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The Rules of Writing

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The list below (not written by me) is meant to be an amusing take on the rules of writing, but it's an effective way of getting the points across.

How closely do you follow the rules while writing? Is it something you think about during the first draft, the editing process, or are you the rebellious type who doesn't like to follow rules at all?

I've just finished reading a novel written by a successful author who uses lots of passive voice in her work. It stands out to me because I've always been of the opinion it's something not looked on favourably by publishers/editors. What do you think?


26 Golden Rules for Writing Well

a checklist for professional writing skills

1. Don’t abbrev.

2. Check to see if you any words out.

3. Be carefully to use adjectives and adverbs correct.

4. About sentence fragments.

5. When dangling, don’t use participles.

6. Don’t use no double negatives.

7. Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.

8. Just between you and I, case is important.

9. Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.

10. Don’t use commas, that aren’t necessary.

11. Its important to use apostrophe’s right.

12. It’s better not to unnecessarily split an infinitive.

13. Never leave a transitive verb just lay there without an object.

14. Only Proper Nouns should be capitalized. also a sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop

15. Use hyphens in compound-words, not just in any two-word phrase.

16. In letters compositions reports and things like that we use commas to keep a string of items apart.

17. Watch out for irregular verbs that have creeped into our language.

18. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

19. Avoid unnecessary redundancy.

20. A writer mustn’t shift your point of view.

21. Don’t write a run-on sentence you’ve got to punctuate it.

22. A preposition isn’t a good thing to end a sentence with.

23. Avoid cliches like the plague.

24. 1 final thing is to never start a sentence with a number.

25. Always check your work for accuracy and completeness.

ANONYMOUS
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Quote by Lisa

How closely do you follow the rules while writing? Is it something you think about during the first draft, the editing process, or are you the rebellious type who doesn't like to follow rules at all?



That is an absolutely wonderful list Lisa...I already shared it with a couple people and posted it in a writing group over on Facebook...

First off, I had to look up "passive voice"...and still not sure I completely understand the concept...from the Wikipedia article I looked at, it seems to be a matter of where you place the subject in the sentence...apparently it shifts the emphasis from the doer to the subject, or something like that...

Regarding your quote above...I could talk for quite a while on this one...this subject came up recently, in a discussion with another author on this site...you might say I'm the rebellious type, who doesn't follow the rules...but, that is at least in part because I really don't know what the rules are sometimes...OK, a lot of times...

I was never really the "English type" in school, for one thing...I was always the "math/science" type guy...so, I really don't know much about English for one thing...
I'm also not particularly well-read...of that list of 100 books kicking around in the forum, I believe I've read four...I was always into music, and never really read novels...

The other thing...regarding "Is it something you think about during the first draft, the editing process..."

Let me just say...

Since I started writing stories in 2009, I have yet to do a "second draft"...and I usually don't even read my stories until after they post...and then my "editing" is simply to correct errors like accidental double use of words in the same sentence...

I have yet to change anything in a story once I type my "first draft"...

There is a reason for this apparent "rebellious behavior"...again, I was talking to another author here recently and she was talking about how she started editing a story, and compared editing to getting a haircut...you start trimming a bit off here and there, and somehow can't stop...

The problem with that is you can end up bald. She blames it on a "perfectionist" tendency...and I can fully relate...I can be the same way, which is why I don't allow myself to edit a story...I know once I start, there will be a tendency to try to make it "perfect"...and no story will ever be perfect...

Since I started writing a bit over two years ago, I really did get into it...and have read some interesting things in blogs and the like...

By far and away the best slogan regarding writing I have yet to read is...

"Don't get it right...get it written..."

I have seen way too many people, especially beginning writers get so hung up on whether or not their story is "good enough" and keep editing in some attempt to achieve a mystery standard they have set for themselves that they end up never actually posting a story...

Which is a shame, I think...

Just my thoughts on the subject...I know it goes against popular advice...it's just what works for me...
I once knew a drinker who had a moderating problem...

