Welcome to Part 2 of my review of
Dawn Field’s “How to Fail as a Writer” blog and why you should do the opposite
to WIN as a writer.
1.
Be as original as possible,
forget conforming to any genre expectations.
My opposite: As writers our work tend
to fit into various categories or genres. You are either a fiction writer or
non-fiction writer and sometimes even both. Nevertheless, there are rules or
expectations from the publishing industry and from your readers as well. I write
romantic suspense novels and so you would expect to see elements of danger and
romance not a comedic novel. The blue print is out there for whatever genre you
decide to write and it’s best to follow them if you want to be a successful
writer.
2. Ignore the belief that publishable books have structure or that you
need one.
My opposite: Structure or plotline is
what holds a book together. Without structure, your book will invariably fall apart.
This can lead to reader complaints and that’s not a good thing. So take the
time to develop a plotline and then review it to make sure it tracks the story you
are trying to tell.
3. Leave details as ambiguous as you can. Let
your readers rely on their mind-reading abilities to intuit what you really
meant.
My opposite: What’s a story without
details? Well, it’s a story that won’t capture and keep the readers attention from
start to finish. So, please ensure that your story is filled with clear details
that will help the readers envision exactly what you mean.
4. Make sure your readers cannot easily form mental images from your
story.
My opposite: The whole point of writing
is to capture the readers imagination and draw them into a world you have
created on paper. If readers can’t connect with the characters by knowing what
they look like or places that they go then this makes for a bad story. Bottom
line, writers need to engage the readers five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste
and touch to pull them into the story.
5. Don’t worry about logical inconsistencies, keep your readers on their
toes!
My opposite: Readers love a good story.
However, what they don’t like (I’m wearing my reader hat here) are
inconsistencies in the storylines. If they have to flip back to pages where you
described something one way from the page they are on, they will get frustrated
and put the book down.
6. Do not waste time learning the craft of writing. Focus on producing
lots of words – that’s what writing is all about.
My opposite: Writing is more than
producing lots of words especially if there is no cohesiveness to it (e.g.
shoddy plot structure, stilted dialogue, no character motivation, etc.). So, my
advice would be take a few writing courses, attend writing workshops and conferences
to learn and hone the craft of writing. I have done all of this and continue to
do so because there’s always something new to learn.
7. Don’t read, not even the great authors. And especially never read other
authors in your genre. Their writing might rub off on you and make yours less
original.
My opposite: I cringe whenever I hear
writers say they don’t read the writings of other authors especially if they
are in their genre. They are definitely doing themselves a major disservice if
they don’t. For me, I enjoy reading suspense, thriller and detective novels
with a hint of romance. So my library is filled with books from Eric Jerome
Dickey, Carl Weber, John Grisham, Walter Mosley, etc. I read them to get a feel
of the plotline, character’s motivation, the setting and the dialogue. This
propels me to sharpen my craft and in no way makes my writing less original. In
addition, I would recommend that writers not limit themselves to reading in their
genre as they can gain a better appreciation for the written word from various genres.
8. Do not research your topic. Your intuition is more compelling than
facts.
My opposite: Not doing your research is
a big No No. In order to make your writing resonate with readers and allow them
to connect with your characters and the storyline you need to do your research.
So, if your novel involves a murder, you need to research police procedures,
medical terminology, etc. In other words, you need to write a story that is grounded
in reality and that makes your characters and the plotlines believable. 
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