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A writer's blog full of helpful tools like an Emotional Thesaurus (different actions we use to show emotions) as well as advice on writing, critiquing and editing from seasoned critiquers.
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Hey there, people!
We all know that Angela recently took a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to Asia. This has made me just a teensy bit jealous. But I'm comforted by the fact that I'll be riding the Small World ride today, which technically means I'll be visiting, like, 40 countries. IN ONE DAY. Quite a feat, but anything's possible at the most magical place on Earth. And since Angela had some interesting info to share from her trip, I thought I'd share an "international" story of my own.
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| Before the Incident |
A few years ago on a trip to Disney, we waited twenty minutes in the Small World line, boarded our boat, and had just started the ride when my recently-potty-trained daughter uttered those four words no mother on a Disney ride wants to hear: "I have to pee."
I spent the first ten minutes of the ride trying to distract her from the growing pressure in her bladder, but we all know how futile this is. Then she said something even more terrifying. "I have to poo."
It was at that point that my daughter and I abandoned our boat and took a quick trip through Mexico to the nearest Salida de Emergencia. You know the signs they put on those doors that say Alarm Will Sound? They lie. No alarm went off. What DOES happen (as I found out later from my husband, who was stuck in the boat with my son) is they stop the ride for approximately fifteen minutes until they can be sure that it was just a mom and child exiting the ride and not someone carrying explosives of the less stinky kind. I'm not sure who hated me more at that moment, the Disney employees required to follow protocol for this eventuality, or the people stuck in the boats while It's a world of laughter, a world of tears played on, and on, and on...
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| Cute giraffes, or hidden camera receptacles? |
I'm a little worried to return to Small World. I'm afraid our pictures might be posted on WANTED signs in 47 different languages. We shall see. Either way, the Disney machine seems to have been prophetic with its marketing slogan for the year, which is posted on signs all over the park: Let the Memories Begin!
Hopefully, today's trip will be less memorable. In the meantime, the lovely people over at the
Helium.com blog (who should in no way be associated with any part of the aforementioned anecdote) have agreed to host me. I'll be sharing some thoughts on how to create reader empathy early on in your story, and the Helium blog as a whole has a lot of helpful info to offer. If you've got time, please stop by and say
Hola.
Before I get into today's thesaurus entry, Becca and I want to give out a big shout out to Kristin Lenz at YA Fusion. She wrote a review of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression, and it was accepted into the SCBWI Bulletin! (I know--how amazing, right?)
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| Thank you, Kristin! |
We are ever so grateful to her for being a champion of our book and seeking out this magazine to place her review! I recently posted on
The Importance of Reviews, and her kindness will result in even more writers discovering our resource, so we are just blown over by this.
Unfortunately, the Bulletin credited the review to another author, and while they are going to change it for the digital copy I believe, the print copy is too late to change. I feel bad because it's very thorough and well done, and she deserves to have her name on it,
so PLEASE HELP US in thanking her by stopping in at YA Fusion blog and say hello! They are a great group over there, with inspiring and helpful content for all writers.
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| Bradley Cooper (you are welcome, Ladies!) |
Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.
One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.
FACIAL HAIR
Descriptors: groomed, clean, trimmed, wiry, patchy, sleek, oiled, bristle, stubble, scruffy, scraggly, neat, shaped, bushy, narrow, thin, thick, curly, long, short, smudge, shadow, kinky, dark, salty, wild, bearded, mustache, muttonchops, goatee, sideburns, beards, whiskers
Here's a
list of different styles of facial hair!
Things Facial Hair Do:- Tickle: in close contact, facial hair can feel ticklish!
- Rub: facial hair can also be unpleasant--rubbing, scratching and aggravating sensitive skin.
- Itch: facial hair can be quite itchy for the owner, especially in hot or humid climates. Some men grow beards during the cold months and shave during the summer.
Key Emotions and How Related Facial Hair Relates: - Adoration & Love: Some find facial hair extremely attractive, and like a man who can grow a good beard or mustache. Stubble is a trend that has gain a lot of traction. However, with that growth comes some sensibility and good grooming expectations. Gone are the days of waxed and curled mustaches, and no one likes to see one's lunch hangout out of one's beard.
- Pride & Satisfaction: Many men see growing facial hair as a sign of manliness. The thickness of one's beard, or the overall even stubble is a source of pride among males. Men like to touch, pull, tweak, rub, stroke and smooth their facial hair.
- Embarrassment: Most women are not fans of facial hair on themselves, and they will eradicate any facial hair that is not invisible against one's completion by tweezing, waxing or shaving. Men who feel unsuccessful at growing hair (when it comes in it's patchy, uneven or just not flattering to one's facial structure) simply choose to shave.
Simile and Metaphor Help: - Johnny always takes things too far. Growing a Movember mustache in November to support Cancer Awareness is one thing, but now it's April, and robins are ready to settle in to raise a family.
- When my nephew Rick asked what I thought of his 'mustache' I didn't have the heart to tell him it looked like whiskers on a hairless cat.
Clichés to Avoid: Five o'clock shadow (it's been done to death); the Pornstashe, comparing a beard to Santa's beard or a biker's beard; the handlebar mustache; calling a 'stache or beard a soup strainer
HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: Mom strutted past the security checkpoint, her perfectly made up face surly and grim. As soon as she reached us, she began complaining in Italian about the flight--the food was cold, the seat too small, someone had gas and the man next to her grumbled every time she got up to use the washroom. As she blamed us for picking the flight, railing on how the air conditioning ruined her freshly cut hairdo, I took the greatest satisfaction in the wiry tangle of white sprouting out of a mole on her chin. Mom, always immaculately dressed, always primped and perfect...missed a spot.BONUS TIP: The Colors, Textures & Shapes Thesaurus in our sidebar might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above!Bradley Cooper photo credit: david_shankbone via photopin cc
Hi everyone--happy Wednesday!
I'm over at Kobo Writing Life today talking about how to successfully build tension through escalating emotions (while steering clear of two common traps: melodrama and emotional plateaus.)
Stop on in if you have the chance? I'd love to see you there!
Before I became an author, I didn't think too much about reviews or their impact. If I came across a book that really moved me I might write a review, but more likely I would go the word of mouth route, telling others in emails, blog comments, and social media what I was reading and how I liked it. Sometimes, I would drop the author a note to tell them how much I enjoyed the read.
After becoming an author, I found myself all too often staring at
Amazon and
Goodreads pages hoping for a review. At first, it was about seeing if people understood how
The Emotion Thesaurus could be used, and finding out if it helped them as we hoped it would. After all, not everyone knows about this blog, and so for many, seeing the ET in book form was their first exposure to the idea of an Emotion Thesaurus. We wanted to make sure readers understood our intent for it to be used as a brainstorming tool for describing their character's emotions, not a shortcut for cutting and pasting body language (unless it was for place-holding purposes).
It didn't take long though for me to understand that in a sea of books, especially on a site like Amazon,
reviews were the difference between someone taking a casual look (because maybe the title or cover caught their eye,)
and actually sticking around (because someone was enthusiastically recommending the book.) I suddenly saw just how important reviews are for discoverability: they draw attention because no one wants to waste time or money. Visitors need to decide if the price is worth the investment before they hit "buy."
The first reviews can be the most important, as they seemed to gather the most 'likes.' They float to the top, remaining visible, and so visitors would see that many people agreed with the review by liking it. Becca and I were lucky to get some great 5 star reviews at the start, and so it hopefully encouraged others to try out the book.
Reviews also help by enticing visitors to put the book on their 'wish list' as a way to keep track of it. This puts the book on Amazon's radar for their top 100 "
Most Wished For" and "
Gift Ideas" lists. Suddenly a book becomes discoverable in a new way--friends and family looking to buy books at Christmas or for a birthday can just check out what other people are pining for in a particular genre or category.
