I know grammar is a touchy subject for a lot of people. No one likes to be corrected or reprimanded for using the wrong word in the wrong place. I know many people who simply say, "Isn't that what an editor is for?" They don't care if they get a few words wrong, because they know it can be fixed or that people will get the gist of what was meant anyway.
I also know people who treat grammar like it is the be-all and end-all. They shudder if they see a conjunction at the beginning of a sentence and a preposition at the end (Which, interestingly enough, is generally accepted as proper English now.) They're seen by many as old-school grammar junkies.
What neither of these groups realize is that it's a combination of these things that can create perfect harmony in a creative work of fiction. Upholding a high standard for correct grammar ensures a well-constructed narrative, and it makes for excellent readability. On the flip side, being a bit lax on grammatical structure can allow for a more creative flow of the prose, making it rather musical in nature. It also gives the author of the piece a distinct voice, and can really make a book come to life. But there's a catch to this balancing act; one first has to know andpractice good grammar before break it.
If you read my blog series on why good writing matters, you probably came across the post about grammar. From a professional editor's standpoint, good grammar is essential for giving the author credibility. It assures the reader that the author knows what they're doing, and the reader will not only buy into believability of the story more, but they will be more likely to read past the first few pages. An agent will also be much more receptive to a book with good grammar than one without. This makes the book more marketable.
Once you have a well-written manuscript, you can start using grammar and sentence structure to your advantage. Use variation of sentence structures to make the prose flow, leading one sentence into the next according the mood and pace of the scene. For example, using shorter, choppier sentences and paragraphs mixed in with standard text can set the pace for a suspenseful action scene. Sometimes, a bit of non-standard grammar or even slang is appropriate in order to enhance this effect, particularly when dialogue is involved.
Carol dropped the bloody corpse she had been holding but held the knife firmly. The door had been kicked in. Two dozen FBI personnel surrounded her within seconds.
"Hands where I can see them!" one of them barked.
Carol chanced a glance out of the corner of her eye at the men surrounding her. Each had a handgun, and a few were packing larger weapons. Much larger. With a small smirk, she loosened her grasp on the knife. It clattered to the ground.
"Now!"
This was her chance. She yanked the chain off and threw it on the ground. The glass vial broke and immediately released a thick cloud of white smoke.
Idiots.
She leaped out a nearby window as her pursuers coughed and sputtered at the toxic fumes.
Notice how the purposefully short paragraphs, dialogue, and sentence fragments were used. The variation of sentences mixed in with just a hint of non-standard grammar gave this scene the desired effect. If the sentences lengths and grammar were changed, one might expect a different outcome, such as surrender of the criminal. Apart from the cues of the woman's body language, the short and direct sentences give the reader additional insight to what's coming other than what is directly written on the page.
Knowing how to productively bend the rules of grammar can be a powerful tool in the right hands. It's how good writers achieve those suspenseful, steamy, and action-packed scenes. But there's a big difference between blatantly poor writing and incorrect grammar being used purposefully and methodically to enhance well-written text.
Why Good Writing Matters: Internal Consistency
This is the final blog post in my "Why Good Writing Matters" series. My husband gets credit for the idea on this one. His profession is pretty much the complete opposite of writing, but he always holds great insight in the field nonetheless. One of the many reasons I love him! Now, onto the good stuff...
Have you ever read a book that had a great plot, intriguing characters, and a distinct voice but lacked consistency throughout? If so, did it irritate you and ruin the book for you, or did you view it as no big deal?
This may not be the case for everyone, but stories that lack internal consistency—that is, they have plot holes or material that contradicts some other part of the book—really grate on my nerves. In my brief research mentioned in the introductory post for this series, I found this topic held the most disagreements. Some readers weren't overly bothered by inconsistencies, and others equated them to blasphemy, ruining an otherwise perfectly good book. There was also a spectrum of opinions in between. Where people stood within that spectrum depended on the type of inconsistency and the frequency of it for any given book.
That just goes to show, there’s a lot of gray area with this one. I'm not certain only a few minor inconsistencies are enough to deem an otherwise well-written book garbage. However, there are a few things regarding internal consistency that really do matter. These are the things that your readers will pick up on and remember even after they've finished the book.
Rules of the Universe
Know the physical rules and laws of your universe. Record them. Memorize them. Following the rules of the universe is a tip for writers of any genre, but breaking said rules results in differing consequences depending on the genre. If you bend or break a given rule in a strictly standard fiction, your readers may notice but be a bit forgiving so long as it's infrequent. If you make this mistake in a fantasy novel, watch out. Not only will there be a dip in believability, but your readers will likely become irritated and more critical as they continue flipping pages, making the experience for them much less enjoyable. By sticking to the rules you set, you'll gain even more credibility for your awesome writing skills.
