by Jason Black
Readers are notoriously sensitive to dialogue that feels wrong. That is, dialogue that doesn’t match their expectations of how real people talk. As well they might be: after all, every reader you’ll ever have has spent his or her entire life practicing the skill of dialogue with other people, each and every day.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
We just reviewed pronoun usage, so I thought any confusion was all cleared up. But, alas, it seems we have a bit more work to do. What with all the recent elections, people appear to be quoting the Constitution a great deal more than usual—that is, misquoting. When Jefferson wrote “We, the people . . .,” the use of the pronoun “we” was entirely correct, because the sentence goes on to show that “We” actually “do” something:
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
Recently, while he was playing a computer game in which the score was dependent on cumulative rounds of problem solving, every time my son missed a round, he’d quit and start the game again. He wanted to get 100% in the end. When I protested, he said, ‘Perfect is better!” Though opposed to his approach, I was (to my dismay) drawn to his reasoning and found myself faltering to explain my position. Perfect is perfect, after all – but then, that doesn’t necessarily make it better.
Read Moreby Richard Ridley
Let’s dig a little deeper into the three types of author bios. Each has equal merit, but some are better fits for newer authors as opposed to established authors, some work well for authors of professional materials, while still others work better for authors of fiction. After reading the below examples, you may find that your brand doesn't fall neatly into one of these categories. In that case, you could even combine elements of each bio type and create a bio that is the perfect fit for your situation.
Read Moreby Jason Black
In a more polite take on a rather coarse old saw, we might say points of view are like opinions: everybody has one. But what do literary types mean when they talk about points of view? Usually, they mean the grammatical side of point of view (hereafter, just “POV”), which has person, tense, and informational aspects. This conception of POV covers the manner in which the writer chooses to present the story’s narrative text. Dialogue and inner monologue are different beasts, and obeys their own rules; this article relates solely to narrative.
Read Moreby Chauran Alexandra
I often hear a chirping giggle from the other room mid-morning. It is my son waking up from his nap, startling me from my reverie at the keyboard where I’m currently writing non-fiction. On my lap my daughter cuddles with her blanket, so I set her down gently on the floor before we go to retrieve her brother. If I’m lucky, my writing goal for the day is already done, but chances are that I’ll finish it after library story time but before lunch, leaving the entire afternoon free for other things, like playing with the kids and working on my doctoral degree.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
In the New Year, may we resolve to:
Learn that the past tense of sink is sank. If you must use sunk, it has to have has, had, or have with it. Example: Three boats sank in the marina. It’s the first time any have sunk. Journalists seem to have forgotten this one.
by Erin Brown
This month we’re getting back to basics, so buckle up and let’s rock the fundamentals! As I’m sure all of you know, a good story has a beginning, middle, and end. Well, some of you may not know that, which is the problem we want to avoid; because who wants to read a novel in which nothing happens? We’ve all been there—reading something that just goes on and on and on, drifting aimlessly, with no clear structure. Some call it creativity; I call it annoying. Some may argue that the three-act structure is a buncha hooey, but overall, it’s a very effective model to follow when writing.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
In a journal writing class years ago, I was taught to look more closely at any and all aspects of my experience through dialoguing. So, if I had a headache, I’d talk to it. If I were stuck in my work, I’d ask it pointed questions. If I were chronically angry, I’d take it to the page, opening conversation with a person, event, or the emotion itself. I was, of course, playing all the roles, but that was okay because I was hoping to learn more about my own internal state.
Read MorePamela Moore Dionne
I’ve been thinking about Snow White and the Wicked Queen a lot lately. Or maybe it’s the apple that Snow White bites into that really has my attention. Some gifts should not be taken at face value. Often those gifts come disguised as advice.
In 2004, I founded Discovery Bay Games, a company that became quite successful. We started out with a different corporate name and face-to-face games.
Read Moreby Jason Black
We writers spend a lot of effort making sure our characters act smart. After all, a certain intelligence and cleverness goes hand-in-hand with being a protagonist. Exceptions (Forrest Gump) are rare. This goes double for antagonists; a dumb antagonist is too easy to defeat, and where’s the drama in that?