Amazon Reviews are the starting point for a giant promotional wheel. Reviews lead to sales, which lead to
'customers who bought X also bought' matches, which leads to more visibility and sales, 'adds' on individual wish lists, and finally, Amazon promotional emails to customers pairing your book with others like it. This of course leads to more sales, more reviews and more visibility!
All because a person who read your book took the time to review.So why the discussion on reviews you ask? Yesterday,
The Emotion Thesaurus received its 200th 5 star review on Amazon, and so Becca and I are taking this opportunity to send you all a big THANK YOU for all your reviews, emails and feedback on this book. We appreciate all your support of us here and elsewhere!
We also want to encourage you to get out there and write a review or two. It really does make a huge difference, and the author will appreciate it.:)
Do you review books? Can you squeeze in some time today to write one? I plan to, and I hope you will as well!
ONE MORE THING...WANA LEARN?Becca and I have set a date for our next webinar on SHOWING CHARACTER EMOTION. Using Nonverbal Communication to Wow Readers and being held on
MAY 14th at 8:00 PM Eastern, and you can join us from the comfort of your own home!
Registration is open and our last webinar on this topic sold out, so if you're interested, please have a look. :) The webinar lasts 90 minutes, and each registrant will be given a PDF copy of
The Emotion Thesaurus for their own use or to gift to a friend. Feel free to
contact us with any questions you might have, and hope to see you there!
Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.
One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.
NECK
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| c/o Stoneraven @ Stock.xchange |
thick, squat, fat, long, skinny, wrinkly, flabby, short, weak, stiff, tight, sore, tense, graceful, elegant
Things Necks Do (and other words/phrases to describe those actions):- Turn: bend, come around, pivot, roll, rotate, swivel, twist, swing, jerk
- Stretch: roll, extend, crane, lengthen, pull
Key Emotions and Related Neck Gestures: - When a person is feeling anxious or tense, the neck will tighten, with the skin stretching taut and the tendons standing out. People will often roll, stretch, or massage the neck in an effort to relieve stress.
- At the onset of embarrassment, a flush will usually start at the neck and creek upward into the face, giving a hot and prickling sensation.
- Strong emotion, such as fear or anger, can tighten the body's muscles, making the neck feel sore and stiff. Prolonged stress can lead to muscle pain in the neck, headaches, and migraines.
Simile and Metaphor Help: - The day after the accident, my neck felt like one fused bone instead of a series of small hinged ones.
- I stretched my arms, trying to find space in the sleeves. Why hadn't I tried on this antique days ago, before it was too late? I could feel Mom's glare while the pastor droned on, but I couldn't turn my head to look at her; one move, and the tourniquet collar would cut off circulation and that would be it. Death by polyester.
Clichés to Avoid: necks thick as tree trunks; comparing short-necked people to frogs; referring to stubborn people as stiff-necked; long necks compared to a giraffe's or swan's
HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: Ana towered over the other girls on the soccer field, which in other circumstances might've been a good thing. But out here, while everyone else was muscular and solid, she was gangly, with scrawny limbs and a flower-stalk neck. Why did PE have to be required?
BONUS TIP: The Colors, Textures & Shapes Thesaurus in our sidebar might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above!
So, last week I returned from a 17 day trip through Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. I know, many of you probably didn't even know I was gone, because I don't usually say much when I go on a trip. Paranoid or not, I feel like it's a big welcome sign to internet creepers saying, "Swing on by! I'm not home!" Besides, Becca was here through it all, keeping the cogs greased and the posts posting. I am so lucky to have her for a blog partner/friend/mentor/co-author/occasional psychiatrist!
The trip was, in a word, fabulous. We went with a group and tour guide through G Adventures, and saw a ton in our 17 days. The only bummer was that right as we were leaving Vietnam to go to Cambodia, out camera's memory card died on us. Our whole time in Vietnam was on that card!
We have taken it to a data guru, hoping he can rescue our pictures. Luckily my son had his camera as well, so at least we have something to fall back on if the card is nuked (and I have some pictures to show you!). I'm sure I can ask for pictures from other people in the group, too. Still, I am praying we'll get our own pictures back!
When we arrived at Hanoi, I thought I was going to die. Seriously. The traffic was insane. Imagine if you will, if every car you see during rush hour was replaced by 50 scooters. Oh, and all of them beep their horns
constantly. Then, think about what it would be like if there were no stop signs, no lights, no right of way--if every direction of traffic all went at the same time. Now, imagine that you, Joe Pedestrian, must cross these streets to get around.
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| Crossing the street. No one stops--they just drive around you! |
Amazingly, I didn't die in some spectacular scooter vs crazy tourist accident. In fact, I actually got pretty adept at crossing the street, and knowing that the cars and buses and scooters would just whizz around me.
Of course, the .25 cent beer and social nature of the Vietnamese helped ease my nerves a bit! It's quite incredible. Every night the streets transform as people drag out hundreds of low stools, claim a piece of sidewalk, and roll out a keg of freshly brewed beer. Vendors are everywhere, serving all kinds of local street food. DELISH.
Ha Long Bay was incredible--all these misty mounds jutting out of the sea like a host of mossed-over grave markers. We slept overnight on a Junk boat, did some hiking, waved at fisherman and children at the floating villages (you can see one in the picture--some of these villages had schools, grocery stores and banks!) and explored some cave systems.
It was very eerie floating along in our boat, surrounded by these giant limestone rocks. Ha Long Bay is one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature.
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| Thien Mu Pagoda |
After we got back on the mainland, we took a rickety sleeper train to Hue (
Hway) which was an adventure in itself, one that taught me one very important acronym for travel in Asia: ACTP (Always Carry Toilet Paper!)
In Hue, we did this awesome all day scooter trip, touring the Imperial Citadel, Royal Tomb and Thien Mu Pagoda.
I was in a constant state of grin, riding behind a savvy yet half-crazy motorbike driver as we zipped from historic site to site, through the countryside, alongside rice paddies and down back alleys to see how the people lived.
By far, this was my favorite 'adventure' part of the trip. It was exhilarating to be part of that massive flow of traffic inside the city too, but safely perched on the back while someone else drove!
This is me with Lisa, a fellow Canadian & member of our tour group. She took a video of what it was like to ride 'in' the traffic--I'll have to see if I can snag it off of her!
From Hue we moved on to Hoi An, which was a shopper's dream. This city is known for their tailoring, and you could get anything you wanted made for you within a day or two. Suits, dresses, blouses, skirts, jackets...you name it, and everything was runway gorgeous and good quality. Inexpensive too--an evening dress might cost 30-50 dollars, a suit 80. One person had a beautiful wool coat made for 60.
I have to say that I let down TEAM FEMALE and didn't get myself something made, but my son Darian did get a pair of shoes designed!
Darian and I also went to a cooking school there as well. At the Blue Dragon we learned how to make Vietnamese spring rolls, BBQ pork and stuffed fish in banana leaves. The best part? Eating it all once it was cooked!
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| Darian fitting himself in a hidden tunnel entrance! |
From Hoi An we flew to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). There we visited the War Remnants Museum, which was a very hard trip because it gave a very graphic and terrible account of the Vietnam war. Let's just say that in North America, we hear a watered down version of what happened, and the aftermath of Agent Orange and other chemicals dropped by the US. It was horrific to see the chemical burns, mass graves and terrible birth defects as a result of exposure to Agent Orange.
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| Hubs in the tunnels |
We also took a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels. Southern Vietnamese people lived and fought in these tunnels during the war, and after seeing them with my own eyes, it's hard to fathom. We had an opportunity to go in some, which were widened twice from their original size to accommodate tourists.
