It seems obvious, but writers do it anyway. They leave boring bits in.
Read a book that became a film—it has to be one of those “faithful” adaptations—and then watch the movie. You’ll notice only about 10 percent of the book is on screen. The film is essentially the novel in bullet points. The most important bits, in other words.
If your beta readers say your story (or non-fiction narrative) has good parts and a good concept but put them to sleep anyway, don’t chuck the whole thing; cut the boring bits. If you aren’t sure what’s boring, start here [you know these are weighty concepts because I capitalized each word. I’m all about gravitas, which sounds even cooler if you roll the r]:
1. The Expository Beginning
The Expository Beginning is a writer letting you know a story is about to start. For example, I could have begun this post with:
Welcome back and thank you for continuing to support this blog. We’ve talked about many writing concepts in the past, as you know, and today will be addressing something that I’ve seen crop up all too often recently. Whether you are a beginner or have been at the writing game for a few years, it’s possible to fall into the trap of…
**CLUNK! (face hitting desk from sudden-onset narcolepsy)**
Stories, narrative non-fiction, and essays do not require a pre-game show. They should start with the first interesting thing that happens. Notice how fellow blogger and writer Jill Weatherholt begins this essay from earlier today: She doesn’t tell us about the weather, about putting her golf gear in the back of the SUV, or about eating a bowl of Lucky Charms before heading to the links. It starts with her already on the course, already having taken her shot, already having watched the puck go over the glass and into the stands.
Sorry, I know more about hockey than golf. I know this though: She didn’t mean to hook her shot, but she did mean to hook us in, which she does successfully by skipping the exposition. Despite what everybody says, a writer has to use a little exposition here and there. Just not on page one.
2. Explaining What We Already Know From Context
The human brain is a remarkable, if expensive to repair, invention. It can recognize patterns and fill in blanks better than any computer could hope to. Readers, many of whom come equipped with a brain, understand that if chapter 3 ends with Lazlo the Potato Sculptor’s car sliding off the road in a snowstorm and heading toward a tree, and chapter 4 begins with Lazlo in the hospital with his leg in traction, that an ambulance came, that he survived, that he was transported to the ER, that he was treated by a doctor. Unless the ambulance driver and the doctor are suspects in a murder Lazlo is investigating (he specializes in carving a forensic likenesses of victims from a russet potato), we don’t need it. Like Lazlo, a writer should be smart yet bold in cutting away that which is not required to create an artwork.
If someone said your story is dull, look at the spaces between the action and character moments. Does it matter that Carlos, the poor kid from a bad neighborhood who dreams of one-day becoming World Pogo Champion, is brushing his teeth and combing his hair and clipping his nails before he goes to the prom, or can we start with his mom adjusting his tie and gushing over how handsome her Carlito looks? We can surmise he already did the other, boring-to-read stuff.
From the beginning of each scene in your story, go line by line and ask, “Why do I need this sentence?” If you don’t have a good answer, cut it. The first sentence that argues back is the real beginning. Whatever remains after that should drive the plot, build the character, paint a world, reveal your voice, and entertain the reader.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:09 pm
Yes!
May 17th, 2013 at 11:09 pm
My original comment was much longer . . . but I cut out the boring bits.
May 18th, 2013 at 12:16 am
Never a boring answer from you, my dear.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:30 pm
I absolutely agree: Start where the story starts. I will also take your advice about ‘seeking out the usefulness’ of each sentence in my writing.
May 18th, 2013 at 12:17 am
Grace and poetry are useful to the story, too! Don’t ever lose that quality from your fine prose.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:34 pm
Pre-game shows are awful. Wasteful, even. Ever sit around on Super Bowl Sunday and watch all that pre-game silliness? I’m for jumping right in and will try to remember that my readers likely feel the same way.
May 18th, 2013 at 12:20 am
Yes. I want to tune in at the moment of kick-off, puck drop, green flag, first up, or whatever they do in basketball (as you know, I’m not 100% clear on how that sport works).
May 18th, 2013 at 2:07 am
I need to be continually reminded of this – I’m getting better though 🙂
May 18th, 2013 at 10:52 am
The parts I usually cut are the ones I fight with. At some point I realize I can’t get it right because it’s a dull passage. Our subconscious mind is like a built-in beta reader.
May 18th, 2013 at 3:57 am
Thanks for this reminder, Eric. I tend to be guilty of this by crapping-on before, during and after the event. I must make sure to be more blade-happy in future!
May 18th, 2013 at 4:02 am
In fact I wrote an extensive post about a year ago describing my acknowledgement of above-said flaw and my journey towards repair. It’s called Verbosity and can be found here: http://wp.me/p110vT-4V. I hope you enjoy the read. 😉
May 18th, 2013 at 11:11 am
Cute. Did it help?
