For the past few days, I’ve been indulging in one of my favorite pastimes, attending the La Jolla Writers Conference. At this yearly event, masters of suspense, fantasy and mystery teach rising writers how to become best selling authors. Below are a few of the many notes taken at this world-class event.
- Art cannot be taught. Craft can. Embed details in your narrative, details that hook the reader and move the plot forward.
- Make your “voice” consistent. Carry it through from start to finish.
- Metaphors do not always have to be violent to be effective. “A slice of spumoni wouldn’t have melted on her, now” is one example.
- Support one character as the devil’s advocate. That is the one that may express the reader’s disbelief without breaking connection with the story.
- For good action, combine verb packing with a sense of place.
- Writing that involves all the senses increases tension. (Read Misery).
- Everything that happens should come as a surprise to the reader, yet, in retrospect, be inevitable.
- Keep the pace fast to keep the story moving.
- Regardless of how much research you’ve done, only include the vital detail. Don’t flood your book with facts that bog the storyline down.
- If you think your writing is good enough, you’re probably wrong. Revision and editing is where your work becomes great instead of merely good.
- The lies we tell in our stories must be matched by truths. If we tell a huge lie, it must be balanced by a massive truth!
- Each chapter is a carrier of information. Don’t weigh scenes down with too much information. Keep them bare bones and the pace with stay fast and fascinating.
- No writer ever ever wastes time writing. If what you’re producing is fertilizer, it will make things grow better in the future!
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