I keep sending hints this year about keeping your writing active. Passive voice is weak writing and the quickest way to make a reader disinterested in your story. But as a reminder, it takes time to get this in your head if you are new at writing. Thus the reason I repeat some topics. Active sentences are direct and to the point to show what is happening. They are not saggy and telling like a passive paragraph. Even in dialogue, the character must be straight to the point.
Active: I made the tacos.
Passive: The tacos were made by me.
or
Active: The cowboy raised his gun and shot the banker.
Passive: The banker was shot by the cowboy's gun.
Avoid Cliche's...unless you can add a new twist to them. It's also important to keep them realistic to the time period in case you write historicals like me. Common sayings may work a bit in dialogue and thought but like I said make them unique by giving them a twist.
Example: "Well, isn't he a chip off the old block." Casey spouted and turned back to her car in a whisper, "loaded with termites."
Some participants here have asked about punctuation and type and font and a lot of stuff. It is best to leave out Italics where you can unless it is a name of something or a sign the character sees for example. But underlining in a novel is not something I have ever used very often. I have sometimes used Italics when someone is talking to themselves inside their head or when they remember what someone once said to them.
Exclamation points are to be used very sparingly in a novel, even if there is excitement or yelling. It's assumed most often by what the character is doing. But some things are defined differently depending on the publishing house. Some authors use only commas and never semicolons. This is a house style as well. My editor doesn't worry too much about them, but I do try to swap them to commas where I find them.
I mostly use Word and write in 12 font, Times New Roman with one-inch margins. I do not allow extra space between paragraphs. (YOU have to check the box when you set the paragraphs for the document.) I usually spell out "Chapter One" and center it. I number the ages in the top right corner and I add the title and my name in the Heading at the top. I also do five spaces for intentions but I notice some authors do three. Another house style thing I guess.
I get into trouble opening chapters where some of them sort of open the same, so be sure to change that up. None of them should start off the same.
It is good to do your homework but when sharing something major in prose or dialogue don't overdo it. I do a lot of research on historical things to end up only writing a sentence or two about it in my stories. If I overshare bunches of detail it would take away from the story I think.
It is OK to change Point Of View characters in the middle of a chapter but the changeover needs to be clear.
For Example: If your hero is giving your heroine a ring and asking for her hand in marriage. If we are in his POV he can ask for her to marry him and be saying in his head Please let her say yes. So we know if we are reading his thinking, we are in his POV and we cannot know what she is thinking except to see her tears and head nod or what she speaks.
But if she does let a tear slip down her cheek and say yes as she falls into his embrace and she thinks her dreams have all come true....we have now switched to her POV. This is OK, but if we hop back into his POV....
Head hopping makes your reader dizzy.
Also as you are writing actions or action tags...what the character is doing, make sure it is realistic. And make sure what is happening is something that can happen. I mean if your hero is taking her hand at the time he is firing a weapon and straightening his hat.... Uhm, not enough hands for all that.
What other question does anyone else have? Ask here or on the authorkimturner facebook page. I am sure others have more to share than I have here.
