Learn to write a novel, following the example of writers like Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell and Elmore Leonard and learn to write clean, simple prose.
The best writing is 'clean' writing. Nothing to do with soap powders or detergents – or even sex. Clean writing is prose that is clear and understandable.
The best examples of the type include Elmore Leonard, George Orwell, Ross Macdonald, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Timlin, Eric Ambler, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. It would be unkind to give examples of 'dirty' writing, except to say that their ranks include almost all bad writers.
Most amateurs fall into the trap of trying to write too cleverly. They burden their prose with dirt: flowery adjectives, long similes, obese sentences and so on. In the process they obscure what they mean to say and bore their readers. Clean, clear writing is enjoyable to read. And when reading is a pleasure, then ideas are easier to put across.
1. Short sentences are best. Really. But it is best to avoid. If you can. Making them too jumpy. And disjoined. Because…
2. Good writing has a rhythm. Prose, like poetry, should flow smoothly. Read aloud what you've written: it's a good way to elimate sharp edges and ensure flow.
3. Shorter paragraphs are easier to read. Your first paragraph should be succinct and snappy, enticing the reader to carry on. That principle should continue, on a less stringent level, throughout your work. Designers know that plenty of white space on a page attracts people – the same goes for readers. That’s why many potential purchasers skim through a book’s pages before they decide to buy it.
4. Never use any word other than ‘said’ to indicate dialogue. Plus, when saying who is speaking, steer clear of adverbs. There’s nothing worse than a flow of dialogue that goes: ‘What did you say?’ asked Jane menacingly. ‘You heard me,’ Dennis said loudly. ‘I did not,’ muttered Jane angrily. ‘Oh, of course you didn’t,’ mocked Dennis, sarcastically. The writer will be accused of writing annoyingly.
5. Avoid cliches like the plague.
6. Be positive in your writing. Instead of saying: ‘Few readers would not want to read writing that is positive in stance’ say: ‘Most readers enjoy positive writing’. Unless you are writing for effect, it is always best (and less boring) to put things positively. Instead of ‘the letter was on the table when John found it’, say ‘John found the letter on the table’. When writing a report or sales-pitch avoid using negatives: ‘there are only one or two failures in every hundred tests’ is better put as ‘initial tests have shown a success rate in excess of 98%’.
7. Miss out unnecessary long words. If you find yourself having to consult a dictionary before you write a word, forget it. The only exception to this rule is when there is literally no other word that will do. Personally, I have not encountered this situation since leaving school. The English language is abundant in alternative meanings, and most of them can be simply put.
8. Is it necessary? Elmore Leonard puts it very well when he says he ‘tries to leave out the part that readers tend to skip’. In a novel, do we really need to know everything the characters do, even if it has no impact on the action? If you think about the number of times the characters in a novel go to the toilet or make themselves a cup of coffee. How many of these do we need to hear about? Boring the reader is almost as bad as writing something they don’t understand.
9. Avoid detailed descriptions. Especially of your characters. When people read a novel they like to visualise the characters for themselves, not have a minutely-detailed description spoon-fed them. And the point at which 64% of people abandon novels is halfway through yet another long and detailed description. Who cares about the table-settings or what the walls are made of? Do we really want to hear about what kinds of cars are parked on the street when the hero arrives? (The answer is ‘no’.)
10. Kill your darlings. Edit ruthlessly and cut out anything that isn’t absolutely necessary, even – some will say ‘especially’ – bits you are particularly proud of. Make it plain, make it clear, make your writing look effortless.
Remember Elmore Leonard’s golden rule: ‘If it sounds like writing, re-write it.’
