Sarah Waters’ ten rules for writing fiction
I enjoyed British author Sarah Waters’ World War II novel The Night Watch, and I absolutely adored her wonderfully atmospheric, Gothic novel The Little Stranger.
So when I saw this Aerogramme Writers’ Studio post with the author’s useful writing advice – Sarah Waters’ ten rules for writing fiction – I had to see what this talented author could offer to other writers.
Lots of great advice here about what (at least in my case) I know I should be doing, but might not. Tsk, tsk.
Like Waters, I love to read widely, but when I’m wrapped up in a story, I’m often not looking at the writing with an author’s eye to see ‘how’ the author achieves it.
Her advice on cutting out much of your work is also key, even if I freely admit I’m not so great at following this advice in my own work. I also liked her point on how you should respect all your characters, even the minor ones, and ensure you’ve thought through their motivations and personality traits, even if they have small roles in your book.
So, lots of good advice for writers and readers here. Now if I could only internalize this and use all this great advice myself…
Thanks for this. Loved the tips and it looks like a good site. You are a mine of information Kimberly! I did know there was a patron saint for writers..
Thanks, Catherine…and hi from Taiwan. Hope you’re enjoying those beautiful Corsican beaches and see you soon in Matera!
I agree with her. I do all that, actually…
Brava, Julia. It’s all very good advice, but I’m glad she also admits to not always reading with a writer’s eye and simply getting wrapped up in the story. I’m often the same. : )
Thanks a lot for this post!
I don’t know about you, but I always love this expert advice. I have so much to learn, and i’m happy writers are so generous with their advice.
Absolutely! Especially when their advice is this practical and useful. It amazing to read tips from the best!
Hello, m’dear. Another interesting post,
This part had me nodding like crazy:
‘And, crucially, only by understanding [The Rules!] what they’re for and how they work can you begin to experiment with breaking them.’
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get so wrapped up with obeying the current rule du jour, I forget to treat them like the ‘Pirate Code’. They’re guidelines, not gospel. 🙂
Hear, hear, Nicola. I loved this, too. I think they should be guidelines, but I also get nervous about writing by a kind of paint-by-the-numbers format. Creative people following rules too doggedly should certainly give us pause. Of course, it’s easier for established authors to flaunt them entirely than the rest of us mere mortals…. : )
Brilliant stuff here! Hello, and thank you for dropping by my blog and liking my post – very much appreciated! All the best, Michael