ve far more dialogue than the classics of yesteryear. We live in a fast paced world with bang bang bang action sequences, be it on television, in the cinema, or within the latest blockbuster novels. Dialogue gives you that. Some buyers glancing at books in the bookstore do so to check out the dialogue, and if there is insufficient, they won’t buy. And make sure it is realistic. Read it aloud, that will soon tell you if it’s bad. Clunky dialogue sticks out like a splinter in the butt. Concentrate on retaining the bare bones of dialogue. In actual speak, many people hum and hah, throw in repeated “you knows”, or “you get me”, or start every sentence with “well”, or “er” or “um” or “yeah”. We all do it. If you wrote that dialogue as it is actualAll publishers have more works to choose from today than ever before. The only way to attract their attention is with tight writing. Write, rewrite and rewrite again. No matter how good you think it is, it can always be improved, and never send it in the mail until you are completely satisfied with it. When you think you have finished, put it out of sight in a cupboard for a month or two. You will be amazed at how many improvements you see when you take a fresh look at it. Try these ideas to improve your writing.

Look out for words you repeat too often.

Some of the obvious candidates (there are plenty more!) are: almost, already, then, that, very, nodded, suddenly, like, but, just and our old friend, obviously. All these words can crop up again and again. We all use them, and some of them are not easy to find adequate replacements for. But you must do so if you want your writing to sound fresh and modern and different.

Avoid cliches at all costs.

You know the thing, we’re all in the same boat, and all things considered, it’s all over bar the shouting, as we blow hot and cold, but it’s a breath of fresh air, but in less than no time, the chickens will come home to roost, as we kill two birds with one stone, and ride off into the sunset. Urgh! Collins Good Writing Guide lists twenty pages of the blighters. Join the campaign. Kill clich?s!

Vary the length of your sentences and paragraphs.

This will give your writing variety, and remember: short sentences pick up the pace of the story. Lee Child is a master of short sentences, and these help make his work very readable, which in turn forces the reader to turn the page, to read the next chapter, and buy his next book. Very clever.

Seek the X Factor for your writing.

Something that will make it stand out from the slushpile. Does the publisher really want to see another book about wizards and dragons and goblins? I doubt that. Or another quasi religious mystery? Think different. Be different, and if you can't do that, introduce a twist. Raymond Chandler once wrote that whenever he felt the story was dragging, he’d introduce a man with a gun. I’m not necessarily suggesting you do that, but you can see what he was thinking. Twists and turns keep the reader interested and on their toes, and that applies equally to the publisher you are striving to impress. First and foremost the publisher is a reader.

Prune out dull patches, rubbish and fillers.

Be ruthless with it too, for the story will almost always benefit. A 70,000 word tightly written fast-paced work has infinitely more chance of success, than a 150,000 word saga that all too often bores the reader to sleep. My good lady bought me a set or pruning shears for my birthday, and they were not for the garden. They were a non too subtle hint, but a good one at that.

Is there enough dialogue, or too much?

Dialogue is most important because it increases the pace of the tale. Most modern books have far more dialogue than the classics of yesteryear. We live in a fast paced world with bang bang bang action sequences, be it on television, in the cinema, or within the latest blockbuster novels. Dialogue gives you that. Some buyers glancing at books in the bookstore do so to check out the dialogue, and if there is insufficient, they won’t buy. And make sure it is realistic. Read it aloud, that will soon tell you if it’s bad. Clunky dialogue sticks out like a splinter in the butt. Concentrate on retaining the bare bones of dialogue. In actual speak, many people hum and hah, throw in repeated “you knows”, or “you get me”, or start every sentence with “well”, or “er” or “um” or “yeah”. We all do it. If you wrote that dialogue as it is actuall

crop up again and again. We all use them, and some of them are not easy to find adequate replacements for. But you must do so if you want your writing to sound fresh and modern and different.

Avoid cliches at all costs.

You know the thing, we’re all in the same boat, and all things considered, it’s all over bar the shouting, as we blow hot and cold, but it’s a breath of fresh air, but in less than no time, the chickens will come home to roost, as we kill two birds with one stone, and ride off into the sunset. Urgh! Collins Good Writing Guide lists twenty pages of the blighters. Join the campaign. Kill clich?s!

Vary the length of your sentences and paragraphs.

This will give your writing variety, and remember: short sentences pick up the pace of the story. Lee Child is a master of short sentences, and these help make his work very readable, which in turn forces the reader to turn the page, to read the next chapter, and buy his next book. Very clever.

Seek the X Factor for your writing.

Something that will make it stand out from the slushpile. Does the publisher really want to see another book about wizards and dragons and goblins? I doubt that. Or another quasi religious mystery? Think different. Be different, and if you can't do that, introduce a twist. Raymond Chandler once wrote that whenever he felt the story was dragging, he’d introduce a man with a gun. I’m not necessarily suggesting you do that, but you can see what he was thinking. Twists and turns keep the reader interested and on their toes, and that applies equally to the publisher you are striving to impress. First and foremost the publisher is a reader.

Prune out dull patches, rubbish and fillers.

Be ruthless with it too, for the story will almost always benefit. A 70,000 word tightly written fast-paced work has infinitely more chance of success, than a 150,000 word saga that all too often bores the reader to sleep. My good lady bought me a set or pruning shears for my birthday, and they were not for the garden. They were a non too subtle hint, but a good one at that.

