An Editor's Tips for Writers

So many people leap into fiction writing just because they have what they think is a "plot" in their heads. The fact is, you don't even need to have a plot in mind if you want to write fiction. The only question you should have in your mind at this stage is, "What tools do I need in order to write good fiction?" And I don't mean fancy computer technology!

Please, dear writers, ask yourself this question and then go about finding the answers before you ever open up a fresh Word document and commit a single word to the screen. Marvelously, every single answer to this multi-answer question can be found on the Internet -- in spades.

Before you write one single word, Google and learn everything you can about:

- narrative
- exposition
- plot development
- character development
- the importance of scene-building
- writing effective scenes
- point of view (POV) Try: www.sfwriter.com/ow07.htm
- foreshadowing
- back story (part of exposition)
- writing effective dialogue
- writing dialogue attributions or tags
- suspension of disbelief
- flabby prose vs. vigorous prose

Drop these words or phrases into any search engine, preceded by the word "fiction," and you will be rewarded with more information than you could read in an entire semester of Creative Writing 101. And there are hundreds, if not thousands, more good websites where you can learn the subtleties and nuances of fiction writing. Here are three I like, including a blog on self-publishing that includes lots of writing tips and links:

www.fictionfactor.com
www.claredunkle.com/Design/writebasics.htm
http://howpublishingreallyworks.blogspot.com/

Read and then practice these basic techniques of good fiction writing, and then practice a whole lot more. Only when you think you have a handle on each of them, then begin the actual writing of your story by composing a strong outline for each chapter.

Then, and only then, will you be ready to write a real masterpiece of fiction. Bonus: you'll save heaps of money on editing, which will go much faster if your editor sees that you have employed the basic elements of good fiction writing.

And a postscript to those who have put the cart before the horse and have written their fiction work already, without learning these basics: it's not too late! Wonder why your book isn't selling? The reason is very likely that you haven't learned these basics. Go back and revise, revise, revise. You know, it's an old joke among writers that "I don't write books, I write revisions."

Then find an editor :-) and republish. Watch your sales soar -- as long as you embrace your marketing with the same passion you gave to your writing (see Tip #7 for more on book marketing).