Writing Tip: Stray thoughts for beginning writing

This entry of writing tips is a brief summary of lessons I have picked up as I

began writing. The list has resulted from many writing classes, meetings with my critique group, writing conferences and more. I’m still learning about the craft of writing. That is a learning process never ends.

Below is my summary:

• All sentences must be concise and have a payoff. Do not allow a sentence to become long and rambling.

• If the sentence is long and rambling, there’s a good chance it is one of the deadly run-on sentences. Run-on sentences tend to come during early draft editing. A run-on sentence has more than one subject. It may begin telling the reader about a new car and end telling the reader about the good deal the dealership gave on buying the can.

• Every word of dialogue must advance the story line and be concise. Do not have flowery dialogue that runs on-and-on without purpose.

• In a mystery, the reader must never be confused or tricked. That is not good writing. The reader must always have all the information needed to solve the mystery. They may not realize it during the reading, but when they end, they must be able to sit back, think about the story line and say, AOh yeah. The bad guy was ... I got it right.@

• Do not have anti-climactic sentences, sentences that just sorta trail off. Save the most powerful punch for the end of the sentence.

• This relates to another of my writing tips, but the lead paragraph in the beginning of story, chapter or scene should grab the reader.

• The story must not confuse the issue with unexplained Point Of View changes. If confused about Point Of View, read the Writers Tip that explains Point Of View.

The list above is a brief summary of the very important, and some of the basic points a new writer must master in order to take that next step.