Avoid Gimmicks In Your Writing (They Don't Help)

Have you ever heard of those movies in the 1950s and 1960s that used bizarre presentation or ridiculous premises (some of which bordered on threats) to get people to buy tickets to them? Perhaps the most famous of these is The Tingler, which had buzzers hidden under people's seats to go off during certain spots in the film as a way to frighten the audience.

As a marketing ploy, this over-the-top salesmanship sometimes worked to get people to come see what all the fuss was about. However, it was most notable for movies that were lackluster, boring, or just badly written which leaned on the gimmick to actually get people to come and check them out. And, unfortunately, writers are not immune to this when it comes to our work.

So if you're thinking of doing something outside the text with your story, ask if that actually improves the reader's experience, or if you're just trying to use a gimmick to distract from what's actually on the page.

The book bursts into flames when you hit page 451... you know, as a reference!

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The Key Here Is "Outside The Text"

I'm sure right now there are folks out there who are clearing their throats and preparing to name dozens of books that were commercially or critically successful that had bizarre forms of presentation, or which broke conventional rules that publishers balked at. However, before you start putting up counter-examples, the key here is that phrase "outside the text," and what it implies.

Is this thing you're about to bring up an actual part of the experience that is meant to enhance the text of the story as it's being written? Or is it something that exists outside the story whose inclusion won't actually change anything about the story itself, but it is merely meant to seem unique, interesting, or in some cases to distract from the story by being salacious or audacious?

Oh you knew this example was coming, didn't you?

While House of Leaves can be a divisive book (folks seem to either love it or loathe it), but what it does is not a gimmick, despite people accusing it of such. Because while this method of presentation is strange, it is an intended part of the presentation that is specifically meant to alter the experience the reader has while interacting with the text and the story. It is a necessity to that experience, because if you remove it, then you have truncated the book and its story.

So, before you decide to present your story in a strange or unusual way, take a moment to ask yourself why you're doing this. Is this secret code, pages printed backwards so you have to read them in a mirror, or having key pages with a bizarre indent an extra layer that enhances the story? Or are they just meant to be a quirk that shakes your reader out of falling asleep when they turn the page?

As an example, if you are writing a memoir of a spy, then the methods of disguising coded language and slipping in secret messages through the text that have to be decoded could absolutely turn the book into a puzzle that needs to be solved in order to get the full story. That is not a gimmick, but a part of the intended reading experience. Are you writing a fantasy story where the protagonist doesn't understand the language of an underground species of elves they've been taken prisoner by, so you make your own language in order for the reader to learn words along with the protagonist so they can then go back and re-read the parts they didn't understand before? That can be part of the intended experience.

So what is a gimmick, then? Well, a gimmick would be something like claiming there's a secret curse in the book, even if that curse has nothing to do with the story it's telling. Or insisting that the text be written with dialogue in red ink. Perhaps including fake bloodstains on the paper, hoping that will make the horror novel feel that much more gripping. A gimmick is something that exists outside the text, but which isn't actually necessary to the experience of reading that text.

At the end of the day, ask yourself two things:

- Is the text of my story good and polished?

- Is this other element something that enhances the story, and adds depth to it?

If this thing you're presenting as unique and interesting could just be ignored or removed without changing the reading experience in a meaningful way, then it's a gimmick. And, generally speaking, gimmicks are not something you want to use as a hallmark of your writing.

As always, you can do whatever you want with your story and your book... but consider if people are going to remember the story, or the gimmick. Because if the story isn't center stage, it might be time to go back to the drawing board.

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That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

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Why You Need To Let Your Book Cool (It's Not The Story... It's You!)

Most of us have the experience of going nose-blind to something. If you're a cat owner, it might be your furry companion's litterbox. If you have (or were) a teenage boy, it's the fact that their room has that particular funk in it that only handling your laundry and doing some deep cleaning will fix. In short, when you spend all day, every day hip deep in something, you grow desensitized to it. It's only by leaving to go run errands, or to take a weekend trip, that you realize exactly how bad the smell is, making you wonder if something happened while you were gone.

