Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Fiction Novel Writing

There's no magic to writing a good novel. Anyoneexplanation-that can come later, if necessary. But
can master it, simply by following the rules. Hereyou've begun your story with straight action, and
are five of the most important ones. Follow themyou've also cleverly told your readers a few
and your fiction writing will instantly improve.important things without actually "telling" them.
1. Seek and Destroy "As"3. Remember That Emotion is Plot, Too
In fiction writing, events are nearly alwaysWhy do some novels leave us cold? Usually it's
presented sequentially. In other words, evenbecause we don't really care about the
though in real life things often happen at the samecharacters. Why don't we care about them?
time, in the more orderly world of writing a novel,Because we don't really know how they FEEL.
things nearly always happen one at a time. ThisOn this great big complicated planet, the one thing
principal applies to all aspects of your novel'swe KNOW we have in common with all other
action, from the macro to the micro.human beings is feelings! Feelings are universal, the
Many beginning (and some more advanced)way we all connect with one another. So the way
writers instinctively use the "as" construction:to make the vital connection to your readers-the
She smiled as she took his hand.connection that makes them keep reading, that
Jerry ran to the door as someone startedmakes them remember your novel long after
pounding on it.they've finished it-is to make them feel your
The two examples above are poor fiction writingcharacters' feelings.
for two separate reasons. The first example isHow do you do this? It's a two-step process.
poor because it is not sequential. Readers prefer(1) Make sure you include the feeling in the first
sequential. So it's better to write: She took hisplace. Believe it or not, many novelists don't
hand and smiled or She smiled and took his hand.bother even to include the fact that their
This may sound minor, but it's not. Trust me. Thecharacters react to events in the story, that
example about Jerry is bad because it violatescharacters FEEL things as a result of things that
cause-and-effect writing, another requisite ofhappen. These novelists believe that should be
good fiction. In real life, things don't always happenunderstood, or that it's "old-fashioned" or "uncool"
for a reason. In fiction, they do. So Jerry shouldto include feelings about things. Nothing could be
be running to the door BECAUSE he has heardfurther from the truth.
someone pounding on it.So the first thing you should do, though it sounds
First he should hear the pounding; then he shouldobvious, is to remember to have your characters
run to the door. So you should write:HAVE feelings in the first place. Remember, how
Someone pounded on the door. Jerry rushed tocharacters feel is legitimate "action" in a novel.
open it.(2) Express how the character feels this feeling
Perhaps it would have been enough for me justby SHOWING his or her reaction to it. For
to tell you that using "as," whatever the reason, isinstance, don't just say a character is furious.
considered by agents and editors to be a classicShow the character doing what it would be in
amateurism. Getting rid of it is an easy way tocharacter for her to do when she's furious. Don't
ratchet up your novel writing skills a notch or two.just say a character is depressed. Have this
2. Keep Background Out of Chapter Onecharacter tell another character how he feels.
Nearly every manuscript I reject is guilty of theRemember, emotion is as emotion DOES.
same sin: presenting character background right at4. Limit the Most Common Gesture Tags
the start of the story. Many beginning novelistsGesture tags are the movements a character
believe that readers won't be able to follow amakes during dialogue. The most common among
story, or be interested in following it, if they don'tnewcomers' manuscripts are "he nodded," "she
know as much as possible about a character'sshook her head," "he shrugged," "she smiled," "he
background, or about the events leading right upfrowned." These tags are OK once in a while, but
to this moment. These writers are mistaken.overusing them will label you as an amateur.
How many films do we see that begin with aWhatever you do, don't use a tag and then
rousing action sequence? We're grabbed, yet werepeat its message through dialogue-another
don't know much about the character who is theamateurism. For example:
subject of this scene. There's no time for us to!He shrugged. "I don't know."or
The same principle applies to novels: Grab your"No," she said, shaking her head.
reader with action. WRITE THE SCENE AS IF THE5. End Your Sections Crisply, and Where They
READER ALREADY KNEW THE CHARACTER'SShould End
BACKGROUND AND THE EVENTS LEADING UPA section should end when the action it was
TO THIS MOMENT. Then, once your readers arecreated to show has been played out. Don't keep
hooked, tell them, as concisely and in the smallestgoing for the sake of-keeping going!
pieces possible, only what they need to knowFor example, if Jonathan has come to Marilyn's
WHEN THEY NEED TO KNOW IT TOapartment to try to convince her to accompany
UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING.him on his business trip to Rome, and Marilyn not
Here's an example. At the beginning of your novel,only tells him no but also informs him that she's
your lead, a young woman named Beth, isdecided to break up with him, have Jonathan
returning home from college for the Christmasleave the apartment, maybe show his emotion
holiday. Without giving any background, have herBRIEFLY through some action (see #3 above),
enter the house and feel a sick feeling in the pitand bring down the curtain.
of her stomach. Uh-oh, we don't know why sheDon't show him wandering the streets, wondering
has this feeling. (You know it's because she haswhere their relationship went wrong, stopping in at
never gotten along with her mother, and in facta bar to drown his sorrows. All of that rightfully
left for school in the middle of a violentbelongs in a REACTION section, a completely
argument.)separate story unit entirely. It's important to
You'd better clue the reader in. But do you reallyknow where the action section (Marilyn telling
have to do so by means of the usual straightJonathan no) ends and the reaction section
background exposition? It's better if you can find(Jonathan wondering, wandering, drinking) begins.
another way. How about SHOWING the mother(The whole concept of action and reaction
react in a hostile manner to Beth as she enterssections is presented in detail in my books The
the house; perhaps her mother comes to theMarshall Plan® for Novel Writing and The
head of the stairs to see who has come in, herMarshall Plan® Workbook, and in The Marshall
face freezes, she gives Beth a cold hello and thenPlan® Novel Writing Software, which I
returns to her room. Beth, for her part, doesn'tcoauthored with Martha Jewett.)
even respond. Then why is she here at all? youGo through a manuscript you've already written
wonder. For her father, who we now find out BYand see if you can implement any or all of these
YOUR SHOWING US that he's sick with cancer intechniques. Keep them in mind as you write new
the bedroom the family has set up for himmaterial.
downstairs in what was once the den.I guarantee your writing will be better for it.
Notice that we still have not received any straight