It’s Writing Tip Wednesday and here is my big advice.
Ready?
Every chapter in your story matters. Write every single chapter like it’s the first chapter.
Wait. What does that even mean?
It means that every chapter needs to be an important part of the story. It needs to be there. If you can take a chapter out of the story and the story still makes sense? That means that you didn’t make that chapter matter.
When you reread your story for the 100th time and you sort of subconsciously skip five paragraphs of backstory or description or even dialogue? There’s a reason you’re doing that. Delete those paragraphs. Just cut and paste them into a new document if you have attachment issues. Then reread things.
Does the chapter still work? Does the rest of the book still work without those paragraphs? That means you have to let them go.
If they are boring you the writer enough that you skim through them? That means that they are going to bore the reader, too.
Writing is about story. Yes, sentences matter because they are how we communicate story. Yes, chapters and structure matters, too, because – again – it’s how we communicate story.
But above all else – we are telling a story and every tool we use is about conveying that story. That’s what matters. And no matter how pretty the sentence or adorable the secondary character, if they don’t help create that story? You have to get rid of them. Especially in a thriller.
|
Our podcast DOGS ARE SMARTER THAN PEOPLEis still chugging along. Thanks to all of you who keep listening to our weirdness. We’re sorry we laugh so much… sort of.
|
Discover more from Carrie Jones Books
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.