This is why it's important for you to take a break between writing a story, and editing it. It's not for the book... it's for you. Because if you go back in desensitized to all the flaws, you aren't going to be able to clean it up the way it deserves.

And trust me... you want all those smells out of your story.

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

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You Need To Be Fresh Before You Edit

We've all been at that point where we cross the finish line on a story, panting and exhausted. We've been in this world for so long, and we're tired of it. We don't want to think about it anymore, we just want it to be done. And for your first draft, that is perfectly acceptable. However, to return to one of my favorite metaphors, this is why you take breaks between sets at the gym.

Yes, I'm going somewhere with this.

When you lift weights, you need to maintain good form in order for the exercise to put the strain on the right places, and to not hurt yourself. However, when you get tired, your form starts to slip. This means you start compensating with other muscles, and sometimes you just push through to get the right number of reps instead of focusing on the quality of those reps. This is one reason you're supposed to rest between sets; it gives your body time to recuperate, and to come back at it with the proper energy.

If you don't take time to rest when it comes to editing, then you're not going to be going in with good form. You're just going to be performing the action (physically reading the words on the page) without actually getting the intended result (analyzing your story to see where improvements need to be made). Because just reading your story again won't make it better... that's just going through the motions because, well, that's the next step.

That's the point of hitting save, and then not looking at your story again for a little while. A week, at least. Two weeks is better. Because this gives your brain time to rest and recuperate. It's even better if you can work on something totally different as a palate cleanser. Even if it's just something small like doing some outlining, it makes a difference. Because then you can come back to the job of improving your story with a refreshed mind, and a sharpened wit.

And you'll be able to actually smell the bad parts once you've been out of the house for a while, so to speak.

Support The Literary Mercenary

If you want to see me produce more work, consider some of the following options!

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And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Also, if you're curious about how to write for tabletop RPGs, don't forget to check out my show Tabletop Mercenary, which you can find on both the Azukail Games channel!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Avoid Putting Asides In Your Stories (Without Careful Consideration, At Least)

It can sometimes be difficult to get information directly to the audience. After all, you can show them an entire scene, describe everything perfectly, and insinuate the threads you want them to weave together, but there will still be some folks who just don't get it. A common device used in stage productions, and even in some TV shows, is the Aside; those times when a character will speak directly to the audience, usually voicing unspoken thoughts that aren't heard by the rest of the characters onstage or in the scene with them.

 

While asides are a viable tool, it's important to ask yourself if it's the right tool to bring across the proper feeling for your story. Because like a lot of other things adapted from more visual mediums, it can often backfire when you try to use it in text.

 

Sometimes you don't need to swing a hammer, you know?

 

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Should You Set Asides To The Side?

We've all read fiction where we have the protagonist (or at least the point of view character) talking directly to us. Sometimes it's direct 4th wall breaking, like we see in Deadpool or She Hulk comic books, but other times it's just reading the direct thoughts of the protagonist in the form of an inner monologue. And while this is an established way of doing things, it's worth asking if this is the way you want your book to read.

 

It's all about the tone, here...

 

The main reason this is worth asking yourself is because asides have a tendency of cutting through tension, and giving you a method to tell your audience what's happening in your character's own words, rather than trying to show it through descriptions and actual dialogue. And while that can be expedient, it can also make it more difficult to take a story seriously, or to build proper tension.

For this reason it's important to consider what the benefits of an aside are in your story, what the drawbacks are, and how naturally an aside slips into your narration.

 

For instance, if you're writing a story from a first-person perspective, then asides will feel pretty natural even if they don't take the form of dialogue. On the other hand, having asides in third-person requires a third-person omniscient perspective, or for the asides to come from the narrator, as who else would have the ability to see into the minds of the cast in order to deliver these asides to the reader?

 

The key question you need to ask is how do you want to limit your readers' access to information, or present them with particular perspectives? Because if you are getting asides from the POV character, but no one else, you're still limited to their perspective, which can allow you to keep certain facts behind the curtain, so to speak, until they're presented in prose or dialogue. If you are able to present asides from different characters as the narrator, this can be used to enhance dread or tragedy as the reader sees the big picture, but also knows that the characters don't. And asides can also be used to tell jokes, turning the tool itself into a form of comedy.

