Where University Misguides Writers: what matters.

To control what the audience doesn’t see, you first and foremost must be in tune with your story, specifically what truly matters in your story.

In weird science, they knew the science didn’t matter. They wanted to make a playful, idea story, about a couple dorky high school kids who created a real-life barbie doll slave…who they instantly decided to shower with. Those goofy moments mattered and drove the story.

Universities (and the majority of non-fiction books on writing) stress things that in the overall picture don’t matter, like lyrical writing or rules of world-building or story structure. Once you start giving importance to those before the story, the audience can feel it. If you’re trying to find the perfect word that completes some poetic pattern instead of finding the perfect word for the story, the audience will know.

This week’s theme showed up over and over: study, learn, then forget it all, and get hell out of the story’s way.