I went into the tunnels via a different entrance built for the *cough* North American body type, and as I crawled through, claustrophobia started to take hold. All I could think was,
These tunnels were widened TWICE and they are still so narrow? How the heck did people LIVE down here? After crawling around in the pitch dark and wondering what sort of crazy I'd been drinking to do such a thing, we took a boat cruise in the Mekong Delta and visited a Coconut Candy factory. Aaaaah. MUCH more my speed!
Finally it was time to head over to Cambodia and Phnom Pehn. It was an all day bus ride, mainly due to a two hour traffic jam we encountered. At the roadside stops we were exposed to lots of local eats that included spiders, cockroaches, locusts, grubs and tiny birds. My gift to you all is to NOT post pictures of these creepy crawly sauteed delicacies (but if you are curious, head over to my
FB page, where I did post a shot!) And no, I didn't eat any of it!
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| Silk being harvested--look closely! |
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Phnom Pehn has a terrible history, and out of respect for Cambodia, I won't post pictures from
Tuol Sleng Prison and Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields), a mass grave site.
In the 1970's, the Khmer Rouge came into power and killed over 3 million people through torture and starvation. They turned a school into a prison (one of dozens) and systematically murdered almost every educated person in Cambodia.
When they were finally driven out, the entire country had only 2 doctors and four teachers among the population. The Khmer Rouge wanted to make a single class of people--farmers--and so even sought out people who wore glasses, believing they wore them to read, and therefore had education.
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| It takes at least 1 day to make a silk scarf |
Cambodia has high poverty and low education, and is still recovering from the KR regime. We did meet people who are working to bring education into the country however, and creating opportunities for women to learn a trade so they do not have to turn to prostitution, which is widespread.
One place was a silk farm, and so we actually got to see how silk is formed and how it is harvested. The farm imports most of its raw silk because the bushes silk worms eat do not grow well in Cambodia, but they produced scarves and teach local women how to weave.
Moving on to Siem Reap, we got ready for our sunrise tour of Ankor Wat, the world's largest religious monument. For me, this is why I wanted to come on this trip--to explore Ankor Wat. And let me tell you, it didn't disappoint!
We were led to the lake in the dark, with no idea of what we would see once dawn came. It was such an experience to see the darkness lift bit by bit, and silhouettes of far off buildings form.
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| Soldiers would touch the goddess for luck before battle...3 guesses where |
After sunrise, we headed back to our hotel for breakfast and to pick up the kids (they opted to NOT get up at 4:45 am, lol). Then it was back for a full, hot day at Ankor Wat. The Hindu temple complex is massive beyond imagining and would take days (or weeks!) to explore it all.
The carvings were so intricate and detailed. Amazingly we were able to walk through much of the area, although I don't imagine it will always be this way, as so many tourists will wear down the stone and ruin the site.
It was fascinating to learn the history of this lost city and those that ruled here. The walls were full of carvings depicting their religious beliefs, the cultures of the time and their dealings with each other.
They were renovating many parts of the complex, trying to restore what they could, but the jungle has taken hold in many places and I think it will not release it's grip too easily.
And okay, yeah, so maybe I goofed around a bit with this headless Bhudda statue I discovered...
It was quite hot there--creeping into the 40's Id say (Celsius). A person got used to sweating all the time and drinking gallons of water to stay hydrated. It was a very fufilling, yet exhausting day.
Despite the heat, we managed to climb up to the upper level of the Wat (temple). You'll see me here with my fan. I swear, that fan was the best $2.50 I ever spent. Darian grabbed one too, and we noticed whenever we had it out, people in our tour group would stand closer to us, rotf...
So after our big, long day at Ankor Wat, we decided to just bum around the city a bit. Everywhere we looked, we saw these fish tanks. They were for fish massages!
This one had a sign that said, "Fish Massage: No Piranhas, We Promise." Now if that isn't sound advetizing, I don't know what is!
Well, we figured while in Cambodia, do as the Cambodians do... (it helped that each massage session came with a free beer!)
I'm not going to lie...this FREAKED me out at first! But then after 5 minutes, it sort of felt good. And my feet were so soft afterwards, too!
(RIP any fish I killed from my nasty foot sweat!)
Our time ended all too soon, and off we went to Bankok, Thailand. Unfortunately by the time we arrived it was about 4 pm, and we flew out the next day at 5 am. We were able to swing past the Palace, and did get one night in Thailand.
After dinner, we went to the Night Market, and let me tell you, anything goes! We passed a lot of bars that offered things that I can't mention on this school friendly blog, and more than one booth that offered to make just about any type of ID a person could ever need or want. The streets were alive with activity and energy.
I would love to go back and spend more time there, and check out the rest of Thailand. I think I'll end this snippet of my trip with this beautiful street lamp I discovered as the sun went down...
I loved the trip, but it's good to be back. Please let me know if any cool things happened while I was away! Share your news, your goals or anything else!
Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.
One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.
HEAD
Descriptors: shaven, bristled, bumpy, bulbous, veined, oval, egg-shaped, pointed, wide, elongated, narrow, dented, smooth, scarred, age-spotted, stumpy, small
Things Heads Do - nod: dip, incline, duck and lift, bow, tip, bob
- shake: wag, jerk, waver, sway, rock, tremor
- tilt: slant, cock, twist, shift, lean, turn, pitch, bend
Key Emotions and Related Head Gestures: - People often move their head without thinking, especially when interacting with others, so it's a good way to spot a shift in emotion. During conversation, a person may tip their head forward when they are feeling vulnerable (uncertainty, nervousness, fear, shame, embarrassment, confusion, etc.) Rubbing the back of the head can be a self-soothing gesture for worry, anxiety, sadness and dread.
- Looking down via a forward head tilt is a common way to conceal an emotional reaction to what is being said or done. A head tilted to the side is a good indication of deep thought--it can mean a person is focused on what's happening or being said, or they are searching for the the right thing to say. People also indicate and motion with their head, using it to draw a person's attention to a specific area.
Simile and Metaphor Help: - Mary's jaw dropped and her head darted side to side like a high powered ping pong ball. Whatever gossip Karen and Lisa were dishing, it must be good.
- Levi hit the switch, and old time country music blasted out the speakers. Professor Stewart jumped out his chair, his liver-spotted head bobbing this way and that--a discarded jack-in-the-box with one last crank left in him.
Clichés to Avoid: Calling a bald man egg-headed or a cue ball
HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: Dusty scraped his hands over his bristly head, pacing erratically. As he muttered to himself, glancing at the emergency doors every few steps, I noticed his fingers would linger on the twisted scar just above his right ear before traveling back. My heart squeezed painfully for him. The car accident, of course. He was just a child, too young to remember it, but it left him without parents. What a terrible memory to have surface as he waited for word on his son's condition from the hit and run.
BONUS TIP: The Colors, Textures & Shapes Thesaurus in our sidebar might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above!
Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.
One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.
CHEEKS
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| Courtesy of Joi at Flickr.com |
Descriptors: chubby, rosy, drawn, sunken, jowly, saggy, puffy, pocked, dimpled, scarred, freckled, sunburned, kissable, rouged, powdered, pierced
Key Emotions and Related Cheek Gestures: - People will chew on their cheeks when they're nervous or uncertain. Other nervous habits include tapping or rubbing the cheeks, or nervous tics in the muscle. Someone might blow out their cheeks when they're feeling impatient or are trying not to show frustration. The cheeks will redden (along with the rest of the neck and face) to show embarrassment or anger. And of course, the cheeks raise and "brighten" the face when someone smiles.