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Quote by Lisa

How closely do you follow the rules while writing? Is it something you think about during the first draft, the editing process, or are you the rebellious type who doesn't like to follow rules at all?



That is an absolutely wonderful list Lisa...I already shared it with a couple people and posted it in a writing group over on Facebook...

First off, I had to look up "passive voice"...and still not sure I completely understand the concept...from the Wikipedia article I looked at, it seems to be a matter of where you place the subject in the sentence...apparently it shifts the emphasis from the doer to the subject, or something like that...

Regarding your quote above...I could talk for quite a while on this one...this subject came up recently, in a discussion with another author on this site...you might say I'm the rebellious type, who doesn't follow the rules...but, that is at least in part because I really don't know what the rules are sometimes...OK, a lot of times...

I was never really the "English type" in school, for one thing...I was always the "math/science" type guy...so, I really don't know much about English for one thing...
I'm also not particularly well-read...of that list of 100 books kicking around in the forum, I believe I've read four...I was always into music, and never really read novels...

The other thing...regarding "Is it something you think about during the first draft, the editing process..."

Let me just say...

Since I started writing stories in 2009, I have yet to do a "second draft"...and I usually don't even read my stories until after they post...and then my "editing" is simply to correct errors like accidental double use of words in the same sentence...

I have yet to change anything in a story once I type my "first draft"...

There is a reason for this apparent "rebellious behavior"...again, I was talking to another author here recently and she was talking about how she started editing a story, and compared editing to getting a haircut...you start trimming a bit off here and there, and somehow can't stop...

The problem with that is you can end up bald. She blames it on a "perfectionist" tendency...and I can fully relate...I can be the same way, which is why I don't allow myself to edit a story...I know once I start, there will be a tendency to try to make it "perfect"...and no story will ever be perfect...

Since I started writing a bit over two years ago, I really did get into it...and have read some interesting things in blogs and the like...

By far and away the best slogan regarding writing I have yet to read is...

"Don't get it right...get it written..."

I have seen way too many people, especially beginning writers get so hung up on whether or not their story is "good enough" and keep editing in some attempt to achieve a mystery standard they have set for themselves that they end up never actually posting a story...

Which is a shame, I think...

Just my thoughts on the subject...I know it goes against popular advice...it's just what works for me...
I once knew a drinker who had a moderating problem...

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Quote by DirtyMartini

First off, I had to look up "passive voice"...and still not sure I completely understand the concept...from the Wikipedia article I looked at, it seems to be a matter of where you place the subject in the sentence...apparently it shifts the emphasis from the doer to the subject, or something like that...


An example of this is if you change "The man was bitten by the dog" to "The dog bit the man" it becomes active rather than passive. Usually if you omit the word "was" and rewrite the sentence, you change it to active voice.

Quote by DirtyMartini
There is a reason for this apparent "rebellious behavior"...again, I was talking to another author here recently and she was talking about how she started editing a story, and compared editing to getting a haircut...you start trimming a bit off here and there, and somehow can't stop...

The problem with that is you can end up bald. She blames it on a "perfectionist" tendency...and I can fully relate...I can be the same way, which is why I don't allow myself to edit a story...I know once I start, there will be a tendency to try to make it "perfect"...and no story will ever be perfect...


I do the same thing, editing so much that sometimes I get sick of my own story because I've read it so many times. I'm getting better at it though and learning to move on.

Quote by DirtyMartini

By far and away the best slogan regarding writing I have yet to read is...

"Don't get it right...get it written..."


