Rules vs. Tools by Deborah Raney

Deborah Raney

Chances are, if you’ve attended more than a handful of workshops on the craft of writing, you’ve come away with your head spinning with new “rules and regulations” about how to write correctly. Worse, you’ve probably received conflicting advice from instructors you admire and respect equally.

Or perhaps you’re one of those rebels who don’t like rules. Besides, you say, readers don’t care about the so-called rules, or the craft of writing! They just want a rip-roaring good story.

Saying readers don't care about craft is like saying airline passengers don't care about aerodynamics. They do care, they simply trust that the person responsible for their particular flight knows how to harness aerodynamics in a way that allows them to enjoy the ride without giving a thought to aerodynamics.

Robert McKee, author of Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting says this:
"Story is about principles, not rules. A rule says, 'You must do it this way.' A principle says, 'This works…and has through all remembered time.' The difference is crucial. … Anxious, inexperienced writers obey rules. Rebellious, unschooled writers break rules. Artists master the form."

You’ve probably heard it said that you must know the rules before you can break them. I believe many of the current conventions of writing––no-head-hopping, show-don't-tell, "invisible" attributions, judicious use of adverbs and adjectives, and the myriad other so-called rules of writing––are in fact the principles, of which McKee speaks. They’ve become “rules” because they are a means to the end of writing a story that engages readers and keeps the pages turning.

The no-head-hopping rule keeps the reader from being confused and allows her to go deep in one POV––the one deemed most important by the author––thus developing characterization and reader engagement.

The show-don't-tell rule turns a "story" into a film-like experience, setting the stage and giving the details of a scene in a way that makes the reader feel she is actually involved in the story.

The invisible attributions rule (get rid of attributions where possible; prefer said over retorted, exclaimed, etc.) helps the dialogue read more like a script, again, putting the scene onstage and, more importantly, forcing the author to write dialogue a reader can't help but "hear" with the right inflection. Minimizing attributions also allows for more beats, so the reader can more easily picture the action of the scene.

Judicious use of adverbs and adjectives forces the writer to use more active and specific verbs (which in turn, improves vocabulary and avoids repetition and redundancy.)

The rules of writing could more accurately be called tools of writing. As with any craft, when you are first learning to use the tools, they make the job a thousand times more difficult. But once you’ve mastered the tools, they make your job as a craftsman—and as a writer—infinitely easier. Because every legitimate writing "rule" exists for one reason: to help the writer accomplish what readers DO care about––a compelling story full of characters they care deeply about.

So instead of letting the rules of writing––and the contradicting advice you’re bound to encounter––bog you down, instead view those rules as tools of the craft. Some will serve you well, others you’ll purposefully choose to ignore, and a few you’ll use in creative ways that work perfectly for you. Because that’s what artists do.

About the Author

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched her writing career after twenty happy years as a stay-at-home mom. She is currently writing a new five-book series, the The Chicory Inn Novels. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, recently traded small-town life in Kansas––the setting of many of Deb's novels––for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita. They love traveling to visit four children and five grandchildren who all live much too far away. Deb loves to connect with her readers at:
http://www.deborahraney.com
https://www.facebook.com/deborah.raney
https://twitter.com/authordebraney
http://amazon.com/author/deborahraney
http://www.pinterest.com/deborahraney/

JANUARY BRIDE

What will happen when novelist Madeleine Houser’s “pen pal” friendship with a lonely

A January Bride by Deborah Raney

widower takes an unexpected turn?

Who can work in a house that's overrun by contractors and carpenters? Not Madeleine Houser, a successful novelist who gladly accepts the help of her octogenarian friend, Ginny, to arrange for a temporary office in the charming bed and breakfast owned by Ginny's friend, Arthur. Maddie’s never met the innkeeper—but a friendship grows between them as Maddie and Arthur leave messages for each other each day. To Maddie’s alternate delight and chagrin, she seems to be falling for the inn’s owner—a man who's likely many years her senior—and who she’s never even met.

Arthur Tyler is a college professor who lost his young wife to cancer. Together they ran the bed and breakfast where Art lives, but without his wife, the house is missing warmth and cheer. He jumps at the chance to have author Madeleine Houser use the space that was once filled with guests. He, too, begins to enjoy the daily exchanges with Maddie, but a series of misunderstandings lead him to believe she’s far from being a prospective date—even if he were ready to date again, which he’s not.

When Maddie and Art finally meet and discover one another’s identity, sparks fly. Even so, they each have obstacles to overcome in order for this winter romance to blossom.

Winter Brides  Three novellas by Denise Hunter,  Betsy St. Amant, and  A January Bride by Deborah Raney	Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney #2 in The Chickory Inn Novels

Burying Old Bones with Deep POV by Tanya Stowe

Tanya Stowe

Hey, writers! Are you old enough to remember being taught to use two spaces after punctuation? Or to use plenty of detailed description? (Oh, the adjectives.) Writing trends and expectations keep changing. Even now, the phrases "she thought" or "he wondered" are being phased out as editors prefer deep POV. Today's guest, Tanya Stowe, offers some insightful tidbits on deep POV. Read on! ~ Annette

Burying Old Bones with Deep POV

by Tanya Stowe

I’m a dinosaur. I thought when I reached fifty that I’d arrived at the status of a collectible, but now I know I go much further back.

