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Writing taboos and the twelve precepts of writers

First, don't let the description stop your narrative, no matter how beautiful the pen is.

The author of the novel must keep this in mind and not overdescribe anything, whether it's the Teton Mountains, the sunset, or the zebras on Waikiki Beach. Otherwise, the strength of your narrative will suffer, and you will also create a dangerous gap in the reader's attention. Remember Ellemo. Renard's golden words: "I always try to get rid of what the reader will skip over." "Readers do want to skip what doesn't work.

The second taboo is not to waste too much time describing unimportant environments.

Novelist David. Rogie once declared, "A description in a good novel is more than just a description." The danger of most background depictions is that a flurry of beautiful declarative sentences and interruptions in the narrative push the reader into a lethargic situation. "Remember Rogi's aphorism, type it on a slip of paper and stick it in front of your computer or typewriter"Descriptions in a good novel are more than just descriptions. ”

The third taboo is not to waste the reader's attention on an inconsequential matter. This is the most common mistake people make.

The fourth taboo is not to generalize, but to be specific.

No one said it better about the taboo generalization of writing than the great Russian writer Chehev. In one of his letters, he admonished a writer friend to avoid generalizations and generalizations: "I think that the true description of nature should be rather brief and relevant to the subject. Cliché depictions should be avoided, such as 'the sunset bathed in the spray of the black sea, the purple golden light pouring down, and so on.' When depicting nature, it is important to grasp the details and to such an extent that you can still see the scene you are describing even with your eyes closed.

So when you sit down to write, remember that it's not "a drink" but "a martini", not "a dog" but "a poodle", not "a bouquet of flowers" but "a bouquet of roses", not "a skier" but "a budding young girl", not "a hat" but "a high-crowned hat", not "a cat" but "an Abyssinian cat", not "a gun" but "a 0". The new automatic pistol of 44 caliber "is not "a painting", but "Manet's" Olympia.

Combining the description of the four taboos with the golden and jade words of Chehefu, we get a rule that all good authors should follow when describing, be specific!

You need to be able to accurately depict the scenes and make them believable as they go about their daily work in their own country of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. - Ravel Spencer.

"How do you make things seem real?" is actually a compliment to a writer when asked about it. If someone further says to him, "I feel like I'm there, I can hear, smell, feel these places, it's like walking into the pages of a novel," then what he is giving the reader is truly extraordinary. When I was asked the same question, my answer was "with the help of the five senses." Some writers don't realize that the reader's five senses should be used to achieve a sense of authenticity. It's common to use the reader's visual senses, but how many times have you used the reader's sense of smell, hearing, touch, or taste, except in conversation? I started writing in '97 and still have five words on the wall of my office: see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. Whenever I write, I refer to this chart and consciously write something with a smell. In fact, some disgusting things have a miraculous effect when it comes to creating a sense of realism.

Think about when a person opens the floor of the refrigerator. That rotten fruity taste, when a man peels a bear's skin. The rancid fat when a woman fills up a tank at an unmanned gas station. Your hands will smell of gasoline. It's not enough to mention the flavor at the beginning of the story. When narrating the plot. You'll have to refer to that table over and over again. Let's imagine this. A man and a woman are arguing about something. The man rushed from the doorway all the way to the kitchen. Yelling at the woman, "I can't stand your mom living with us anymore." The old lady had to move out before I returned. Otherwise, I'll leave this house!" I can make a woman bake pumpkin pie with a sweet, warm taste. It reminds people of happy times like Thanksgiving). But if you add the smell of pickled spices and vinegar. This scene is allegorical. I will at some point have the reader imagine the smell: "I solemnly warn you. Laura. With her without me. With me without her!" he said. It's as sour as the floor in the kitchen. Don't forget. At the time of the quarrel. Laura was still filling the jar with vegetables. When she's loud and noisy. May burn your hands. Then reach into cold water and rinse. Of course. She may also be pouring salt water into the dish. And sprinkled it all over the ground. Then also wipe it clean. She also dried her hands on a cheesecloth apron. She can wipe hot ground from the forehead. Itchy) on the sweat that runs down the ground. She could shout. While waving the spoon in his hand hard. wood-shanked). And threw it at the man. These enhance the visuals. When the quarrel gets more and more intense. What might you hear? Is there a dog sneaking in? Drink water from a tin pan?

