Read with a Writer's Eye

If you want to write good stories, you need to read, read, read! Your brain will soak up writing styles without your even thinking about it--a freebie writing course! However, I say "Go one step further, and read with a writer's eye." Get into the habit of noticing the interesting way an author has written something. Tell yourself "Oh, that's neat--I must remember that." You might even want to jot these ideas down and collect them for later use.

BUT--don’t copy! Use the idea behind the way the author wrote something, but don't use that author's words. For example:

• Author's words: "My left knee was complaining all the way."

• Your words: "My unhappy feet kept asking if we were nearly there."

Here are three good reasons not to copy:

1. It's against the law. Look at the copyright page (usually the back of the title page) of any book to see just how strict the law is. A copyright works much the same way as a patent: You invented it--you own it.

2. It's unfair. You wouldn't want to see a clever phrase of yours later in someone else's writing.

3. You have good ideas, too! Don't miss the fun of coming up with something punchy of your own. Let other writers admire your brilliant mind!

Writing for Today

Ever read a book that seemed written a bit oddly? You might not have been able to put your finger on quite why, unless you thought to flip to the copyright page (on the back of the title page) to see when it was written. Maybe you found it was longer ago than you'd thought -- say 1977 or 1982. Over the years, writing styles change. Naturalness is in now, making some things that were once common practice sound dated.

Here are style changes in the writing of dialogue that you should know about:

• People cannot laugh, smile, giggle (etc.) words. Use only speaking verbs, such as whispered and shouted. Add the details separately.
  

  WRONG: "What a crazy idea," Sue laughed [smiled, giggled].
  RIGHT: "What a crazy idea," Sue said, laughing.
  RIGHT: "What a crazy idea," Sue said with a smile.
  RIGHT: Sue giggled. "What a crazy idea!"
  

• Most speech tags should use the "invisible" said or asked. Trying to add variety by using remarked, responded, inquired, and so on just draws readers' attention away from what your characters are saying.

• Reversing natural order sounds unnatural! You wouldn't say ran Julie, so why say said Julie? Use Julie said. "I love that color," Julie said.

Your schoolbooks may still be using the old styles in sentence examples. Be in the know! Check out the writers' shelf in your bookstore or library. Don't forget to look at the copyright years; books published since 1990 will have more up-to-date information than earlier ones. Here's a favorite of mine:

The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them), by Jack M. Bickham. Writer's Digest Books, 1992.

Power Writing

Your English teacher wants you to use lots of adjectives and adverbs to make your sentences more interesting. Yet the how-to-write books by successful authors call that a sign of weak writing. They urge you to cut out most adjectives and adverbs and rely instead on strong verbs. Who's right?

Your English teacher wants to make sure you understand adjectives and adverbs. Those authors want their readers to know how to produce writing that sells. I agree about weak writing. It doesn't take much thought to string out a bunch of stale adjectives or adverbs: The hot, yellow sun shone brightly down from a clear, blue sky on the dry, sandy desert. Boring! It takes effort to come up with a single fresh adjective or adverb or a verb strong enough to do the job without the help of an adverb: The sun blazed from an empty sky, baking the desert below. See the difference? Go for quality over quantity, and your teacher may like your sentences better than your textbook's!

Inventive Writing

In your own writing, you can be as creative as you like. Try inventing words to surprise your readers -- I made up unfavorite and unconfuse. You can also combine regular words in surprising ways. In First-String Future I used seriously terrible and deep-blue gaze. In Future Perfect I used assorted cats and no-way wrappable. A surprising verb catches readers' attention, too. I used glooming to myself; slam-dunked her; slog along the shiny streets; brain has stalled out; face flames crimson; eyes glaze over; revs down a notch; whapping his muscular tail. Of course, you wouldn't use this kind of "fun" writing in a formal report. And too much of anything gets old, like eating too much candy. My last word of advice is always: Don't overdo it!