This last is actually one of the most common uses for asides in books, and it's for that reason it isn't always advisable to use them. Because it can sometimes be difficult to deliver an aside without it feeling like a joke. Even if you have a literal Greek chorus that's intoning doom and tragedy, making an aside that straight-faced can also feel like a joke... and if that's not your intent, it can be a serious problem.

 

So, to reiterate the thrust of today's post, asides are a perfectly functional tool. So is a 12-pound sledgehammer. And in a task requiring that tool, and its lack of subtlety, it's absolutely the right choice for the job. If it isn't, though, then it's probably a better idea to use a tool with more finesse in order to get the job done.

 

Support The Literary Mercenary

If you want to see me produce more work, consider some of the following options!

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- The A.L.I.C.E. Files (a channel full of short stories, many of which are mine)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Also, if you're curious about how to write for tabletop RPGs, don't forget to check out my show Tabletop Mercenary, which you can find on both the Azukail Games channel!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Know What Your Ending Is Before You Start Writing

For folks who didn't know, Pixar has a list of writing rules that people are expected to follow when crafting storylines for the company. Most of them are good things to keep in mind, but today I wanted to refer to writing rule #7, which (according to No Film School) reads:

Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously, endings are hard, get yours working up front.

This might not feel natural for a lot of writers, but trust me, botching the ending is a very real issue. Hell, if Stephen King can get lambasted for his endings falling on their faces often enough that it was a serious problem with his body of work, then the rest of us need to take time to make sure we don't suffer from the same problem.

Seriously... know where you're going before you start.

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Lastly, don't forget to check out my Vocal archive for additional fiction, articles, explorations of weird history, and more!

You Can't Plan A Road Trip If You Don't Know The Destination

If writing a book is a journey, then the ending of that book is your destination. And while general destinations can work (We're going to California!), the more specific your end point is, the easier it becomes to plot your trip (We're heading to the Holiday Inn in Pasadena).

Take two examples of this. You're writing a spy thriller, and you know that your secret agent's handler is actually a mole who has been manipulating things from the inside, and he's responsible for the game of cat and mouse going on throughout the book. A general ending is, "And then Agent Carter unmasks Gerald, and defeats him." Sure, that works, but it's still pretty vague as to what actually happens. What form does this unmasking take? What does defeated mean in this context? It's still a destination, but it's vague with the details, and that could become a problem for you as the writer.

A more specific ending would be something like, "Carter fakes his death, and then breaks into Gerald's safe house, knowing he'll be going there to meet his contact. He confronts him, recording the incident in question, and getting his confession. Gerald is shot dead by a sniper, and in the final report Carter gives, we find out that Gerald was selling out the agency to a far more dangerous terrorist organization that's set up as the villain in the sequel."

Sorry, Gerald, but you're no longer useful to us.

It's one thing to know you're going to a particular town, but it's another thing to know exactly where you're going to end your story because you can then work backwards from there to figure out the plot, important story beats, and so on. Writing a novel is hard enough, there's no reason to just wing it, throw as hard as you can, and hope you hit the target instead of launching your story so far out to sea there's no way to recover it.

Don't drive your plot endlessly around in circles just looking for a place to park. The story will suffer, and more than that, you're going to bore your audience. However, it's also important to remember that your ending isn't set in stone. If it turns out you think of a better ending along the way, or you need to make changes to your plan, you can still do that. However, it's a lot easier to change your destination when you actually know what it is, instead of just depending on instinct and intuition to tell you when it's time to start winding down your narrative.

Support The Literary Mercenary

If you want to see me produce more work, consider some of the following options!

- My Facebook

- My Blue Sky

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

- The A.L.I.C.E. Files (a channel full of short stories, many of which are mine)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Also, if you're curious about how to write for tabletop RPGs, don't forget to check out my show Tabletop Mercenary, which you can find on both the Azukail Games channel!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!