Writing Through the Ages
Historical fiction novels and even standard fiction pieces taking place a few decades ago lend themselves to a minefield of problems: clothing, language, and objects (particularly medicine and media devices) that are downright tedious to get right. In a full-blown fantasy novel, the author can make up materials, clothes, language, and whatever they wish. So long as they stick to the rules for those things, there is no problem. But when fiction is part of reality, consistency in these things isn't just a good idea; it's a necessity. Novels that take place in the early 1700s need to reflect the era being written. The same is true even with a more modern time period like the 1950s. If you try writing a novel that takes place (in the USA) in 1959 and mention someone getting a mumps vaccine, you're in for a bashing from your readers. The bottom line? Do your homework. Writing a novel that takes place in another era can be fascinating. It can also be frustrating as heck. But if you’re dedicated to doing the research required and you respond to critiques from your beta readers, editor(s), and sensitivity readers when needed, you’ll be greatly rewarded. Well-written pieces of these genres are easily some of the best books out there! Get them right, and you'll gain serious respect from your fans.
Character Facts
By far, the most common and widespread issues has to be with character facts. Think date of birth, relations to other characters, physical features, dialect and word choice, personality traits, etc. If you make a mistake in one of these areas, your readers will notice, and you’ll likely get flogged for it. Since this has nothing to do with research (unless you're dealing with a specific mental or physical illness) and everything to do with organization, make a point to catalog every character during the planning and drafting stages when you write a book. Find a method that works for you, whether it be index cards, a spreadsheet, a writing program, or something else. Then use it as a reference point any time you add a new fact, change an existing one, or are unsure what the existing ones are with any of your characters.
Cross-reference your facts constantly. Even when you've checked and rechecked everything ten times over, go back and check again. Have your editor (who should already be looking for them) check too. An inconsistency in this area can best be described as one of those nagging thoughts in the back of your head. When readers come across one of these errors, they make a mental note of it and never forget it. So do yourself and your readers a favor by making sure to keep even the smallest of facts about your characters straight.
This is an area that I personally struggle with the most; I tend to leap first, then go back and try to undo all the knots I've created. I can tell you from experience that this isn't the best approach. All it takes is just a few knots to produce a major unwanted kink in your plot. So set the facts and adhere your story to them, not the other way around.
Internal consistency soothes readers, increases credibility and believability, and is congruent with good writing. Inconsistencies stand out like a sore thumb. Avoid them, and you'll avoid having to endure a painful sore that will blemish your otherwise beautiful masterpiece.
Why Good Writing Matters: Environment and Mood
One of the first things that usually comes to mind when writing a story is environment/setting. This is especially true for the fantasy genre, since most fantasy stories revolve around made up worlds. But for some reason, this also tends to be the one area where good writing is typically lacking.
My theory as to the source of this lack of description is the fact that many writers experience the rush of ideas, and since we can think (and picture) an environment much quicker than we can jot it down on paper or type it out in a word processor, the details end up being sparse when we finally do get it down. So how does this affect the reader's perception of a story? What other elements of a story does it affect? How can writers compensate for this rather common circumstance?
Without a decently written environment, both believability and mood of a story will suffer. If the physical environment/setting of a scene (or whole world) is hard for the reader to picture, they might get frustrated and become uninterested in the book. There are some that believe leaving the details up to the reader is a good way to connect with the reader, giving them some control. I say that idea is pure nonsense and an excuse for the author's laziness and/or lack of writing ability. As far as mood goes, it will be hard to pick up on if enough details of an environment aren't provided. The combination of conveying how a character feels along with a clear description of their surroundings and current situation can go quite a long way. It's what makes the difference between someone reading your book, and someone being engaged in it. A good book will always draw the reader in and provide a necessary escape.
In order to prevent environmental sparseness, first work to prevent the problem, then solve any traces of it that exist the best you can. Here a few handy tips:
- Keep a notebook with you wherever you go. If an idea strikes you, jot it down immediately. Include as much detail and description as you can possibly can. No matter how much you think you will remember later, it will never be as clear as the moment the idea first plants itself inside your brain.
- Make an outline of your story, including the physical environment. I know that I've reiterated this point in several blogs, but the clearer the structure of your world, the less likely you are to forget any of it or misconstrue it. Consistency = believability and credibility.
- After writing a scene, go back and edit it. Examine it both in the context of the whole story and the surrounding scenes. Try to approach it as someone who has never seen the text before, then fill in the missing pieces. Add detail as necessary and take out any repetitive material. Replace weak verbs with strong ones, and steer clear of clichéd adjectives/colors.
