Skip to the Good Parts

The “Matrix” Approach to Scene Setting – Part Two

September 8, 2010 Writing Stuff
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In Part One, I proposed my Matrix theory for describing action and scenes in stories and talked about why it works.  In this post, I’ll explain how to successfully use the technique to add details, both with narrative and dialogue—and how not to use it. So as I mentioned last time, readers’ minds are malleable.  [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, setting and description, Simon C. Larter, Skip to the Good Parts

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The “Matrix” Approach to Scene Setting – Part One

September 7, 2010 Writing Stuff
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Last time, I explained how to avoid dumping information into stories and how dialogue is often used incorrectly to convey details to readers—the “As you know, Bob” technique.  It just so happened that my friend Simon C. Larter posted a related article with info dumps in dialogue that worked that same day.  Great minds and [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, information dump, setting and description, Simon C. Larter, Skip to the Good Parts, Stilettos and Shirley Temples

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How to Fix the Infamous Info Dump

September 1, 2010 Writing Stuff
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Info dump?  Infamous?  You better believe it.  The most egregious offender even has a name: the “As you know, Bob.”  Imagine dialogue along the lines of, “As you know, Bob, Jane is our sister.” *cringe* Does anyone actually speak like that?  Would you ever tell someone something they already know?  Nope.  (Unless you’re reminding your [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, editing, information dump, Skip to the Good Parts, tension

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Banish the Boring Parts

August 25, 2010 Writing Stuff
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Last time, I mentioned how stories—the good ones anyway—avoid the boring parts of the journey by jumping into the action.  Today’s post continues that “skip to the good parts” theme to talk about settings. Setting is the sense of time, place, and mood within a story.  Descriptions create a world within the mind of a [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, Courtney Milan, feedback, listening to characters, setting and description, Skip to the Good Parts, tension

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Unlike Life, Stories Aren’t a Journey

August 23, 2010 Writing Stuff
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We’ve all heard the saying: Life is a journey.  Often this thought will be accompanied by—enjoy the ride—or something along those lines.  And that’s great advice for life.  But what about for stories? At the RWA conference, I attended the Inside Scoop workshop with Robin Perini and Claire Cavanaugh.  During the workshop, they critiqued opening [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, feedback, RWA, Skip to the Good Parts, story openings, workshops

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