What Not To Do In Your Novel
Now that we have launched Intrigue Publishing I am often asked "What do I have to do in my novel to get it published?" Most often, authors would be better served to focus on what NOT to do.
First, if you’re writing for us, forget the common advice to “write what you know.” For example, a sensual erotica novel will be downright boring if most writers only relate what they have personally experienced. In crime fiction it’s important to be able to not just introduce new and interesting ways to commit murder and other crimes but to imagine how it feels to be the evil megalomaniac. Good YA depends on having an imagination to match a child’s. And even though urban drama must be rooted in realism, it needs to go beyond simply relating events we all know happen in the hood if you want to catch our attention. So Start with what you know but write what you imagine.
Don’t get so caught up in your story that you confuse your reader. To picture the action accurately I want to know what day it is, what time it is and, more importantly, how much time has passed from one scene to the next. If, in the middle of the action I go, “Wait. Is it the next day?” then you’ve lost me. This is one place crutches are okay so go ahead and refer to the position of the sun, or that darkness is approaching. Tell us what meal is coming up or have a character comment that they’ve been on that trail for three days. In some cases you might want to state the day and time in a subheading at the start of each chapter. And don’t confuse me about the point of view either. It’s best to stick to one POV but if you want to hop into another character’s head do it at the start of a chapter, or put an extra space between paragraphs. Give me some warning that the switch has taken place.
When it comes to characters, don’t overdo the description. You want to give me enough description so I can tell the characters apart. But you also want to leave something for the reader's imagination. If you overdo it you might contradict the image the reader already has in mind. Words like “handsome” and “tall” mean different things to different people, and unless the character’s exact height is important to the plot, “tall” is probably enough.
That’s a good start for your self-critiquing and editing. I’ll have more “thou shalt not”s in a future blog.
First, if you’re writing for us, forget the common advice to “write what you know.” For example, a sensual erotica novel will be downright boring if most writers only relate what they have personally experienced. In crime fiction it’s important to be able to not just introduce new and interesting ways to commit murder and other crimes but to imagine how it feels to be the evil megalomaniac. Good YA depends on having an imagination to match a child’s. And even though urban drama must be rooted in realism, it needs to go beyond simply relating events we all know happen in the hood if you want to catch our attention. So Start with what you know but write what you imagine.
Don’t get so caught up in your story that you confuse your reader. To picture the action accurately I want to know what day it is, what time it is and, more importantly, how much time has passed from one scene to the next. If, in the middle of the action I go, “Wait. Is it the next day?” then you’ve lost me. This is one place crutches are okay so go ahead and refer to the position of the sun, or that darkness is approaching. Tell us what meal is coming up or have a character comment that they’ve been on that trail for three days. In some cases you might want to state the day and time in a subheading at the start of each chapter. And don’t confuse me about the point of view either. It’s best to stick to one POV but if you want to hop into another character’s head do it at the start of a chapter, or put an extra space between paragraphs. Give me some warning that the switch has taken place.
When it comes to characters, don’t overdo the description. You want to give me enough description so I can tell the characters apart. But you also want to leave something for the reader's imagination. If you overdo it you might contradict the image the reader already has in mind. Words like “handsome” and “tall” mean different things to different people, and unless the character’s exact height is important to the plot, “tall” is probably enough.
That’s a good start for your self-critiquing and editing. I’ll have more “thou shalt not”s in a future blog.
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