Hello again writers!
We’re away from our keyboard this week enjoying the holidays, but that doesn’t mean the writing advice needs to slow down, especially with a backlog as deep as Being a Better Writer‘s! So, while we’re catching up on our reading and gaming backlog, have this near decade-old Classic BaBW post to enjoy! Hit that jump, and we’ll see you with fresh content again soon.
Welcome back, writers! Monday has arrived, and with it the final topic of Topic List #27! Yes, that’s right, the months have gone by, and we’re at last on the final topic of that list. Which means list #28 is right around the corner. And we’ve already got some interesting writing topics on that one. Though if you’d like to get your own topic put on there, please see the topic call post and let us know!
Speaking of checking out other posts, as usual I would encourage you to take a look at last Friday’s news post to see what’s coming down the pipeline as well as what the latest is on Blood Less Vile now that it’s finally released! There’s some other stuff in there too, such as news on next month’s book release, and even projects past that!
Okay, with that all said then, let’s tackle the final topic on List #27. Let’s talk about how you edit.
We’ve covered editing before a number of times, and in a varied number of fashions. We’ve talked about the Death Spiral, we’ve talked about editing as you go, the trap that is early editing … Editing is part and parcel of the act of creating a published work. It’s not exactly hand-in-hand with the writing, but it’s more like the final steps taken to ensure that your product is ready for the public. It’s not going to be the entirety of the project, but no finished story should be sent out into the world without editing in one form or another.
Now, all that isn’t to say that it’s the most important part of writing. After all, there’s nothing to edit if there’s no story in the first place. The most important part of writing any story will forever remain writing the blasted story. But like final checks from the builders, editing is a step that no story should ever skip.
However, while many might understand this idea in theory, practice tends to be a bit different. Because this is one of those things that a lot of writers, even those that have finished a story or two, really get hung up on. Again, we’ve covered a lot of those hang-ups before. This is a broad area to discuss. That’s why we have a tag for it.
But today, I wanted to back up a little and talk about the process of editing. The stages and steps. Because a lot of young and new writers, when they start editing? It’s … shall we say …
I’ll just say it. It’s a disaster. Wasted time, wasted effort, and a lot of good intentions burned. Which worse, usually ends up burning out the writer.
This lead-in has been long enough. Hit the jump, and let’s talk about how we edit, not just why.
Continue readingHey folks! As last Friday—which is when I sit down to write Monday’s Being a Better Writer—was a holiday, there’s no new BaBW entry this week. However, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck for writing advice, because we’re digging out a very old Classic Post for you to dig into. From nearly nine years ago, it’s a BaBW post on Sanderson’s Three Laws of Magic!
So sit back, grab a wand or stave, and get ready for a look at the three laws that guided Sanderson along his path to writing Fantasy that became a global sensation.
This post was bound to happen. Sanderson’s Three Laws have been a frequently requested topic since the very beginning of this blog, and it’s a staple of a lot of writing education these days (especially fantasy), so I knew there would come a day when I had to write about it. Of course, I wanted to ease into the topic first, which I did two weeks ago when I wrote a post about creating magic systems. During that post, I referenced the Three Laws, saying I’d talk about them later. You see, before I got into talking about the Three Laws, which are more about how to use magic in a story, I did want to dedicate some time to the subject of creating magic first, so that there would be a basis for Sanderson’s Laws to dig into.
Now, with that post behind us, the time has come to look at Sanderson’s Three Laws of Magic.
Welcome again, writers! It’s Monday, and that means it’s time for your weekly dose of writing knowledge. This week’s topic? Well, it’s pretty straightforward, as you might have gathered from our title. It’s also a request topic, tackled at last as we work our way through the list.
Now, before you dive in, I would urge you to check out last Friday’s news post. Especially if you were thinking of picking up a paperback sometime soon. There’s a change coming on Wednesday, and you may want to be aware of it now. So go check that out.
But with that done, and your plans made, let’s talk about today’s topic: writing short stories.
This topic came by way of request with a caveat: A lot of the writing advice Being a Better Writer drops does tend to talk about novels, or larger stories. The commenter asked about short stories, and tips for writing those. Which … to be fair, I do tend to post calls for, and are something everyone who writes should have a little experience with. So hit the jump, and let’s talk about them!
Continue readingConfession: I very nearly made “right” in the title “write.” It was quite tempting.
