Good morning, fellow writers! It’s another beautiful Monday, and we’re talking again about talking. There’s a lot to say about the subject! Three sentences into my draft, my sister phoned me. “This is just going to be a quick call,” she said right up front. Personal experience tells me that phone calls between the two of us are never quick, but her time limit was set by the need to arrive someplace at a particular time. I caught her up on the activities of my children, which led to discussions about Life, the Universe, and Everything — or, in other […]
NaNoWriMo 2011!
It’s November! It’s NaNoWriMo time! For those of you unfamiliar with the sport of writing a 50K novel in 30 days (in spite of a major holiday), please go check out their website at http://www.nanowrimo.org/. The folks that sponsor the writing fest do some really awesome things. I love participating, and so far I’ve been able to finish the goal every year. This will be my fourth year, and I’m excited! The years I’ve previously participated have given me the bulk of material for a novel I am still editing, and this year I’m starting something entirely new. Well… new […]
Short Story: Tourist Trap
I am slow to post about this, but I AM really excited to tell you that Marcel Admiraal has published my short story, “Tourist Trap” on his cool blog, Floating Robes. His generous introduction claims that I dabble in horror… MOI??? I hope you go read the story and let me us know what you think! And thanks so much to Marcel! Have a spoooOOoooOOooky holiday!
What’s That You Say? [Round Two]
“We’re not here to chat. We’re here to say something, to communicate character and tone of voice and information. We’re here to write good dialogue.” – Gary Provost I quote from Mr. Provost often, don’t I? As you might have guessed, I like what he had to say and how he said it. His books and articles make writing very doable, in my opinion, as well as being chock full of humor, so it is likely that I shall continue to quote him. In this round, we’re going to be talking about how the characters say what they say. Some writers, […]
What’s That You Say?
Dialogue, conversation between two characters, is often one of the toughest aspects of story-writing, and yet it is a great tool for characterization, readability, and pacing. It’s also one of the best ways to improve your fiction because, as James Scott Bell says: Sodden, overwritten dialogue sticks out of a manuscript like a garrulous uncle at Thanksgiving. In order to make your dialogue work, the first thing you need to do is throw out everything you know — or think you know — about proper grammar and good sentence structure, because that’s just not how people talk. They use a […]
Good, But…
How many of you have ever experienced something and then given the “It was good, but” rating? I might better ask who has not…! “But” supplies an objection. It turns the “good” into a negative. Yes, the possibility of goodness remains, however deep the stain that comes after that tiny conjunction, but the whole has still been tainted. “But” implies that something about the subject could have been, should have been better. The doctor’s intentions were good, but he prescribed the wrong medication. The holiday spending record is good, but the government figures on which the National Retail Federation bases […]
Kidnapped: Day Three
Who would have thought that being kidnapped entailed sleeping in and watching a movie — until after normal people eat lunch? Fortunately, my captor fed me enough to keep me alive. I was forced to nibble on Dove’s Dark Chocolate Promises until he relented and took me to a grocery store. He generously allowed me to choose my own repast, then we picnicked I was tortured in a pretty little park. From there we set out on a hike. About the same time, the sun decided to come out from behind a nice, cooling cloud cover. The hike was miles […]
Kidnapped: Day Two
Alack and alas, the Ostrich Medallions were not available. Which is to say that the restaurant was not actually available, at least on our schedule. They advertised that they were open at 5PM, but when Hubby called to see if the Ostriches would gallop onto our plates, no one answered the phone. Timing was an issue; we didn’t want to waste it driving over to the Anasazi Grill if 1) they weren’t open and 2) they had no bird. So… we opted for sushi. Now, I am no sushi expert, but the little I’ve had, I like. Our waitress was […]
Kidnapped: Day One
I’ve been kidnapped. By an alien. Wait! It looks like my husband! Six-ish hours of driving made me really sleepy, but I perked up at a dining selection that offers Ostrich Medallions. Has anyone ever had those? Are they tasty, or will my children forever castigate me for chowing down on a cute (however large) birdie? I could just as easily go for sushi, then it turns out we’re going to a show at Tuacahn. Stay tuned for more exciting updates…
Last Stop For the Grumpy Train
I’m having a bad, bad dayIt’s about time that I get my waySteam rolling whatever I seeHuh. Despicable me… [“Despicable Me” Lyrics, Pharrell Williams] The other day I listened to a woman humbly apologizing for her grumpiness — grumpiness that had led her to scolding her husband for a fairly minor offense. She spoke about how kind her husband was and how much help he has been to her, particularly since she has become ill. Immediately afterward, another woman made the comment that it was okay to be grumpy, and that there was no need to apologize. She […]