South Flatland Fiction

1. Start with the word, "that". Run a word search for the word "that" in your story. Eliminate the offending word if the sentence reads just as well without it. Slice the weight. Write light. Write tight.

2. Zzzzzz…. Is your reader asleep? Vary the length of your sentences. Sometimes a writer needs a simple hook to jab
   the old gray matter into remembering to add sentence
   variety for rhythm and pacing. Remember Goldilocks
   and the three bears? So--think papa bear (long sentences) mama bear (medium-length sentences) and baby bear (short, punchy sentences). Slice the weight. Write light. Write tight.

3. Run a word search for sentences beginning with "There is…", "There are…", and "The…". Such words drain
   power from your writing. Rewrite those offending starters
   for a more active sentence. Slice the weight. Write light.
   Write tight.

4. Tags tell instead of show.
   In the example below we are told that she "yelled".
   "You're the dumbest man I've ever known!" she yelled.

   Below, the sentence now shows action.
   Her shrill voice rose. "You're the dumbest man I've ever known!"

   Even better, let the dialogue carry the meaning!
   "You're the dumbest man I've ever known!"

   Slice the weight. Write light. Write tight.

5. Use contractions.
   Instead of "I will", use "I'll".
   Instead of "cannot", use "can't".
   Instead of "did not", use "didn't".
   

   Get the idea? Of course, there are always exceptions.
   You may need to use formal dialogue when establishing a
   certain social class position for a character you're developing. Always remember--write light...write tight!

6. Compact your prose. Create rhythm.
   Drop the word "and" before the final word in a series. For instance, the sentence below contains a series of words, including "and".

   Sarah stocked the pantry for Y2K: food, water, and candles.

   The sentence, with the "and" dropped, now reads:
   Sarah stocked the pantry for Y2K: food, water, candles.

   Trim the fat. Write light. Write tight.

7. Use active voice. Active voice is when the subject does the action instead of the other way around. A good strong verb shows action and the verb hardly ever needs an adverb.

   The following list is a tip-off to a passive sentence. Just reword the sentence if you find one of the following words lurking within your sentence. Write in active voice whenever possible.

   Culprit words to watch for: am, is, are, was, were, been.

   Passive voice: The ball was thrown by John. (There's that nasty red flag word, "was" that tells us we have a passive sentence.)

   Active voice: John threw the ball. (Mmmmm….much better. Now the subject, John, is doing the action (throwing the ball).
   
   

   I know. I know! I said it before. Slice the weight. Write light. Write tight.

Now it's time for your quiz. Ready? Here goes then. Just fill in the blanks.

1. Remember, slice the _______. Write ______. Write ______.

Okay, how did you do? Check below.

ANSWERS
Remember, slice the weight. Write light. Write tight.