May 18th, 2013 at 10:07 pm
No.
May 18th, 2013 at 7:31 am
“From the beginning of each scene in your story, go line by line and ask, why do I need this sentence?” Great advice, Eric! It’s amazing how much I cut after my first draft. Thanks for the mention! Perhaps I should give hockey a try, as I still can’t get rid of that hook. 🙂
May 18th, 2013 at 11:05 am
Perhaps you should try mini-golf. That is, if you don’t mind running into all the bankers and CEOs. Unfortunately, you have to cross the street to get to the clubhouse, but they do have Shamrock Shakes around St Patty’s Day. Which is nice. Hockey is a wonderful sport as well but hard on the teeth.
No problem on the mention, and thanks for writing a good piece I was able to use as an example!
May 18th, 2013 at 5:38 pm
Thank you, Eric. I’m honored you used my post as an example. “Shamrock Shakes”…..too funny! Have a great weekend!
May 18th, 2013 at 4:54 pm
Guilty as charged of both at one point or another. It’s something I’m continually trying to improve at.
All this reminds me of one of my favourite pieces of writing advice: ““The goal is not to get everything in but to put in what works best.”
May 19th, 2013 at 10:40 am
I’m sure we are all guilty of it. Self-editing is easier to talk about than to do. I recently chopped about 30% of a short story after letting it sit for a while and then rereading. It’s a ‘downward spiral’ type of story, and I had created an audience surrogate character to observe and comment upon the antihero’s descent. I realized upon rereading that this character had little influence upon events and was only going on about things the reader can plainly see anyway. So I chopped him down to the two or three moments in which he is necessary for the plot. He still got paid, though.
May 19th, 2013 at 12:33 pm
He still got paid, though.
Of course – don’t want to get the union after you.
May 19th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Fictional Characters Local 124
May 18th, 2013 at 6:47 pm
Sometimes I bore myself. That’s when I really have a problem…
May 19th, 2013 at 10:43 am
Hire a personal life editor to follow you around and poke you with a pointer when you begin to bore.
I frequently warn and pre-apologize to my co-workers when I am about to say something boring. As long as they know that I know it’s boring, I don’t feel so bad.
May 19th, 2013 at 2:10 am
I came to your blog via recommendation of Shannon Raelynn. I can see as a beginning writer, and new blogger (as of this week!) your blog posts will be beneficial to me. Entertaining too. Thanks Eric!
May 19th, 2013 at 11:02 am
Cool! Welcome to WordPress. It is a fantastic and supportive environment for writers. You will cyber meet a lot of great people here.
May 19th, 2013 at 4:38 am
GREAT! I think about this a lot but sometimes it can be hard to decide where to start when editing. Good points.
May 19th, 2013 at 10:59 am
Ultimately a good editor will help identify those passages, I think writers get tripped up by the familiar recommendation to cut anything that “doesn’t add meaning,” because that last term is so vague. I think if you cut the obvious stuff, the boring is gone.
May 19th, 2013 at 1:03 pm
You’re probably right. meaning can be a lot of things depending on what the goal of the story is. I mean, if you’re trying to entertain then even fan service could be meaningful.
May 19th, 2013 at 1:18 pm
As always, spot on! As always, I love your sense of humor. You offer excellent ways for me to edit the first draft of my whatevers since in those first drafts I tend to tell the reader much more than he needs (or wants) to know. You’ve also reminded me of the time a professor I had in a fiction writing workshop once hesitantly admitted to me that one of my short stories was “boring.” Unfortunately, he didn’t go on to suggest that it might be worthwhile if the boring bits were removed. Perhaps his lack of encouragement meant that the short story isn’t salvageable. Perhaps I should use your suggestions and make that determination myself.
May 19th, 2013 at 4:07 pm
You’d be surprised what a few good edits can do!
May 20th, 2013 at 8:18 pm
This post was quite applicable to me.. Its message hit home and registered in my mind.. Good job,
~~~
I keep hinting that you should publish a Kindle Book. So this is for you.
Creating your Kindle E-book: How to Write an Effective Book Description.
May 20th, 2013 at 8:20 pm
By the way, when I remember to sign into WordPress to post, I also go by the name Bryan Edmondson.
Sincerely, Anonymous
May 20th, 2013 at 10:56 pm
But the little purple square looks more like you.
Thanks for the link. I need to get my writing mojo back and finish something.
May 21st, 2013 at 7:14 am
[…] Don’t Write Boring! […]
May 21st, 2013 at 11:57 am
Thanks! Nicely to the point.
May 21st, 2013 at 12:17 pm
As a voiceover artist, I’m sure you know the value of word economy better than most.
May 21st, 2013 at 7:09 pm
I found you through Jill Weatherholt’s blog. I know I’ll be getting heaping spoonfuls of writing treats and tips here.
