Five more things authors should not do

6. Don't concentrate on making those first three chapters sing.  Make the whole book a symphony and those three chapters will take care of themselves.  So what would the first three chapters do?

• Grip the reader by the throat
• Make them want to read about the character
• Give just enough world to bring the reader into the story

7.  Don't try so hard.  A lot of times, writers aim to write in the beautiful flowing style of the authors they adored in college.  They write long, glowing descriptions rife with metaphor and imagery that comments on the state of man.  There's only one problem.  They're writing a fast-paced thriller.  Beautiful prose has a place in any novel, sure, but in the middle of a gunfight is not the time to contemplate the beauty of the sunset, or expound on the pathetic fallacy of the hailstorm.


8.  Don't jump to self-publish.  The boom in self-publishing has in some ways hurt both readers and authors, I believe.  It's so easy to self-publish now, that a lot of people aren't putting the amount of work into their book that they really should.  I know--personally, even!--some authors who are very successful and happy with their self-publishing experience, but they put a lot of time and yes, even money, into doing it right by hiring an outside editor, making a professional (not just pretty) cover, and doing the marketing.

9. Don't forget to stretch,  Sitting at the computer is not good posture, even with the best of ergonomic furniture.  In particular, your shoulders curl in, causing the muscles to shrink, overcompensate and get knots.  Just a couple of stretches that open up the pectorals every half hour or so can help.  (Advice I need to remember myself.)

10.  Don't feel that you must focus on a genre, topic, novels, etc.  This one, I took from Chuck Wendig.  Here's how he put it:

Diversification is the name of survival for all creatures: genetics relies on diversification. (Says the guy with no science background and little interest in Googling that idea to see if it holds any water at all.) Things are changing big in these next few years, from the rise of e-books to the collapse of traditional markets to the the galactic threat of Mecha-Gaiman. Diversity of form, format and genre will help ensure you stay alive in the coming entirely-made-up Pubpocalypse.

 If you look at my website, you can see why I stand firmly behind this idea.  I have written in multiple genres, fiction, non-fiction, even craft books.  I write school calendars, I teach classes, I have newsletters and websites.  Some of my most successful stuff has been the left turns I would not have taken if I'd followed the advice of keeping my "brand."  (Those who do like to stick to brands can use pen names for that purpose.  I would not be able to keep track of all the new social media a second (third, fourth) pen name would entail, but I know a few authors who do this very successfully.)

Five things writers should not do.

I saw this article 25 things writers should not do. The language was foul (though sometimes, kind of funny) but most of the ideas were sound. So I thought I'd come up with a cleaner version of the don'ts I've learned in my life.  However, I'm going to take them five at a time, and do not promise to come up with twenty five.  (Check out his article but brace yourself for the profanity.)

1. Don't make excuses. If you want to write, write. I know people with dyslexia and other learning problems who can't handle grammar, but they write, and get someone to edit.  Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's; he has someone type in his stories.  I've read of famous authors who wrote their novels in the bathroom, the only place they could get a few minutes of privacy and peace.  Several famous novels were written on library computers.  Holly Lisle wrote her first breakout novel to prove to her demeaning ex that yes, she could write something someone would read.  So quit making excuses, and do it if it gives you joy.

3.  Don't put it off until you can (concentrate for an hour/write 1500 words/get into the story).  A sentence a day or 5000 words--who cares? The important thing is to do it. Incidentally, my book, Mind Over Mind was written in a year with the promise of just a sentence a day, though I wrote more when I was inspired.  Make some time, even for a sentence.  You'll also feel a lot better about yourself knowing you accomplished even just that much, and it will lead to writing more.

3.  Don't think your idea is stupid.  Let's face it, any idea can sound stupid--or remarkable.  And any idea can sell.  "Guy goes fishing and a marlin drags him to sea.  (The Old Man and the Sea).  "Two teens fake their deaths so they can run away together, but accidentally kill themselves instead." (Romeo and Juliet)  even "New girl in school falls in love with a vampire."  (Twilight--and regardless of your opinion, it's a huge success)  How you treat the idea in the story, how you sell it, and how you combine it is what makes a stupid idea a great story.



4.  Don't procrastinate.  Your book will not write itself while you scroll through Facebook, do e-mail, make a snack, etc.  For pity's sake, if you want to write a story, sit down and write it.  Here's a song for inspiration:  http://johnanealio.com/album/i-should-be-writing


5.  Don't let your internal editor stall your creative flow.  Personally, I tend to fix things while I'm writing.  For example, this week, while writing The Old Man in the Void, I realized I'd contradicted something I'd written earlier.  I stopped where I was, and went back and rewrote the older scene before continuing with the new one.  That's not what I mean when I say not to stall in your creative flow.  If you are in the middle of a heavy scene and can't remember (or think up) a new character's name, just write some generic (ARGUINGGUY) (REDSHIRT1) and keep going.  Later, you can search for that tag and replace it.  Can't think of the right descriptive word?  Just write WORD and keep going.  and DO NOT let doubts stall you.  I've known writers who never get past the first chapter because they are so full of doubt about a particular metaphor or description or...  Sometimes, that first chapter will jsut get axed anyway; it's warm up; so keep moving forward.  You'll warm up to your characters, learn their ways of thinking and acting, and when you are done, you'll have the knowledge you didn't have in the first chapter to help you go back and revise that first chapter.