In a mirror darkly – or writing tips to diss (carefully)

Is it only because my to-be-read-pile of books is getting low that I notice good writers -- or at least well-read authors -- breaking rules I’ve often been told to avoid? Some of these are derived from respected sources, for example, that late saint of writing, Elmore Leonard’s “10 Rules for Good Writing.” Others came from who knows where, parroted endlessly by writing critique groups. In the public interest, here are a few I’ve seen smashed to bits with good results. But before we all go out and do likewise, we’d better have some really, really (oops – excessive use of adverbs) good reasons to break them.

Here’s #1 from Leonard’s rules: Never open a book with weather. May I submit in evidence to the contrary Nancy Pickard’s The Virgin of Small Plains, which opens, yep, with weather. Not, however, any ordinary sunny day weather, but a blizzard in which a woman’s body is discovered.  So, caveat #1: Never open with weather -- unless it’s damned interesting weather.

image by Ria Sopala from Pixabay

While Elmore Leonard is spinning in his grave, let me pick on his rule #2: Avoid prologues. But what if they’re prologues that are essential to the story, such as exhibit #2, the opening chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? I admit, J.K. Rowling – or possibly her editors -- didn’t label this “prologue,” but it has familiar marks of the dreaded “P” – a different point of view and several years’ distance in time from the main story. Is labeling what would otherwise be a prologue, “Chapter 1,” enough to avoid the dreaded prologue curse? Exercise caution!

Here’s a rule that’s not on Leonard’s list, but that I’ve encountered (and heard dissed) more times than I can remember: Never open with a dream. And its corollary, never open with a character waking up. These are what started my current rant, from Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10, which opens both with what looks like a prologue – “In my dream. . .” followed by (and labeled Chapter 1) “The first inkling that something was wrong was waking in darkness. . .”

I’ll expand on these because Ware does such a masterful job with both. First, she lets readers know that the character is dreaming. Do I need to point out how much more honest this is than stringing readers along for paragraphs or pages before doing the dream reveal? Anybody old enough to remember the original Dallas TV series will understand the frustration of the “it was all a dream” formula which was revealed after an entire season. At least those writers had the excuse of believing one of their major actors was about to jump ship. Novel writers do not.

Second, when Ware’s protagonist wakes up, it isn’t her ordinary waking up episode or even because she’s such a ditz she couldn’t remember to set her alarm. No, it’s something very wrong that causes her wake up and foreshadows an even more devastating wake up later in the book. As with the “weather” opening, reserve “waking up” for the essential and interesting awakenings.

Here’s yet another rule-breaker from my recent reading -- #7 on Leonard’s list: Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. To which I add, unless it’s absolutely necessary to the story, as in Joe R. Lansdale’s historical novel, Edge of Dark Water. Lansdale is from Texas, and as a regional writer, regional dialect is essential to his stories. However, he doesn’t fall into the 19^th century trap of writing dialect phonetically. (Seriously, do not!) (Hmmm – Leonard’s #5: Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.)

Or take a tip from another historical novel, Colson Whitehead’s Nickel Boys, and drop dialect in according to the “sparingly” part of Leonard’s dictum to add to the characters’ essence. And don’t forget that dialogue in dialect still needs to be interesting. And essential. (Have I used the word “essential” too often?)

I don’t remember reading this next rule but I’ve certainly been hit over the head with it enough during writing critiques: Don’t let your character describe her/himself by looking in a mirror. Maybe this comes from Leonard’s #8: Avoid detailed descriptions of characters. Or maybe it’s just lazy, as in 50 Shades of Grey, whose protagonist describes herself, yes, while looking at her reflection in a mirror. (Hey, I opened by stating that these rule-breaks can come from well-read writers, not just good writers. Did any other reader slam 50 Shades closed at that point? Probably not.)

But what about readers who feel a desperate need for a physical description of a character? It’s several decades too late for writers to go omniscient, as Margaret Mitchell did in the opening of Gone with the Wind, “Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm. . .” with more to follow about Scarlett’s hair, eyes, freckles, waistline and, of course, clothes.

For more modern books with multiple point of view characters, it’s perfectly permissible to have one character describe another. A similar ploy I’ve seen used to good effect in recent years is to have a POV character describe herself with reference to another character as in, “she was my age, 35, but looked a decade older.” Or “about my height, build, hair color, etc.”

Ware, however, isn’t afraid to put her character in front of a mirror when she needs to describe something that isn’t that character’s usual appearance, for instance the ghastliness of her face after a string of sleepless nights and too much to drink. As always, use the mirror trick sparingly and with caution.