Famous Quotes involving Cheeks - Prejudice is like a hair across your cheek. You can't see it, you can't find it with your fingers, but you keep brushing at it because the feel of it is irritating. --Marian Anderson
- Let age, not envy, draw wrinkles on thy cheeks. --Thomas Browne
- I don't deserve any credit for turning the other cheek as my tongue is always in it. --Flannery O'Connor
- The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot. --Salvador Dali
- There's more to life than cheek bones. --Kate Winslet
Simile and Metaphor Help: - I could always tell Jason was mad when he started blowing out his cheeks. Right now they looked like balloons ready to pop.
- Everyone burst out laughing and my cheeks warmed—a flesh-eating fire burning its way through my skin.
Clichés to Avoid: chipmunk cheeks, cheeks so chubby they have to be pinched, turning the other cheek
HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: I wiped the sweat from my face, cursing the heat. Across from me, Jana sat tall and still except for her fingers, picking at the cuff of her long-sleeved shirt. Her pants were long, pooling around her sneakers, and her shirt buttoned all the way up to her chin. Her hair parted in the middle, partially obscuring her face, but the skeletal look of her was obvious. The skin drew tight across her nose and chin, the cheeks sunken like pits. The words formed in my mouth to ask what was wrong with her, but I swallowed them, respecting her desire to hide.
BONUS TIP: The Colors, Textures & Shapes Thesaurus in our sidebar might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above!
Ironically, it’s often in the ways conversation breaks down that you can best lend verisimilitude to your dialog...
This is the teaser for today's post, contributed by David Corbett, who's here to talk about dialogue. It's an essential part of storytelling, and to be successful, it has to be realistic. But in truth, dialogue is messy; it's rambling and self-centered, and doesn't always end up sharing what's meant to be conveyed. I'm so glad David is here today to share some techniques for how to do it right...
It’s often said that the writing of dialog requires reading, not listening to actual conversation. This is because real speech suffers from a variety of pitfalls—pointless digressions, mindless nattering, and the twitchy insertion of um, like, you know, and other verbal tics.
But one can’t expect to create realism while straying too far from reality, either.
Ironically, actual speech often proves most instructive for dialog purposes when it breaks down, usually because the speakers are at cross-purposes.
Since your characters are contesting, blocking, countering each other’s goals, there is often a halting, stop-and-start quality to dialog that beginners routinely miss. Remember that each character has her own objective in each scene. Rather than respond to the first character, the second character may press her own point, and it may have little or nothing to do with what the first character tried to get across.
A great deal of bad dialog is either dueling pronouncements or a kind of verbal tennis, in which each volley gets answered by the next. This soon becomes labored and artificial, like the singsong back-and-forth between a teacher and her star pupil.
Remember that people cut each other off, they don’t listen, they talk over each other. The result: truncated sentences, tangents, non sequiturs. If used judiciously, these tactics can provide a sense of realism. Used to excess, they quickly seem affected—worse, boring.
A few specific techniques that can enhance a sense of realism—if used wisely—include:
Changing the subject (or answering a question with another question): This is a principal way for one character to ignore what the other said, either because he has something more pressing he wants to talk about or he’s trying to avoid the implications of what the first speaker is saying. The new tack in the conversation becomes an obstacle the first speaker has to overcome to continue pursuing the conversational objective and not get sidetracked or stonewalled.
Giving unsolicited advice: When one character is trying to get a point across, having the other give him unwanted advice feels like being ignored—with “the best of intentions.”
Topping the other person’s story: Instead of just ignoring what the first speaker said, the second speaker minimizes it. “That’s nothing, you should’ve seen what happened to me.” In one stroke, the second speaker has invalidated the first.
Finishing the other character’s sentences: This again is a status play, demeaning the other character by insinuating that what he has to say is patently obvious.
Interpreting what the other character is saying: This often starts out with something like, “You mean to tell me,” which is different than paraphrasing the other character while trying to understand. It’s instead a way for one character to say he knows what the other was trying to say better than she does.
Asking a question, then not listening to the answer: This suggests the character wants to seem interested when he really isn’t. The question is a pose, not a real desire for information.
In the martial art known as dialog, all of these techniques are preemptive attacks, blocking maneuvers, dodges, or feints. Put to good use, they can add a touch of realism to dialog. But like anything else, they can also seem forced or overly clever, especially if unmotivated.
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David Corbett is the author of four novels:
Devil's Redhead (New Blood)
, Done for a Dime
(a New York Times Notable Book),
Blood of Paradise: A Novel (Mortalis)
(nominated for numerous awards, including the Edgar), and
Blood of Paradise: A Novel (Mortalis) David’s short fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Mission and Tenth, The Smoking Poet, San Francisco Noir and Best American Mystery Stories (2009 and 2011). He has taught both online and in classroom settings through the UCLA Extension's Writers' Program, Book Passage, LitReactor, 826 Valencia, The Grotto in San Francisco, and at numerous writing conferences across the US. He lives in Vallejo, CA.
In case any of you are wondering if Angela has either a) stepped into a hole and fallen to the center of the Earth and out of the blogosphere, or b) finally gone stark raving mad, shaved her head, and joined a commune in Tibet, I should probably put you out of your misery and say that she's c) vacationing with her family in Vietnam. She'll be back at the end of next week, hopefully with many embarrassing stories and a million pictures to share. Until then, enjoy this post on FACES :)
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Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.
One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.
FACES
Descriptors: round, narrow, heart-shaped, long, squished, square, oval, fleshy, fat, drawn, skeletal, baby-faced, wrinkled, freckled, acned, happy, sad, mournful, open/bright, closed-off, worried, downcast, uplifted, tired, tanned, pale, pasty, pallid, expressionless, smooth, bearded, jowly, wide
Things Faces Do (and other words/phrases to describe those actions)- Fall: sag, droop, sink, crumple
- Brighten: shine, gleam, glow, uplift, beam, radiate
- This is a tough one, because many of the things that happen to the face (tics, twitches, etc.) aren't attributed to the face, but to the specific body part involved (eye, jaw, cheek). Remember that for the face to get credit for an action, multiple parts need to be in play. This is why feelings are usually attributed to the face, because so much of it is involved when emotions are being expressed.
Key Emotions and Related Face Gestures: - Fear: The eyes grow wide; the nostrils may flare; the mouth may open wider to take in more oxygen or squeeze closed in an effort to gain control of oneself.
- Happiness: the eyes may shine or glisten with tears; a smile will emerge; the entire faces brightens or becomes more animated
- Sadness: the eyes grow dull and limpid and may take on a blank gaze; tears appear; the mouth downturns and may quiver with the effort to hold back tears; the entire face appears to sag, droop, or crumple
- Anger: cheeks flush; teeth and jaws clench; lips mash together; eyes often narrow and take on a hard or steely glint; the tendons may stand out, showing tenseness; nostrils may flare
- Worry and Nervousness: eyes shift, darting here and there and blinking rapidly; tics may start up in various places; the teeth may lick, bite, or chew on the lips;
- Surprise: The eyes grow wide and may cease blinking for a time; the mouth gasps open; the face may become still or appear frozen
- For more information on how to express emotions using the face and other body parts, see our sampling of The Emotion Thesaurus, or check out the complete version at Amazon and other retailers.
Simile and Metaphor Help: - Her face brightened in a suitably gentle way—not a sudden sunburst, but an oil lamp being turned slowly up.
- At the word "no", the little boy's face turned red and squeezed shut. He looked like a sunburned Pekingese.
