21 times best-selling author Jerry Jenkins asks aspiring writers to avoid this type of writing at all costs

Jerry Jenkins has been tapping on his typewriter (now electric) for over 40 years now. A master storyteller, he has sold 73 million copies worldwide. What is the one thing he asks aspiring writers to avoid?

‘Eliminate on-the-nose writing’

This is the number 1 reason editors and book publishers end up rolling their eyes. And you know where is the catch? A layperson- your mom, friend, aunt will think the writing is worth a Pulitzer.

So, what is it?

On-the-nose writing is ‘prose imitating real life’. Confused? I was too! Doesn’t any type of prose shine when we include examples from real life? All of history is a testimony to that.

But what Jenkins means is, don’t overdo descriptions of activities from real life.

Example of on-the-nose writing:

The onyx black phone, glistened as sunbeams hit on it. Huri jumped as she saw her phone ring, blasting instrumentals from a song of the band One Direction. The song was her favorite. She saw the green phone icon pop up on her screen and picked it up. Her fiance, Jamie, was on the other end. He had something to say about Gabby, their best friend. As his voice cracked through the phone, he revealed, ‘Gabby has cancer.’

She could not believe her ears. Gabby was so young, full of life, and bubbling with vitality. How could it be?

Jenkins suggests we reframe it to:

Huri jumped, as she saw the her phone ring. Her fiancé, Jamie was on the other end. When he shared the news about their best friend Gabby, her voice choked. ‘Cancer?… Our Gabby?’, she whispered. How could it be?

See how crisp the writing became? Flush the goo. Editors are masters at sniffing this out.

Jenkins adds- Anything that doesn’t help you move forward your story? On the writer’s chopping block it goes.

This is what leads him to say, become a ‘master self-editor’. Writers are known for revelling in what they wrote. But to sit down and acknowledge what doesn’t belong on the paper, however star-studded it sounds, is a tough task.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a pioneer in magical realism writing, was a ferocious self-editor. This also came from the fact he was a journalist. An editor.

So, repair. Rewrite. Rinse your writing.