Dos and don'ts of creative writing

Creative writing — fiction, poetry, memoir — lives on detail, voice and specificity. These dos and don'ts cover the craft choices that make a piece read like real writing.

Do

• Do show, don't tell. "She was scared" tells. "Her hands shook as she turned the lock" shows. Let the reader feel it through action.
• Do use specific detail. Concrete, specific images make fiction feel true. "A blue mug" beats "a cup"; "the smell of rain on hot pavement" beats "it felt humid."
• Do build a real character. Give characters a want, a flaw, and a voice. A character with a desire and a problem drives a story.
• Do write dialogue with subtext. People in real life rarely say exactly what they mean. Characters should too — what they say and what they mean can differ.
• Do trust the reader. Leave room for the reader to infer. Over-explaining kills a story's power.
• Do revise. Creative writing is rewriting. The magic is usually in the draft after the first one.

Don't

• Don't tell the reader the point. A short story that states its theme ("and that is when I learned to forgive") loses its effect. Draw the lesson through the story.
• Don't use clichés. "It was raining cats and dogs," "her heart was racing." Avoid phrases you have heard a hundred times. Find fresh language.
• Don't over-adjectivise. A string of adjectives ("the dark, stormy, dangerous night") weakens the noun. Let one sharp detail do the work.
• Don't dump exposition. Do not give the reader a paragraph of backstory. Reveal it slowly, through action and detail.
• Don't let plot run the whole show. A story with action but no character or feeling is empty. The reader needs to care about someone.
• Don't force a perfect, explained ending. Sometimes an ending that leaves a question is stronger than one that ties everything up.

The quick test

For any sentence, ask: is this showing, or telling? If it tells, can I show it instead? Showing is the difference between a report and a story.

Checklist

• I showed feelings through detail and action.
• My detail is specific, not generic.
• My characters have a want, a flaw, and a voice.
• My dialogue has subtext.
• I trusted the reader and cut over-explaining.
• I revised beyond the first draft.