Writing Tip #10: Writing through the Wrong

When working on a new book I try to get a few chapters down. Then I print it and read it to see what I’ve got. Last week, after having done that, I realized that I had to throw away everything I’d written so far and start over. Too much was happening in the story. The main character had the wrong motives.

My first thought: what a waste of effort, time, and keystrokes! My second (and wiser) thought: what necessary writing! As my playwright friend Richard Washer (www.chartertheatre.org) says, “I gotta keep writing through the wrong to get to the right.”

Writing Tip #9: Gift-Wrapped Surprises

Kids love surprises. Remember this when you write. Are you revealing everything in your story up front or are you concealing some surprises for the reader? Give your readers surprise gifts along the way.