Welcome back, writers, to another installment of Being a Better Writer! Today we’re going to talk about a topic that’s vital to the telling of a good story, and which you can probably guess based on the title this text is sitting below. We’re going to dive right in, so if you’re looking for news about Axtara – Armies and Accounting, or when the Magic and Mischief paperback will be available, you can go check that out here. Going further will not get you news here. But it will get you writing advice. So let’s dive in!
Delivering readers detail is one of those key challenges to being a writer. We even have a word for it: Exposition. The word we use when a story informs us of something that it believes we the readers need to know.
Exposition comes in all forms. A character saying “Don’t open that door, it’s an airlock and that’s bad for anyone who has to do things like breathe” is exposition. They’re expositing what a door is and why it should not be tampered with. A narrative giving readers a bunch of information about the setting? That’s also exposition, just given directly to the reader.
Both of these ways we’ve mentioned so far can be done well or done poorly. A character saying something that the audience needs to know … but clearly only speaking for the benefit of the audience? Well, that’s not great. Whether it’s characters saying “As you know …” or just stating something because the writer was worried the audience won’t have figured it out, this form of information delivery can be done poorly. As can the other form, exposition becoming infodumping.
We’ve talked about each of these before, as well as many other aspects of presenting information. So much so that the link you just slipped past is to a tag rather than a specific post. But as we’ve talked about all those others … we’re letting those posts stand on their own, and today we’re going to talk about another aspect of presenting information that I’ve seen young and new writers alike struggle with: how to figure out the order.
Hit the jump!
Continue readingWelcome back, writers! It’s Monday once again—after all, we get a good 52 or so in a year—and that means it’s time for more Being a Better Writer! Which has an interesting topic to discuss today, one that can prove a little controversial depending on your audience.
But first, really quick you should know that last Friday’s news post had some neat stuff to cover. Updates on the paperback for Magic and Mischief as well as information on book 3 of Axtara and even news about a TV Tropes page that popped up! So go check that out if you haven’t already!
Got it? Done it? Good! Now let’s talk about writing. Specifically, let’s talk about direct answers versus setup.
This is kind of an odd topic, I’ll admit. It’s one that occurred to me and made its way to the list through a twofold fashion. One was watching a discussion be had on a writing forum about doling out information, and the varying responses that came with it. The other was in watching reactions from readers to the final chapter of one of my own books, that being the recently release Axtara – Magic and Mischief.
By now, you may have an idea of what we’re going to be discussing today. So gear up, roll up your sleeves, don whatever thinking cap you prefer—be it armored helm, spacesuit, or wizard/witch’s pointed cone—and hit that jump. Let’s dive in.
Continue readingWelcome back, writers! Who’s ready to talk writing?
As usual, of course, there is the small bit of news to get through. As of late last night (around 11 PM), the Copy-Edit for Axtara – Magic and Mischief has been completed!
“What does this mean?” some of you may ask? Well, it means that the book is almost entirely ready for publication in ebook form. All that remains is making the final file for upload, double-checking all the extra information (like title page, etc) and then … uploading it.
Which means that as soon as the cover is in my hands, pre-orders can open. Release will come soon after.
Now, this also means I can start editing a separate file for print copies. That’ll take a bit more work, plus it’ll need a print proof to be made. So as usual, the digital version of Magic and Mischief will beat the print copy into everyone’s hands. Ebooks are just easier to prep for.
Ultimately what this means is Magic and Mischief, long overdue, is finally about to arrive. Hopefully in the coming week or two I’ll have a release date for all of you, and pre-orders will open up.
Oh, and if you missed it, our first preview of Axtara – Magic and Mischief had it’s debut on the site last week! We dropped some fun comparison factoids between the first and second books, as well as an excerpt from the text of Magic and Mischief! Go check it out!
Now, this all does mean there’s one other item of news. What will be the “Next Big Project?” For those not in the loop, a few months ago I asked the Patreon Supporters to vote on what my next book would be after Magic and Mischief, the vote closing at a day of my choosing when my current project was essentially complete.
Well, that day is today, and we have our winner. Well, technically a tie. Which means I get to tiebreak. The two titles that won were The Dusk Guard Saga: Fires of the Earth, the next installment in that fanfic saga, and The Phoenix, a long-ago Unusuals project that only the earliest of fans will remember that, upon completion, was not up to my standards and shelved until I felt comfortable rewriting it.