I started writing when the classic form was still popular. Narrative methods were used—maybe overused—and author insertion worked. As a dutiful student, I learned to think and write as an author “observer.” Even though I was considered a bit of a groundbreaker with my scenes starting in the middle of action and dialogue, I still found myself garnering comments like “too passive, be more active” or the dreaded “show don’t tell.”

With the onset of e-Publishing, readers have an expectation of faster reads with even more immediacy. As an e-Published author, I knew it was time to shed those old “dino” bones and raise my writing to a new level. But where to start?

I belong to a writers’ organization that does a very good job of educating its up and coming writers. At many conferences and online classes I’d attended workshops about deep point of view. Old-timer and experienced writer that I am, I naturally assumed deep POV meant getting deep into the psyche of your characters.

And that, dear friends, is why my old bones were rattling!

I jumped into some serious research on deep POV and found that it’s definitely about delving into your character, but it’s much more. The technique tells the story from the protagonist’s stream of consciousness, revealing events from inside, through the character’s thoughts and actions.

With deep POV, the character unfolds different personality traits through quirky thoughts, repetitive actions or intense internal reactions with opposing external actions. Imagine the explosion going on inside James Bond as he delivers one of his one-line comebacks to the bad guys! Or maybe Mr. Bond really is just as calm on the inside as the outside. With the use of deep POV, the possibilities for rich, multi-dimensional characters are endless.

Deep POV is great for characterization but it also makes the story more immediate by eliminating the insertion of the author’s thoughts and presence in the middle of the story. No outside narrator exists between the reader and the protagonist. The reader lives the story as if she is the protagonist.

But be careful. Deep POV is not a continuous stream of conscious monologue. That can be as boring and off-putting as author intrusion. An occasional word or phrase in italics accentuates deep POV and brings depth, insight, or emotion to a scene.  It doesn’t eliminate the need for good descriptions or snappy dialogue but deep POV will eliminate almost all of those pesky “show-don’t-tell” pop-ups that can plague even the best of writers.

Personally, I’m counting on deep POV to bury some bones so deep they never come back to the surface.

Tender Trust

~~~~~

Tender Trust

Alex Marsden dragged Penny Layton out of the gutter and promised her a happily-ever-after love with a house and a white-picket fence. But the Civil War changed their paths. Separated twice by circumstances beyond their control, Penny learned to survive on her own, but lost hope. Five years later when Alex miraculously returns to her, Penny doesn't believe in happy endings or miracles. Will Alex's faith and love be strong enough to drag Penny out of the gutter one more time?

~~~~~

Tanya Stowe is an author of Christian fiction with an unexpected edge. She fills her stories with the unusual…gifts of the spirit and miracles, mysteries and exotic travel, even an angel or two. No matter where Tanya takes you…on a journey to the Old West or to contemporary adventures in foreign lands…be prepared for the extraordinary. Connect with Tayna here: 

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Rhetorical Devices

Hey everyone, Annette here this Grammar-O Wednesday. Thanks for praying for Ocieanna. Please continue as she recovers from a cardiac arrest in January.

Are we ready to glean some great grammar tools? (Ooooh, I just demonstrated a rhetorical device. Can you name it?) Let's dive into today's topic.

I sat in on a workshop a few years ago and learned about anaphora, a rhetorical device of purposely repeating the same word or phrase. You've no-doubt seen this or used it in your own writing:

She didn’t see how choosing surrender could lead to life. She didn’t see how dying could mean living. She didn’t see how losing herself in Jesus could mean finding herself.

[Note, if you only repeat twice, your editor may wonder if you’re just fond of a specific word (weasel word) and have you find a synonym or rework your sentence.]

The discovery of anaphora led to study of rhetorical devices in general. You may be asking, how are these grammar relevant? Well, grammar is defined as: the study of the way the sentences of a language are constructed, so since rhetorical devices affect sentence structures (they’re really just strategic ways of communicating in writing or speaking), this is a great topic for this Grammar-O Wednesday.

You run into rhetorical devices everywhere. Here are a few examples:

Alliteration: using words with the same initial consonant sound: She slipped swiftly down South Hill (A little overkill, but you get the idea. The use of two words applies, as well. The point is to cause the phrase to remain in the reader’s mind.)

Onomatopoeia: pronunciation of a word demonstrates the sound the word describes: crash, ring, buzz

Personification: to depict inanimate objects as having human traits: The truck sputtered and choked.

Which ones are your favorites? Raise your hand if you know more than twenty. Thirty? I’m guessing we could all use a refresher course on these literary devices we’ve likely seen before but have been unable to name. Why not study rhetorical devices (I’ve included a link below) and begin using more of them in your own writing? Of course, don’t overdo it. But you have to know what they are and how to use them before you can use them accurately. By the way, simile and metaphor are also rhetorical devices.

Here’s a link to a handy guide of sixty rhetorical devices. I like this site because it seems thorough, and they often use Scripture as examples. Yesterday, remember how I spoke of freebies for writers, this link is one of them. *smile*

Challenge of the week: choose a rhetorical device (or two) and include it (them) in your WIP. Enjoy!