What Your Readers Need to Know (and Not Know) - Part 1

FICTION PHARMACY
DX = INFORMATION OVERLOAD

What Your Readers Need to Know (and Not Know) - Part 1

As an author, you need to know everything about your main characters, and quite a bit about your minor characters. But keep this in mind: the readers DON'T need to know everything!

As the author, you need to thoroughly research your settings and any technical information for the story. But keep this in mind (once again): the reader's DON'T need to know everything!

What DO the Readers Need to Know?

Readers only Need to Know: 

1) what is absolutely essential to the story

2) only those things that will move the story forward 

3) things that will leave the readers confused if they don't know it

Things Readers Do Not Need to Know (among other things--you'll get the drift)

1) Any character's entire backstory (even the main character's)

2) How the heroine and hero first met years ago in high school (unless it's very relevant and very short)

3) Details about all of the character's doctor visits before the main diagnosis is given. They can be referred to, but a full scene is not needed.

4) Details about all the job interviews the character sat through before getting the current position. Again, they can be referred to--if that information is pertinent to the story--but details and/or full scenes are not needed.

5) All of the character's previous relationships that brought her to the point where she realizes she's finally met Mr. Right

6) All about the character's disastrous relationship with his alcoholic father (or overbearing mother, or even the sister he adores)

7) A character's trips to and from anywhere to anyplace (home to work, travel to a vacation spot, a short hop into the grocery store on the way to an important event--you get the idea: anything that's ho-hum, everyday, going-through the motions travel that does nothing to move the story forward).

8) Ho-hum greetings that are the standard, "Hi, how are you doing," kind of thing

9) Technical details about a project the characters are working on. Don't gloss over the important facts, but only go as deep as you need to go.

10) Finely detailed descriptions of every setting. Give just enough for the readers to paint the pictures in their head, then let them fill in the rest (they do a good job of it; really, they do!)

The list could go on and on, but I think you get the general idea.

What it all comes down to is this: 

Do not include anything that doesn't move the story forward. 

If you do, especially if you do it often, you risk losing the readers attention or them putting the book down and never picking it up again. 

Now it's your turn. Read through your current WIP (work-in-progress) until you get to a scene that tells the readers something that they don't absolutely, positively NEED to know in order to follow the story. (Yes, you have some of those. Everyone does. Especially if your WIP has more than 90,000 words.) Mark the section with either a different color of the words or highlighting so you can come back to them after you've read the suggestions in Part 2. Keep reading until you find and mark all of them (you know it won't just be one, right?).

If you find this to be a difficult task, you're right. But don't despair! 

Read on to Part 2 for some specific ideas to help you through this process.

Hook the Reader on the First Page

A FICTION PHARMACY PRESCRIPTION:

DX = Stuttering Start

Hook Your Readers on the First Page

Convincing your readers on the first page that they just have to continue reading to find out what happens next is a must for fiction writers. You can do this two ways: 

            1) A burning question

            2) Intense Action

Both of these story-starting techniques give readers a teaser to entice them to read further.

Here are a few examples of beginning sentences that pull readers in with either a burning question or intense action:

1) An icy finger of fear tickled the back of my neck.

2) The echo of the bomb still rung in my ears.

3) I hesitated to knock on the door; would my birth-mother accept me?

4) The castle loomed ahead, dark and dreary, with the scent of black magic thickening as we approached.

5) A shriek from the back of the room told me I'd just been spotted.

6) When I saw my former boyfriend, I veered to the opposite side of the street.

7) The king's announcement brought silence to the room.

8) John ducked under the oncoming punch.

9) If looks could kill, the daggers from her eyes would cause my death.

10) A bullet whizzed past his ear.

Are you ready to read more about any of these stories? 

Their beginnings are quite enticing, aren't they!

Backstory can wait. Scene description can come later. Even introducing the character can be put off for lines such as this. None of these will pull in a reader as much as a burning question or intense action from the very first few words of the story.

Now it's your turn. What does your novel start with? Try adding in something at the very beginning to tantalize the readers. What is the burning question you main character must find the answer to? Where can you put your protagonist that would create intense action or emotion for your character? You are the author. Make it happen! 

Showing vs. Telling - The Basics

FICTION PHARMACY

DX = Toxic Telling

Showing vs. Telling - The Basics

What is the difference between showing and telling? And why is it so important for fiction writers to show instead of tell?

Telling is flat - you narrate to your readers what your characters are doing, saying, thinking,  and where they are doing it. 

Showing is vivid - It puts your readers into the story with your characters so they see what the characters see and feel what they feel. It makes the readers feel like they are in the story, living it out right along with your characters.

What's the difference?

TELLING:

Sally went to the grocery store and bought some macaroni and cheese and a bunch of ramen noodles because that was all she could afford now that inflation was soaring.

SHOWING:

Sally grabbed a bag  of macaroni noodles and dropped it onto the selection of ramen already in her cart. With a sigh, she pushed past the packaged pasta meals, even as an image of seafood linguine popped into her head. She jerked the cart around the corner and headed for the hamburger. No shrimp or scallops this time...not with the way all the prices had gone up in the last few months. 

It makes a big difference, doesn't it?

Telling gives the readers the facts about what the character did and thought. There is no emotion, just information.

Showing puts the readers in the character's head. It sets the mood with action and vivid words that paint a picture in the mind's eye. Vivid words show the character's frustration ("dropped" instead of "set" or "placed" and "jerked" instead of "pushed" or "wheeled"), and the information about inflation is shown as a part of her thoughts. Notice that the fact that she's in a grocery store isn't even mentioned. It's not necessary, because the readers can see from her actions where she is.

Now it's your turn.

Take a look at your manuscript. Which does it resemble more, showing or telling? Do you narrate or create pictures? Is it a set of facts about what the characters are doing? Or does it show their feelings with actions and paint a vivid picture of what they are doing?

Find a bit of telling in your story and try adding some action with vivid words that let the readers know what your character is doing and feeling without the need to tell them.

WELCOME to The Fiction Pharmacy

The Fiction Pharmacy is currently under construction, and more posts with valuable information to help you polish your writing are on their way. As the posts accumulate, you will want to make The Fiction Pharmacy your go-to place for writing advice.

What makes me so certain? The author of The Fiction Pharmacy, Suzanne Hartmann, is a published author, award-winning editor, and co-founder of Castle Gate Press. 

Here's what people have said about Suzanne's editing advice:

"I just read your comments, and they are fantastic! Everything you provided was helpful and easily understood. You have improved my story, and made me want to be a better writer." Paul H.
"Wow. I can't get over how terrific your suggestions were." Ellen M.
"Your edits are so easy to follow and the accompanying comments really help explain why the changes are necessary, point out stylistic improvements, weak story elements and so much more! I consider your critique a valuable investment in my career and myself. Thank you again!" - Daniel A.

"You're the gold standard of professional critiquers to me.  You're honest, consistent, and clear." - Katy R.

What kind of information you can expect from The Fiction Pharmacy:

1) How to hook your reader on the first page 

2) How to make your writing more vivid

3) Ways to make your writing flow

4) How to show instead of tell

5) How to find and drop extraneous words and scenes

6) How to tighten your writing 

7) Common grammatical errors and their fixes

8) How to make your characters more realistic

AND SO MUCH MORE!