I really like that quote. Sometimes it's difficult to keep writing when the work I've just done is far from perfect, but it has to be done if I want to actually finish a story.
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Although that is a funny paper you posted about "following the rules of writing" (it's cute!) I don't totally agree with it. If you think of writing as a form of "art" then you are allowed "creative freedom" - which means you are allowed to break the rules, if you want! All really good writers seem to do this. After all, we're not back in English class being graded. So if you want to write: Louisa looked totally hot. But only because her hair extensions were in. I say, go for it! As for editing my work? I tend to go overboard with that, which is why I like writing contests. There is a deadline and I have to adhere to it, which forces me NOT to get bogged down with over-editing.
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Quote by Lisa


I really like that quote. Sometimes it's difficult to keep writing when the work I've just done is far from perfect, but it has to be done if I want to actually finish a story.


That is interesting...I think one of the reasons why I don't feel the need to edit, is that my process is different from a lot of people...I would never continue writing a story I wasn't happy with, my "process" consists of writing two or three paragraphs, getting a cup of coffee and a cigarette, thinking about what I'm going to write next, and then continuing with the next two or three paragraphs until the story is done...but, I would never move on to the next paragraphs until I was happy with what I had just written...

I figured out one time that it takes me approximately an hour per page in Word to write a story...it took me about four hours to write my contest story, which was only a bit more than two pages, but I took breaks and did things like read one of Steffanie's stories in the middle...

It is very rare, but I have abandoned stories because I realized the idea was not that good once I started...only happened maybe twice that I can recall...fortunately, I've been able to make use of my "rejects"...lol...

My story "Love Conquers All"...which is actually my most popular story, contains a paragraph that starts with "There is something I learned a long time ago. The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is indifference..." That came from a story that I had started and abandoned called "The Best Part Of Making Up"...it was about a husband who starts fights with his wife just so they could have make-up sex...lol...I realized later after I started writing it that there was no easy way for me to show how he started the fights without possibly writing something someone might find offensive...I did however, write a couple of paragraphs at the beginning explaining how people who care about each other are going to argue and disagree now and then...just because they care about each other...

That story never got written, but the best part of it did get used to good effect...
I once knew a drinker who had a moderating problem...

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One editing technique that I've learned over the years is to separate the activities of proofing (searching grammar, spelling, syntax, typo errors) and the function of "editing", which is reviewing work for wordiness, consistency, flow, realistic dialogue and many other quality aspects. This is not easy to do, especially in WORD which has little red and and green underlines glaring at you while your trying to figure out if your choice of vocabulary is right for the story. When I am reviewing I do use the "Track Changes" function. I try to write the entire first draft of a short story, or chapter of a longer work without doing any proofing/editing, except for obvious errors. I believe it is difficult to create and review at the same time.

I also use a volunteer editor when I think I have something in a semi-finished condition. He filters the last few errors and points out consistency problems, connotation issues and details holes. Also, if I am trying something new I bounce it off him to be sure I haven't gone overboard (at least too far over).

The volunteer editor program is something that this site might wish to try. There are a lot of people who enjoy being part of the process but don't want to publish themselves, or are in a dry spell. In my experience I have found that it is hard to submit work to the scrutiny of an outside party at first, but after a few rounds it really helps improve the quality of the finished product.
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As a journalism major, I adhere to those rules when it comes to reporting the facts. As a creative writer, I like to push the limits on writing and break the rule when it's warranted. Yes, writing is an art, but also a lot of people don't realize how far a little editing and proofread goes when one wants to write a correspondence letter or any other professional document for the work place. You wouldn't want to use abbreviations and slang in an email to your boss or a letter to the editor. Again, time and place for everything, including writing.

I'm getting off my soapbox now.

www.szadventures.com

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Btw, there are a lot of writers who cover the topic of editing in their blogs...there is a discussion going on about editing poems right now, and Janice Richards posted this link to her blog...she is a published author who does more than poems...

http://cjanasdreams.wordpress.com/a-writers-suggestions/

I've been recommending the writing groups on LinkedIn to anyone here who will listen...it would be nice if we can get more of that type of writing related discussion going on right here on Stories Space...

Btw, I don't necessarily endorse any of the suggestions she offers...understand that different things work for different people, and writers are most certainly a varied group...here's a quote from her blog...