Is there a car on the road that is clicking, is there the sound of children playing in the yard next door, is there water boiling on the stove? Is it tinkling? How hot is the water? Do you tell the reader the temperature? Does the heroine of the novel put a cup of iced tea or iced coffee next to the vegetable can? The argument ends with a manly rush out. But the problem has not been solved. At this time. Whether the heroine picks up the cup or not. Sip iced coffee. I found the coffee to be bitter. And then he grimaced, as you can see. In a plot similar to the one described above, it is possible to evoke all five senses at the same time. But in order to be able to do that. The plot must be carefully arranged. The vast majority of plots are not written with all five senses, especially the taste, which is the most difficult to write). But you can easily evoke four senses in the reader. In most episodes. It evokes at least three senses in the reader. When you are skeptical about the authenticity of the novel's dialogue. Read your dialogue aloud. Pretend you're an actor. And say your lines in the same tone that you need on the movie screen and on stage. If it sounds blunt. Unnatural. It needs to be modified. Don't forget. The thoughts that people express in words are always unpolished. So keep the characters short. People are always asking questions one by one in life. The characters in your novel should do the same. Especially when they get to know each other. People often sigh, laugh, scratch their heads, puff out their cheeks, and scrutinize their fingernails during conversation. You also want the characters in the novel to do these actions. And to get people to do the work at the time. Continue their conversation.

Use closing words to create imagery. Consider the following two examples: "You've never liked my mother!" exclaimed Laura. She put the kettle down with a "bang". "You've never liked my mother!" Laura slammed the kettle down. The second sentence adds to the tension. Move the storyline forward faster. Removed superfluous words. Implying rather than telling the reader that Laura is shouting loudly. That's the best moment of the principle that I'm talking about. It is through these principles that I measure all my work. Nervously use fewer words at all times. I got to this point from my English teacher. At the time of my second book. There are a few episodes that I can't write down. But I can't find a reason. I gave the manuscript to the teacher. Invite her to offer criticisms and suggestions. When she told me about the rule. I'm going to apply it to my novels. Outcome. Everything becomes clear at a glance.

When the plot is tense. Use short, concise sentences. Use short words in your sentences. Use less closing. Write suddenly. When you do that. Tension can be set to arise. Compare that to this. In a plot with a more dull atmosphere. Silence and tranquility reigned everywhere. In this case, use longer sentences. Longer words. Longer paragraphs. and more concluding remarks. Doing so will naturally ease tensions. When you're conceiving a novel. It is necessary to establish a realistic attitude. It is only by observing and thinking that you can accurately paint a picture. Make the characters believable. They carry out their daily work with their inherent senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. All right. As I said earlier. Taste is the most difficult place to write into a novel. But having four out of five isn't bad.

Apply these five senses. Use sentence structure to create a slow or tense atmosphere. That way, the reader of the novel you write can't be left behind. Because they're so authentic.

Grab the excitement

For novelists, the greatest reward is to always capture that magical excitement. —Philett Whitney

There are many exciting moments in the life of a writer. If these moments are after experiencing rejection and disappointment, then it will be even more joyful. I will never forget those moments, the first time I heard the words of encouragement from my editors, the first time I saw my words printed, or the first time I had my first novel in my hands. I firmly believe that the true "peak of excitement" is everywhere for any novelist. And it's going to keep coming back because I've learned how to motivate it. I mean the wonderful moment when the first flash of light that comes to mind when a new novel is conceived. When the initial idea of a new story or novel keeps flashing, the author has a dazzling feeling, and we usually feel that this is going to be the best work we have ever written.

This wonderful feeling may come up in a few moments, and I will carry it with me for days or weeks. The flashes of these thoughts gathered so many strange brilliances that it seemed to flicker constantly by some kind of magic.

So I wrote them down. I'm always happy to write the beginning of one story after another, but only occasionally finish a full story. I was never as good as I had dreamed of, and I was so anxious that I lost interest when I realized that I was just giving the story a start and had to move it on. The magic was gone, and I kept giving up on the stories.

I envy the kind of writer who can follow the original idea and develop it into a novel. But I can't do it overnight, so I have to be clear about the direction of my writing before I start writing. I've found some proven ways to protect those original flashes and keep them shining or reappearing. I found myself that by the time I got to about 30 pages, if I could still maintain my initial state of excitement, my interest would be highly aroused until I finished the work.

