Tag Archives: guthrie

Simple Rules to Writing a Great Novel

Posted on December 17, 2013 | 2 comments

Writing_A_Great_Novel

For the past 32 weeks, we’ve been discussing Guthrie’s 32 Rules to Writing A Great Novel. Here is a handy-dandy list of all the articles and links to them, all in one place.

This is a great time to review, especially if you are editing your manuscript.

Please let me know which one you found the most helpful, or if you think this guy is just off his rocker. 🙂

Enjoy!

And Happy Editing!

01- Writing is Subjective – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1yw

02- Oblique Dialog – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1An

03- Whatsa Strong Verb? – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1AK

04- Easy on the Adjectives – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1B8

05- Two for One is not always a good thing – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Bc

06- The shorter the better – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Cd

07- Once is enough, Thank you very much. – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Ci

08- Show, Don’t Tell – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Cl

09- Just the facts, Ma’am – The important facts – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Cp

10- Don’t be cute – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Eg

11- Sound like a writer, without SOUNDING like a writer – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1El

12- Who’s talking now? – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1El

13- Yep. Your Write. Ya gotta change it. – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Ff

14- Stop “saying” things – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Fk

15- They’re not psychic – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Fq

16- Come late, leave early – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1H0

17- Don’t dump on me! – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1H2

18- Goals, anyone? – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1HL

19- Don’t sleep with him/her – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1HP

20- Go ahead, torture ’em! – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1HR

21- The stinkier the better – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1HT

22- The long and short of it – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1IP

23- Stop being all proper – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Ke

24- Stop feeling! And no thinking! – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Kp

25- Don’t repeat the tense – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Kt

26- Cut your weakest player – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1Ky

27- Plant Vegetables, not information – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1KD

28- Keep it to yourself, Jerk! – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1KG

29- No happy shruggers – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1KK

30- Pronouns. Tricky little suckers – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1KM

31- Shoot him later – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1KO

32- Forget about it – http://wp.me/p1HIMV-1KQ

2 Comments

Posted in Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make, General Writing Tips

Tagged author, Book, guthrie, jennier eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Writer, Writer Resources, writing, writing a great novel

Make it Stink. Ain’t nothing wrong with smelly stuff — Rule #21 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

Posted on September 24, 2013 | 5 comments

I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #21

21: Use all five senses in your descriptions. Smell and touch are too often neglected.

Wave that banner high and don’t forget about it. So many times I have been stuck, needing that little extra “umph” in a scene. Adding that little bit of extra sensory perception into a scene is awesome for really engaging your reader.

For instance, the smell of popcorn when you enter a movie theater. The fragrance of roses dancing on the breeze. The gritty surface biting into her flesh.

I don’t think there’s a better method of really engaging your reader than NAILING the sensory perceptions.

Do you have a favorite sensory perception? How about a great example ina book your reading?

Pleonasms … (wordznerd.wordpress.com)

5 Comments

Posted in General Writing Tips

Tagged critique, editing, guthrie, how to write a novel, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Perception, Pleonasm, Sense, Sound, Taste, writing a great novel, writing advice, writing tips

Torture Your Protagonist Rule #20 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

Posted on September 17, 2013 | 30 comments

I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #20

20: Torture your protagonist. It’s not enough for him to be stuck up a tree. You must throw rocks at him while he figures out how to get down.

I just love this one. Honestly, I fought this for a while in one of my novels. I just loved that poor little MC so much. My beta partner screamed at me to torture him, but I couldn’t.

Of course, now I have grown. If he has to get across the street, he will have to weave in and out of umpteen explosions as the alien bear down on him, only to get to the other side to be caught in a tractor beam, and while he is immobilized, his girlfriend gets beaten up by an alien…. Okay, that’s not a real plotline of one of my books (yet-Tee hee) but you get the picture.

Easy is boring. Never make it easy. This goes back into adding conflict. Each time you sit down think: “How am I going to torture him/her today?”

And then don’t be all nice and wuss out. LET HIM/HER HAVE IT! They will forgive you after they get their happy ending.

Pleonasms … (wordznerd.wordpress.com)
Hero Character? Or Hapless Victim? (editingaddict.com)

30 Comments

Posted in General Writing Tips

Tagged Book, critique, editing, guthrie, how to write a novel, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Pleonasm, Torture, writing a great novel, writing advice, writing tips

Don’t sleep with him/her? Rule #19 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

Posted on September 10, 2013 | 14 comments

I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #19

19: Don’t allow characters who are sexually attracted to one another the opportunity to get into bed. Unless at least one of them has a jealous partner.

Umm…. What?

I’m staring at this, and trying to think about novels that were good, where there was a little bedroom time, but no jealous lover.

I have to admit… there are a lot… and they are fine. A sexual triangle just is not the main conflict of the story.

Sometimes the strong relationship between two characters makes the overall conflict (not necessarily a jealous partner) a deeper conflict, because the characters really care about each other.

Maybe Allen Guthrie has never read a romance novel? Maybe he just doesn’t like to read bedroom scenes?

What’s your take on this?

Pleonasms … (wordznerd.wordpress.com)

Fantasy Fans Drawn into a World of Werewolves in New Riveting Fiction (prweb.com)
Life Is Like A Romance Novel (pennydreadfulbooks.wordpress.com)
Review: GUARDED DESIRES by Lexxie Couper (pearlsworldofromance.wordpress.com)
Book Review – Beneath The Surface (leannecrabtree.wordpress.com)

14 Comments

Posted in General Writing Tips

Tagged Cattle prod, Chats and Forums, critique, editing, Fiction, guthrie, how to write a novel, jennifer M. Eaton, Literature, Pleonasm, Romance, Romance novel, Sexual attraction, writing a great novel, writing advice, writing tips

Goals and Obstacles in every scene – Rule #18 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

Posted on September 3, 2013 | 8 comments

I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #18

18: Give your characters clear goals. Always. Every scene. And provide obstacles to those goals. Always. Every scene. If the POV character in a scene does not have a goal, provide one or cut the scene. If there is no obstacle, add one or cut the scene.

I have talked about this with almost every beta partner I ever had. Why? Because my first few beta partners spoke to me about this, and when I started listening, things started coming together for me.

This is where we start having to ax out “Little Darlings” – those scenes where two characters have a nice conversation, but NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENS.

Make sure every scene has conflict, and if it doesn’t chop it out. If it is important to you, you can always post it as an “extra” on your website. [Smile]

Pleonasms … (wordznerd.wordpress.com)

8 Comments

Posted in General Writing Tips

Tagged Cattle prod, critique, editing, Games, guthrie, how to write a novel, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, little darlings, Pleonasm, writing a great novel, writing advice, writing tips

Tag Archives: guthrie

Simple Rules to Writing a Great Novel

Enjoy!

And Happy Editing!

Make it Stink. Ain’t nothing wrong with smelly stuff — Rule #21 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #21

Related articles

Torture Your Protagonist Rule #20 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #20

Related articles

Don’t sleep with him/her? Rule #19 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #19

Related articles

Goals and Obstacles in every scene – Rule #18 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #18

Related articles

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