I’ll finish with a final Leonard dictum, #4: Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said,” and Ware’s break from it: “‘. . . it wasn’t me,’ Eva said, but quite kindly.” And continues, “There was no trace of the slightly tribal defensiveness the girls downstairs had betrayed.” (Just noticed that this quotation is a two-fer break with many critique group rants – modifying the “said” verb and multiple uses of adverbs. Sharp eyes may notice that “quite” is also an adverb, although critique readers usually only jump on adverbs ending in -ly. As always, use sparingly, wisely, and only when absolutely, positively essential!)

For more rules to abide by – or break wisely – check out Elmore Leonard’s full list at the Gotham Writers Workshop site. Read, write, and feel free to share some of your most- and best-broken rules.

Wordcraft – Naughty or nice? Making a list, checking it twice

Steal from the best. – Kurt Vonnegut

  

Dallas literary agent Jim Donovan was generous in sharing helpful lists for writers after his appearance earlier this month at the Southwestern Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Last Tuesday I mentioned the first of his “15 Most Important Things to Remember in Writing Fiction.” But we’ll want the other 14, especially as we’re rounding the last turn this week with our NaNoWriMo manuscripts. So here, with no apologies for the theft, is Donovan’s complete list.

1. Resist the Urge to Explain. “The reader will respond proper if your dialogue and action do their job,” Donovan writes. “So let them. Which leads to. . .

2. Show, Don’t Tell. Joseph Conrad said a writer should make the reader HEAR, FEEL, and above all SEE. . . to do this, use concrete, sensory details. (But note Donovan’s caution: “if a description goes on too long, I start skipping. . . ”)

3. Be Aware of Rhythm. Reading aloud helps.

4. Involve the Reader First. If possible, begin in the middle of action or a scene.

5. Kill Your Darlings. (Or as the late, great, eminently theft-worthy Elmore Leonard said, “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”)

6. Use Subject-Verb-Object. Avoid backing into a sentence with a modifying clause, especially if it starts with an “ing” verbal.

7. Avoid!!! Use exclamation points as sparingly as possible – almost never.

8. Know Your Characters More Than You Need To. “You should know them – at least the half-dozen or so most important ones – inside out.”

9. Use Markers. One way to make characters more vivid is to use “markers” (visual or otherwise) . . such as clothing, mannerisms, habits. . .and most obviously, how they speak. (See below.)

10. Make Your Characters a Mix of Good and Bad. No Dudley DoRights or Snidely Whiplashes. (I’d add an exclamation point, but that would violate Rule # 7.)

11. Read Dialogue Aloud. “Or aloud in your head, if you know what I mean,” Donovan writes.

12. Just Use “Said.” Unless someone is screaming, yelling, or whispering, don’t use anything but “said” with dialogue, and don’t use an adverb with “said.”

13. Everyone Talks Differently. Each character’s dialogue should be distinct, whether it’s through grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, rhythm, etc. (See Rule #9 above.)

14. Add Business. Another way to subtly drop in details about your character is to add some “business” during the dialogue – show the speaking doing something at the beginning or middle of a speech.

15. Advance the Story, or Reveal Character. Remember, dialogue should do one of two things: move the story along, or reveal character. That’s all.

For true listaholics, Donovan also has Sol Stein’s “Secrets of Good Dialogue” (expanding Rule #15), “Helpful Lists for Fiction Writers,” “Oakley Hall’s Writing Tips,” “Elmore’s Rules for Writing” and “Creating Unforgettable Characters.” Perhaps if you ask at his email address, he’ll send them to you. Say something nice about his books, too. You don’t want to get on an agent’s naughty list.

Wordcraft --Resolutions for writers, in brief

The thing that makes New Year’s resolutions so hard to keep is their too frequent vagueness. Or maybe it’s their habit of being just too open ended. Or too painful. It doesn’t have to be so. One year I resolved to kiss my loved ones and tell them every day that I loved them. I recommend it. And for this last post of 2013, I’ll list a very few resolutions for writers that are short, sweet and joys to keep.

Number One -- Get a library card! To write, we need to read. And we need to nurture other readers. So don’t just get a card for yourself, but for every member of your household.

If you’re an adult living in my town--Dallas, Texas--all you need to get a library card is a current government-issued photo identification and proof of Dallas residency, which can be as simple as a utility bill. If you’re applying for a card for a child, you as guardian, will need your photo ID and proof of Dallas residency, or the child’s school registration (within the city of Dallas) and/or ID. Teens may apply for their own library card with a current Dallas school or government ID. In some cases, you may even get a Dallas library card for limited use if you’re not a city resident (although you should check with your local library about its requirements). For specifics, see http://dallaslibrary2.org/about/libraryCards.php/.

