Writing rules

Whatever blog or textbook or website you look at about writing will always itemize a lot of rules. Sometimes this is done with great seriousness, and at other times somewhat tongue-in-cheek. But the one thing everyone agrees on is that rules must be obeyed.

When it comes to grammar and spelling, this is basically true. Publishers and agents don’t like misspelled books. Readers find them hard to read and even the ones that enjoy the story hidden under the grammatical errors seldom come back to buy a second book by that author.

The same with formatting. If the formatting distracts the reader too much from the story, the book is basically doomed.

Then there are rules that are just plain weird.
Gooseflesh is one word but goose bumps is two words. Backyard is one word whereas front yard is two words

As far as the rest of the rules go, authors can be much more self directed. You might write very slowly or much faster than other people you know. You might start at the beginning and work your way logically to the end, or write scenes from all over the book as they occur to you. You might plot out and diagram every inch of the book or not have the slightest idea what will happen next until the words appear on the screen. You might sneak out of bed at four in the morning to write in silence, or tap obliviously at the keys as your family entertains the entire soccer team in your office.

Whatever works for you is good. Go with the flow. If it’s working don’t mess with the system just because it doesn’t fit into someone else’s mold. In that sense you are the creator and there are no rules for writing. BICFOK* is all it takes.

*Butt In Chair Fingers On Keyboard

Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com

Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.

Digging down into deep POV

According to blogger Rhay Christou, readers are begging for deeper POV, and therefore editors and publishers are asking for it as well. But many authors are unsure of how to deepen their POV.

The aim is for the author to disappear, and for the reader to be immersed in the character’s POV.
One way to do this is to eliminate tags and “thoughts”. This can be difficult as instead of ending up with deep POV the author may end up with a wobbling POV. So first the author must know everything about the character whose POV she’s in at the time.

Let’s pretend the hero is cross with the heroine.
“No,” he yelled.

If you know how he’d react in anger you could go deeper, deleting the tag and adding his reactions.
“No!” He stomped out of the room and slammed the door.

Now the author has the opportunity to go deeper still. Instead of describing how he’s thinking or why he’s upset, that can be shown in his next actions as long as he remains exactly true to his character.
Would he throw something and smash it? Race to the bathroom about to be ill with the pain of yelling at her? The next few lines showing his actions could be genuine deep POV.

To read Rhay’s helpful explanation, see: http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/10/diving-deep-into-deep-point-of-view/

Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com

Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.

A book for every state in USA

Business Insider has chosen what it considers to be the most famous book from each state in America.
I don't think too many people would argue about "Gone With the Wind" or "To Kill a Mockingbird".
But what about some of the others? What do you think?


Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com

Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.

Oxford Commas

Back on 29 June 2011, the University of Oxford Writing and Style Guide decided that writers should, “as a general rule”, avoid using the Oxford comma. Have you missed the good old fashioned serial comma at all?

Here’s an explanation from the style guide: “As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write ‘a, b and c’ not ‘a, b, and c’. But when a comma would assist in the meaning of the sentence or helps to resolve ambiguity, it can be used – especially where one of the items in the list is already joined by ‘and’ [for example]: They had a choice between croissants, bacon and eggs, and muesli.”

But although I have Googled far and wide, I find editors, journalists and writers don’t miss it at all. In fact most newspapers and popular fiction killed it off long ago.
But just in case anyone cares…

Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com
Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.