On Writing

From Alternities

I've been writing--and studying writing--for a long time. Unfortunately, far too much of what I've read on the subject of writing has been written from the point of view of a critic. That's not what I was looking for. Studying symbols and themes and all the sorts of things that literature professors and critics look for doesn't tell you how to write. Nor do books that say, "Sit down and write!" help much.

However, I have discovered two books that I think are the best "nuts n' bolts" books of writing I've ever read. These are Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card, and Scene & Structure by Jack M. Bickham. Both are books in the Elements of Fiction Writing series by Writers Digest Books.

Card's book goes into detail on creating and constructing characters, and on the appropriate uses of various points of view. The issue of point of view is especially relevant to writing in a role-playing game. Loss of point of view (a typical amateur mistake) can easily confuse the reader. Card compares the differences between and the uses of presentational versus representational writing; dramatic versus narrative writing; first-, second- and third-person points of view, and how each choices creates--and limits--your storytelling options. He also discusses the differences between omniscient and limited points of view; and levels of penetration ('cool' and distant versus 'hot' and intense), and when each is best used to produce the effect you want.

Bickham's book, however, is for my money the best book ever on how to write. As he points out with copious examples, it all boils down to cause and effect. From a simple exchange of sentences to the plot arc of a series of novels, cause and effect or stimulus and response are the keys to writing, and awaresness of and proper use of them often makes or breaks a story.

I intend to (eventually) post an excerpt or two from these books to demonstrate their points, but I cannot recommend them highly enough. If you're interested in writing, and in improving your writing, these are the two most useful, practical how-to manuals on writing I've ever found.