Clichés to Avoid: the wrinkled face that is described as a roadmap or atlas of lines; the face as an open book or closed door; the pointy-chinned face being "elfin"
HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: The woman put her sad moon-face in at the window of the car. "You be good," she said to the little ones. "Mind what Dicey tells you." Then she slung her purse over her shoulder and walked away, her stride made uneven by broken sandal thongs, thin elbows showing through holes in the oversized sweater, her jeans faded and baggy. -- Homecoming, Cynthia Voigt
BONUS TIP: The Colors, Textures & Shapes Thesaurus in our sidebar might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above!
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| Courtesy of yooperann at PhotoPin |
Dialects and accents in fiction are a particular source of contention for me. One of the characters in my historical fiction is a Native American girl who speaks English as a second language. Critique partners and my own ears have told me that her speech needs work, so for literally months I've been thinking about the issue of how to write dialects and accents in a believable way. Then, while I was reading Maggie Stiefvater's THE RAVEN BOYS, I discovered some easy techniques to show the reader how the character sounds. First:
The voice was careful, masculine, and local; the vowels had all the edges sanded off.
The simplicity of this just kills me. Steifvater doesn't go into detail describing the individual sounds of the character's speech, the phonetics, how the sentences are put together. She succinctly tells how the words sound, then writes them the normal way, and the reader's brain fills in the rest. In this particular case, the story takes place in Virginia. If you're familiar with the way Virginians talk, then the "local" reference will immediately clue you in to how the speaker sounds. And if you're unfamiliar with the accent, you get a good feel for it with the description she gives of the vowels.
Here's another example of how you can describe someone's speech when you're referencing a known language or accent:
When he was uncertain about something, his Southern accent always made an appearance, and it was in evidence now.
Not only does this clue the reader in as to how the character speaks, but it also reveals his frame of mind. This is an excellent example of description that does more than just describe.
Here's one more sample, this time describing an elderly English gentleman's speech:
Without further preamble, Malory launched into a one-sided conversation about the weather, the historical society's past four meetings, and how frustrating his neighbor with the collie was. Gansey understood about three quarters of the monologue. After living in the UK for nearly a year, Gansey was good with accents, but Malory's was often difficult, due to a combination of slurring, chewing, extreme age, bad breeding, and a poor phone connection.
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| Courtesy of Gerry Balding |
The conversation that follows doesn't include any hard-to-read pronunciations or truncated verbs (talkin', eatin', drivin', etc.). Malory's rambly style of speaking, combined with the previous description, are enough to give the reader a feel for how he sounds: like an old British man who slurs his words and eats while he talks.
Descriptions like these tell precisely how the character speaks without putting the reader through mental acrobatics and having to work too hard to figure out what's being said. While some stories succeed with this hyper-focus on unique speech patterns (Forrest Gump, Brer Rabbit), a simpler method like Stiefvater's might work for you. I know I'll be trying it with my WIP.
For
another great post on this topic, check out Janice Hardy's blog.
Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.
One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.
FINGERS
Descriptors: long, slender, stubby, wrinkled, thin, fat, knobby, gnarled, arthritic, strong, frail, fragile, clawed, tremulous, deft, dextrous, hairy, graceful, elegant, stiff, broken, bony, broken, swollen, jammed, limp,
Things Fingers Do (and other words/phrases to describe those actions)- Quiver: shake, shiver, shudder, tremble, flutter, jitter, quaver, tremor
- Tingle: smart, sting, tingle, prickle, tickle, throb
- Fidget: tap, drum, rub, pick, bounce, pat, flick, worry, fuss, squeeze, waggle, stroke, crack knuckles
Key Emotions and Related Finger Gestures: - When a person is nervous or worried, the fingers are great indicators. They worry at each other, pick at loose threads, stroke or rub at a certain spot over and over, drum a tabletop, or tap the lip or chin. The fingers can play a great role in individualizing your character and creating those unique movements to show when your hero is anxious.
- A common sign of anger is the fingers curling into fists. And of course, most people in modern culture will recognize the most obvious finger sign given to show frustration or anger ;).
- The fingers will quiver or tremble at the height of any strong emotion, like excitement, fear, or rage.
Simile and Metaphor Help: - Her fingers fluttered over the harp strings like birds too elegant to land.
- I woke feeling bloated and swollen. My delicate fingers had turned to sausages stuffed into too-small casings.
Clichés to Avoid: thin fingers described as skeletal, fingers curling into fists so tightly that the nails break the skin, fingers gnarled like tree roots
HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: I wasn't sure about this deal, but Derek seemed to have no doubts. I examined his outstretched hand—the fingers were steady, without a flutter of uncertainty or greed. When I finally gave in, his handshake was firm, the fingers wrapping around mine like an arm around the shoulder, assuring me that everything would be all right.
BONUS TIP: The Colors, Textures & Shapes Thesaurus in our sidebar might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above!
Today we're happy to welcome Anne O'Connell, an author currently juggling fiction and nonfiction writing, which, as you know, is near and dear to our Bookshelf Muse hearts. Authors are often advised not to switch genres—to find something you're good at or passionate about and stick with it. But the truth is that for many of us, passion isn't confined to a certain kind of story. We need to be able to write (and sell) the stories that interest us, whatever genre they happen to be. But how do we do it successfully? Luckily, Anne is here to talk about her tips on doing just that...
I love to write but don’t want to get boxed into one genre. Does that create problems? Absolutely! Does it keep things interesting? You bet!
On this, the occasion of the launch of my first novel, I pondered briefly on whether or not I’ll be giving up the other writing I do… not a chance! Mental Pause
is my first novel but my first book was @home in Dubai
, a nonfiction book published traditionally by Summertime Publishing, and my second was a self-published e-book about doing your own PR. I enjoyed writing them all equally.
I consider my specialized skill to be simply…. writing. Do some writers have a particular niche they focus on? Most do and many ‘experts’ warn not to switch about, as it makes it difficult to market your services. That’s probably the biggest downside to switching genres. For authors with a following, it can alienate your readers. But sometimes you just need a change, right? If you plan on juggling genres, just promise that you’ll be back. It’ll be part of your messaging. If you’re traditionally published you might have a battle on your hands with your publisher, though. That’s when you might consider turning to self-publishing.
For me, I need the variety. After spending days on end writing web copy for a client, my eyes tend to glaze over and my mind wanders. Sometimes the screen even gets blurry. It’s amazing how invigorating it is to switch gears to a work of fiction. It’s almost as energizing as a brisk walk on the beach.
Switching genres may have its ups and downs but that doesn’t mean it’s not doable. Here are some successful methods for writing across genres:
- Look for inspiration to spark an idea (for business writing or nonfiction, it usually comes from a client brief or an area of expertise; for my novel it came from a night sweat).
- Write a synopsis of the idea. Just get it all down… it’s what I call a mental dump.
- Determine the target market for any type of writing before you get too far into it because that will dictate some of your language use and the level of writing.
- Write an outline. For business writing it’s usually pretty sewn-up before I write the bulk of the piece; for nonfiction it starts with a fairly complete chapter outline. But my novel evolved as I wrote it, from a loose idea and a bunch of scenes from my initial mad ramblings of a peri-menopausal woman that I had dumped into a document. I know some authors need to start with a more prescribed outline but your personality will guide you here. The important thing is to just write.
- Do the background research, which is equally as important for both. For nonfiction, it lends credibility and for fiction, believability.
Tempering the Confusion If you decide to write multiple genres, be ready to manage a complex communications strategy. I’m in the midst of fine-tuning mine to make sure that it speaks to both my copy writing clientele as well as readers of my novel (hopefully many more to come). The novelist persona is very new so I’m gently introducing that side of me, while maintaining the ‘bread and butter’ of my copy writing side.
Website- I have redesigned my website that I’ve had for more than five years. I’ve made it softer and changed the focus from hard-core business to more of a personal feel. Most of my clients are in the service or consulting industries and are therefore more people centric, so it works well.
