Some Thoughts on Writing, by R. Clint Peters

As I have reported on this blog, I have had help learning how to write.

The first indication I had that I needed help was when I applied for a three-page critique of my writing.  Right out of the box, I discovered 60-word sentences with three primary topics weren’t considered good writing.  The goal was to pare my sentences down to twenty words, and one primary topic.  That was an entirely new concept.

Also learned during the critique was how to use a viewpoint, how to help my readers see the scene through my character’s eyes.  That was something I must have missed during the writers’ courses, perhaps Writer 101.  Wait a minute…..I didn’t take Writer 101.

The second biggest help was when I learned about Show, Don’t Tell, and the use of conversation (dialog) to show.  I recently read a book that had five to eight pages (tell) dedicated to describing the up-coming two paragraphs of action (show).  Since I was reading the novel on my Android tablet, I just tapped the right side of the screen to jump over the boooorrrring parts.  By cutting out four of five pages, I got through that book relatively quickly.  Sadly, the author had a good premise, but the application just didn’t tickle my interest.

The third best help came from my friend who told me to read several books about writing and then read several other authors.  Her suggestions have provided the most help, especially “Characters, Emotion, & Viewpoint” by Nancy Kress.  I have utilized this book as a textbook for editing the last four of my novels, including Prerogatives, a Pendergast Brothers novel.

So, how’s the best way to sum up what I have learned?

First, create a character the reader can visualize.  My friend told me she liked my novels, but she had no idea what the people looked like.  Was John Pendergast, the hero of Prerogatives, a 4’3″ gnome, and ugly as the day is long?  I don’t think so, but as my friend said, he wasn’t well delineated in the original book.   I had to go back and create John, and at the same time, create the characters that were his supporting cast.  And I had to find ways to allow the characters to be described.  Now I know why a picture is worth a thousand words.  Sometimes, it will take that many words to bring the character out of the flat, one dimensional pages to someone with wrinkles and warts.  However, they are cute wrinkles and warts.

Second, why is this book being written, or, can the characters generate enough emotion to follow through to the end?

I read a book recently that illustrated the question of emotion  I was five pages from the end of the book before I had any idea why he was doing what he was doing.  During the events in the previous two hundred pages, he was just blowing in the wind.  I must admit, I hung in simply to see if the author tried to develop a motive.  There was one, but it was very vague.  For that matter, the hero was vague, too.

Third, have I grasped some of the mechanics of writing?  Do I start every paragraph with the same word?  When Alberta Connection was in the hands of my editor, she brought up the problem of using someone’s name to lead off.  I had eight paragraphs that started with the name of one of my characters.  I also had a problem with ‘he said’ as a way to show the dialog.  During a recent edit of Prerogatives, my focus was on the dialog.  I brought the verbs from the front of the sentence to midway through and even to the back.  (Yes, that was a specific problem that was pointed out in a book review, and I am thankful for the illumination.)

The fourth thing I am trying to learn is about details, specifically two areas of details.  First, too much detail for the sake of detail is just that, too much detail.  I don’t need to tell the reader my hero has a red Corvette and include the tire size, the amount of rust on the back bumper (it’s fiberglass, and isn’t rusty), and the tears in the driver’s seat.  All the reader needs to know is my hero has a Corvette.

The second detail I need to reduce or completely eliminate is what I thought were moments of detailing the emotional and physical interaction of my heroes.  I received an email from someone who obtained a Kindle with the Alberta Connection on it.  I thought I had done a good thing to have one of the characters plop herself down in her husband’s lap.  Apparently, wives don’t do much plopping, at least in the context of what I had written.  The detail detracted from the story.  Since I am not writing an adult book, my solution was to remove the plopping.  As my editor mentioned a year or so ago, I could take it further, and create a adult novel when my character plops into her husband’s lap.  Naahh.

So, I think I am a better writer today than three years ago.  As I have more of my books reviewed, I hope the reviews provide the proof of better writing.  I know one thing for certain…..I am not stopping.  I plan to continue to write, even if it’s only for me.

#RClintPeters #TheAuthorsClub