Nullius in Verba

Beginning with a flashback or dream

I am guilty of this, one of my first beginnings (yes, there was a previous and I’m on iteration seven) started with a FATS (Firearm Training Scenarios) scenario. Only, I didn’t reveal it wasn’t “real” (fictional reality) in the story. The jig was up when the proctor called an end to the program.The jig was up for me when I got called on starting with a dream.

James N Frey, author of How to Write a Damn Good Novel , really cautions against flashbacks. He does admit it’s not absolute. His article On Flashbacks is worth reading. The skill comes in “bleeding” in the backstory at the right time in the right way.

For more on handling Flashbacks see Flogging the Quill.

Talking heads instead of narration

According to Jack Bickham, author of Scene and Structure, there are four components to dialogue (CoD):
• words that are spoken
• attribution—so your readers don’t forget who’s talking
• stage action—action, expression, and body language
• internalization—thoughts and feelings

Too often it’s just the words that are spoken and the other parts of dialogue are forgotten. I seem to remember a “rule of three” about not having more than three sentences of a person speaking before it’s broken up by another bit of something.

Nothing should occur in a vacuum.

Telling instead of showing

“Show don’t tell” is an aphorism often heard in writer’s groups. Anton Chekhov wrote, ‘Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.’

Showing gives information that stands out and is more plausible. It allows us to feel, see, smell what the character is feeling, seeing, smelling and it gives the scene reality by engaging our senses. Like so much of life, it’s the detail that imprints on memory.

Yet, telling does have a place in a story; during transitions between scenes telling provides a shift in tone and change of pace by allowing a character to reflect on and summarize what just happened, and for background, technical, or historical information.

Instead of “show, don’t tell,” perhaps it should be “show more, tell less.”

Here’s the next in the top ten of new novelist’s pitfalls:

Setting and description delivered in large chunks

Now you’re going to get my take and memories of what the items mean. The list of Top Ten Pitfalls was read and not handed out or displayed, so any confusion is mine and mine alone.

Setting/Description in large chunks means lengthy description of scenery and weather with no action and no tension and—since tension is the torque that propels a story along—no story.

No story = No Readers.

I’m taking a community college novel writing course. I wrote down the instructor’s list of Top Ten Mistakes Newbie Novelists Make and thought I’d deliver it like Letterman. Number 10…

Flat writing (passive sentences/weak verbs)

Passive sentences and weak verbs drain life from writing. I’ve read (and written no doubt) stuff that lacks ‘zaz. Every sentence is passive and action is lacking. I have started snatching beefy verbs and packing them away.

I will unveil #9 tomorrow.