I am working on some very smart things to say here. Really. Meanwhile, there's 
From an old bookmark. Still fresh. Some of my picks:
6) Long plot explanations aren't going to get it. Like, when something neat (horrible?) happened to one of the characters a real long time ago, and you really really want to tell us about it, you know? Don't.12) We can't care about sand mutants; if you do, or think you do, kill yourself.
21) If you write a sentence that isn't poignant, touching, funny, intriguing, inviting, etc., take it out before you finish the work. Don't just leave it there. Don't let anyone see it.
23) Also: Obscurity is not subtlety; intentional obscurity is pinheaded and unkind.
Writing Scifi? Have a look at TheScian Scifi Contest for 2008.
Comments
You may be amused to hear that "39 Steps" has just been released at Librivox.
http://librivox.org/the-thirty-nine-steps-by-john-buchan/
I imagine it could've been a bit shorter (4+ hours!) had Buchan read the 39 steps before telling his tale.
Posted by: Matt Hussein Platte | July 14, 2008 12:21 PM