You’ve seen some of my blog posts. They are LOOOOOONG!
When I write, I have a tendency to give too much information. I want to make sure the reader is not confused about my story. The problem? My novel (what I’ve written so far) can make for boring reading. So, I forced myself to cut down parts of my story. I’m learning how to reach a balance between what-the-heck-are-you-talking-about and too-much-darn-information.
In other words, I’m trying to implement another one of Chuck Wendig’s timeless pieces of advice. Here it is:
The Reader Is Your Mule
It’s up to you whether the readers is a mule carrying your prospector gear up a canyon path or a mule carrying doody-balloons of hard drugs in his nether-grotto; the point remains the same. The reader wants to work. The reader doesn’t know this, of course, so don’t tell him. SHHH. But the reader wants to fill in the details. He wants to be invested in the novel and to make his own decisions and reach his own conclusions . You don’t need to write everything. You can leave pieces (of plot, description, dialogue) out. The reader will get in the game. His imagination matters as much as yours. Make that sonofab*tch dance for his dinner.
– Chuck Wendig, The Kick-Ass Writer
Good advice, Chuck, good advice. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I could have just said it … longer, that’s all.
Ada Ireland is a pen name I came up with for myself. Unashamed Writing is a name I came up with for my blog.