"Average times proofing for a professional writer is twenty plus times."

Scary, isn't it? I do agree with her about backing up your work, and "Frequent breaks are needed. It is recommended that every 15 minutes you get up go for a walk, stretch, get something to eat do anything but it is best that you do something where you won’t be sitting."

I follow that one all the time...as I mentioned before, I rarely write more than two or three paragraphs at a time without getting up and taking a break...
I once knew a drinker who had a moderating problem...

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Quote by DirtyMartini
Btw, there are a lot of writers who cover the topic of editing in their blogs...there is a discussion going on about editing poems right now, and Janice Richards posted this link to her blog...she is a published author who does more than poems...


She has some interesting advice. I particularly liked her suggestion to proof read the different areas during separate sittings rather than proofing everything all at once:

a proofing for spelling,
a proofing for verb usage – tense,
a proofing for punctuation,
a proofing for correct sentence structure,
a proofing for word usage – don’t over use words this is where a thesaurus can be your best friend,
proof for capitalization – proper nouns, and last but not least
proof content area. Did you say what you meant and did you stick with the purpose. Don’t ramble, delete duplications.



Edit: I've just read AutumnWriter's post, who suggested something similar. Very helpful advice.
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Quote by Lisa

She has some interesting advice. I particularly liked her suggestion to proof read the different areas during separate sittings rather than proofing everything all at once:



Yeah, she's very active over on LinkedIn...don't think she came over here though...I have mentioned this site more than once over there...

As I've said, it would be nice to get a bit more active writing discussions going right here on SS...and I think this thread is great btw...I enjoy active discussions about writing with other writers, more than I enjoy, say, just reading someone's blog...

Since I've started writing a couple of years ago, I really enjoy hearing about other writer's "process" and their reasons why...I think a lot of other writers find it an interesting topic as well...
I once knew a drinker who had a moderating problem...

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Here is a couple of more links that were posted recently in a poetry group over on LinkedIn...the discussion thread is about editing poems, but some of the advice can no doubt be applied to stories as well...I think it's in a similar vein to what we've been talking about here...

I copied this whole thing from a post in another forum...so it's a re-post...

Want to know how Robert Frost wrote his poems? Who?

Here is an overview on a poetry site...this might be of interest to some...

http://www.suite101.com/content/how-robert-frost-wrote-is-poems-a130342

The link was posted in a writing group over on LinkedIn...the discussion was about editing poetry...

Here is another link that may be of interest regarding editing poems...

http://thepoetryeditor.blogspot.com/2011/06/revising-your-poetry-can-be-smooth-move.html

Have fun!

Cheers,
Alan.

I once knew a drinker who had a moderating problem...

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The seven cardinal sins committed by fiction writers: (I confess to having committed every single one, but I'm going straight.)

Now that we have the twenty-six rules of things we should do, here are a list of seven transgressions that I believe prevents writers from ascending to the next level (whatever that might be):

1. Head-hopping
When a scene is being told from one character's point of view (pov) and there is an abrupt switch to the pov of a different character within the same scene.

Fred picked up his hand and saw a pair of Aces. He was trying to decide how much to bet. Across the table Joe was feeling good about his three deuces.

How is Fred supposed to know how Joe feels about his poker hand?

2. Telling instead of showing.
Asking readers to accept the authors assertions as facts instead of providing a description and convincing the readers to see it along with you.

Joe caught a big fish. Who says it's big. Is it a marlin or a trout?

Joe took the bass he caught from his creel. It was dark green mixed with brown with some speckles on its belly. It was more than twelve inches long and weighed at least ten pounds.

3. Paragraphs too long
Failure to break up prose into digestible-sized paragraphs. If a sentence is a complete thought, then a paragraph is a collection of connected thoughts. An author should be able to express the concept in a maximum of eight (preferably 4-6) sentences. Mega-paragraphs are tough on readers and if there are too many they will decide to try another author's work.

