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Rule 6: get the details right
Rule 6.Fiction writers have a license to lie. Even an obligation to lie, and to lie convincingly. A good liar is somebody with an excellent memory for details, and a good writer is a good liar.
The folks at Viable Paradise (an annual writing workshop for the sci fi crowd) have some great sweatshirts to sell. This one (you can get it through their Cafe Press shop) is my favorite.
If you remembering being a teenager or if you have a kid who is a teenager, you'll be able to come up with examples how how details are crucial to making a fiction work.
Father: And why are you two hours over your curfew?Son: Um, the dog ate my homework.
This kid may grow up to be a surgeon or a musician, but he's probably not going to write novels for a living.
Father: What's this note from the school that you were an hour late?Son: Well, cripes, dad, if you had to drive through the city when half the traffic lights were out, you'd be more than an hour late getting where you need to be. Talk about crazy, old ladies driving their El Dorados down the sidewalk and cops screaming at cab drivers. The only people moving were the guys on motorcycles, which reminds me you said we could talk about that--
Father: never mind.
The real trick is learning to hit just the right details, the ones that give you crucial information about the character or the setting. And finally, a good detail does not necessarily entail adjectives or adverbs.
October 20, 2005 05:02 PM
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Comments
I voted 2 when I meant 4. I know, I know, I get a failing grade for not reading all the instructions but #1 = the best in my mind. Amazon uses stars, not numbers so I guess that's why it doesn't confuse me. My Amazon pet peeve is that I have never seen a romance novel receive less than 3 stars but I have read some that deserve 1. Note that I said romance. I have seen books in other categories rank low so does that mean romance readers are less discriminating? I hate to believe that but Harlequin romances sell really well even though I have a very low opinion of them.
Posted by: Desiree at October 20, 2005 06:58 PM