Bruce Byfield

I seem to have avoided impostor syndrome purely by accident. When I'm dis-satisfied with my writing, I honestly don't think I'm a bad writer. I think I need to revise or replot. #writing

The problem with the worst Romances isn't the genre. It's the psychological naivety.

The trouble with AI apologia is that it usually assumes that the goal is only the end product -- never the benefits along the way.

If I free writing long enough, I don't need an outline. A structure and tentative contents always starts to emerge, as well as scraps of dialogue. #writing

@charlieangus104.bsky.social Could you address the question of digital sovereignty in a broadcast? European countries are looking into open source operating systems after Trump has used Microsoft to punish opponents in Europe, so possibly Canada should look for alternatives, too.

8. My unconscious is much smarter than my conscious.

7. The end of a chapter is a challenge to discover what's next.

6. "Kill your darlings" means "beware of sunken costs."

5. If I'm blocked,that's my unconscious telling me to replot.

4. Dramatize, dramatize,dramatize.

3. Use verbs first, then nouns, adverbs, & adjectives.

2. Prioritize showing unless you have a good reason to tell.

My rules to write by

1. Write what you know -- or can research.

I give a chapter's plot up to three tries. If it doesn't work by the third try, I replot. #writing

Wrestling with a chapter. Score: Chapter 4, Writer 0

(own goals included)

Writers would be much better off if they would stop talking about rules and think in terms of best practices -- things that have been often been found to be useful but not always, Those who are proud of breaking rules are often making things difficult for themselves. #writing

I'm sure opinions vary, but titles in the form of "__ of ___ and __" are so common that to use one suggests a lack of originality. Very likely, such titles will stop me from looking at the book more closely. #writing

I'm ambiguous about agents judging a work by its first 5-10 pages. OTOH, if the writing is incompetent, chances are high that will be obvious immediately. OTOH, a strong opening may not be sustained. #writing #querying

"Show, don't tell"? Too often, this piece of writing advice is over-simplified to "Never tell.". A more useful interpretation is is, " Prioritize showing unless you have a good reason to choose telling."

For instance, except when mentioning the obvious or to maintain pacing. #writing

One of my minor villains turned really nasty today.

The point of interesting facts isn't to impress readers. It's the potential for interesting plot-points and perspectives. #writing

The need to massively revise a chapter is both disheartening and full of excitement at the same time. So much work, so many possibilities! #writing

After weeks of revision, spinning straw into gold looks simple. #writing

Technical writing taught me to prioritize conciseness, clarity & precision, & to choose to choose a level of diction suitable to the audience.

It did not teach me plotting, pacing, characterization, or atmosphere.

Still, it gave me a foundation on which to learn fiction.
#writing

Paul Edwin Zimmer used to say that writers like the one you mention were "queer for cloth"

One reason to research is that it can help with details of your description and add realism. For example, instead of a black raven, you might specify a rave with patches of brown feathers. #writing

I often emphasize that a character's backstory is not a character sheet for a role-playing game. In role-playing, a character's back story is separate from the plot, because a player creates the back story, the DM the plot. Fiction, though, requires a closer connection.

It pays to research details in your novel. If you don't, someday someone will write to say you're wrong. #writing

I often emphasize that a character's backstory is not a character sheet for a roleplaying game. In roleplaying, a character's back story is separate from the plot, because a player creates the back story, the DM the plot. Effective fiction, though, requires a closer connection.

I also went and smelled a bar of cedar-scented smoke.