10 Fiction Writing Tips

1. Show more, tell less – Yes, I know this tip will immediately put you into combat mode. How many times have you heard established authors, editors and reviewers tell you about the advantage of actually guiding your readers, hand in hand along with your character rather than pointing things from a distance? Add more action than narration. Add dialogues, movements, activity etc. Avoid passive voice of verb ( “was” is a typical example ).

2. Typos, grammatically incorrect sentences are a sure shot way to scare your readers. Such errors instantly put them off. They are unforgivable. A reader will never ever touch your published material again. So what is the solution? Edit, edit and edit. Or get it proof-read/reviewed by a professional editor.

3. POV – Once again a subject of great debate. But what I mean here is shifting of POV within a single page or a paragraph and not the types of POV.

4. Long sentences – Like typos even long sentences can kill the interest. Long sentences work well when the action is slow. Short sentences work well when the action is at its zenith. Use these two fundamentals to create a perfect balance.

5. Narrative – How much narration is good for the book. As a general rule of thumb unwanted and unrelated narration will evoke boredom. It will slow down the pace of the book dramatically, unless you are building up a scene for an eventual action/conflict.

6. Avoid ellipses. There are other, more refined ways of breaking a dialogue.

7. Avoid sudden entry and exit of new characters. It allows your reader to understand the character’s psyche, his/her role in the story and other characteristics.

8. Writer’s Block – Who hasn’t heard of it. Whenever you face this biggest enemy of writer, do one of the following. Visit a new place, meet new people, change your writing routine or simply start writing another literary piece. But remember one thing; write only when you are in the groove.

9. Avoid frequent he said/she said, especially when the conversation is just between two people.

10. Break all the above rules with panache, not out of ignorance. There is a big difference. This was recommended by one of the author/member on a business networking site. I fully agree with her.