Write right, Wright p.4: "Keep It Interesting"

"Drama is real life with the boring parts taken out." -- Alfred Hitchcock

"Try not to write the parts that readers tend to skip." -- Elmore Leonard

Every chapter, every paragraph, every word should have a purpose. Every choice an author makes should serve the function of furthering the story. Before you write something (or you're editing a draft), ask yourself what is it accomplishing.

There is only one hard and fast rule in writing fiction: Don't Be Boring. Any other rule can be broken, but if you fail to entertain or engage the reader then you have failed as a writer. I would say every scene in your book needs to accomplish one of same three aspects seen in the Three Act structure. Namely, any given scene should introduce something, complicate something or resolve something.

I'm continuing to struggle with the opening chapter of my second novel. I know, in a general sense, everything that will happen in the book, but I am far less certain on how to present it than I was with the first book.

The first one was fairly well thought out in my head as I had spent years coming up with the story. The second and third parts of the series are far less concrete. Don't misunderstand me, I know where it is all going, but I don't have specific scenes thought up except for a couple of action set pieces.

So here I am this summer trying to get the second book off the ground, but the above quotes from Hitchcock and Leonard keep haunting me whenever I read back over I've written. I've taken two shots at it so far and they both seem wordy. I want to start the book off as exciting as possible and still convey the vital story information, but I think it's bogging down.

If I can just get the characters out of the starting gate then I think the rest will start to flow a little easier.

We'll see.

Farewell, Sir Olin

My father, Charles Olin Wright, died on Monday, June 22nd. To my dismay, he never got to read my novel.

Dad was the one who instilled in me a love for reading. We were always reading novels. My interest in sci-fi and fantasy novels came from him, though his reading tastes were much broader.

Through his books I discovered dragonriders of Pern, Cave Bear Clans and all of Saberhagen's Swords.

He was very interested in my novel, always asking for updates while I was writing it, hoping I'd finish it before he lost his battle with all his physical ailments.

Last year, during the summer, he was bound to a hospital bed for a couple of months. At that time I gave him everything I had so far on my book because I didn't know if I'd ever finish it before we lost him. I handed him what I had, which proved to be about half of the final manuscript, and he devoured it in just a day or two. I made a big push and finished the book in February of this year.

I asked him then if he wanted to read the final manuscript or wait to read the published book. He opted for the latter and that day never came. Earlier this month I gave him the entire manuscript, but his health had taken its final turn and he was never in condition to read it.

It remained unopened on a shelf in his hospital room.

If he had just opened the front cover, he'd see the Dedication Page and discover the book was dedicated to him. Galen Griffon is the name of my main character and his father is named Sir Olin, taken from my own father's middle name.

In the book, Sir Olin was a knight in shining armor in service to the Church. I can think of no better description of my dad.

Here's hoping they have a great bookstore in Heaven.

Farewell, Sir Olin.