- Use the added features to enhance the mood of the scene. Especially when combined with sensory details, well-written context of a setting can convey a strong mood and clear emotions of characters involved. When achieved, the reader will be completely immersed the text.
- Have someone else whom you trust, who hasn't yet seen the scene/story, take a look at the piece. Ask them for specific feedback and if there are any places where the description is lacking.
- If you have a whole story or several scenes that require editing, break it down into manageable chunks. Set deadlines for yourself to work on them, and have someone hold you accountable for those deadlines.
Expect to do a lot of rewrites. No writing is good writing the first time around. It takes many, many drafts and attempts at editing to get a piece exactly right, even if it's just one scene. Preventative measures for bad writing are the most effective of course, but edits will always be necessary eventually. As Dory from the movie Finding Nemo might say: Just keep writing, just keep writing.
Why Good Writing Matters: Plot Structure
Details in a story are everything. They make a story unique and give it life. But without a proper plot, there is no story. The book becomes meaningless. Plot is one of the first things to consider when deciding to craft a work of fiction.
Everyone knows from early elementary school days the basic structure of a plot. You start with the opening, or exposition, have some rising action, a climax, falling action, then the ending, or denouement. But what they don't teach you in elementary school is that you can tweak that basic structure to your advantage. You can bend the lines and change its shape to capture a reader's attention and suck them in to the story, rather than showing it to them.
It's true the following that basic structure is a good rule of thumb as a guideline. But consider the following: You open a book, and the first few pages go on to describe the main character, his/her age, name, situation, etc. Essentially, a "Here's who I am and why my life story is worth telling," scenario. It may follow the structure of a plot, but it isn't a good opening. Agents don't like it, and neither do readers. Why? It's clichéd and doesn't hold most reader's interest. So what can you do to bend the rules a bit so that your opening is both intriguing but follows the basic guidelines?
1. Tweak the structure.
Use the exciting parts to your advantage. Jump right into the action, and explain the situation as you go. This doesn't mean forgoing the guideline altogether either. A common method to this approach is to start with a fight scene and then go back and explain how the main character arrived at that particular situation. But that isn't the only option you have. You can start the character just about anywhere and in any situation as long as there is some action taking place. This could be as simple as a party, a vacation, school, or what have you. Just make sure that no matter where you start, it has some unique element, something that will hold the reader's attention and make them say, "Hmm. I want to read more." For example, have something go horribly wrong at the location, have someone unexpected show up that causes a commotion, anything out of the ordinary. A unique opening is an interesting opening. You want to avoid the classic clichéd opening and a dramatic introduction completely. Those kinds of beginnings are incredibly overdone.
After you develop a beginning to your story that hooks your readers, continue to follow the standard plot structure. Subplots and extra action along the way are, of course, encouraged. The more you have, the more likely the story is to keep a reader's interest. However, if you develop a rather complex plot, you'll need a way to keep track of it. Consistency is one of the most important things in holding a good plot after all.
2. Use outlines to keep your story straight.
In a previous blog, "Maps are Key," I mentioned using maps and outlines to keep one's story straight. I highly recommend this method, particularly if you're going to have a complex plot. It's generally a good idea to start out with a loose outline of your story. Include the main points of the plot, get a list of main characters together, and perhaps briefly outline what you want to achieve by telling the story. Every good story has a point to it, whether it's a moral statement (usually found in children's books), a good vs. evil battle, or a simple story to convey change in a character (usually reserved for short stories, though not always). If you don't know the reason for telling the story, the reader won't either, and the effectiveness of your writing will suffer.
3. Use details to enhance the plot.
Details really do make a world of difference. You can have a fantastic idea for a book and a captivating plot, but if it isn't written well, the story will be worthless. Sure, you might pick up a few fans here and there that don't really care about how well-written a piece is, but the book will never be what I would consider a good book, a true piece of literature. I realize that may sound rather harsh, and there are certainly those who disagree with me. But if you're going to take the time to do something, like write a book, then why not take the time to do it right?
This poses the question: How does one create a well-written story? Apart from good grammar and a stellar plot, if you examine any good book, you'll see that details play a big part. Without details, there are no hints at what is to come, no twists, turns, or surprises, and certainly no colorful imagery. Use details in your writing to bring your story to life. Make every scene that you write count. Craft the words in such a way that they are appropriate for the scene and the voice of the story. Use variation to make them flow well and heighten the mood you are trying to establish.
Good writing is an art form. The words flow easily and have a wonderful, musical rhythm to them. The words will seem very naturally structured. However, a good author will strategically place, words, scenes, and all other content to form that piece of art. They know how to strike just the right balance using flow of the words and well-placed content.