Sage advice from the great Stephen King!!
http://www.openculture.com/2014/03/stephen-kings-top-20-rules-for-writers.html
http://www.openculture.com/2014/03/stephen-kings-top-20-rules-for-writers.html
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Stephen King: Top 20 Rules For Writers
- Thread starter Carol Rose
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And some astute advice from Elmore Leonard, who is definitely of the less is more school of writing.
https://www.writingclasses.com/toolbox/tips-masters/elmore-leonard-10-rules-for-good-writing
https://www.writingclasses.com/toolbox/tips-masters/elmore-leonard-10-rules-for-good-writing
Yes, this is a good one as well. 
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Alistair Roberts
Guest
Gotta agree with Stephen
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Meerkat
Guest
I also once read him say that when you're writing, if you can't remember something, then just stick some placeholder in there and look it up later. I do this, usually with an all-caps BLAH BLAH so that I can search for the placeholders later.
One of the romance authors I know does this with all her sex scenes. She writes "Insert kinky stuff here" and goes back to add them all in later. LOL!!
I dont do this often, but I use << or ** before all of my notes to myself. Makes for an easy Find in MS Word. My husband uses this frequently, though. [Feelings here] lol! I once read that in the Star Wars script (I'm pretty sure it was SW), there was a whole section that Goerge Lucas denoted as [THEY FIGHT].
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Jason Byrne
Guest
Star Trek did this as they developed the script, before the tech experts added in their "technobabble."
LAFORGE: "It looks like you have a [technobabble] problem."
I would do this for insignificant details — things I would have to go find but which would not have any bearing on the progression of the plot, so that I could keep my energy devoted to the flame of the scene, so I didn't lose it.
"The funeral pyre would have to be attended for [time], by the peasants the reeve had gathered."
"The night was cool and blustery, the [phase] moon low in the sky behind fleeting clouds."
LAFORGE: "It looks like you have a [technobabble] problem."
I would do this for insignificant details — things I would have to go find but which would not have any bearing on the progression of the plot, so that I could keep my energy devoted to the flame of the scene, so I didn't lose it.
"The funeral pyre would have to be attended for [time], by the peasants the reeve had gathered."
"The night was cool and blustery, the [phase] moon low in the sky behind fleeting clouds."
Reading his book on writing now.
Lol!
I find this hilarious and yes i do this too. [Insert story here]
Thats book 1 sorted.
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Jason Byrne
Guest
Yes 1408, you were confused. You want rockstar. The career path you were looking for is rockstar. I actually stumbled into this myself, confusing writer with evil overlord.
Wait wait wait. You mean, this isn't rockstar or evil overlord?! Um, I think I'm in the wrong place.
LOL!!!!
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Jason Byrne
Guest
We might as well stick around, Nicole; they have cake. The world will manage without our rule for a bit.
Hmmm.... free food or Sith Lord. On the one hand, it's free food. But then there's the Sith Lord thing. Gaah! How can I be expected to make this choice?
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Jason Byrne
Guest
Haha, "f*ck it I'll get a tray. This one's wet."
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Alistair Roberts
Guest
So you mean, all I ever had to do to write a novel was "[insert novel here]" ?? Silly me, and I wasted time writing 97,000 words! Thanks Emurelda.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!So you mean, all I ever had to do to write a novel was "[insert novel here]" ?? Silly me, and I wasted time writing 97,000 words! Thanks Emurelda.
That's it! Hehe!!So you mean, all I ever had to do to write a novel was "[insert novel here]" ?? Silly me, and I wasted time writing 97,000 words! Thanks Emurelda.
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Meerkat
Guest
I remember doing a lot of [insert blah blah here] for one story, until I finally had to admit I hadn't thought enough about the story prior to writing it.
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