Storylab Week 14: Writer's Write

Writer’s Write

Two articles that I read in Writer’s Write include “6 Tips & Tricks for Writing Scene Transitions” by Mia Botha and “Don’t Commit These 9 Fiction-Writing Crimes” by Alex J. Coyne. I found much guidance after reading these articles, and would want to share a few of those with you.

I read the article, “6 Tips & Tricks for Writing Scene Transitions” by Mia Botha. The first tip that I found quite interesting was “Arrive late, leave early” – a slight hint at what might happen. A metaphor “of throwing a grenade and leaving” the reader to know exactly what happened. I have noticed that quite a lot in stories but never could quite put a hand to what the technique was called. Another simple but very strong one was, “Establish where they are” – often sometimes even the small details that may seem like common sense aren’t established. A reader should be able to picture where the characters are at in the moment.

6 Tips & Tricks For Writing Scene Transitions | Writers Write

I also read the article, “Don’t Commit These 9 Fiction-Writing Crimes” by Alex J. Coyne. I found it so fascinating that contrary to most things I have been told, the article states, “Over Describing Scenes & Settings” is something you should avoid at all costs. I think it does take away from the actual content of the story and the meaning when there are pages of descriptions. Along with that you do not want to “Under-Describing Scenes & Settings” because it could cause confusion to the readers. So somewhere in between both of those is justified. I also really enjoyed, “Hanging Threads (Or Unanswered Questions), because you shouldn’t just create suspense but also explain because you may feel as a reader so many things unexplained. While it is good to create stimulation in the readers mind, you do not want to get caught up in leaving to many unanswered questions.

Don't Commit These 9 Fiction-Writing Crimes | Writers Write

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