- I’ve added a books tab and am creating landing pages for my books (for @Home in Dubai it actually links to a whole different website).
- I have a website builder package that includes unlimited pages so I can add books as I write them. I create and manage my own websites using Go Daddy, which makes it easier and cheaper. I also use the same service for my email database and distribution as well as my online bookshop.
Social Media - I have a presence on Facebook, which I’ve been building for five years. I have a personal profile, which I keep for family and friends as well as several pages, one for me as a writer/author and a page for each book. There is some overlap but I try to post fresh content on each so those who are on all of the pages don’t get annoyed.
- I have chosen to only have one Twitter account (@annethewriter). I rotate tweets between all my endeavours, including my volunteer work. I gamble that there’s enough commonality among my Tweeps that if I post a Tweet about my book launch, it’s not going to turn off my current or potential copy writing clients, fellow expats or social media buffs who are following.
- I have two blogs, one for general writing and one for my novel. I think blog subscribers are less forgiving if you switch gears on them too much. I know I’m walking a fine line with that and probably need to streamline my writing blog a bit more.
- Like my website, my LinkedIn profile combines it all with a headline that reads, ‘Freelance Writer, Social Media Consultant and Author’ and sports the same photo that I have on the website. My status updates rotate in a similar way to my Twitter posts but are not duplicated.
- I’ve just started playing around with Pinterest so don’t quite have a handle on it yet but do have my book covers pinned (in different categories) as well as images that link to my blogs on writing and social media.
These are the strategies I’m using where I’ve combined all of my genres, but there are those that are specific to promoting my copy writing services, nonfiction book or launch of my debut novel as well. For example, the blog tour for my novel was totally different from the blog tour I did for
@Home in Dubai. Book reviewers do focus on particular genres so once you have a list built, if you’re switching genres, you probably won’t be able to use much of it again.
When it all comes down to it, you’ve got to do what makes you happy, and for the time being, juggling genres is what does it for me.
Thank you, Anne! It seems to me that while writing different genres can be a challenge, it's the selling different genres that can be a bigger headache. I agree with Anne, that you have to vary your marketing techniques and be prepared to do some extra work in the social networking arena if you want to have success in multiple areas. I'd love to hear more thoughts on this topic. Musers, what techniques have you used to write or market for different genres? What successful methods have you seen others use?*****
Anne has been working as a freelance copywriter, writing coach and consultant since 2007, specializing in social media, marketing, corporate communications and public relations. She is a regular contributor to Global Living Magazine and Expat Focus. In between clients she squeezes in time for her newly found passion - writing fiction. She and her husband have a passion for travel as well and that adventurous spirit has taken them all over the world. Anne grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has a bachelor of public relations from Mount St. Vincent University. She is the author of
@Home in Dubai… Getting Connected Online and on the Ground, 10 Steps to a Successful PR Campaign – a Do-it-Yourself Guide for Authors and
Mental Pause, her first novel.
Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.
One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.
TOENAILS
Descriptors: shaped, trimmed, painted, glittery, decorated, colorful, glossy, tiny, thick, yellowed, rounded, curved, shiny, short, hangnail, long, broken, peeling, bejeweled, clawed, dirty, thick, brittle, ingrown, pedicured, smooth
Things Toenails Do (and other words/phrases to describe those actions)- Toenails, unlike other parts of the body, don't actively "do" much. Their main function is to protect the toes from injury. People may use them to scratch at an itchy part on their leg, and women often showcase them in summer months by painting them fashionably.
Key Emotions Related to Toenails: - Worry: because of the almost universal feeling that feet are not overly attractive, men and women are generally self conscious about their feet and so take care to keep their toenails clean and healthy when they are visible to others (sandal season, going to the pool, etc.)
- Pride: Painted toenails for women are a source of pride, good fashion sense and femininity. Many will keep their nails painted year around to make their feet appear more attractive.
Simile and Metaphor Help: - Janice's toenails flashed bright against the sand--a scatter of rubies dropped from a pirate's treasure chest.
- Demi's red and black toenails lined up like a row of lady bugs.
Clichés to Avoid:
- None that I can think of!
HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: Jenny walked across the ballroom, each step deliberate and slow, drawing all eyes to her. From the diamond hair clips holding back her thick blond hair to the glossy gold metallic toenails peeking out of her three inch Prada sandals, she was every bit the wealthy, well-bred society girl.
BONUS TIP: The Colors, Textures & Shapes Thesaurus in our sidebar might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above!
I'm happy to welcome back
Dr. John Yeoman of
Writer's Village, a writing community dedicated to helping writers succeed. Today he's looking at an important facet of the story-audience connection:
reader assumptions. It is very important that we achieve CLARITY when we write. Is the audience picking up on our exact meaning the way we intend? What viewpoint biases do they apply to what they read? This is a great topic, so please read on for a deeper look!
Are Your Stories Killed by the Curse of Assumption?
by John Yeoman
Would you have misunderstood these opening lines as badly as I did?‘She cursed her killer Jimmy Choos as she entered the room. The man met her eyes and slipped his Mont Blanc quickly into his pocket.’Having read too much John le Carré, I assumed that Jimmy Choos was the name of an assassin she’d hired to kill her husband. And a Mont Blanc was a gun, presumably of French design.
My wife got it at once. Of course! This was a style-conscious young woman on a blind date. But I missed it. Why? I’m a reclusive old man.
We can’t always choose our readers. If the reader misunderstands us, our story is lost. And every reader brings to our story their own assumptions.
Try these three ways to avert the Curse of Reader Assumption: 1. Establish the context of your story at once - unless you want to obscure it. Don’t just dump that information on us in the authorial voice, of course. Let the narrator convey it in passing. Here’s a scene from an historical novel, located in London 1598:
‘It was a bright chill morning, the air sharp with the tang of burning apple wood. Mercifully, the rain had abated these past few days, having pelted down relentlessly for several months. No doubt, the farmers were praying now for a good harvest as they bided their time, waiting to sow the fields with what little corn they still possessed. I prayed with them. I had been a farmer once.’We don’t need to tell the reader that England in 1598 was recovering from three years of rain-induced famine. We’ve suggested it obliquely. and slid in a little information about our character too.
Why might you want to obscure the context?In China Mieville’s disturbing novel The City & The City the context is initially clear. Or so it seems. A body is found. Detectives gather and chew their nails while they wait for the path report. It’s a re-run of James Patterson. Isn’t it?
No. Ghost-like creatures drift about. The landscape keeps shifting, as if in a dream. Characters freeze until things are back to normal then resume as if nothing had happened. This is an alternative world. The story is a sci-fantasy.
Mieville deliberately makes its context - and genre - ambiguous, to unsettle the reader.2. Keep reminding us of the context. Thornton Wilder opens his deliciously satiric novel The Cabbala in a train carriage in Italy circa 1920:
‘In one compartment a party drawn from that race that travels most and derives least pleasure from it talked tirelessly of bad hotels, the ladies sitting with their skirts whipped about their ankles to discourage the ascent of fleas.’ Whenever the travellers’ conversation starts to roam, Wilder reminds us they’re still on a train:
‘In another compartment an adventuress in silver sables leaned one cheek against the shuddering window panes ... In the pause that followed, fragments of conversation from the various corners of the compartment flowed in upon our minds ...’ Each incident is linked by the term ‘compartment’ so that we never forget the context.
2. Use ‘stage business’ to keep us in the scene. If you can’t remind us of the context with the repetition of a linking word (or phrase), as Wilder does, call our attention continually to
props that define the setting. It’s stage business. If a theatrical producer wanted to suggest a Wild West saloon, he might hang an elk head over the door, put a spittoon in the corner and make the characters use it every moment. Suppose our character is chatting in a modern bar. A long dialogue ensues. Break it up!
