![]() ![]() So, the more characters you introduce at once, the thinner you’re spreading the reader’s attention. Readers need to get to know them, to build a picture in their minds. Actually, three is too many, and two is often stretching it. Symptoms: more than two or three character names in the opening. Using camera shots in fiction writing 2 – full shot What do you learn about the key elements of your scene?.Are they grouped so that their meaning flows easily, or scattered around?.Can some be grouped to form a cluster, eg table, chair, desk light?.Does your mind’s eye need to dart around so see them? Or is there a deepening of focus?.These refer to the nouns, so are part of the whole noun picture – the number of things (including characters) that are in the scene. ![]() Mark up the pronouns (he, she, it, they etc) in another colour. Include the character names and proper nouns. Print out a page from your opening few paragraphs of a story or chapter in progress and highlight or underline the nouns. To start solving the signposting issues in your writing, first establish how many elements are in play. Instead, lead your reader in gradually, with a tight focus, deepening what they’re seeing, rather than scatter-gunning them with information. The concept of cognitive overload maybe useful here. ![]() And build them clearly, with enough memorable detail to lodge in the reader’s mind, before adding in more. It’s best to concentrate on just a few elements. We can only handle so many before we begin to drop the balls.Īnd when they whiz by so fast, we can’t see them properly. It’s like throwing oranges at the reader and expecting them to juggle them all at once. In an effort to build the world, they’ve included the beech forest, the town clock, the cobbled street, the overcast sky and the school gates all in the first paragraph. Too many characters or proper names, for example – see below.īut this can also apply to other elements of the writing.įor instance, maybe the writer is trying to establish the setting. Often, signposting issues happen in writing because there’s too much going on. Symptoms: the writer has tried to cram too much STUFF into the opening paragraphs. Here are the four top signposting issues I’ve encountered in writing. Tighter editing is often all that you need. Note: I’ve fed back on hundreds of stories and novels in progress, and opening overload issues are really common. Usually, this happens because the writer tries to cover too much ground and doesn’t provide enough clear signposts, particular in the opening paragraphs. Often, new authors are so excited by their fiction world that they forget to paint clear pictures for the reader. Signposting issues in writing are a common difference between work by beginning writers and that of expert self-editors. ![]()
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