Number Two -- About that reading thing. . . . The more I wrote, the less time I thought there would be to read. But in Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, he notes that he reads sixty or seventy books yearly. If King, who releases a new book practically every hour, can find that time to read, can’t we? Consider shoehorning in reading time with audio books, which King likes as much as I do.

And (although this is anticipating resolution number three) consider keeping a record of books read. Since I sometimes feel uncomfortable about not having read whatever the book of the hour is, I fall back on the wisdom of my newly favorite author, Pierre Bayard and his How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read. Bayard marvelously organizes reading in cultural contexts. And speaking of cultural contexts, I’ll be searching for new reads from around the globe, via
http://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/.

Number Three -- Keep a record of progress. Writing is hard lonely work. If we don’t keep track of our milestones, who will? So, let’s keep logs of stories, poems and articles we’ve written. And of stories, poems and articles published. If we write blogs, notice how many posts we write and how our writing improves along the way.

Number Four -- Make a collection that doesn’t cost anything, which in some ways is also a record of progress. I have a tiny notebook of first sentences from books I love. Or we can collect last sentences, such as the lyrical passages Cormac McCarthy typically ends with to compensate for his blood-soaked prose. Or worst sentences, to make us laugh. Whatever we collect, it should be something that gives us joy, such as this short and lovely first sentence from my recent reading, “It began to snow.” (The Samurai, by Shusaku Endo). (RIP, Leonard Elmore. Sometimes it’s okay to write about weather.)

Wordcraft -- The write rules and how to break them

At the instigation of blogger Kristen Lamb, I've expanded my blogging topics.  Monday's blog, Totally Texas, features people, places and events around the state.  Wednesday's Wordcraft deals with the art and science of the writing life.  Friday's Adventure Classics features iconic writing with themes of action and wonder. 

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In her workshop at the DFW Writers Conference, agent Amy Boggs told her audience that she was going to show them how to break writing rules (don’t we all wish!).  But before we could know how to break rules, we had to know what they were.  So here’s today’s quiz on writing rules and who made them.  Answers will come later in this post, but give yourself extra points if you don’t have to look them up.

a)What famous science fiction writer stated, “multiple exclamation points are the mark of a diseased mind”?  (Don’t just sit there!  Answer!!  Time’s running out!!!)

b)Which one beseeched us to “use the time of a total stranger in such a way they won’t feel it’s wasted”?  (Hint – it’s the same one who advised, “write to please just one person; if you open the window and try to make love to the world, you’ll get pneumonia.”)

c)Which crime fiction writer noted “if it sounds like writing, I rewrite it”?

d)And, for 10 extra bonus points, what literary agent’s list of rules ends with “don’t start a book in bed”?

All of that adds up to, well, I have no idea how much, except the right to feel superior.  But they were fun.  I promise not to forget them, even if I try.  So how do we break the rules and leave readers (not to mention agents and editors) begging for more?  Almost always, in Amy’s opinion, by developing a character’s emotional ties.  (Personally, I’d draw the line at multiple exclamation points.  No amount of emotional tie can help there.  I’ve been known to drive straight to the nearest used bookstore to dump novels that exceeded the legal limit on exclamation points – not to mention ellipses.  Don’t even get me started.)

Other ways to break the rules and get away with it?  Subtlety helps.  So does a great voice.  Although I’ve found that subtlety and voice are among those things that nobody can describe but everybody claims to know when they see them.  Stick with emotional connections.  Who loves the character?  Who does the character love?  To my personal amazement, I’ve had editors tell me a particular character was strong even on the opening pages when she had done almost nothing.  Instead, another character described how much he loved her.  But romantic love isn’t the only strong connection.  Amy illustrated the strength of connections between brothers and sisters by quoting the opening of The Hunger Games, which begins with the protagonist waking up in her bed.  And that’s from a book Amy said she’d loved to have agented.

About the answers to those quiz questions?  a)Terry Pratchett, b)Kurt Vonnegut (who also said Flannery O’Connor broke all his rules except the one about wasting the time of strangers), c)Elmore Leonard.  Question d)is Amy’s.  But even that, of course, can be broken.

The rest of Amy’s rules? 1)Show, don’t tell (who could leave that off?).  2)Don’t address the reader directly (for theater buffs -- don’t break the fourth wall).  3)Back story and detailed descriptions bog a story down, especially at the beginning.  4)Start with action.  5)Don’t philosophize (includes no lecturing). 6)Don’t start in bed means don’t have your character in bed – dreaming or waking up.  No rules against writing while we as authors are in bed.

Find out more about Amy at www.maassagency.com/agents.html/  And tell us your favorite writing rules.  Or the ones you hate the most, even if – especially if – they’re ones you had to discover on your own.