one of the writing blogs that I follow forwarded me to this site http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one
where there is a compilation of the top ten rules for writing fiction by famous writers.
man, they are so funny. these are my favorites:
Take a pencil to write with on aeroplanes. Pens leak. But if the pencil breaks, you can't sharpen it on the plane, because you can't take knives with you. Therefore: take two pencils. [Margaret Atwood]
Write in the third person unless a really distinctive first-person voice offers itself irresistibly. [Jonathan Franzen]
Never complain of being misunderstood. You can choose to be understood, or you can choose not to. [David Hare]
Remember writing doesn't love you. It doesn't care. Nevertheless, it can behave with remarkable generosity. Speak well of it, encourage others, pass it on. [AL Kennedy]
Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But "said" is far less intrusive than "grumbled", "gasped", "cautioned", "lied". I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading and go to the dictionary. [Elmore Leonard]
Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful.
Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose". This rule doesn't require an explanation. I have noticed that writers who use "suddenly" tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points. [Elmore Leonard]
Do not place a photograph of your favourite author on your desk, especially if the author is one of the famous ones who committed suicide. [Roddy Doyle]
Lock different characters/elements in a room and tell them to get on. [Andrew Motion]
The nearest I have to a rule is a Post-it on the wall in front of my desk saying "Faire et se taire" (Flaubert), which I translate for myself as "Shut up and get on with it." [Helen Simpson]
