American writer Chuck Palahniuk’s style of transgressive fiction has captivated and shocked audiences for three decades. He’s written 15 novels, dozens of short stories, and two graphic novels. His work has sold millions of copies, been translated into 35 languages, and spawned countless adaptations — most notably the 1999 cult film Fight Club.

In 2019, Chuck shared thoughts on his life and craft in Consider This — a writer’s memoir bound to stand aside Steven King’s On Writing as one of the classics in the genre. The book contains a treasure trove of wisdom on style, publishing, and storytelling.

This article will focus on the nuts and bolts advice in the book — practical tips that should help writers of all types. Below are seven pieces of advice from Bestseller Chuck Palahniuk.

Tip 1: Move Beyond Description

Palahniuk cites three forms of written communication.

Description: “A man walks into a bar”

Instruction: “Walk into the bar”

Exclamation: “Boom! He walked in the bar”

Of the three, most writers lean on the description. It provides a concise tool to represent events, people, and places.

However, overuse of description can lead to a stale, repetitive style — writing that reads more like an instruction manual than page-turning prose.

To enliven your work, Chuck suggests splashing in instruction and exclamation. Mixing the three forms of communication creates a “natural, conversation style” that mirrors how people talk. For example:

“A man walks in a bar and orders a margarita. Easy enough. Mix three parts tequila and two parts triple sec with one part lime juice, pour it over ice, and — viola — that’s a margarita.”

While this tip calls for “moving beyond description, most of your writing will remain descriptive. If you’re lost about when to sprinkle in instruction and exclamation, remember Chuck’s formula “Three parts description. Two parts instruction. One part exclamation. And mix for taste.”

Tip 2: Switch POVs

“Point of view” is both the eyes and voice in a narrative. It establishes who is giving the information and what tone they’re addressing the audience.

Chuck believes each POV has a unique advantage. The first person commands trust and authority through the “I”. The second person uses “you” to establish intimacy with the reader. While the third person controls the pace with “he/she” pronouns.

Periodically changing POV allows writers to play to each strength. Like the forms of communication in tip 1, these shifts create a conversational style that mimics how talented storytellers speak. See below:

“I never write with the windows open. Open windows drive me off the wall. You just can’t get any work done with open windows. A guy can go crazy when he’s not able to do his work.”

If you write non-fiction (e.g. blogs, articles, or ad copy) you probably do this already — weaving between first, second, and third person to control authority, intimacy, and pace.

This trick is more difficult in fiction. To include all three POVs, you must tell your story in the first person. However, pulling this off produces an “undeclared narrator” — a cool effect in which the central character both tells and comments on their narrative.

Tip 3: Combine Big And Little Voice

According to Palahniuk, most stories contain a “big” and “little” voice. Little voice shows the audience smells, sounds, flavors, and actions. And big voice illuminates the significance of these smaller details.

In cinema, the big voice often comes in a voiceover, and the little voice is as individual scenes in a movie. Think of Goodfellas. The film intersperses moments of action with narrator Henry Hills’ monologues about life in the mob.

In writing, a big voice zooms out to discuss larger themes with the reader. Little voice depicts plot and character. In John Steinbeck’s East Of Eden, a big voice details the changing history of the Salinas Valley, while a little voice gives specific details about the lives of the Trask and Hamilton families.

Chuck encourages writers to include both voices in their writing but suggests being selective about when to apply each. He believes little voice works best for detail and action. While big voice is better for setting up themes and showing large passages of time.

However, he warns against too much big voice. Constant musing slows the momentum of your work and takes readers out of the plot. Both “no no’s” for fiction writers.

Tip 4: Use Attributions To Build Tension

Attributions denote who said what in a dialogue. Think “John stated”. “Sarah asked”. “Conor screamed”.

Beyond this practical function, attributions can build emphasis and tension within the dialogue. See the sentence below:

“Honey, I think we should see other people,” said Greg.

