Fiction Writing Tip of the Week

Welcome, valiant explorer of hidden realms. You've found the spot where I return weekly to sit on a rock and spout sage advice. And the occasional Aggie joke.

In my more than twelve years in the Christian publishing industry—years that included writing my six published novels and two co-written nonfiction books, stints on staff with three publishing companies, and years as an acquisitions editor—I've picked up a few things that may be of use to you.

Published and unpublished novelists who have worked with me have heard me say these things. Some with rejoicing, and others with wailing and gnashing of teeth.! Apply them to your writing and, if you send me your manuscript for review, you won't hear me say them to you.  0:-)

Tip of the Week Index

I have here listed, in reverse order, the tips I have posted so far and the links to find them. There are up to ten tips per page.

Tips 81-90

End Your Scenes with a Zinger
Stop Being Teachable
Be Teachable
Don't Let Characters Serve Plot
Don't Telegraph that Your Hero Lives
Learn To See the Errors in Other People's Fiction—Part 2
Learn To See the Errors in Other People's Fiction—Part 1

Tips 71-80

Spend the Right Amount of Page-Time on the Things in Your Story
Realize that You're Living in a Publishing Revolution
Your Ending Must Arise from Your Beginning
Christian Fiction No-No Number 4—Including Verboten Content
Christian Fiction No-No Number 3—The Happy Ending Is that the Person Gets Saved
Christian Fiction No-No Number 2—A Sermon in the Middle of the Story
Christian Fiction No-No Number 1—The Deus Ex Machina
Help Your Reader Suspend Disbelief
(Be Willing To) Murder Your Darlings
Formula Number 3 —Whose Epic Is This?

Tips 61-70

Formula Number 2—When Can Readers Bear Exposition?
Formula Number 1—When Do People Change?
Use Word Choice To Set Mood
Understand the Difference Between Description and Telling
Viewpoint Characters as Narrators
Avoid That Silly Sentence Construction
Avoid Pet Phrases
Avoid Personification
Avoid Letting Your Characters Make Accurate Guesses from Ambiguous Clues
Avoid Italics

Tips 51-60

60. Avoid Exclamation Points in Narration!
59. Avoid Agenda-Driven Fiction
58. Avoid Direct Address
57. Avoid Present Tense
56. Manage Profanity, Part 2
55. Manage Profanity, Part 1
54. Avoid Mixed Metaphors
53. Understand the Publishing Process
52. Create Chapters of Appropriate Length
51. Create a Likeable Protagonist 

Tips 41-50

50. Find Your Story
49. The Secrets of Good Dialogue, Part 4
48. The Secrets of Good Dialogue, Part 3
47. The Secrets of Good Dialogue, Part 2
46. The Secrets of Good Dialogue, Part 1
45. Avoid Flashbacks
44. Create Interesting Characters (Who Don't All Sound Like You)
43. Stay with One Storyline for Awhile Before Cutting Away
42. Intercut Between Multiple Storylines
41. Stick with Said 

Tips 31-40

40. Use Circularity
39. Avoid Fiction Clichés
38. Should You Write What You Want or What the Market Wants?
37. The Politically Correct "They"
36. Avoid Mistakes in Your Sample Chapters, Part 2
35. Avoid Mistakes in Your Sample Chapters, Part 1
34. Avoid Mistakes with Your Synopsis
33. Avoid Mistakes in Your Presentation
32. Create Interesting Characters
31. Beats

Tips 21-30

30. Point of View (POV)
29. Show vs. Tell
28. Establish Your POV Right Away
27. Managing the Passage of Time Within a Scene
26. Formatting Dialogue
25. Attend a Christian Writer's Conference
24. Don't Skip Over It and Then Tell It in a Recap
23. Describe Actual Places
22. Stick to One Name Per Character Per Scene
21. The Dumb Puppet Trick

Tips 11-20

20. Planting a Ticking Time-Bomb in Your Novel
19. Keep a Character's Dialogue and Actions in the Same Paragraph
18. Understanding Christian Fiction Publishing, Part 3—Exceptions, Strategies, and Hope
17. Understanding Christian Fiction Publishing, Part 2—What Genres Does the Market Want?
16. Understanding Christian Fiction Publishing, Part 1—Who Is Your Reader?
15. How To Introduce Your Main Characters
14. Speech Attributions
13. The Invisible Novelist
12. Plant and Payoff—Part 2: Plant without a Payoff
11. Plant and Payoff—Part 1: Payoff without a Plant

Tips 1-10

10. Master Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
9. Beware Monster Paragraphs
8. Description, Part 4—Comparisons
7. Description, Part 3—The Full Sensory Sweep
6. Description, Part 2—The Establishing Shot
5. Description, Part 1—Introduction
4. What Does Your Hero Want?
3. Your Hero's Inner Journey
2. Proper Manuscript Formatting
1. An (Accepting) Audience of One

Remember to come back every week to see the new tip.

If you'd like to ask me about a tip or ask a fiction craft-related question, I'd love to hear from you. Either drop me a note through the Contact page or come to The Anomaly and ask your question on the "Tip of the Week" thread.