3a. Corollary to above: Failure to begin a new paragraph when initiating a character's dialogue.
It was the first day of Spring. "I really love Spring," Roy said. There were birds in the sky and he pointed them out to Ellen. "I think they are robins," she said. They looked at the birds some more and decided that they might have been sparrows.

4. Use of cliches and/or slang.
There are times that this rule doesn't apply, such as when an author is attempting to caricature a character or group of people.

5. Use of "-ly" words.
These adverbs are shortcuts and a way of telling and not showing.

"I don't know how to tell you this," he said hesitantly.
or
"I...uh...well, I don't know...it's very difficult to tell you this," he said with a tear in his eye.

6. Tense changes within the same scene
When writers write straight from the brain to paper (computer screen) what began as present tense becomes past or past to present. It confuses the reader.

6a Corollary to above: writing in past tense and using the word "now" to bridge between the tenses.
Joe slid into third base and was ahead of the fielder's tag. He was excited now because he wanted to score the winning run.

7. Poor title selection
Stating a synopsis of the story in the title instead of making the reader want to pursue the plot to the end.

"How I Lost My Virginity to my Tenth Grade English Teacher" or "Private Lessons".

A lot of readers will read the last page of that story, but not much more.
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Quote by AutumnWriter
The seven cardinal sins committed by fiction writers: (I confess to having committed every single one, but I'm going straight.)


Thanks for posting the list, AutumnWriter, and for the explanations. Using adverbs was always one of my problems, but I've trained myself to use only two or three of them in an entire story. Do you notice the more you write, the less likely you are to make these mistakes?
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I just saw this same list somewhere else recently, but can't recall where at the moment...I have to say I agree with all, except...

Quote by AutumnWriter


Fred picked up his hand and saw a pair of Aces. He was trying to decide how much to bet. Across the table Joe was feeling good about his three deuces.

How is Fred supposed to know how Joe feels about his poker hand?



Isn't one of the main reasons why people write in third person is so you can tell how each character feels? I would think there is nothing wrong with the example above...

Now...if the sentence was...

I picked up my hand and saw a pair of Aces. I was trying to decide how much to bet. Across the table Joe was feeling good about his three deuces.

I would see a definite problem with that...thoughts?
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Because the paragraph's in Fred's POV, there'd need to be some kind of physical indication that Joe felt good about his hand because Fred can't know what Joe's actually thinking, or which cards he's holding. If the paragraph went something like, "The smile on Joe's face indicated he was happy with his hand" it would still get the point across, but remain in Fred's POV.

I've read novels before where the POVs shift, but the author usually dedicates an entire chapter to one person, then switches to another in the next chapter to make it clear who's telling the story. I like reading different "voices" in novels, but I also prefer it when there's a clear break between one person and the next.
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Quote by Lisa
Because the paragraph's in Fred's POV, there'd need to be some kind of physical indication that Joe felt good about his hand because Fred can't know what Joe's actually thinking, or which cards he's holding. If the paragraph went something like, "The smile on Joe's face indicated he was happy with his hand" it would still get the point across, but remain in Fred's POV.



Ahhhh...I think I'm starting to understand...I'm not big on writing in third person myself, though I know a lot of authors who swear by it, and won't write in anything else. I always feel first person is more "personal" and I tend to put myself in my stories to some extent, no matter how limited, and tend to write how I would feel about something...
I've written I believe a total of four stories in third person...my first story was in third, and I deliberately wrote one in third to "depersonalize" it...but, I don't think I've ever really taken advantage of the potential benefits of third person...like being able to tell what goes on in everyone's head...

I'd probably have to read more about writing in third person before I really got into it...I like to write as if I'm the one telling the story, because I am...I'm much more comfortable writing that way...
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Quote by Lisa
Quote by AutumnWriter
The seven cardinal sins committed by fiction writers: (I confess to having committed every single one, but I'm going straight.)


Do you notice the more you write, the less likely you are to make these mistakes?


