Jul 17 2008
Writing Tip of the Day: Help the Reader Suspend His Disbelief
I read a story today that started with the sentence “This story has to begin with a small lesson in geography.” First, starting a story with a geography lesson will earn you an instant rejection (see question #8 under the fantasy subheading). But I was almost as annoyed by the self-referential “this story.” When you remind the reader he’s reading a book, it’s harder for him to immerse himself in the fantasy.