May 21st, 2013 at 7:28 pm
Thanks for dropping by and for the comment! Jill is so unassuming about her writing skills, isn’t she?
If you show up often enough, you’ll get to hear me rant about how I hate things that plug in, too. Technology-bashing replies are welcome, no matter the subject of that day’s post.
May 21st, 2013 at 10:59 pm
Fantastic post, Eric. I usually read my completed manuscript to my hubby who has the attention span of an ant. If he lifts up his hand and says “I’m getting bored” I rework that section or remove it altogether 😀
May 22nd, 2013 at 9:57 am
Is he a fix-it guy? One of these days, insert the first ten pages of a boat-engine manual into the middle of a chapter and see if he tells you it’s the best thing you’ve ever done.
Ants are one of nature’s most impressive creatures. I can only assume you were complimenting your man when talking about his attention span.
😉
May 27th, 2013 at 9:34 pm
[…] Write Boring – Part One and Part […]
May 29th, 2013 at 11:48 pm
I’ve heard this said many ways…yours is not boring. 🙂 I especially like the advice ‘the first one that argues back’…good way to find it. We writers almost always tell ourselves what we’re doing at the beginning of a story, and it can be tricky to find the real beginning. That about settles it. Quickly and well. Thanks!
May 30th, 2013 at 2:37 pm
Thanks for the comment. I think (I hope) I’ve gotten to the point in my development where I can strat with the action and have the confidence that I’ll be able to tell the “off-page” parts with details and dialog. I just have to make sure I know what can be left out without confusing people.
May 30th, 2013 at 5:08 pm
Yes, people who don’t write have no idea how tricky it can be to walk that line of brevity with clarity. It’s a lot of work, but I enjoy word crafting. I’ve noticed my newer stories have way less ‘junk’ content than when I wrote my first novel. Practice and learning does make better.
June 7th, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Very astute and spot on. While I love your posts of this nature I hate them as well.
Now I shall have a reread of one of my books at random and see if they come up to scratch with this criteria.
Good stuff, as always.
June 8th, 2013 at 3:40 pm
Thank you. I’m sure you will be satisfied with your findings.
June 9th, 2013 at 1:44 pm
In general I am pretty pleased with most of my work, but it is always good to keep on one’s toes.
June 7th, 2013 at 4:05 pm
Reblogged this at
http://attaleuntold.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/dont-write-boring/
June 8th, 2013 at 3:40 pm
Thanks so much, sir!
June 8th, 2013 at 5:30 am
I will feel your wise words with the smarting pain of each edit I make to my first draft! Really useful stuff 🙂
June 8th, 2013 at 3:42 pm
It’s tough to chop out own work, isn’t it? Sometimes I think I’ve pared something down sufficiently only to look at it months later and realize I can lose a lot more stuff that slows the story down.
June 8th, 2013 at 4:21 pm
I agree Eric! I think it was Stephen King that said in his book “On Writing”, when one is finished a novel it should be locked in a drawer and then revisited.
I recently sent off a poem that I thought was “done” at a last minute deadline submission cutoff. It did receive an Honorable Mention as one of the judges’ favourites in the competition, however upon revisiting it afterwards I did see an obvious spot I could have “shown” instead of “told” . A few other quite obvious improvements, became visible after the fact. Guess hindsight is 20/20 in writing too. 😉
June 8th, 2013 at 4:21 pm
p.s. King said revisited a YEAR later.
June 8th, 2013 at 7:52 pm
Indeed. I just reread this post for the first time in a while and see a couple spots I could trim. The other end, of course, is not being able to let go and editing the life out of something. I’m still trying to find that sweet spot.
June 8th, 2013 at 6:01 pm
Valid advice. I have a particularly difficult time with this, because as part of my own style I digress and throw out red herrings. Thus, when the answer to the question, ‘Is this bit essential to the story?’ is, ‘No!’ I still have to ask myself, ‘But does it entertain and maintain interest?’
June 8th, 2013 at 7:58 pm
I don’t see anything wrong with an entertaining tangent, comic relief, or even stylistic flourishes, so long as they don’t ruin the pacing or make the reader lose track of the story. Not everything has to be strictly necessary from a utilitarian, plot-moving standpoint. It could be necessary from a character motivation standpoint or even an entertainment standpoint.
Thanks for reading and for the comment!
June 9th, 2013 at 4:37 am
Glad my little habits don’t flaunt any Law of the Medes and the Persians! Thanks for response.
June 9th, 2013 at 9:59 am
Whatever you do, don’t piss off the Persians. People think they’re all about fluffy kittens, but those people haven’t seen “300.”
June 10th, 2013 at 5:32 pm
good advice, mang!
June 10th, 2013 at 6:46 pm
Hey there, Remy. Thanks for dropping by.