Writers Tricks of the Trade VOLUME 7, ISSUE 3 | Page 11

D EALING W ITH T ELL (C ONT ’ D .) NYT B EST S ELLERS L IST J ULY 23, 2017 NYT Complete Lists because my mind fills in blanks of what I’m thinking rather than what I’m reading. ALL TELL COMBINED PRINT & E- BOOK NON-FICTION 1. REDISCOVERING AMERICANISM BY M ARK R. L EVIN 2. DANGEROUS BY M ILO Y IANNOPOULOS 3. HILLBILLY ELEGY BY J. D. V ANCE 4. ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY BY N EIL DE G RASSE T YSON 5. AL FRANKEN, GIANT OF THE SENATE, BY A L F RANKEN COMBINED PRINT & E- BOOK FICTION 1. CAMINO ISLAND BY J OHN G RISHAM At the writer’s group meeting the other evening, I simultaneously read a wonderful historical story chapter, while the lady read it to the group. The story has potential and a lot to like. However, it has one major problem. I made corrections and gave up after the first three paragraphs. After that, I continued only to find more of the same. There was no further point correcting the same thing over and over again. The entire narrative was tell, with no active voice. Told in omniscient, third-person point of view, the voice came from a disembodied presence. Even the dialogue tags were told, rather than shown. I gave an honest, critique of what she needed to do to fix it, but I have a feeling she’s never going to give me her pages to read again. If she does, I’ll be very happy! You cannot tell an entire story with no active voice. It comes off flat and emotionless – It gives no emotional investment to the characters or the reader. MY NEMESIS Tell has been my nemesis for a long time and it clicks when I see it in other people’s work, but my own, fugeddaboudit. They’re not called “other” editors for nothing! Plus, editors know better than to edit their own stuff. There are a few that can, but that’s not common. At least I can admit I’m partially blind to it, though I don’t do as bad as some writers. I know my weaknesses. 3. THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 BY R UTH W ARE I’ve tried to explain it to you in as simple terms as I can. For someone who didn’t have a clue what it meant for years, I hope this has been a help to clarify it for you. If you have any more questions about it, feel free to contact me here or at my other e-mail at [email protected] 4. MURDER GAMES BY J AMES P ATTERSON AND H OWARD R OUGHAN Happy writing. Fred 2. WIRED BY J ULIE G ARWOOD 5. THE IDENTICALS BY E LIN H ILDERBRAND S UMMER 2017 P AGE 4 W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE TRADE