Ragtag Giggagon

Quirks and tics, motivations and fears (can be said to) dictate a character's behaviour. But how often do you remind a reader of these personality traits? I'd argue it ought to be quality rather than quantity, and that referencing a tic or habit a number of times is painting-by-numbers if it doesn't seem natural. So less of the constant sighs of impatience of someone with a low attention span. (Of course, if it’s done successfully, you will fake the organic nature of a character trait.) The Skywalkers’ shared failing is impatience. Anakin’s too keen to become a Jedi Master, and Luke takes off to rescue Han and Leia before he’s completed his training, and what happens? He loses his hand, and loses his Han. Then, after being traumatised through his amputation and ungodly provenance, he has to build his own new lightsaber out of the cheque he received from his very bad Jedi healthcare plan. (Not really.) Impatience is a major failing of the Skywalkers that feeds into the plo...

First tip here is plain and simple: When it comes to submission guidelines, do what they tell you to do. If their demands seem excessive and they're charging you for the privilege of entry, don't enter. If their demands are excessive and they seem like a good outfit, take your time and make sure you do it all right. ** This view is my own. I tend to avoid any general fiction appeal with a submission guideline that stipulates "No pornography, erotica, gratuitous violence, children's literature, profanity, sci fi..." Not because all of my fiction contains this stuff, but because there are degrees. Does magic realism constitute science fiction? Does a child calling somebody a pooperhead constitute profanity? Does a woman getting beaten for calling her boyfriend a pooperhead - by her boyfriend - constitute gratuitous violence? It's a straw-man argument, but these people have set themselves up as straw men. If they say "No gratuitous violence" it is surel...

Concepts I Like: 1. Paring things back Tell the story in as few words as possible. Exceptions include building atmosphere, but even then, keep it short. 2. Avoiding Description so judgement is left to the reader For instance, use fewer subjective adjectives like "satisfactory", "awe-inspiring". Who finds it satisfying? Who's being awed? Opt for (seemingly) more objective terms like "sufficient" or "extraordinary". Even then, superlatives are NOT good. It's like when people sign off with Best Regards. Are your regards actually the best I can receive, from anyone? If you're telling me that the palace is resplendent - even if it's through the eyes of your narrator, you have not yet blown my mind. 3. The idea that the biggest problem with good writing is the written word The more words you have, the more error-prone your writing, Shirley? You don't want to alienate a readership because they don't like your turn...