Well, with both of those items tying (personally, I voted for the YA Space Pirate Adventure just if you’re curious) I serve the tie-breaker, and while I know this will be disappointing to some no matter what I pick, I’m going with The Phoenix.
For two reasons, mind. The first is that The Phoenix is a product I can sell, and right now my financial situation needs all the cash it can find. Secondly, the last Dusk Guard entry was a while ago, yes, but a lot less of a wait than the last Unusuals book. Seriously, Hunter/Hunted was 2019, which is a lifetime for some people, but Dead Silver was 2014. That ten-year anniversary we had last week for Dead Silver? I was writing the first draft of The Phoenix at that time. It’s been delayed for a long time.
So, with this now being June, my path is clear. It’s time for The Phoenix to rise from its old ashes at last and burn bright. The next project has been chosen!
All right, with all that news out of the way, let’s get down to business. It’s time to talk writing. And today, we’re talking about a very specific piece of writing. One that’s short and direct, but one of the most influential moments of your entire work.
That’s right, you already know. Because of this principle in action. Or in other words, you read the title of the post. So you know that today, that’s what we’re discussing.
Hit the jump, and buckle up.
Continue readingHey writers! Max here. As I warned last week, my move has left me without internet for a–hopefully small–period.
So, I’ll be writing short stories to submit to Hemelein’s Honor and Glory call today. And unpacking.
You readers, though? You get a classic post from Being a Better Writer‘s past. Inspired by a discussion I saw this weekend, let’s talk about how you start your first chapter. You ready? Then hit that jump!
Welcome back, writers, to the final Being a Better Writer post … of Topic List #23. Sorry couldn’t resist. If some of you felt a flash of panic there, well, then my prank has been carried out to my satisfaction.
But yes, it is the final topic from Topic List #23. Which means next week, we’ll be starting over with a new list, #24! But it also means that requests are now open to what topics deserve to be on that list. So if you haven’t yet, please head on over to the topic call or even just post below if you’re in a real hurry, and let us know what writing topics you would like to hear about in the upcoming months!
Oh, and don’t worry if the topic is one we’ve covered before. BaBW has been around for over ten years. At this point, we’ve covered a lot of topics, and retread and revisited topics more than once. In fact, today’s topic was covered about nine years ago, but here we are again covering it once more. So you can request something we’ve covered before. At this point, it’s hard not to step on familiar ground.
With that said, let’s dive into today’s topic and start talking writing. Today we’re talking about character foils, a trait that is important for any writer to understand and acknowledge … even if we’re only using it sparingly.
And to understand that, I want to start out by discussing something that doesn’t seem to have any application to writing at first glance. I want to talk about The Rockettes. The Rockettes are a long-standing US-based dance company who perform in a number of annual shows. Most people who know a little bit of history associate them with the famous New York City Radio Music Hall. We won’t go into the history here, the key thing you need to know is that they’re a dance troupe.
A large dance troupe that nonetheless manages to keep its dancers to some really specific requirements. For example, when performing in one single line, part of the visual flair is that all of the Rockettes are the exact same height.
Or are they? Because they actually aren’t. Though the troupe has some strict requirements by necessity of their performances, the actual height of the members involved can vary by as much as five and a half inches. Put two dancers that have a half-a-foot of height difference between them next to one another and you’ll certainly see it. So how, despite this, do all the Rockettes appear to be the same height?
Perspective. Specifically, perspective using contrast. What does this mean, and what does it have to do with writing? Hit the jump, and let’s find out.
Continue readingWelcome, readers and writers!
Unfortunately, I’m still away from my home dealing with the aftermath of a family emergency/natural disaster. You can find more details here if you haven’t heard what is going on, but be warned, as it’s pretty severe. Suffice it to say, as noted last Friday, my life is in a very unexpected place right now and I’m still trying to manage things as best I can. Again, you can check the links for details.
For now, however, there’s been a holiday gap longer than normal, so it’s time to at least partially get things running again. I don’t quite have the time to do a new Being a Better Writer post yet, but I can at least pull up some older posts (with ten years worth of weekly articles, there’s a lot to choose from). So this week, and for the first BaBW post of the New Year, let’s talk about Show Versus Tell.
So without further ado, let’s dive right into it. Hit the jump, and let’s talk writing!
Unusual Things 