can hardly believe I get paid to do two things I love: editing and singing . . . though I don’t do them simultaneously.
Find Lynda here:
Website
Blog
Pinterest
Instagram - @easyreaderediting
Twitter - @LyndaDietz4

Story Trumps Structure with Steven James, Award-Winning Author

Today I’d like to welcome Steven James, the author of the award-winning book STORY TRUMPS STRUCTURE. He is also the author of the thriller EVERY CROOKED PATH. I asked him 5 questions about writing organically, how to build tension, and more. Welcome, Steven!

Get it on AMAZON

1. Why should writers worry more about story and less about structure?

Often, structure gets in the way of excellence. As soon as you sit down to write three or four acts, or whatever it might be, you’re using an easily-identified paradigm and could end up with a cookie-cutter story. Instead, focus on pursuit, desire, believability, escalation, and so on. All of the narrative forces that help shape a story, regardless of its length or structure. 

2. For writers who struggle to write organically, without an outline, what piece of advice can you give them?

Ask yourself four questions, and you will never be without the next moment of your story. First, what would this character naturally do? Then have him or her do it always. Allow them to act in character and to act believably. Second, how can I make things worse? This relates to the narrative force of escalation and allows the story to continue to build toward a climax. Third, how can I add a twist? Look for a way to end the scene in a manner that is unexpected an inevitable. Fourth, what promises have I made that I have not yet kept? Then look for a way to keep them. 

3. What is one writing rule that you hear all the time that you believe should be broken?

Plot out your story before you write it. This ends up forcing so many stories into a corner and into predictable patterns. Allow the story to emerge as you work on it, asking the questions that I just went through, and the story will have a vibrancy that you never realized before that it could have.  

4. Which elements should writers focus on to create engaging stories?

Write stories that have emotional resonance by looking for struggles that your character has that readers will be able to identify with. Keep everything believable and don’t confuse your readers. Confusion will end up trumping any other reader response. For example, if you want them to be in suspense but they’re confused, they won’t be in suspense. If you’re trying to build romantic tension and they’re confused by what’s going on, they won’t be engaged. 

5. What is one thing a writer can do to build tension in a story?

Allow readers to be aware of danger that the character within the story is not aware of. For instance, readers know that there’s a bomb in the car that will ignite when a key is placed in the ignition. Then, readers will worry as the character approaches the car, unlocks it, and positions himself in the driver’s seat. No matter what genre you write in, building tension and suspense will help with reader engagement. 

BIO:

Steven James is a national bestselling novelist whose award-winning, pulse-pounding thrillers continue to gain wide critical acclaim and a growing fan base.

Suspense Magazine, who named Steven’s book THE BISHOP their Book of the Year, says that he “sets the new standard in suspense writing.” Publishers Weekly calls him a “master storyteller at the peak of his game.” And RT Book Reviews promises, “the nail-biting suspense will rivet you.”

Equipped with a unique Master’s Degree in Storytelling, Steven has taught writing and storytelling on four continents over the past two decades, speaking more than two thousand times at events spanning the globe. In his podcast “The Story Blender,” he interviews leading storytellers in film, print, and web. Listen now to any of the dozens of archived podcasts for free by visiting his website www.thestoryblender.com.

Steven’s groundbreaking book on the art of fiction writing, STORY TRUMPS STRUCTURE, won a Storytelling World award. Widely-recognized for his story crafting expertise, he has twice served as a Master CraftFest instructor at ThrillerFest, North America’s premier training event for suspense writers. 

Find Steven:

twitter / facebook / www.stevenjames.net

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, Steven. We are thrilled to have you as a guest. :)

QUESTION: Do you write with or without an outline?

4 Ways to Sift Through Writing Advice

There's a plethora of writing advice out there in bookstores, on the internet, at writing conferences, in critique groups, within the circle of family and friends. We are surrounded by well-intentioned people with opinions on how we should write. Some of the advice is sound, some of it contradictory, some baffling and some seems to make sense but you're not so sure a few months later. How then can you sift through all that information to know which advice to follow?

Ask yourself where the advice is coming from. Advice from an industry professional may carry more weight than the advice given to you by your closest friend whose last written project was done in high school, or your dad who secretly prefers you to become a lawyer. Even the advice from industry professionals shouldn't be taken at face value. Not all editors are made equal. Not every agent has the same vision for your story. Not everyone who writes about writing has the same amount of experience.

Reading advice isn't enough. You might read or hear a great piece of advice and nod in agreement, but ultimately you have to put what you learn into practice. It's the only way to know if it works for you, the only way to truly learn.

Excuses will hold you back. Have you ever heard a piece of writing advice and dismissed it? I know I have. When writers raved about outlining, I switched off. Yeah, I'd think, that's great for them but not for me. I championed the cause for winging it. The story would let me know where it was going when I got there. It wasn't until much later that I tried outlining. I haven't looked back since and wish I'd made the change years earlier. Not every piece of advice will work for you, but you won't know until you try.

Don't take every piece of advice as law. Sure, adverbs can weaken prose, but that doesn't mean you can't ever use them. They aren't disease-ridden pests to be blotted from existence. The same goes for dialogue tags or any other writing 'rule' you might encounter. Writing is creativity and anything creative requires bending the rules. The trick is learning which rules to bend and when.

You want to make your writing the best it can be so that means putting the effort into learning the craft and listening to a wide range of advice and opinions. Don't cut yourself off from those opinions. Listen to them, consider them carefully, perhaps even put them into practice, and keep writing.

What writing advice have you heard and dismissed? What advice do you wish you followed sooner? How do you sift through all the advice?

Lynda R Young
@LyndaRYoung

Photo: a closeup of a mirrored heart which was part of the Vivid Light Festival in Sydney.