Have the speakers cradle a glass, order a snack, check the clock, visit the restroom... all the things that people do in a bar.
Use those props continually to ground the reader in the context of the bar.
3. Keep the continuity going. When you use a lot of
frame shifts - switches of point of view, flashbacks, flashforwards and the like - it’s particularly important to retain continuity in the context. Otherwise, the reader gets lost. For example, a woman rambling in the country might chance upon a derelict church:
‘This had once been a graveyard. Nettles, briars, thistles taller than a man’s head. Grey stones poked out like stubs of broken teeth. She remembered her father’s funeral...’The narrator’s mind then flashes back to the funeral. Ten pages later the reader may have lost their place in the story entirely. So bring us back to the graveyard.
‘She wiped the grave dust from her hands and ran from that dead place. Thistles tugged at her dress and briars tripped her feet but she didn’t notice. In her face was a new resolve.’Now that long digressive flashback has been restored to its context and the story can resume.
Don’t give the reader a chance to misinterpret your story!It’s not enough to spell out the context in chapter one and forget it thereafter. The reader will forget it too. Maybe they’ll put down our story and not return to it for another month. Or they’re lurching around town in a taxi, an IPad in one hand and their heart in the other. Keep reminding us, page by page, of what the story’s all about.
Dr John Yeoman, PhD Creative Writing, judges the Writers’ Village story competition and is a tutor in creative writing at a UK university. He has been a successful commercial author for 42 years.
A wealth of further ideas for writing fiction that sells can be found in his free 14-part story course at
Writers' Village. A big thank you to John for tackling this! Clarity is so important, and we have to always remember that the audience's education and life experience will place a filter on what they read.
Have you ever read a story where you read something one way, only to realize later that you misinterpreted the writer's intent? Let me know in the comments, and make sure to stop in at Writer's Village. There's a ton of great resources and advice to be found.
Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.
One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.
HAIR
Descriptors: curly, ringleted, straight, kinky, wavy, wild, lank, blunt, tame, bushy, frizzy, silky, long, short, flowing, buzzed, cropped, chopped, coifed, styled, gelled, loose, flat, shiny, dull, bouncy, thin, thick, wiry, dyed, streaked, layered, flyaway, balding, patchy, pulled back, tied up, smooth, dry, split, rough, spiky, stiff, straightened, sweaty, greasy, stringy, dirty, uncombed, neat, messy, mussed, tousled, bleached, colored, braided, dreadlocks, bedhead, staticky, cornrows, mohawk, mullet, crewcut
Things Hair Does (and other words/phrases to describe those actions)- Flip: toss, jerk, flick, shake,
- Blow (in the wind): float, flutter, sail, waft, fly, skim, whip, tear, thrash, twirl, buffet, lash, shimmy, sway, slap, flap
Key Emotions and Related Hair Gestures: - Though hair doesn't do much on its own, people often touch their hair to indicate certain emotions. When nervous or feeling insecure, people do pretty much anything with their hair, such as touching, patting, twisting, pulling, compulsively braiding/unbraiding, pulling, jerking, and finger-combing their locks.
- At times of high anxiety or stress, people might actually pull their hair out, to the point of thinning their hair or going bald in spots.
- A flirtatious person expressing desire for someone else might draw attention to their hair by flipping, shaking, or running their hands through it
- When frustrated, people may grab their hair, run their hands through it, or pull it.
- A very angry or enraged person may do something drastic like chopping or shaving off their hair.
Simile and Metaphor Help: - The shaved hair of her scalp felt prickly and stubborn, like a curled-tight hedgehog saying Screw You to the world.
- My mother's stylist was a miracle worker. I turned my head this way and that, viewing my coif from every angle. The curls were the perfect mix of styled and carefree, the color spot-on. Somehow, she'd turned me into a Paul Mitchell model.
Clichés to Avoid: Bleached blondes that are dumb or gullible; sexy, sassy redheads; lice as a sign of dirty hair; the prevalence of redheads in literature despite their rarity in the world's population (less than 2%)
HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: I tried not to stare at the matriarch's hair but didn't quite succeed. It was the color of rich loam without a hint of white—a glossy shade that inspired both envy and debate among the village women. My mother liked to say that no one Bentri's age kept such hair naturally.
BONUS TIP: The Colors, Textures & Shapes Thesaurus in our sidebar might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above!
The idea of doing a book reading or author signing sort of terrifies me. I don't know why this is, because I love writers--we share the same passions and interests. It's great to chat with them at conferences, see what they are reading, discover what they are writing themselves. I always leave a conference with new friends, and in today's digital world, some faces to go with the names I recognize online!
So WHY should I be so frightened of a book signing? The people there show up because they are interested in my book, and what I have to say, right?
I don't know how to pin down my fears exactly, but if I had to get to the root of it all, it would be to say I am afraid of screwing up, of doing or saying something stupid that I can't undo. Yet,
book events are important to authors and for building relationships with readers, so I need to move past my worries. I bet many of you feel the same!
Lucky for us, my friend
Rochelle Melander, author of
Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (and Live to Tell About It) has some excellent words of advice on how to handle such an event! Please read on, and prepare to bookmark this gem of a post to reference for your own next book signing.
GIVEAWAY ALERT! Rochelle is also kindly giving away a copy of her book. Details below!Book Signings that Wow
By Rochelle Melander
Last month, I headed out on a cold Friday night to attend an author event at my favorite local bookstore. Truthfully, I dreaded it. Okay, the idea of having pizza and wine with a friend sounded good. But then schlepping through the snow and ice to sit through a long and boring reading—not so much fun. Unless . . . the event wows. And this one did.
Mystery author Ian Rankin told stories (in his lovely Scottish accent) about how his newest books came about. (I won’t spoil it for you, but know it involved a secret military camp, a rock star, and drinking.) By the time he started answering questions, we’d laughed and shed a few tears. When Rankin signed my book, he asked: “So how was the evening for you? Did you enjoy it?”
You’re probably thinking, “But Rankin’s a star AND he has an accent. How can I wow like he does?” Never fear! Here’s my no-fail plan for wowing audiences at book events:
Get the Right Attitude. When Ian Rankin asked me, “So how was the evening for you?”—I knew he’d approached his talk thinking: how can I make this event work for my audience? Face it—people can spend their night and their cash in a gazillion different ways. If you want to get them to attend your event and buy a book, you need to make it worthwhile for them. Start by asking yourself: how can I best serve my audience?
Promote Your Event. In the days leading up to the book signing for Write-A-Thon, I had a recurring nightmare that no one showed up for my event. It happens. I’ve been the only attendee at more than one author event. When I asked Daniel Goldin, owner of
Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee, WI, how to get people to events, he offered great advice:
*Invite people! Ask your family, friends, and acquaintances to come to your event. Goldin says, “The best thing is person-to-person selling, and a personal contact will always be more effective than a bulk mailing. "I'd love for you to be there" is probably more effective than ‘I think you'll like my book’”
*Pursue publicity. Connect with as many local media outlets as possible. Don’t overlook local bloggers—sometimes they can rally a dedicated group of fans better than a spot on a local television show. Goldin says, “Press is light years better than ads. You get the chance to tell what your story is about and why folks would connect.”
*Build good will with other authors. Be the kind of author who supports other writers. Blog about your friends’ books and events. Write reviews of their books and post them online. Goldin added, “Put your money where your mouth is (figuratively) and attend your friend's events too. It's like getting invited to a wedding—they'll support you if you support them.” Plan your event. Don’t be the author who stumbles through a too-long reading while the audience members surf the net on their smart phones. Successful book events appear effortless. The author may sound like he spontaneously sang a few bars of a favorite old drinking song, but I’m sure he practiced. The authors who wow plan and practice their talks.
