Try Not To Write The Parts That

These Are Rules I've Picked Up Along The Way To Help Me Remain Invisible When I'm Writing A Book, To Help Me Show Rather Than Tell What's Taking Place In The Story.

The Line Of Dialogue Belongs To The Character; The Verb Is The Writer Sticking His Nose In.

Never Use A Verb Other Than ‘said’ To Carry Dialogue.

I Focus On Characters As Individuals With Attitudes And Write Each Scene From A Particular Character's Point Of View. That Way, Even Narrative Passages Take On The Character's Sound. I Don't Want The Reader To Be Aware Of Me, Writing.

A Friend Of Mine Who Is In The Publishing Business Knew I Was Writing A Book, And He Said, 'have You Said Anything Yet About The Good Guy? Because I Know You Spend So Much Time With The Bad Guys.' Because They're Fun. So Then You Have To Make The Good Guy Fun, In Order To Compete. That's The Challenge.