Prose

Being a Better Writer: Oversharing

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Welcome, writers! It’s Monday, it’s spring (conceivably, anyway), and it’s time for another installment of Being a Better Writer!

Which, I should note, is fourth in line before the end of Topic List #29. So if there are writing topics you’d like to see covered in the future, let us know in the comments! It’s time to start filling out the next list, and honestly? I’d appreciate requests. Being a Better Writer has been running for something like 13 years now, and that’s … a lot of weekly posts and topics I’ve had to come up with. There have even been moments when I’ve considered putting BaBW on a biweekly schedule, with the off week just a link to a past article from over a decade ago. It would free up my schedule to work a bit more on books, and reintroduce BaBW from years’ past to new eyes.

Anyway, before we dive into today’s topic, I do wish to once again draw your attention to last week’s news post, which chronicles a very rare occurrence I’ve never seen actually occurring! Plus, you know, it’s the news. What’s coming up with new releases and the like.

Also, again if you’re a regular (or even new) please support on Patreon or purchase a book. The site is kept ad-free by this kind of support, and as the talons of AI scrapers do their best to make all my hard-earned profits theirs, things have gotten tighter than normal. Support the site!

So, moving on to today’s topic, what do I mean by “oversharing?” This is one of those titles that almost certainly saw multiple readers thinking of multiple different potential “answers” to the question of what this topic would be addressing. And to one degree or another, most are probably correct. And there are a number of ways this topic can be taken, so if the direction I take it today wasn’t what you presumed or desired it to be, then by all means leave a comment so that we can potentially toss it on the topic list for the future.

But with that said, what am I talking about? Well, I’m talking about a rule of storytelling that serves as a … well, let’s just call it a rule of thumb. One that unfortunately does get abused by some and given a little too much power in the wrong way, but also sometimes is very applicable.

What am I talking about? Well, there’s no “official” definition (like I’ve said it’s a rule of thumb) so we’re just going to have to approach it with a layman’s description: the words of a story should be there to further said story.

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Being a Better Writer: Wrong on Purpose

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You have no idea how tempted I was to put a typo in that title. Welcome, writers, to another installment of Being a Better Writer, where as you can see, today we’re talking about doing it wrong. On purpose.

Oh, this is going to be fun. And a little controversial. I think we’ll definitely earn that tag today. And, I can definitely tell you that there are going to be some who find today’s topic utterly repulsive. I know. I’ve interacted with some of these people.

But you know what? Let them play in their little corner of the sandbox, while us writers? We’re going to have fun.

But first, as usual, you can check out last Friday’s news post here. I talk about a few things, including the continual battle against AI slop, where work is on Axtara – Armies and Accounting, and other things. You can go check it out.

Oh, one of those things is the currently active submission call for the next LTUE benefit anthology. I know, I’ve mentioned this before, but … it’s an active call! Especially if you’re here for writing advice, this is a chance for you to put that advice into practice and action! You can get more on it here, but the theme is Iron Horses in the Sky, AKA trains in Science-Fiction and Fantasy.

Are you sending something in? Today I’m working on my entry!

All right, that’s the news out of the way. So let’s get back to that controversial topic.

Now, I want to make something clear before we start: This is not an excuse to not learn the rules of writing. Nor to excuse poor writing. That question—or sometimes accusation—comes up a lot when this topic is discussed. But I want to make this clear, before we talk about anything else: This post is not an excuse for poor writing. It’s not a writer saying “You don’t have to know how to write well” or “You don’t need to know what the rules of writing are.”

So remove that notion from your head immediately. This isn’t a free ticket to just throw letter and words together without a care for the rules of grammar. In fact, if you don’t know them fairly well, what we’re talking about today actually becomes more difficult. So learn those rules. Pay attention in your English classes. Etc.

Now that you’ve fixed that in your mind, hit the jump. Let’s talk about this concept of “wrong on purpose.” And what it can bring to your writing.

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Being a Better Writer: Writing From the Real

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Welcome back, writers! Monday is here, and so too is your weekly dose of Being a Better Writer! Which this week, has a topic most of you probably weren’t thinking about. Rather than beat around the bush, I’m just going to leap right into it: this week, we’re talking about non-fiction writing.

Well, almost. A quick aside to remind you that today is Martin Luther King Jr. day. Now more than ever in the US, it feels like we need to remember what he said for. Just … don’t forget, okay?

Okay, that aside, let’s talk about non-fiction writing. I realize that some of you might be considering immediately checking out after reading that sentence, but hold on just a moment, if you would. Others might be wondering why I, an author of fiction, would even be concerned with talking about writing non-fiction. And a few of you might be trying to remember which is which of the two. After which again, you’ll join those wondering why I would devote a Being a Better Writer post about such a topic.

Simple: Non-fiction writing is still writing. In fact, it’s an incredibly common form of writing.

“Right,” I hear some of you saying. “But why talk about it here. This has always been about fiction.” Well … yes, that is true. But I do think it’s important to understand that the two forms of writing are different. Some of you reading this may dream of writing a book, but not a book about a lamia proposing to a knight or a group of stellar explorers realizing that they’ve reached the edge of the universe and looped back to the other side, but a book about something like the first powered flight. Or the invention of the telegraph. The history of hot sauce in human culture. Or any number of billions of other possibilities.

These are valid desires. A book is a book, fiction or non-fiction! However, the two are very different. So, today we’re going to talk about what makes them different, though our perspective will be coming from a place of fiction writing. In other words, we’re going to look at writing non-fiction through a lens of being primarily interested in fiction, and therefore examine the differences from that angle.

