Purple Prose I’m guilty of this, I have to admit. I love words. I love language. Sometimes I get so carried away with descriptors I forget about advancing the plot, and sharpening prose to a keen edge. So, when I go back to a piece some weeks or months after writing the first draft, I set aside my love affair with the story and words, and become the clinician. There is one rule: Use one…

Point of view and environmental detail Too often I receive a manuscript without a strong and consistent point of view. Writers, particularly novices, tend to shilly-shally about with point of view, narrating their story from a cool and distant omniscient perspective so that the reader falls into Tina Toughie’s thoughts, and then Excellent Elizabeth’s. And worse, the author then goes on to describe the weather some fifty kilometres distant. My comment to the author at…

Redundant detail in describing body parts, and attributing action There seems to be a preoccupation among writers to describe the colour of eyes. Perhaps this is because eyes play such an essential role in communication for the sighted. In crafting a story, however, it’s crucial to ask oneself if this information is necessary to the advancement of the plot, or to the development of character. I think if you answer that constant query honestly, you’ll…

Common Errors in Fiction Manuscripts In varying degrees I’ve previously written how to prepare a manuscript for submission to Five Rivers. Given the experience both Robert and I have had over the past few years, an updated discussion of some items to watch when submitting fiction seems warranted. In the next few posts I will address the nine problems we encounter most frequently: The use of passive rather than active verbs Redundant detail in describing…