I keep running into interesting articles that would be good updates for posts I’ve already written. This happens a lot with material about the craft of writing—God knows I’m not the only blogger writing about writing—so this summer I’m using these updates as a way to draw attention to my archives. (Of course, for this type of article you should check the For Writers page on my website too.)

Let’s get started!

✱ First lines, first paragraphs, first scenes, and first chapters are one of my favorite things to think about when I’m working on a manuscript. I wrote about that in this article—“You Won’t Get a Second Chance to Make a Good First Impression”—back in 2011. And when I read this post by K. M. Weiland last summer, it was so good it made me want to rewrite my opening chapter post.

Weiland lists four pitfalls in story openings:

1. False suspense that leave readers floundering to understand what’s happening.
2. Using a prologue to spell everything out.
3. Starting with a dream sequence.
4. Giving readers too much backstory.

You may think this is all you need but read the whole article—it’s meaty and deep with lots of useful material. My favorite line:

You don’t want them asking the dreaded four-word question: What’s going on here? Or, worse: Huh?

…probably because I’ve written my share of Huh?s in the margins of too many manuscripts.

✱ Story consultant Lisa Cron has been reading first chapters too. In her article at Writer Unboxed, “A Cautionary Tale: 3 Writing Rules that Can Derail Your Story,” she notes that slavishly following conventional wisdom—that is, the Secret Fiction Rule Book—can have unintended consequences.

Cron cites three writing craft rules—

1. Start with a bang, leap into action.
2. Give us specific details, especially sensory details, to bring the story to life.
3. Hint at crucial information, but don’t reveal it right away, the better to lure the reader in.

—and then takes us a step further. She tells us:

1. Why it is a good rule, used correctly.
2. What the rule is often mistaken to mean.
3. What the rule really means.

As it happens, her comments—since they’re based on reading the first ten pages of several manuscripts (in other words, probably the first chapters)—complement my post on first chapters too (mentioned above). But her wonderfully detailed post illustrates why you should be so, so careful with the Secret Fiction Rule Book.

If it was a battle scene, other than a designated “good” and “bad” side, we had no idea what they were battling over, what would happen as a consequence, or what anyone’s death would mean other than, you know, that they were no longer alive. But we could sure picture the armor they wore.

If it was a mystery, a sinister meeting full of portent took place, but we had no idea who anyone was, or why they were acting so strangely. Which can have the unfortunate side effect of making everything sound slightly melodramatic. But we could taste the metallic tang of blood wafting from the bike messenger’s tattered blue raincoat.

If it was a thriller, strangers met in the fog with upturned collars and had cryptic conversations about . . . well, who knows, but I’m guessing it was important. Especially since we could feel the silvery intensity of the fog, like a protective cloak, shrouding the mountaintop, hemming in closely held secrets.

If it was a sci-fi fantasy, an angry wizard was livid, furiously raging that his latest spell didn’t work, and as a result . . . I have no idea. But I bet it was something pretty bad. At least as bad as the putrid smell of molten flesh emanating from the glistening beaker that . . . oh, never mind.

Spend some time here—you’ll learn.

✱ Character naming is a fraught experience for many writers. (Oh, the agony of deciding!) Aside from silly names—like the cowboy I mentioned in my post “Where Have All the Good Names Gone,” Winchester Durango—or loading up a cast with the latest hipster names at the expense of the more common Johns and Joans that are generously sprinkled into our real lives, my real peeve is names that are historically inaccurate.

So I was delighted when I stumbled on this little online tool (I’ve used my name so you get the full effect), which charts the use of a name in the United States since 1880.

And while my article focuses on what not to do, author Rachael Mollison-Read focuses on six great ways to think about and discover character names:

1. Google
2. Out and about
3. Meaning behind the name
4. Unusual names
5. Switch genders
6. Name generators

You’ll find lots of useful information here. Enjoy!

* Because it’s almost summer and because I am still positively slammed with work (not a bad thing) and because slammed with work means less time to write the kind of thoughtful blog posts I want to write, I’m writing a series of updates to reconnect you with my archives. Let me know what you think.

Tweet: Three meaty articles to up your craft—and update my archives!
Tweet: My summer update series bring new insights to my old (but interesting!) posts.
Tweet: On first chapters, naming characters, and the Secret Fiction Rule Book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”