The Elements of Active Prose- Tahlia Newland
Okay- so you
have your first ever completed fiction book. You are not alone, another
thousand have been written today. So, how are you going to add enough to your
great story to turn it into something that readers will think is great?
A good idea is to sit down with the 'Elements of Active Prose' for an hour, before you start your first personal edit.
Ten more private edits, then read again. You will hopefully find that you have absorbed at least a little from that hour of advice.
Of course, you could read Newland's guide first. But most of us won't, I wouldn't, I was born knowing how to write. Few of you will be quite as arrogant as I tend to be, but I'm sure you get the picture.
There isn't a wrong way to write, but there is often a better way.
Do I follow all the rules? Not a chance. Will you? I don't know, that's not the point. The point is to learn to sit outside your work looking in, seeing where you could do things just slightly better.
There are no rules though are there?
True, but you do want to be read don't you?
You may well be thinking, there's a self-publishing nincompoop that probably writes total rubbish badly. How dare he suggest I read about how to write?
Well, certainly some readers do have that opinion about my writing- so think how bad I'd be without reminding myself from time to time as to how I might be able to do better.
This is a useful addition to most new writers' armoury and for any old dogs that are slow to learn.
A good idea is to sit down with the 'Elements of Active Prose' for an hour, before you start your first personal edit.
Ten more private edits, then read again. You will hopefully find that you have absorbed at least a little from that hour of advice.
Of course, you could read Newland's guide first. But most of us won't, I wouldn't, I was born knowing how to write. Few of you will be quite as arrogant as I tend to be, but I'm sure you get the picture.
There isn't a wrong way to write, but there is often a better way.
Do I follow all the rules? Not a chance. Will you? I don't know, that's not the point. The point is to learn to sit outside your work looking in, seeing where you could do things just slightly better.
There are no rules though are there?
True, but you do want to be read don't you?
You may well be thinking, there's a self-publishing nincompoop that probably writes total rubbish badly. How dare he suggest I read about how to write?
Well, certainly some readers do have that opinion about my writing- so think how bad I'd be without reminding myself from time to time as to how I might be able to do better.
This is a useful addition to most new writers' armoury and for any old dogs that are slow to learn.
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