How long the initial euphoria lasts varies depending on how long it lasts. I take some time to design the characters in my notebook, collect the bits and pieces of the plot, clarify my writing direction, or scribble down what has come to mind until the moment comes when I have to write. That moment always came before I was fully designed, and I never turned down that push, at least I could start my story first. To reward myself, I usually start with a few pages, which is good for the continuity of the writing, and it helps me to get back to the idea of the characters and plot at any time.

As I flipped through the completed section again, the feeling of pleasure came back to me, and I wished that a reader could share these beautiful words with me. I don't expect a lot at once, but I do want to be praised and recognized, even though I know I'm the worst judge of these works, because I'm so caught up in the creation that I can't see its shortcomings

Usually the readers I choose are well-versed in the rules, and they will give me encouragement and gentle advice so that I don't get carried away. Sooner or later, I'll re-read the first chapter to see if I can change it better after thinking about it. It is dangerous for the writer to ask for criticism too early, and it can easily extinguish the initial excitement. It's safer to wait until you're done writing before asking someone else to read and judge.

Now I don't have the luxury of expecting the excitement to last, and I know that it will come back again, which excites me and motivates me to keep going. To know a story of a few hundred pages is not enough for the onslaught of a wave of excitement. In the process of writing, some brilliant new ideas will turn me around, write unexpected twists and turns, and lead me to the peak of excitement again. Novelists are supposed to be emotional people, and if our writing becomes a conscious movement, the novels we write will be unremarkable.

It is also unwise to wait for a sudden burst of inspiration. When I can't write, I often ask myself what unexpected actions might the characters take in such situations, what kind of plot is both logical and unexpected? I live in my head and let the sparks of inspiration of the film keep crashing.

Let's analyze three types of excitement that are often encountered in novel writing. The first is the most important of all, the author's excitement about the story to be written, and the second is the experience of the characters in the novel when they play a special role. If you can find the dynamics that drive your characters to get excited, you've reached another level of excitement. The third type of excitement is about the reader. If both you and the characters are in high spirits, then the reader will also get satisfaction from your story.

The author's goal is to let the reader and the characters breathe and share the same fate. But it is not easy to keep the author's emotions high so that it takes months or even years to complete his novel. Getting bored with what is written and not having a long-term plan is the main sticking point. In order to keep my writing fresh, I made a rule for myself not to look back too much at what I had done. When I start writing every day, I only read the last few pages, and it gives me a sense of motivation to keep writing. As much as I want to know what I've done and see what it's like, I don't allow myself to go more than 5 pages or more, even for a short time.

That moment came, and when I began to believe that what I had written was nothing more than a mess, I lost interest and confidence. So I simply started reading from the beginning and worked my way up to the point where I got stuck. However, they were much better than I expected, and I was refreshed and continued to write. I found that after this browsing, I had a better understanding of the characters. This happens a lot in the process of writing a novel.

My own way is to read my novels and communicate. My purpose in reading novels is not to imitate or get new ideas, but to discover a certain emotion. My attention wanders from page to page, and when something suddenly touches my emotional strings, I can continue writing, because I can already convey that emotion to my characters. I rewrote the dry love scene and this one worked out great. I've also found a way to deal with the loss of interest and give your head new supplies.

"Anxiety" is one of the most effective ways to take advantage of it, but I don't advocate this method with negative effects, it is just a way. We can use a variety of ways to convey excitement to the reader and keep it intensifying to keep the initial flash of thought. For novelists, the greatest reward is to always capture that magical excitement.

