“13 Writing Tips” from Chuck Palahniuk (author “Fight Club”)

Author Chuck Palahniuk, probably best known for writing the novel “Fight Club,” weighs in with 13 writing tips. Here are the first three:

Number One: Two years ago, when I wrote the first of these essays it was about my “egg timer method” of writing. You never saw that essay, but here’s the method: When you don’t want to write, set an egg timer for one hour (or half hour) and sit down to write until the timer rings. If you still hate writing, you’re free in an hour. But usually, by the time that alarm rings, you’ll be so involved in your work, enjoying it so much, you’ll keep going. Instead of an egg timer, you can put a load of clothes in the washer or dryer and use them to time your work. Alternating the thoughtful task of writing with the mindless work of laundry or dish washing will give you the breaks you need for new ideas and insights to occur. If you don’t know what comes next in the story… clean your toilet. Change the bed sheets. For Christ sakes, dust the computer. A better idea will come.

Number Two: Your audience is smarter than you imagine. Don’t be afraid to experiment with story forms and time shifts. My personal theory is that younger readers distain most books — not because those readers are dumber than past readers, but because today’s reader is smarter. Movies have made us very sophisticated about storytelling. And your audience is much harder to shock than you can ever imagine.

Number Three: Before you sit down to write a scene, mull it over in your mind and know the purpose of that scene. What earlier set-ups will this scene pay off? What will it set up for later scenes? How will this scene further your plot? As you work, drive, exercise, hold only this question in your mind. Take a few notes as you have ideas. And only when you’ve decided on the bones of the scene — then, sit and write it. Don’t go to that boring, dusty computer without something in mind. And don’t make your reader slog through a scene in which little or nothing happens.

This last point is especially critical. With my students, I put it this way: “What is the point of the scene?” And the point generally has two parts: The purpose of the scene as it relates to the Plotline and the purpose of the scene as it relates to the Themeline. That is, there’s something going on through characters’ actions and dialogue (External World), but there should also something else be going in the emotional life of the scene through characters’ intentions and subtext (Internal World). So the advice is not only about the focus of the scene, but also about giving it depth and texture.

H/T to CanadianNick for the link.

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