Just so you know who he is…

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He’s giving away FREE writing advice so I doubt he will mind me sharing parts of today’s email with you.

The reason I’m inspired to share this? It’s a message I often wish I could deliver to promising authors. Their writing would be so much better if they learned this secret.

Well, I guess it’s not much of a secret, but there are still those who have yet to discover the difference this practice can make.

His email is long so I will pick and chose, to give you the idea.

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His email is jerry@jerryjenkins.com

Jerry says…

If I could give you ONLY one writing tip…

So here it is: Avoid on-the-nose writing.

This is one of the most common mistakes I see in otherwise good writing.

(I left out his next comment – a really long and detailed example of on-the-nose writing)

Here’s how that scene should be rendered:

Paige’s phone chirped. It was her fiancé, Jim, and he told her something about one of their best friends that made her forget where she was.

“Cancer?” she whispered, barely able to speak. “I didn’t even know Alyson was sick. Did you?”

Trust me, not one reader is going to wonder how she knew the caller was Jim.

We don’t need to be told that the chirp told her she had a call (duh), that her phone is in her purse, that her purse is over her shoulder, that she has to open it to get her phone, push a button to take the call, put the phone to her ear to hear and to speak, identify herself to the caller, be informed who it is…

…you get the point.

If you’ve fallen into on-the-nose writing (and we all have), don’t beat yourself up. It shows you have the ability to mirror real life.

That’s nice. Now quit it.

Leave that to the amateurs.

Separate yourself from the competition by noticing the important stuff.

Dig deep.

Go past the surface.

Mine your emotions, your mind and heart and soul, and remember how it felt when you got news like that about a friend or loved one.

Don’t distract with minutia. Give the readers the adventure they signed up for when they chose to read your story.

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Jerry has a free workshop coming up if you are interested in hearing more from him…

P.S. Watch your inbox Thursday around noon Central for my next email. We’ll talk about what to do if you post your writing online and no one responds.

P.P.S. If you liked today’s little writing tip, you’ll love this: Join me Monday at noon or 7 p.m. Central, when I’m hosting a special FREE workshop How I Write Bestselling Novels. You can reserve your seat by clicking here—only 3000 spots available per session!

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Sign up for his email, he’s always giving away free advice.

And… he knows how to WRITE.

Most of all, remember today’s writing tip.