Going Back to Basics

We all need to get back to the basics every once in a while.Whether we are aspiring writers, prolific and accomplished writers, avid readers or simply occasional readers who appreciate good writing.. in fact, even those who do not necessarily read but feel that English should be spoken the right way.

Now there is a very short book about writing that remains my top go-to resource whenever I need to get things right. It is The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jnr. and E.B. White.

It is indeed a short book, but it is very profound. It highlights what would arguably be considered the very essence of good English, both in written and spoken form.

In his On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King describes The Elements of Style as a short book about writing that is devoid of nonsense. In his own words:

"...most books about writing are filled with bullshit. One notable exception to the bullshit rule is The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. There is little or no detectable bullshit in that book.
...I’ll tell you right now that every aspiring writer should read The Elements of Style."

As far as writing is concerned, I do not consider myself an aspiring writer. That said, I am not prolific. Yet.
My aspiration in writing is to share valuable writing largely through my writing effort. Even better, to add value to information by writing.

Download The Elements of Style here (PDF).

Be edified.

Protagonists: Should they always be good guys?

I have in the past written about characters in a writer's creative writing efforts.
Of all things, characters should be believable. Readers should be able to relate with them.

Character Building Blocks
We all know that we should avoid detailed descriptions of our characters. Our characters come to life, when elements in their life are things the reader can identify with. Their childhood, relationships, livelihood, pastimes and outlook With these, you are able to build a person, and create a life where none existed. It is in such characters with personality that purpose resides.

 Protagonists
A protagonist is a character who is central to the plot development  in a story. You can liken this to the main star in a movie, and for a good cause. In most stories, where poetic justice is maintained, protagonists are pitted against antagonists. The protagonist is essentially the main character.

Introducing protagonists, writes Anne Allen, requires the use of strong emotions that the reader can identify with. A protagonist should, whenever possible be introduced very early in the story, preferably in the company of a few other characters to show how s/he interacts with them. There should be very few physical markers to describe characters, dialogue and deeds does a much better job.
As the story unfolds, and only after the main character and his/her story has hooked the reader, unveil more about the back-story, through dialogue and flash-backs.

Should protagonists invariably be good?
Not always.

You see, there are situations where a protagonist such as Michael Scofield in Prison Break does illegal things, but the audience appreciates this and even wishes him well in light of the circumstances that have forced him to do such wrongs. This is because the audience can relate and identify with the main character's plight.

In fact, main characters will often say loathsome things and get away with it. Like every other character can, only that it'll not sensibilities as much.
Speaking of the way your characters behave, writers are faced with the tough choices of carrying within their writing, words, thoughts and actions that may be insensitive, horrendous, offensive and generally acceptable. All this however, inasmuch as both the writer and the reader may dislike such written content, is necessary to develop the plot and make the story complete. This is better explained by Gina Holmes in Tess Gerritsen's Novel Rocket blog.

So much for main characters.
What in your opinion is the best way to handle main characters. Should their deeds, thoughts and words be sanitized?

Top 10 Fiction Writing Tips

It is no secret that I prefer to read stuff online. Or in digital formats [eBooks, eMagazines, eNewspapers et al] while offline.

Fiction Writing
Following are top 10 fiction writing tips generously shared by Rowdy Rhodes.

In a nutshell:

1. Poor writing is not bad
2. Why do your characters exsist?
3. Writers bleed into their stories
4. Cliches and stereotypes
5. Character descriptions and traits
6. Work on your dialogue
7. Read, read, read
8. Be thick skinned
9. First drafts
10. Have fun writing.

Hope you ;like the document above and the tips therein.
:)