So hit the jump. Let’s talk about it.

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Being a Better Writer: Who Voices the Narration?

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Welcome back, writers! And, I hope, readers! Because if you weren’t aware, Blood Less Vile – A Jacob Rocke Mystery, my tenth published novel and return to a character who hasn’t had his own solo outing since 2013, releases tomorrow!

Yeah, that’s a big deal. I’ll be doing a Reddit AMA tomorrow to celebrate/promote the occasion, as well as answer any questions that come up (because it is an AMA).

Seriously, it’s a delight to, after the delay of last year, finally get a new book out. Blood Less Vile is also a return to a character we’ve not seen star since my very first book back in 2013 (One Drink) and a setting we’ve not seen in some time either, that being the unmasked Urban Fantasy world of the Unusuals.

I think it’s a fantastic mystery, with some really fun clues, and I wish all of you the best of luck in solving the case before Jacob Rocke does. It’s totally doable! I made sure of it!

Anyway, you can pre-order it in advance of tomorrow by clicking that cover (and if you haven’t yet but wanted the novel, please do, as it gives a significant boost to visibility). You can also read the first three chapters here on the site—see this link for more—if you want to see how the novel opens first.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, all of the other Unusuals books are on sale or free during the launch. Grab the whole set! That’s One Drink,. Dead Silver, and Unusual Events: A Short Story Collection. So even if you’re not about to dive into Blood Less Vile blind … you can always check out an earlier title like Dead Silver at a discount and see what you think.

All right, that’s it for the promotions. Let’s cease speaking for the moment of completed writing projects, and turn our attention to those that are incomplete and in the stages of creation. Because today, we’ve got a topic that yes, we’ve covered before. Sands, I may have covered this one as recently as a year ago. At least, in some capacity.

So why are we talking about it again? Well, because I continue to see people asking the same questions over and over again concerning this particular topic. It’s a frequent one these days. Which means covering it from as many angles as possible in order to—hopefully—provide the answer so many are looking for.

And in the process, maybe finally putting to rest a few bits of “bad writing advice” that seem to circle around writing circles like the common cold. No, worse, the seasonal flu.

Hit the jump. We’re talking writing. And narration. And … how it relates to show versus tell?

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Being a Better Writer: What IS Good Prose?

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Welcome writers! We’re diving right in today, and asking a question that’s been on my mind quite a bit recently: What is good prose?

I ask this because if there’s one place you won’t find a consensus, it’s on the internet. Sands, I can promise you that regardless of what I post here, multiple individuals will declare it “wrong” and put forth their favorite work as an example of “good prose” while arguing that all else is “bad/poor prose.”

Why do I say that with such certainty? I’ve seen it. Hang around in any book discussion forum online, and inevitably you’ll see someone say “Oh, I can’t stand X author. Their prose is just so awful and crude. Not like Y author!” Indeed, some online communities have built identities around which authors have “poor prose” and which have “good prose,” breaking into tribal groups based on a declaration of “good versus bad” where specific authors are concerned.

Is this wrong? Well … Yes and no. See, it is possible to have poor prose. Bad prose is a real thing. As is good prose.

However, and here comes a very big “But …,” most of the time these online tribes speak of good and bad prose? It isn’t what they think it is.

So hit that jump, and let’s talk about what good prose really is, and where these online clans go sideways.

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Being a Better Writer: The Battle Over “Said”

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Welcome back, writers! To a topic that’s so old I feel I need to extend that “Welcome back” to myself as well!

Yeah, we’re diving right in today. No hesitation here. Maybe that’s just because this post has me feeling old and not really inclined to beat around the bush, or maybe it’s just because there’s not much news to talk about that wasn’t already noted Friday. So check that out if you want news.

But why would this post make me feel old? Well … because it’s come around again. Or rather, the argument that’s spawned it has once again reared its head in writing circles I’m observing. Yes, once again, despite many of the participants in said discussions thinking that it’s a “new” thing.

The argument? Well, we’ve talked about it before here on the site. Twice, in fact. Once with my mind going back to my old college days, and another time when covering the summer of cliché writing advice.

So yes, for those of you keeping track, that means I was hearing about this in college almost twenty years ago, wrote about it eight years ago, and then again five years ago.

And yet, like a corpse climbing out of its grave yet again, once more the discussion is popping up in writing communities, especially among novice writers. Asking a question I’ve now seen debated at least four times: Is said dead?

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Being a Better Writer: Character-Based Prose

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Salutations, writers, and welcome back! It’s Monday, it’s Being a Better Writer, and it’s our first topic from Topic List #23! Wow!

Okay, I know to some of you who are just cruising in from the corners of the internet just to do a drive-by skimming of some writing articles, that might not seem like much. But Being a Better Writer now has been running for over ten years, so hitting a new topic list, as well as one with a number as high as it is—and that’s keeping in mind that for the longest time I wasn’t numbering them—is a pretty big deal. It’s just a lot of BaBW content over the last decade.

Anyway, I’ll stop with the self-congratulatory musing. Yes, I’m excited to have reached another topic list. Even if it does have a few more slots to fill I’ll be finishing off in the next day or so. For now, let’s skip over any other news and dive right into today’s topic.

Which was in part inspired by a story I spent the weekend reading, and I realized I wanted it on the list after I’d finished the book. It’s also a topic that can be contentious in some circles, unfortunately, due to a number of young, would-be editors convinced they know it all swarming sites and writing hang-outs to offer what is unfortunately poor advice.

So hit that jump. Let’s talk about character-based prose: what it is, and how it can impact your story.

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