Do you filter your fiction?
I was recently told by an editor that I use too many 'filters' in my novel manuscript and I should remove them. What is a filter, and why are they bad? – A question asked by several of my editing clients.
First, I'll point out (as I frequently do) that I don't believe in hard and fast rules that say 'never do this' or 'always do that.' But there are writing techniques that can help your writing become more engaging to readers.
One of those writing techniques is to eliminate, or at least greatly reduce, the number of filters.
So what is a filter?
The most basic form of a filter is when the writer tells the reader that a characters sees, hears, smells, feels (as in the sense of touch), or tastes something. A related, and slightly more nuanced filter, is when the writer tells the reader that a character notices, realizes, recognizes, or feels (as in an emotion) something.
So what's wrong with telling readers that a character experiences something through her senses? Isn't that what good writi…
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