Archive for August, 2009

Keep your action and descriptions in the present tense.  e.g. “Larry walks into the yard.” rather than “Larry walked into the yard” or “Larry is walking into the yard.”  It makes your words flow better, keeps your sentences active and more dynamic, and keeps you from looking like a complete, unprofessional idiot hack.

When describing your protagonist the first time we meet him/her, resist the temptation to refer to him as “Our main main” or “Our Hero.”  It’s cute, yeah, but it’s the mark of a beginner.  Reveal who he/she is by showing what he/she does and says.  This also applies to using other cutesy phrases such as “Welcome, gentle reader,” or inserting writerly asides in the dialogue.   Keep the reader focused on how good your story is; not how smarmy or witty you are.