Except sometimes we need our characters to make mistakes. Perfect characters are boring to read. Mistakes tend to make a character’s situation worse, which heightens the drama and tension in your story. A sudden mistake can make readers gasp in alarm.
Read Moreby Joan Frank
Several years ago an e-mail appeared on my computer screen from a friend whose name I was glad to see. Call her Faith. She lives on the other side of the country: a sober, kind person, accomplished and smart (I'll omit details for camouflage's sake). I opened her message, tantalizingly entitled “An Odd Thing.”
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
I was watching an interview with Michael J. Fox and he spoke of the early days of living with his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. He described sometimes hitting the wall (literally) and said, “I just couldn’t get my brain around it.” But over time, he realized it was about him “plus” the condition. The condition wasn’t diminishing him but was part of the context in which he was experiencing himself. His life expanded and incorporated another area. He was who he was – whole and complete regardless - and the situation he found himself in was just that (despite any judgment upon it): a situation.
Read Moreby Joel Friedlander
One of the first and most basic questions you need to answer if you're going to be designing your own book is: what fonts should I use?
Since the beginning of the so-called "desktop publishing" era in the 1980s, which was boosted by computers' new ability to show accurate graphics in "what you see is what you get" displays, millions of computer users have become familiar with fonts.
Read Moreby Joan Frank
One typical, sunny Saturday, I slipped into my local community co-op for fresh produce and supplies.
This store, run by idealistic kids with pale, sweet faces and blue or chartreuse hair and many decorative piercings and tattoos, had declared Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday to be Senior Discount days. For the occasion I carried my little Senior Discount card in my wallet. Loaded up with the usual complement of fruit, vitamins, popcorn, salad dressing, almonds, Sleepytime tea and wheat bagels, I cheerfully dumped the entire lot before the cashier, a pleasant-faced man with glasses and a long silver ponytail.
Read Moreby Jason Black
We all want our readers to be sympathetic towards our protagonists and their supporting players. That is, we want readers to have a generally positive opinion of them. This, in turn, requires that readers believe positive things about our characters.
Sadly, we cannot simply assert nice things about our characters and expect readers to actually believe them. Readers’ beliefs about our characters stem almost entirely from the behaviors we show our characters doing, not what personality traits we tell the readers our characters have.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
Lately I’ve received numerous agendas or minutes from meetings, and they are written in the strangest formats. I think we’d better review how to outline.
Remember, you must have at least two things in order to subdivide, or there is no need for an outline. If you find yourself with a single supporting point, combine it into the main point or discover a second point. It makes no sense to say, “First,” and then have no “Second.” For every 1 there must be a 2, every A requires a B, and every bullet must have another bullet. It’s the law.
Read Moreby Erin Brown
There is one important rule that I always recommend to unpublished authors: don’t quit your day job. Of course, the second rule is to learn the difference between their/there/they’re, its/it’s, your/you’re, and affect/effect. But most importantly, don’t give up the money, the cash, the moolah. But why, you ask? I’m going to be rich and famous the second that someone realizes how talented I am.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
As a kid, I liked Halloween - dressing up, going out, collecting candy - and the experience rarely, if ever, was scary. But Halloween did manage to feel frightening the year my friend and I were trick-or-treating and were joined late, in our neighborhood rounds, by an unfamiliar, tough little boy. With forced friendliness and salesman-like fervor, he latched onto us. We attempted to disengage but he continued tagging along and visiting the same houses. At one point, I knelt down to tie my shoe and set my bag of candy beside me. Quickly it became clear why this boy was with us; he grabbed the bag and ran off.
Read Moreby Joel Friedlander
Imagine for a moment that you've hopped into an elevator on your way somewhere. You're carrying the proof of your book that just arrived from the printer. A gentleman sharing the elevator notices your book and says, "Hey, that looks interesting. What's it about?"
What's your response? Do you fumble, start in one direction then go in another? Do you find yourself just getting started when the elevator reaches the floor where this fellow has to get off? Have you made the most of this opportunity?
Read More