How To Write
Filed under Uncategorized • 03-08-2006 •
I’ve read hundreds of “how-to” articles over the last few years. Below – in no particular order – are links to four that I’ve found particularly useful:
1. Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing - I’ve got friends who disagree with just about everything in this article – but if you want to write lean, mean prose that doesn’t get bogged down in excessive description, you could do a lot worse than follow Leonard’s advice.
2. Twelve Blunders – How Aspiring Writers Get It Wrong by Jack McDevitt – This article taught me a very important lesson: finish the story before you go back and start editing what you’ve written.
3. Manuscript Preparation by Vonda N. McIntyre – How to format a manuscript so that an editor will take it seriously.
4. A Writer’s Toolkit by Rudy Rucker – Some excellent suggestions on how to organise your notes and thoughts while writing. Plus links to other interesting articles.
I need help on how to start and write a story. I’ve got characters, I’ve got ideas, but now how do I apply them? Do I write it in 1st person or 3rd person?
Any help would be aprecciated.