There's a law that states that for every action, there is a reaction. A stone tossed in a still pond will cause ever-widening ripples.
As writers we need to apply cause & effect to our craft.
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Are our scenes and characters designed for a purpose? Do they serve a point? Is our storyline in need of some tightening so actions aren't meaningless?
For every cause...
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..is there an effect?
Look back over your work - see any situations that simply fizzle into nothing? Places where you've started the ball rolling but it gathers moss instead? Pointless points will only disappoint your readers!
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Point taken?
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In a nutshell - don't build and prime the pump unless you're prepared for water!
9 comments:
What a great analogy!
Great point! And our editors will thank us that they won't have to strike through all the pointless scenes, themselves...
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
And boy have I gathered lots of moss through the years! But I do think I'm at least getting better at recognizing situations that go no where. I enjoyed your analogy.
As always love the pics.
Jane I am working on a project right now that will probably need some serious pruning as well!
Excellent advice. Thanks for posting this.
Jai
That's an important thing to be looking for during the rewrite stage. Great advice & fun pictures to illustrate.
Helen
Straight From Hel
What a lovely way to illustrate a writing point!
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Blogging at Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites pick www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
I love this post. Brilliant advice
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