How To Write

Ravi Vyas asserts that "workshops are dangerous" and that writing cannot be taught. He outlines the basics:

"There are several ground rules but the core is: leave out the part that readers tend to skip. Think of what you skip while reading a novel — thick paragraphs of prose that have too many words in them. The strength of a sentence lies in the verb and the simpler the sentence the better. Never use a verb other than ‘said’ to carry a dialogue. The verb is the writer sticking his nose in. Also, never use an adverb to modify the verb ‘said’. Don’t go into great descriptions of places and things.These tend to bring the flow of the story to a standstill. Work from the abstract to the concrete. A writer must have a story to tell that he feels he must tell."

Okay, now all one needs is discipline.