13 April 2011

Writing Tips – Part I


I have been involved in a variety of writing groups and critiqued a variety of stories. This will be the first of several posts where I give advice on improving writing.

Suddenly
On the Carol Burnett show there is a skit where someone falls sick and the doctor runs in right then. "How did you know she was sick?" "I heard the music." You get this situation as an audience member in a lot of movies. At the especially horrifying, depressing, or startling bit there is often music playing in the background. The good movies don't overdo the music, but there are others when you know something is going to happen because of the overly dramatic music and it ruins the surprise.

As writers, we don't have the advantage of soundtracks to pull emotions subtly, but we can overdo our writing just like poorly done soundtracks. The word 'suddenly' is one of those words that can ruin the surprise. If you want something to be sudden or startling, just tell it with strong verbs, don't ruin the surprise that something is going to happen.

For an extreme example: Suddenly, John pulled a gun from his pocket and shot Harry. Doesn't have the same impact as: John pulled out a gun and shot Harry.

Don't start sentences with 'suddenly,' start them suddenly.

2 comments:

  1. Great post. I have learned this early on but still I get caught doing it on occasion (thanks for the catches). The example that you use is great in showing the difference and how much more exciting and sudden it can be without using the word suddenly. Is there ever a time that you would use suddenly?

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  2. Thanks for the comment. Using suddenly is okay, so long as it doesn't start the sentence. Such as "He raised his head at the sudden noise." Or I could see it being used in a magical context. "The magician disappeared suddenly without a trace." My main concern is when people try and use it to startle the readers.

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