I would have to say "no", I still make them but in subtler ways. For me it is especially true of "showing, not telling". I would say that I have developed an internal radar that helps me to be more sensitive to that area when I am editing. This problem creates the greatest volume of my rewrites.

I seldom use "ly" words except in cases in which I am making a lot of progress and find self hard pressed to find the best way to describe an action or condition. I don't want to break up my flow, so I leave the "ly" word in place in the draft and then make corrections in the editing process. sometimes I allow an "ly" word to stay because it doesn't have a lot of relative importance in the story and I can't figure out a good way around it.

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I just saw this same list somewhere else recently, but can't recall where at the moment...I have to say I agree with all, except...

Quote by AutumnWriter


Fred picked up his hand and saw a pair of Aces. He was trying to decide how much to bet. Across the table Joe was feeling good about his three deuces.

How is Fred supposed to know how Joe feels about his poker hand?



Isn't one of the main reasons why people write in third person is so you can tell how each character feels? I would think there is nothing wrong with the example above...

Now...if the sentence was...

I picked up my hand and saw a pair of Aces. I was trying to decide how much to bet. Across the table Joe was feeling good about his three deuces.

I would see a definite problem with that...thoughts?


One of the easiest ways to avoid the problem is through dialogue.
Eg.: "Hey, I think I'm going to play this hand!" Joe exclaimed.

I believe if an author head-hops it is difficult for the reader to get involved in the story. He/she can't assume the persona of the person in whose pov the story is taking place.
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Quote by DirtyMartini
Quote by Lisa
Because the paragraph's in Fred's POV, there'd need to be some kind of physical indication that Joe felt good about his hand because Fred can't know what Joe's actually thinking, or which cards he's holding. If the paragraph went something like, "The smile on Joe's face indicated he was happy with his hand" it would still get the point across, but remain in Fred's POV.



Ahhhh...I think I'm starting to understand...I'm not big on writing in third person myself, though I know a lot of authors who swear by it, and won't write in anything else. I always feel first person is more "personal" and I tend to put myself in my stories to some extent, no matter how limited, and tend to write how I would feel about something...
I've written I believe a total of four stories in third person...my first story was in third, and I deliberately wrote one in third to "depersonalize" it...but, I don't think I've ever really taken advantage of the potential benefits of third person...like being able to tell what goes on in everyone's head...

I'd probably have to read more about writing in third person before I really got into it...I like to write as if I'm the one telling the story, because I am...I'm much more comfortable writing that way...


For me, Third Person works best. It gives the author a greater opportunity to add shades of complexity to the characters. It also makes it possible to present a pov that the reader can filter and judge to be flawed, biased, courageous, etc. The relationship of the pov character to the main character (or making them one and the same) gives the author greater opportunity to influence the readers' perceptions.

In First Person the narrator, and therefore the pov character, is the author. For me it would be very difficult to present "my" first person thoughts in such a way that a reader would question my perceptions or form a like or dislike of the narrator. I feel that First Person turns the reader into a passive participant, relying on the narrator to tell him/her what is needed.

Of course, there have been some excellent works written in First Person, including a good number by Twain.

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Quote by DirtyMartini
Here is an article that may be of interest to some, on the subject of revision vs. editing...

Someone can read it and tell us what it says...
[url=][/url]


I read the article, which talks about the difference between making technical corrections to your work, versus qualitative changes. Another way to describe it is proofing versus editing.

At the bottom of that article is a link to a much better article that talks about "Showing, not Telling". I would recommend this one.

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Quote by DirtyMartini
Here is an article that may be of interest to some, on the subject of revision vs. editing...

Someone can read it and tell us what it says...
[url=][/url]


I read the article, which talks about the difference between making technical corrections to your work, versus qualitative changes. Another way to describe it is proofing versus editing.

At the bottom of that article is a link to a much better article that talks about "Showing, not Telling". I would recommend this one.

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