Thanks for hosting me today – I’m really excited to be here!
One of the things I get asked fairly regularly is what advice I would give to other writers, or what advice
I’ve received that I would pass along. To tell you the truth, I sometimes get relatively cranky when I read
some of the advice I’ve found online.
I don’t mean the advice that urges writers to learn and pay close attention to the basics: spelling,
sentence structure, grammar, coherence, plot/character consistency – that sort of thing. As people far
more experienced and knowledgeable than me have said: once you’ve honed your basic tools and skills,
then you can play with them to your heart’s content. I think it was Stephen King who said you need to
know the rules you’re breaking (I’m paraphrasing).
Now, to be perfectly honest, my grasp of punctuation is fluid, at best, and grammar is a black hole of
WT…?! I readily admit that I have no idea what a participle is, or why it’s so offensive to dangle one in
public. Don’t even get me started on split infinitives! I mean, what? Do they explode? Not to mention,
both of these things sound like something you might create in the CERN superconductor and which will
inadvertently destroy the world!
…you know, there could be a story there…
*cough*ahem*cough*
Where was I?
Oh, yes. Writing advice.
The specific advice I’m talking about are those articles or comments that state things like: “NEVER write
in the third-person omnipotent – it’s so 20th
any suspense!” or “delete all adverbs; your writing should be lean and mean.”
Advice like this makes my teeth hurt.
Why?
Because it’s people trying to impose their own preferred style of writing or reading on somebody else’s
work.
Well, except maybe the stuff about adverbs. I finally accepted it had merit after reading “he said
crumbily” (among other similar gems) in a Detective George Gently novel. To be fair, Gently was eating
a cookie at the time, but still…
Of course, maybe I feel this way because I write in the third-person limited point-of-view, in the past
tense, and with a plethora of adverbs that have to be pried out of my text with a crowbar.
…oh, dear…hoist on my own petard…
Okay, my point is this: when it comes to style, write what makes you comfortable, whatever that may
be. The only other piece of advice I would ever give another writer is this: Learn your basics – or most
of them – then write a book you love to read, and hire an editor to help you with the rest.
What about you and your readers? Any writing advice that absolutely drives you crazy? Or any you
absolutely live by?
- Victoria’s Website | Twitter | Goodreads
- Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
- Genre: Chick Lit / Contemporary Fiction
- Length: 371 pages
- Release Date: December 10, 2012
- Blurb:
For the last fifteen years, Rose “Manny” Mankowski has been a very good girl. She turned her back on her youthful fancies and focused on her career. But now, at the age of 45, she’s questioning her choices and feeling more and more disconnected from her own life. When she’s passed over for promotion and her much younger new boss implies Manny’s life will never change, something snaps. In the blink of an eye, she’s quit her job, sold her house and cashed in her pension, and she’s leaving town on a six month road trip.
After placing a personal ad for a travelling companion, she’s joined in her mid-life crisis by Zeke Powell, the cynical, satirical, most-read – and most controversial – blogger for the e-magazine, What Women Want. Zeke’s true goal is to expose Manny’s journey as a pitiful and desperate attempt to reclaim her lost youth – and increase his readership at the same time. Leaving it all behind for six months is just an added bonus.
Now, armed with a bagful of destinations, a fistful of maps, and an out-spoken imaginary friend named Harvey, Manny’s on a quest to rediscover herself – and taking Zeke along for the ride.
Manny walked in her door, looking tired and feeling worn out. She wondered ruefully why the only thing not on a schedule was the time she could leave the office. She dropped her purse on the table and hung up her coat and keys. With a tired sigh, she walked into the living room and plopped into the armchair. She closed her eyes as Harvey walked out of the kitchen with a glass of white wine and began to rub her shoulders. He again looked impossibly handsome, this time wearing a sweater and jeans. She sighed in imagined bliss, and looked at him with sad eyes.
You have no idea how much I wish you were real.
In a blink, he was gone–and the phone was ringing. For a split second, Manny considered not answering it.
There’s your chance to talk to a real person, Harvey murmured.
Probably a telemarketer.
Probably Rebecca. Or Daisy. They’ll worry if you don’t answer.
All right, all right.
Manny heaved herself to her feet and walked to the phone.
Maybe I’m glad you’re imaginary after all.
She caught a glimpse of his grin as she answered the phone.
It was Rebecca, asking her to go out the next night.
“I don’t know…” Manny sighed.
“Oh, come on–you’ll have fun! And seriously–you haven’t gone out with us in months!”
“I’ve been tired…”
“You’ve been tired your whole life I think. You need to break out of this rut you’re in! Come out for a few drinks and dancing with me and Daisy. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet a good-looking guy and be swept off your feet into a red-hot love affair.”
Sounds like a plan to me.
Yeah, ’cause that’ll happen.
“I’d love to go dancing,” Manny said to Rebecca, “but the guy is just a figment of your imagination.”
“Only because you don’t put any effort into it. Seriously, it’s not healthy to do nothing but work and go home. That’s how people go crazy you know.”
“Huh. You mean next thing you know I’ll be talking to my imaginary friend?”
Harvey grinned wickedly and Manny abruptly turned her back to him.
“Exactly!” Rebecca said. “Come on–what do you say?”
“Okay, okay,” Manny sighed. “Tomorrow night–the usual place?”
“Yep–and sound like you’re actually looking forward to it, okay?”
“I’m sorry. I
am looking forward to it–it’ll be fun.”
Giveaway: Click here
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