Engaging prose, blank pages, and a writer's highest priority
Happy Writing Advice Wednesday,
Here are 3 ideas, 2 quotes, and 1 question to explore this week...
3 Ideas From Me
I.
"A writer's highest priority is to make readers want to read the next line."
II.
"To craft engaging prose, vary your sentence length.
Consider: this sentence has six words. Here is another example of this. It is starting to feel repetitive. Maybe you’re slowly falling asleep.
But now, as I vary the length of my sentences, things change. See? The words begin to flow like music, engaging your attention and making you wonder what will come next. Sometimes I keep things short. And sometimes I use great rolling sentences that roar and sweep with all the might of an avalanche thundering down a mountain."
III.
"The best antagonists aren’t great because they’re strong or scary. Instead, the best antagonists target your protagonist’s greatest weaknesses.
Consider: a boxer’s opponent may be physically intimidating.
However, this opponent pales in comparison to the boxer’s father, who she desperately loves (and who’s approval she craves) despite his bitter condemnation of her profession."
2 Quotes From Others
I.
"Anything you do can be fixed. What can’t be fixed is a blank page." - Neil Gaiman.
II.
"What do you want more than anything else in the world? What do you love, or what do you hate? Find a character, like yourself, who will want something or not want something, with all his heart. Give him running orders. Shoot him off, then follow as fast as you can go." - Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing.
1 Question For You
Why will your book be even more enjoyable on the second read?
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I'll see you next week,
Jed Herne