Anthony Tata - Top Rules for Writing Fiction

Writing good fiction is no easy task. Just ask Anthony Tata, a national bestselling author of thriller novels. While writing a compelling story that engages readers is important to writing fiction, there are a number of rules that one should follow to produce good fiction and ensure your writing gets published. Here are some of the top rules for writing fiction.

• When you are writing dialogue, never use a verb other than ‘said.’ Any other word is intrusive and can cause the reader to stop dead in their tracks.
• Avoid using adverbs to modify the verb ‘said.’ This can distract the reader and interrupts the flow of the exchange.
• Avoid using too many exclamation points. The rule of thumb is to have no more than two or three for every 100,000 words of prose.
• Prologues can be annoying, so avoid them at all costs.
• Try to avoid long, detailed descriptions of your characters.
• Avoid going into a lot of detail describing places and things. They can quickly bring the action of your story to a halt.
• Read your work aloud. This will help you identify spots in your story where the rhythms of the sentence may not be working.

It is important to keep in mind that the only way to write a book is to actually sit down and write. If you write with enough confidence and assurance you can do whatever you like. So write your story that needs to be written and write it honestly. Anthony Tata has been writing for several years and has six fiction novels under his belt, with ‘Three Minutes to Midnight’ being released in April 2016.
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