# The "dont's" of writing fiction.



## hots_towel (May 2, 2014)

So i've been poking around these forums and noticed theres a lot of tropes that people say you should generally avoid in your stories. Time travel, flashbacks, amnesia, etc. 

not that im really planning on using any of these tropes, but i feel like there are more that I'm unaware of that are, if not big no no's, generally looked down upon tropes. 

Can anyone just kinda sound off anything they can think of that generally are considered taboo in writing? Maybe bring some light as to why the things i mentioned above are looked down upon as well?

EDIT: Im aware this thread has some rules in it http://mythicscribes.com/forums/writing-questions/4024-elmore-leonards-10-rules-writing.html but these rules tend to be more specific and geared towards the actual writing of a book. I'm looking for something more broad and related to the plot elements of the story


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## T.Allen.Smith (May 2, 2014)

Let's start by saying you can use anything you like. The success of your story will depend on execution. 

Here's a couple items that are generally considered bland:
1) Starting a story with the weather- Readers will want you to get to the point of the story, and quickly. Unless the weather is a true part of the immediate story and not backdrop (like a Druid summoning a storm for example), you're usually better of skipping the meteorology intro.

2) Using your POV character looking into a mirror to get their appearance across to the reader.- It's considered lazy to get appearances through this method. Sprinkling details in through the immediate story is usually better. 

One thing to keep in mind, turning these types of expectations on their head is a great way to surprise your readers.


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## Steerpike (May 2, 2014)

*gets popcorn*

/10char


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## Guy (May 2, 2014)

Don't give your characters names that are virtually impossible to pronounce or take up most of a line. Although, now that I think about it, I did see one writer actually make use of this trope - the heroine's name was almost impossible to pronounce, but in order for the villain (a witch) to cast a spell on her, the witch had to say the heroine's name three times. Because the heroine's name was so long and difficult, the witch was unable to do this before the heroine closed the distance and killed her.

Still, what often happens is the writer comes up with this uber-fantasy name that conforms to no known rules oh phonetics and no one has the slightest idea to pronounce, so they end up using a shortened version of the name. And I'm left wondering why they didn't just make the shortened version the character's actual name and avoid needless hassle.


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## Jabrosky (May 2, 2014)

I don't see much of a point to prologues or epilogues anymore. In fact I even wonder why anyone ever invented them anyway. I believe this is a widely held opinion; even our own Steerpike disapproves of them which I find very telling.


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## Philip Overby (May 3, 2014)

My don'ts:

1. Don't not write. (?)
2. Don't be lazy.
3. Don't be worried.
4. Don't get frustrated. Well, actually, get frustrated, but don't get _too_ frustrated.
5. Don't take yourself too seriously.
6. Don't stop writing when you're on a roll.
7. Don't be perfect. 
8. Don't be afraid of cliches. 
9. Don't beat yourself up.
10. Don't stop believin'.






Oh and number 11: don't use adverbs. Never, ever, ever use adverbs or the adverb demon will slowly, painfully, kill you.



In relation to time travel: Doctor Who, The Terminator, The Time Traveler's Wife, etc.
In relation to flashbacks: The Name of the Wind (one of the most popular fantasy books out there right now)

My "don'ts" related to these elements would be to not use them if you have trouble handling the material. Some people can write time travel fiction very well. Some can't. The secret is to not do anything you can't handle. I certainly can't write time travel fiction, hard SF, or children's stories, so I don't do that. I can write multiple sentences with double negatives though.


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## Julian S Bartz (May 3, 2014)

Philip Overby said:


> My don'ts:
> 
> 7. Don't be perfect.
> 8. Don't be afraid of cliches.
> ...



I agree on all of your points except the adverbs. I think adverbs are like chilli. A little makes your dinner taste great. Too much makes it inedible.

And especially don't stop believing!!


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## psychotick (May 3, 2014)

Hi,

The number one "don't" in this business if you want to be a success? - Don't do what I do!!!

Cheers, Greg.


