From Twitter 03-01-2010

• 12:30:20: @dancinghorse I know some folks enjoyed the surrealism, but imo they should have quit after Neil Young. That would have been a nice ending.
  
• 12:35:06: @Johngcole That would certainly make for a nice change of pace
  

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 03-01-2010

• 12:30:20: @dancinghorse I know some folks enjoyed the surrealism, but imo they should have quit after Neil Young. That would have been a nice ending.
  
• 12:35:06: @Johngcole That would certainly make for a nice change of pace
  

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Instead of ten writing rules...

...ten things I've observed, which have become like rules. Or guidelines. Or reminders.

These are my observations. Yours may be different, which is yet another example of the wondrous variety that is life. So. Don't pick holes in my observations, and I won't pick holes in yours.

1) The more I learn, the less I know. I try to not let this depress me.

2) Writers break rules all the time. In the Jani books, I broke the Mirror Rule--thou shalt not describe a character by having them examine their reflection-- repeatedly. No one seems to have noticed. I think this is because Jani didn't want to look at herself and when she did, she picked out every feature that was "wrong". That revealed more about her than simple description would have. It served the plot and character revelation. It moved the story forward.

3) Beginnings are my bitch. Or I'm their bitch. Either way, I bitch and bitch. It doesn't help.

4) Middles aren't much better.

5) Endings are like fever breaking.

6) That time I spend pondering a new story, a new world, new characters. That time when I haven't fixed the rules yet and anything is possible. That is a very good time.

7) That time when some piece of plot goes "thunk" and all of a sudden whole masses of plot and character snap into place. *That* is the best time. That makes up for a great deal of not so great.

8) Dialogue tags aren't necessary.

9) Every scene has a beat, a pattern of description/dialogue/business that underscores the mood. I just need to figure it out.

10) Something should happen on every page. Big reveal or little reveal or character conflict. Something. Keep it moving.

Instead of ten writing rules...

...ten things I've observed, which have become like rules. Or guidelines. Or reminders.

These are my observations. Yours may be different, which is yet another example of the wondrous variety that is life. So. Don't pick holes in my observations, and I won't pick holes in yours.

1) The more I learn, the less I know. I try to not let this depress me.

2) Writers break rules all the time. In the Jani books, I broke the Mirror Rule--thou shalt not describe a character by having them examine their reflection-- repeatedly. No one seems to have noticed. I think this is because Jani didn't want to look at herself and when she did, she picked out every feature that was "wrong". That revealed more about her than simple description would have. It served the plot and character revelation. It moved the story forward.

3) Beginnings are my bitch. Or I'm their bitch. Either way, I bitch and bitch. It doesn't help.

4) Middles aren't much better.

5) Endings are like fever breaking.

6) That time I spend pondering a new story, a new world, new characters. That time when I haven't fixed the rules yet and anything is possible. That is a very good time.

7) That time when some piece of plot goes "thunk" and all of a sudden whole masses of plot and character snap into place. *That* is the best time. That makes up for a great deal of not so great.

8) Dialogue tags aren't necessary.

9) Every scene has a beat, a pattern of description/dialogue/business that underscores the mood. I just need to figure it out.

10) Something should happen on every page. Big reveal or little reveal or character conflict. Something. Keep it moving.