A Guest Post by, Don McCann

Hello everyone! My name is Don McCann and I’m a member of the FB Group, The Ins and Outs of Novel Writing.  I’m also a published author.  The first book in my EDO BLOOD Series is available now and the second book is due out later this year.  But, enough about me.  Your regular blogger, the lovely Ms. Gina, has asked me to guest blog today, so let’s get to it.

In writing, flow is simply ensuring your story reads smoothly from beginning to end.  A number of things contribute to that but, in this blog, we’ll only be dealing with three.

Accuracy:

• Spelling and grammar
• The devil is in the details
• Do your research

Spelling and grammar matter.  I know this is preached by everyone, but that doesn’t make it any less important.  Nothing will break the flow of your story faster than misspelled words or sloppy sentences.  Any word processing program or app worth its salt has a spelling and grammar checker.  Use it!  If you’re not using a word processor (highly unwise), at least get another set of eyes.

Even so, once the spell check is done, you’re not finished. 

I cannot stress enough how important it is to be accurate in all your details.

Here is an Example:

Through high school and up through my 30’s, Mr. X (a wildly successful author, who shall remain nameless) was one of my favorite writers.  I read almost all his books, until one day, I happened upon an obvious error.  In addition to reading, one my hobbies is cars.  I’m not a mechanic, or anything, but I’m a gearhead, nonetheless.  For example, I don’t have any, but I know at least five models of Jaguar, including the Vanden Plas.  Anyway, in this book, Mr. X. referred to his character following someone driving a Jaguar Vanden Plas, only he spelled it Vanden Plus.

That stopped me right in my tracks!!!

I knew someone who owned a Jaguar Vanden Plas and was 100% certain it was spelled with an ‘a’, not a ‘u’.  I immediately put the book down and looked it up to confirm my spelling and, sure enough, it was Vanden Plas.

I finished the book and it was good, just like his others, but that mistake stayed with me.  Every time I saw his name, I thought about that horrid error.  He’s written many other books since that time and has remained wildly successful, but that error tainted him for me. 

But Was it His Fault?

.  It could have been the publisher, proofreader, or even the printer.  But, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter who’s at fault.  The book is the writer’s product and anything contained therein is tied to that writer, no matter what.  I read one other book by Mr. X. and no more.  Such an obvious—and easily corrected—error took me completely out of the story.  My mind couldn’t help looking for other errors, making it hard to concentrate on the story at hand.  Don’t do that to your readers.  Do your research.

Check and double-check.  Like my carpenter friends say, “Measure twice; cut once.”

Brevity:

• The details you need
• It’s not a term paper
• Let the reader work a little

This is something I struggle with.  A lot.  I love a lot of details when I read.  I want to know everything about everything.  Consequently, I find myself writing the same way, but it’s not always a good thing.  In one of our recent contests, I found myself telling one of the minor character’s background and motivation. 

It was really funny and gave a lot of insight into the scene they were in.  However, when I realized I was over my word count, I had to take another look at the scene.  The character was going to be killed a few minutes later, so their background and motivation, ultimately, didn’t need to be told and could safely be cut.

The lesson here is: 

Tell the most story, with the fewest words.  It’s not a term paper.  You don’t have to have a minimum number of words; in fact, in some instances, you have a maximum number of words. 

Being brief, while descriptive, makes your story easier to read.  This lets the reader fill in some of their own blanks, engaging them more in the story, making them feel more invested. 

And, the more invested your readers are, the more successful you’ll be as a writer.

Consistency:

• The essence of flow
• Serve the story
• Atmosphere affects everything

Consistency, for those familiar with the filmmaking process, is also known as Continuity. 

The words are pretty much interchangeable, but we’ll stick with Consistency for . . . well, for consistency’s sake.  This is simply making sure your people, places and things look, act and behave the same way throughout your story. 

For example:

• If your character is a cop from Brooklyn, they must act like it, speak like it, look like it, etc. 
• Accents and speech patterns, clothing styles, actions, and behaviors all have to be maintained. 
• You shouldn’t just allude to them during their introduction and leave it to the audience to infer them through the rest of the story.  They don’t have to be mentioned every time the character is shown, but at least enough to remain obvious. 
• Their actions and behaviors must serve the story.  Having an authentic Brooklyn cop in your story, without a very good reason, is relatively pointless.

It’s the same with places:

• If your scene is in a county courthouse, you might mention the front steps are worn more on the left side than on the right, or the metal detector inside the front door hasn’t worked for a month.  Mentioning things like this, then calling them to mind later in the story locks your reader more into the locale. 
• Atmosphere is closely tied to place.  If it’s July in Alabama, you’d better make sure to note it’s hot and humid.  In Los Angeles, it’s hot, humid, and overcast (due to the smog). 
• Atmosphere can affect all aspects of a story; a character’s mood, their clothes, and their general behavior.  It can also affect places and things.  Cars will rust faster in a humid environment, there are fewer green plants in desert areas, and so on. 
• Using these throughout your story makes it more vibrant and relatable to your readers, and using them with consistency will make your story easier to read.

Let’s summarize with an example:

Say you have a short story that takes place on a battlefield in 12^th century Poland, in the dead of winter.  A well-flowing scene might read something like this:

“The dull clang and clash of rusty swords seemed harsher as the temperature dropped below freezing across the sodden battlefield—frigid breezes cramped fingers, and watered eyes, throwing off the aim of otherwise skilled warriors.  Blows intended to decapitate or kill, simply maimed and wounded—when they landed at all.  In spite of these handicaps, the battle raged.  Gaunt men, desperate to live, slashed and staggered in the grey remains of the recent snow, the fallen adding their cooling flesh to the bloody slush.”

A poorly-flowing scene might read something like this:

“The dull clang and clatter of rusty swords and blunt maces seemed harsher and louder as the temperature dropped below freezing across the sodden battlefield.  Powerfully chattering automatic weapons only added to the mad chaos.  Bright sunlight weaved in and out of shadow as tropical breezes waved moist palm fronds too and fro.  Squinting warriors, unable sea clearly, struck blows that only maimed and wounded, instead of decapitating or killing.  In spite of these handycaps, the battle raged.  Heavily amored tanks rumbled by gaunt men, desperate to live, who slashed and staggered in the grey remains of the recent snow.  And the fallen added their cooling flesh to the bloody slush.” 

 So, how do you maintain flow? 

• Use your spell checker. 
• Keep your details accurate by doing thorough research
• For the purposes of this blog, you’re writing to entertain, not lecture. 
• Be brief by keeping only the details you need. 
• Letting the reader do some of the work helps get them more engaged in the story. 
• And finally, remember that the essence of flow is consistency.

The atmosphere you choose can affect every aspect of your story.  Using that wisely is yet another way to engage your readers. 

Be sure that every element you choose serves your story.  Being accurate, brief, and consistent will keep your story flowing smoothly, instead of falling into chaos. 

Of course, some would say a little chaos is a good thing, but that’s a different blog post.

Don R. McCann, Jr.