Do not Pass Go, Do not Collect $100
What is the fastest way from Point A to Point C? Generally
speaking, a straight line through Point B does the job. Like pawns in a board
game, characters move from one point to another around the story—but their
writers should be warned. Mobilizing a main character from the breakfast table to
school to a post-game pep rally should not, literally, take all day.
Is it part of the game? If not, skip it. I’m a wordy writer. My first drafts are complicated affairs
with blow-by-blow action determining what each limb is up to (“with one hand,
the protagonist did x but with the other, he did y!) and so on. Boring! It is
not necessary (or desirable) to report every turn of the doorknob between Point
A and Point C (unless, of course, the knob-turning is a vital part of the
suspense you are creating). Learn easy techniques for speeding up your scenes at my publisher's blog today! 4RV Publishing newsletter for writers and artists
I'm guilty -- for sometimes describing too much. Like, the foamy peaks topping the banana cream pie and not just going to the poisonous banana spider creeping up the dining room chair.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Suzanne, for the tips on how to skip over the boring and highlight the necessary and fun character's activities so that the action shines through!
Great post!