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## Philip Overby (May 3, 2014)

Julian S Bartz said:


> I agree on all of your points except the adverbs. I think adverbs are like chilli. A little makes your dinner taste great. Too much makes it inedible.
> 
> And especially don't stop believing!!



I was joking about the adverbs.


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## Feo Takahari (May 3, 2014)

I wouldn't call this a don't per se, but be very careful when trying to begin in the second act of a three-act story. This includes, but is not limited to:

* Beginning in medias res, then skipping back to the beginning and staying there until you reach the middle.
* Beginning in medias res, then gradually revealing the past through flashbacks.
* Starting with a protagonist who has amnesia, then revealing the past when he gets his memory back.

The first act of a three-act story should give your plot meaning and heft, making the reader care about whether and how the central problem is resolved. If you start in act two, and you needed act one, adding it in later is too little, too late. If you start in act two, and you didn't need act one, then you should cut act one completely and use a story structure that better fits your plot.

Time travel is another thing that can potentially lead to a really messy story structure, which is probably why it's cautioned against. However, it's relatively simple to do a "linear" time travel story by progressing directly through the experiences of a single character, following his personal timeline without deviation.


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## Penpilot (May 3, 2014)

Don't be afraid to try anything.
Don't be afraid to fail.
Don't be afraid... period.

In plotting, don't worry about the _don'ts_ because for every _don't_ there's someone who _did_ and did it well. Be someone who did, and if you crash and burn, make sure you go down in a blaze that lights up the sky.

Do learn from your mistakes.
Do try again and again.
Do... just do. 

And don't give up.


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## Svrtnsse (May 3, 2014)

Don't worry about whether something has been done before - it has, don't worry.

Don't worry about whether something has been done too many times - it didn't stop any of the people who did it before you.

Don't spend too much time talking about your writing when you could be writing. Do spend time talking about your writing, both with other writers and with non-writers. Just don't let it take too much time away from actually writing.

Don't wait for inspiration. Invite it, but make sure you're able to receive it in style when it finally arrives.

Don't skimp on your research. It's okay to not know what you're talking about, but it's not okay to not know and pretend you do.

Don't take any advice without understanding why it was given.


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## ALB2012 (May 5, 2014)

Don't do really implausible things. Yes of course magic is acceptable but it something we know does something weird then really it needs to be justified (imo).
Don't have your characters suddenly do something out of character just to further the plot if it is totally unbelievable or there are no consequences.
Don't forget to research. If you are using, say cross bows or scale mail armour, find out what they are like? How much do they weigh? Why has that peasant got a set? If someone is using something in the wrong way it will show, and readers will notice.


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## Michael J. Tobias (May 5, 2014)

Don't follow rules religiously. True writing, like true religion, comes from the heart, not from a bunch of rules.


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## Scribble (May 5, 2014)

The production of food at McDonald's follows a very strict set of rules. Thus, teenagers with no experience or skill can produce something edible. There's no room for creativity, and the results are mediocre, but the risk of creating inedible* food is eliminated.

Dining at a restaurant where a virtuoso chef is 'creating' meals borne of a love and mastery of flavor and texture and culinary skill... is a very different experience. They know "rules", and they use them, but they bend them and break them as needed to deliver their vision. You may not like it, but surely it won't be a Big Mac.

Just like cooking, if you have no experience and have not cultivated talent or allowed your vision and mastery to develop, rules can help you produce _something readable_.

Rules can get you part of the way, even if it is to discover which rules work for you and which don't.




*opinions may vary


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## Guy (May 5, 2014)

Don't think anyone can really improve how it was expressed in those last two posts. Two thumbs up!


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## Chessie (May 6, 2014)

Don't not believe in yourself, in your talent, and ability to achieve your dreams. Writing and publishing are two separate beasts that can both be tamed. Knowing when to turn on the artist hat vs the business hat has helped me a lot. But having faith in myself has been the biggest thing. Its the fuel that lights the fire.


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