Is there enough dialogue, or too much?

Dialogue is most important because it increases the pace of the tale. Most modern books have far more dialogue than the classics of yesteryear. We live in a fast paced world with bang bang bang action sequences, be it on television, in the cinema, or within the latest blockbuster novels. Dialogue gives you that. Some buyers glancing at books in the bookstore do so to check out the dialogue, and if there is insufficient, they won’t buy. And make sure it is realistic. Read it aloud, that will soon tell you if it’s bad. Clunky dialogue sticks out like a splinter in the butt. Concentrate on retaining the bare bones of dialogue. In actual speak, many people hum and hah, throw in repeated “you knows”, or “you get me”, or start every sentence with “well”, or “er” or “um” or “yeah”. We all do it. If you wrote that dialogue as it is actual

entences pick up the pace of the story. Lee Child is a master of short sentences, and these help make his work very readable, which in turn forces the reader to turn the page, to read the next chapter, and buy his next book. Very clever.

Seek the X Factor for your writing.

Something that will make it stand out from the slushpile. Does the publisher really want to see another book about wizards and dragons and goblins? I doubt that. Or another quasi religious mystery? Think different. Be different, and if you can't do that, introduce a twist. Raymond Chandler once wrote that whenever he felt the story was dragging, he’d introduce a man with a gun. I’m not necessarily suggesting you do that, but you can see what he was thinking. Twists and turns keep the reader interested and on their toes, and that applies equally to the publisher you are striving to impress. First and foremost the publisher is a reader.

Prune out dull patches, rubbish and fillers.

Be ruthless with it too, for the story will almost always benefit. A 70,000 word tightly written fast-paced work has infinitely more chance of success, than a 150,000 word saga that all too often bores the reader to sleep. My good lady bought me a set or pruning shears for my birthday, and they were not for the garden. They were a non too subtle hint, but a good one at that.

Is there enough dialogue, or too much?

Dialogue is most important because it increases the pace of the tale. Most modern books have far more dialogue than the classics of yesteryear. We live in a fast paced world with bang bang bang action sequences, be it on television, in the cinema, or within the latest blockbuster novels. Dialogue gives you that. Some buyers glancing at books in the bookstore do so to check out the dialogue, and if there is insufficient, they won’t buy. And make sure it is realistic. Read it aloud, that will soon tell you if it’s bad. Clunky dialogue sticks out like a splinter in the butt. Concentrate on retaining the bare bones of dialogue. In actual speak, many people hum and hah, throw in repeated “you knows”, or “you get me”, or start every sentence with “well”, or “er” or “um” or “yeah”. We all do it. If you wrote that dialogue as it is actual

ts and turns keep the reader interested and on their toes, and that applies equally to the publisher you are striving to impress. First and foremost the publisher is a reader.

Prune out dull patches, rubbish and fillers.

Be ruthless with it too, for the story will almost always benefit. A 70,000 word tightly written fast-paced work has infinitely more chance of success, than a 150,000 word saga that all too often bores the reader to sleep. My good lady bought me a set or pruning shears for my birthday, and they were not for the garden. They were a non too subtle hint, but a good one at that.

Is there enough dialogue, or too much?

Dialogue is most important because it increases the pace of the tale. Most modern books have far more dialogue than the classics of yesteryear. We live in a fast paced world with bang bang bang action sequences, be it on television, in the cinema, or within the latest blockbuster novels. Dialogue gives you that. Some buyers glancing at books in the bookstore do so to check out the dialogue, and if there is insufficient, they won’t buy. And make sure it is realistic. Read it aloud, that will soon tell you if it’s bad. Clunky dialogue sticks out like a splinter in the butt. Concentrate on retaining the bare bones of dialogue. In actual speak, many people hum and hah, throw in repeated “you knows”, or “you get me”, or start every sentence with “well”, or “er” or “um” or “yeah”. We all do it. If you wrote that dialogue as it is actual

ve far more dialogue than the classics of yesteryear. We live in a fast paced world with bang bang bang action sequences, be it on television, in the cinema, or within the latest blockbuster novels. Dialogue gives you that. Some buyers glancing at books in the bookstore do so to check out the dialogue, and if there is insufficient, they won’t buy. And make sure it is realistic. Read it aloud, that will soon tell you if it’s bad. Clunky dialogue sticks out like a splinter in the butt. Concentrate on retaining the bare bones of dialogue. In actual speak, many people hum and hah, throw in repeated “you knows”, or “you get me”, or start every sentence with “well”, or “er” or “um” or “yeah”. We all do it. If you wrote that dialogue as it is actually said, perhaps in pursuit of realism, it would read awfully dull, and be infinitely longer. Short sharp and to the point every time, and you won’t go far wrong.

Show don’t tell.

This is frequent advice given to aspiring writers, but it is very good advice. Don’t tell the reader that Laura is frightened. Show that she is frightened. Her throat is dry, she’s trembling, she listens and peers into the darkness. She knows he’s out there somewhere. She can hear him breathing. She can hear his footsteps. She can smell the liquor on his breath. She’s not frightened, she's terrified, and you don’t need to use the “terrified” word once.

For further ideas on how you can improve your writing keep an eye out for my follow up article: “Knocking Your Writing Into Shape”. Best of luck with all your projects, and never be deterred by rejection.