Now notice the effect of moving the phrase “said Greg” towards the beginning of the sentence.

“Honey,” said Greg, “I think we should see other people.”

The second example uses the attribution to create what Chuck calls a “beat of nothing” — a rhetorical trick that produces the same effect as a rest in music.

The idea is readers don’t subvocalize attributions like “he said”. Instead, they visually leap over them and land harder on the dialogue that follows.

This leads to more emphasis on the second part of the dialogue. In the example above, the turn “I think we should see other people” hits harder because it’s preceded by an attribution. A couple more examples to prove the point:

“Bu.. But…” stuttered James “I couldn’t possibly kidnap my boss’s only child.”

“Doctor,” said Mary, “I think I’m coming down with something”

Like previous suggestions, this works best in moderation. Target important parts in your dialogue, and apply the technique to make them stick out to your reader.

Tip 5: Write With Physicality

Throughout “Consider This”, Chuck reminds writers that “language is not our first language”.

Although language helps us verbalize our thoughts, it makes up a small part of our communication. Experts claim 93% of communication is non-verbal. Through inspecting posture, body language, and tone of voice we are better able to read people’s intentions than listening to what they say.

Imagine someone barks “move out of the way” with a puffed chest and barrel toned voice, you’re more likely to obey than if they made the command hunched over staring at the floor.

Your writing should mirror the way we communicate. Chuck says it’s helpful to make:

“A list of all the quick wordless gestures you use every day. The thumbs-up. The thumb-and-index finger “okay” sign. Knocking your fist lightly on your forehead to “recall” something.”

Think of these gestures as shortcuts to expressing ideas and emotions. If you find your work overloaded with dialogue or description, plug one in to produce the same effect.

Tip 6: Avoid Abstract And “To Be” Verbs

Not all verbs are created equal. You probably know this in your gut, but now science backs it up. Chuck cites a recent study by Scientific America that found different verbs trigger different parts of a reader’s brain.

“When they read an active, physical verb like “step” or “kick” or “grabbed,” the verb activates the part of their brain responsible for that movement. Your brain responds as if you’re actually swimming, having a stroke, or sneezing.”

In contrast, “to be” and abstract verbs like “believe” or “remember” don’t cause the same sort of cognitive mirroring.

Compare the two passages from Consider This. I’ve highlighted the verbs in each to emphasize the point:

“Arlene was at the door. She had long, brown hair, her face had a look of shock surprised. She was taller than he remembers.”

And …

“Arlene stepped into view, framed by the open doorway. With one gloved hand, she brushed her long, brown hair away from her face. Her penciled eye-brows arched in surprise.”

Can you feel the difference? Active verbs like “step” and “frame” allow us to form a mental picture of what’s happening. While the “to be” verbs in the first example simply tell us what to think.

When possible, replace abstractions with physical verbs. Actions that occur in space and time are naturally easier for readers to imagine and connect with.

Tip 7: Describes Things The Way People See Them

When writing descriptions, Chuck points out:

“People measure stuff — money, strength, time, weight — in very personal ways. A city isn’t so many miles from another city, it’s so many songs on the radio. Two hundred pounds isn’t two hundred pounds, it’s that dumbbell at the gym that no one touched.”

While we have standardized units of measurements (i.e. yards, feet, miles), we perceive objects and events subjectively. Our brain uses mental shortcuts to make sense of the world.

Objective details may be practical for giving directions, but they fail to spark a reader’s imagination. We need to find more specific, personal ways to describe our world and characters.

Chuck says this means cutting out generalities. No more using vague descriptions like “a 6’5 tall man” or “valley that stretch miles”.

Instead, we have “a man with the towering stature of an NBA forward”. And “a valley that stretches the length of a dozen football fields.”

If you have trouble with this, review the previous tips. Remember that readers respond to physical language and visceral descriptions. Find concrete, visual images that will help them draw to mind what you’re trying to describe.