Several GITS readers emailed me about a great series The Guardian ran recently: Ten Rules For Writing Fiction. Today we feature Esther Freud:
1 Cut out the metaphors and similes. In my first book I promised myself I wouldn’t use any and I slipped up during a sunset in chapter 11. I still blush when I come across it.
2 A story needs rhythm. Read it aloud to yourself. If it doesn’t spin a bit of magic, it’s missing something.
3 Editing is everything. Cut until you can cut no more. What is left often springs into life.
4 Find your best time of the day for writing and write. Don’t let anything else interfere. Afterwards it won’t matter to you that the kitchen is a mess.
5 Don’t wait for inspiration. Discipline is the key.
6 Trust your reader. Not everything needs to be explained. If you really know something, and breathe life into it, they’ll know it too.
7 Never forget, even your own rules are there to be broken.
Anything on the list here today that catches your eye, gives you inspiration, or causes you to rethink your approach to writing?
Tomorrow I’ll feature a different writer from The Guardian series and their rules on writing.
6. Is great. Every time I edit I go through and make sure I haven't repeated any single bit of information twice. It drives me nuts to watch films that repeat exposition/information. Makes me feel like they think I'm too dumb to understand from the first try.
I especially like the last two. Something I have to remind myself of sometimes.