The Suspension Tension Method in Fiction Writing

One of the tricks that make microfiction so small as it is to use the "suspense method" in the description. "Suspension tension method", also known as suspense, "selling guanzi", "setting buttons", "tying baggage", etc., is a common and very important technique in novels. In the preface to his novel What to Do, Chernyshevsky uses the "suspension tension method" by saying: "I invoke the trick of novelists to extract a few deceitful scenes from the middle or end of the novel, place them at the beginning, and put a layer of fog over them." "At the beginning of "What to Do", it is written that Ropukhov faked his suicide, which caused suspense, and then flashed back his past relationship with Vera and Gilshanov to explain the reason for his fake suicide. In fact, "suspension tension" can be used not only at the beginning, but also in the middle and even at the end. For example, the scene at the end of the movie "The Gunshots of the Secret Bureau" is Chang Liang, who accidentally shoots and kills the head of the secret service team, rescues Liu Xiaochen and Aji, and then follows the fleeing national army - who Chang Liang is, and the film does not explain until the end. This kind of "suspense" generated at the end will inevitably cause all kinds of speculation and associations from the audience. The content of the "suspension tension method" can be divided into two categories: one is that some characters in the work have "numbers" in their hearts, but the reader is completely "in the dark", allowing the reader to judge and guess the progress of the plot for himself. For example, in "Borrowing Arrows from a Grass Boat", Zhuge Liang had already predicted in his heart that there would be fog in the sky, and he could "borrow" 100,000 arrows within three days, but the reader was completely unaware and anxiously worried about Zhuge Liang's fate. The first is that the reader already knows most of the plot, while some of the characters in the work are "kept in the dark", leaving the reader's eyes wide open to see how these characters will act. For example, in "Fifteen Runs", the reader knows that Lou Arat, who stole the money, and the characters in the work do not know anything except Lou Arat, so the reader is looking forward to how this unjust case will be handled with concern? When using the "suspension tension method" in a longer novel, it is possible to tie a small "burden" in a big "burden" and tie a small "button" in a big "button", and a "suspense" one after another, pushing the contradiction and conflict to the total. The miniature novel is very short, it often only sets a small "suspense", and at the end of the description, it suddenly shakes off the "baggage", which surprises the reader, and thus receives good results. Using the "suspension tension method", first, we should pay attention to its authenticity, both "hanging" and not "mysterious", that is, we should not pretend to be mysterious, and destroy the artistic authenticity of the work; second, we should pay attention to "suspending tension" around the theme, if we "suspend tension" in the details, it will only weaken the theme of the work.

The Twelve Commandments of Writers

The writer has twelve precepts and one taboo to follow the trend: "If you don't want to repair the truth, if you are popular, you will write about the Three Kingdoms, and if you are good-looking, you will write about the Three Kingdoms." ”

2. Don't say much, "I'm not going to say much, for all writers, writing in the first person is a big taboo"

The three taboos are too simple, and there must be more descriptions of the dialogue environment and the description of the characters."

Fourth, no plagiarism, "at least the reader can't see that it is copied, and some people's works will know at a glance that it is copying the plot of Qin Ji"

Five chapters are too short: "Don't write a chapter in a way that cheats clicks, at least four or five thousand words"

Six taboos are too trembling: "It's okay to drag the play, but you must have skills, and you can't drag it out indefinitely." Try your best to explain some useful things and foreshadowing, and add the length of the chapter to the word, but if you are sleepy, don't force it, the chapter is too short, not too long. Be moderate. ”

Don't be too miscellaneous, "For example, science fiction works are better not to be combined with martial arts, and those martial arts science fiction comics that are full of fragrance are the most failures." Because they insist on balancing martial arts and sci-fi. Every novel has its central theme, science fiction is science fiction, and martial arts can appear in it, but the role played is insignificant, because it is science fiction as the theme, then everything must be explained from an angle, not martial arts. ”

The most taboo and taboo in the Eight Taboo Superman chapters, in addition to following the trend, is to make the protagonist become Superman overnight. The protagonist encounters an adventure and gets unexpected abilities, but he gets super power overnight, and the power afterwards is not strong, so how do you write to the end. ”

There are too many names of the nine taboos, "the reader will not have the patience to memorize the names of the places and names you have exemplified, and you can only slowly, very slowly) explained to the reader in the chapter, and slowly digest it." If the author is in a hurry, it will only make the reader dizzy and become a running account. ”

Ten taboo examples: "The theme setting is always for yourself, don't force the reader in the chapter to see your setting, which is like saying the ending of a book in advance, so that people lose the taste of reading." "For example, the author of the Demon Thief did not have any setting when he wrote the Demon Thief, and when he first looked at it, he thought he was writing a story about an aristocracy in the Middle Ages. Finally the magician suddenly appeared. I realized that this was a fantasy work. It gave me countless surprises, and the author did not appear for a long time from that time to the next, and more magicians made the reader interested in reading further, and the dragons and other things slowly appeared at the end, describing them one by one, rather than repeating them all at once. In other words, the author has only now made me understand what the world is like, dragons have only appeared twice until now, and I have never seen a goblin) In my mind, I have used a long pen to build that world in my own mind, and this is where he succeeded.

