So I don’t write here much about writing. Perhaps that’s ironic. I don’t know; I’ve never been clear what irony is.
However, I was looking through some notes and came across this handy list I created for myself in my formative days editing “What Waits in the Shadows”. Thought I would share it here.
Things to observe while reading fiction
- What POV are we in? Are we moving between different POVs? From distant to close, for example.
- What tense are we in?
- How do authors avoid using the same word over and over?
- How time is used. Are authors starting in a moment then jumping back to explain how they got there?
- How does the author show the emotions of POV character without described their appearance (since you can’t say “her eyes sparkled” for example.)
- How authors avoid the repetition of “Jim did this /Mary said this“ and balance it with presenting what the characters are seeing and interacting with.
- How characters interact with their settings, items around them etc.
- How do authors show the characters sensory and emotional immersion in the story? (So, not just a bunch of “Jack did this, then he did that” stuff, with no insight into Jack’s interior.)
- How do writers add interiority?
- How writers use rhythm – long sentences mixed with short – various clauses etc.