Eleven taboo said: "As an author, you must try your best to stand in a neutral position to see and write, so please don't write the full name of the character in the chapter, and call her a little xxx in order to save trouble, the chapter must give people a neutral and cold feeling." And the title is a title instead of a name for the sake of closeness between relatives and friends, and I have never seen that superb person use these nicknames instead of the character's name. What are you doing with the author's intimacy with his character?"

The relationship between the top and bottom of the twelve taboos is chaotic, "There are many works where the protagonist tries his best to get in touch with the characters around him", for example, when the protagonist orders the eldest brother next to him to go to something, he says, "Brother so-and-so will help me knock down what is here." Instead of "so-and-so listened to the order to knock xxx down for me." "Public and private cannot be public, and the relationship between the upper and lower levels is confused, and you see which army in the world will fight, and when you work, this is in this tone. This can only show the author's lack of social experience.

On the other hand, in many works, the author stands too obviously on the side of the protagonist, and writes about serious wars as awkward as child's play. "Ahh Who killed them all, and left a little for me!" "You good boy has defeated all the enemies, so what will I fight?" "This is like what a soldier should say! Soldier ~ the place of life and death of the country's major events. How can the relatives and friends of these protagonists be allowed to do whatever they want, and where is the military law? Make the battlefield like a child's play. - Commenting on the gains and losses of writingFirst, for an author, many novices like to use me to write, or the first person, I don't understand why they think this way. Things like Inhuman Proud World, Business Three Kingdoms, etc., gradually switched to his third person in the end. Because there are many disadvantages of this writing technique, anyone who has traveled on the Internet knows that in general, it is common to use the phrase "I will never write well, especially for novices." Therefore, many readers are not impressed with the author I am going to write, and they don't read the first page after reading it, unless they are expecting it to improve, so they endure reading it. Therefore, it is better not to use me to write, Jin Yong has not used this kind of writing technique, Huang Yi has used it once in the Great Sword Master, and then he will no longer use it, and the authors actually ask themselves, can be more powerful than these two grandmasters, I really admire.

Second, women, I don't know how many love experiences these authors have, or the ratio of men and women in China's current market is too outrageous, so that the protagonists in it have lost the character and self-esteem that a man should have, and let women beat and scold, it seems that as long as there is a girlfriend, it is enough, even if the girl makes any mistakes, I can't see the protagonist angry or whatever, this is too saintly. There are so many of them, and they all lose their character. In particular, some kings who write kings will never let anyone threaten their authority, they must be ruthless, and sometimes they must give up their beloved women to be extremely cold-blooded, but many authors insist on writing perfect love stories. There is never perfection in the world of reality or fiction, because the readers themselves do not believe in the existence of perfection, so I write this way to tell the reader that this is just my delusion? I am also a man, and 90% of the readers on the Internet are men, and if the authors want to write about love and love, they can consider writing romance novels. I don't think that the factor of love should not appear in men's books, but I see that many people have adjusted the proportion of love in the novel to a ridiculously high level, obviously it is a king's novel, and it insists on having a relationship with love, and the iron-blooded type has to make it look like a family, and it seems that women are more important than the country. The so-called fish and bear's paw cannot be both. Sometimes you have to choose between a woman and a country, but many authors insist on writing a perfect ending! The sentence of only loving beauty and not the country is classic enough, it is a satirical portrayal of these readers, and it is impossible to write it perfectly. Also, in many of them, the protagonist is too soft-hearted, at least I haven't seen a woman killed, no matter how bastard and arrogant that woman is. Alas, Wu Zetian's world [covers the sky].

Third, you can choose to skip the point lightly and take it lightly to the point of stopping, and don't describe it in detail. If you really have to write, then you can check the information, but there is no information to check love, so I advise you who have no love experience or only understand love from comics and novels, don't write hard, it will only make the rice stick to the flies.

Fourth, what should be written in detail and what should be simple, if it is empty, then it is mainly to describe the strength of the empire that has been established. As the saying goes, it is the yy of a country and not the yy of the protagonist. In my opinion, the difference between military and overhead is only historical facts and non-historical facts.

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