*Tell stories. I’ve attended more than a hundred events, and I always prefer hearing authors tell stories over listening to them read from their book. According to bookstore owner Daniel Goldin, “You can throw 5 minutes of reading into it, but make sure you're a great reader. One technique that seems to work well is telling the story that leads to how the book got written. If you can expand that to 15 minutes, you've got half your talk.”
*Connect with the audience. When I attend a talk, just like when I have coffee with a new friend, I’m looking for how we connect. Goldin affirms this, “
The #1 reason why someone buys the book at an event is emotional. You connected with them somehow and you're promising that the book is more of the same.” You cannot manufacture connection. But you can give an event that creates connection: be open and authentic. Tell stories that show why you are passionate about this topic or these characters.
*Add Value. Think about the unique ways you and your book can add value to the event for the crowd. At my event, I gave everyone a complimentary bookmark (that was printed with a fun saying and info about my book). In addition, I held a drawing for Write-A-Thon goodie bags, filled with delicious treats and tools for a writing marathon. At other book signings I’ve attended, authors have given out temporary tattoos (Jeff Kinney), brought in artifacts from their childhood (Patricia Polacco), and served cake (Debra Brenegan).
*Keep it short, Sherlock! Give some people a microphone, and they can talk for hours about how great they are. Don’t be that person! According to Goldin, “Leave the crowd wanting a bit more. You will always go longer than you think. Aim for 30 minutes, and never go over 45.” As you plan your talk, don’t forget to include fifteen minutes for questions.
*Practice. Once you know what you’re going to say and read, stand up in front of your family or pets or even a dozen stuffed animals and do it. Then give the talk twenty more times until you don’t feel stupid or, if you do feel stupid, you don’t care!
But what if I’m terrified? Get used to it. Everyone is. For most of us, speaking tops list of things we fear, along with heights, snakes, and spiders. According to author and certified professional speaker
Mandi Stanley, the best way to manage fear is to remember, “It’s not about you, it’s about the audience.” If you need more practical help, she lists several tools in her book
The No-Panic Plan for Presenters: An A-to-Z Checklist for Speaking Confidently and Compellingly Anywhere, Anytime:
*Remember that the audience wants you to do well.*It’s easier to speak to people you know—so get to the event early and talk to people as they come in.*If you have extra adrenaline or nervous energy, go in the restroom and jog really fast for a few minutes. If your hands still shake, Stanley recommends that you don’t hold paper. That way, no one will see you shake! After the event. Go home and collapse. You did it! The next day, send a hand-written thank you note to the people who hosted your event. If possible, send chocolate! Why? Bookstore owners, booksellers, and other event coordinators work hard to promote your event and sell your book. A note helps you to be remembered as that kind author who gave a great talk and said thank you (as opposed to the cranky one who sneered at them). And who knows, that might help you get another signing when your next book comes out!
Your turn: What are your tips for creating book events that wow?Rochelle Melander is an author, speaker, and certified professional coach. She is the author of ten books, including
Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (and Live to Tell About It.
Rochelle teaches professionals how to write good books fast, use writing to transform their lives, navigate the publishing world, and get published! For more tips and a
complementary download of the first two chapters of Write-A-Thon, visit her online at www.writenowcoach.com. (TIP: Rochelle always has great advice, so look her up on
TWITTER &
FACEBOOK.)
GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Rochelle is generously giving away a copy of her book to a commenter today, so if you'd like to try your luck, just comment!
We'd love to hear if you've been to a book signing, and what was successful (or not so successful) about it! That way, we all have more ideas of how to do host a great one ourselves!
Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.
One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.
SHOULDERS
Descriptors: muscled, broad, narrow, thin, willowy, thick, freckled, tanned, sunburned, veined, bulky, rounded, tattooed, strong, roped with muscle, bony, sloped, iron, pale, pimpled, solid, lean, big boned, raw boned, brawny, muscular, solid, rippled, stocky, well built, ripped, coltish; soft, smooth, compact, slight, wispy, burly, wide set, swimmer's build, chiseled, firm, limber, taut, bulky, shapely, stooped, graceful, bowed, straight, hairy, dimpled, peeling
Things Shoulders Do- lift: raise, curl, hoist, heave, boost
- tense: tighten, harden, strain, bulge, ripple, twinge
- push: nudge, jam, shove, knock, thrust, prod, poke, jostle
- drop: sag, lower, cave, plummet, bow
Key Emotions and Related Shoulder Gestures: - Disappointment or Resignation: shoulders tend to drop or cave in a moment of defeat, or pull forward and as body posture loosens, curl over one's chest
- Indifference or Confusion: When a person conveys they don't care or they don't know the answer to something, a common response is a one or two shoulder shrug, often paired with broken eye contact.
- Wariness or Anger: In moments of high stress, the shoulder stiffen and muscles grow taut. This is the physical manifestation of fight or flight, as the body prepares to battle or run.
Simile and Metaphor Help: - The ropey, firm rises of his shoulders provided a map for my fingers to explore.
- Anna ducked out of the change room in her borrowed swimsuit, her chalky, sun screened shoulders as pale as twin moons.
Clichés to Avoid:
Shrugging one's shoulders is often overused when a character is being non responsive during a dialogue exchange. It's not a gesture to avoid, but one to take care in not overusing.
HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: Andrew's tight t shirt pulled off like a second skin, revealing broad, sun-browned shoulders that my fingers ached to touch. The hard life of a ranch hand certainly agreed with this cowboy.
BONUS TIP: The Colors, Textures & Shapes Thesaurus in our sidebar might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above!
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I know, some people don't care for the commercialism of this holiday, but I say BAH! Let's just celebrate the love, both towards others, and ourselves. I know life gets hectic and we don't always make time for the little things that make us happy, so make me a promise that you'll do something nice for yourself today, all right? Treat yourself. Take a glass of wine and go for a soak in the tub. Eat some chocolate. Have some ME time!
Also, I'd like to link to a
podcast I did recently with
Gray Jones, the creator of
TV Writer Podcast, a partner of
Script Magazine. When Gray first contacted me about doing a podcast, I was blown away. After all, Gray has done all these great interviews with the writers of TV shows like
Criminal Minds, ER, Law & Order, CSI, etc. and so many other amazingly talented people, I half-wondered if maybe his email landed in my inbox by mistake. But no, Gray had picked up a copy of
The Emotion Thesaurus, and was struck by how well it would work as a resource for screenwriters. So, we had a great chat, and he asked me all kinds of good questions about writing techniques for conveying emotion, so if you're interested, have a watch/listen!
And just a reminder about three things coming up! Indie Recon starts on the 19th of February, and it's free & online! This is a great conference for writers who are interested in Self Publishing. There's lots of great speakers, amazing advice on how to be successful as an Indie & making sure your book creates an impact in the marketplace.
WANA Con starts on the 22nd of February, and it's online as well! This conference has a small fee, but it is P-A-C-K-E-D with value! Here's the
full schedule of events. If you've ever wanted the professional conference experience, but couldn't afford the costs, then this is a great event to attend!
Finally, our WEBINAR,
Using Nonverbal Communication to Wow Readers is open for Registration. The webinar will be 90 minutes long and held on March 6th at 8:00 Eastern. This course includes a ecopy of
The Emotion Thesaurus, too! And if you already have one, don't worry. We'll gift your copy to a writer friend of yours if you like. Seats are limited, so reserve yours ASAP!
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| Courtesy of DaniJace @ WANA Commons |
Physical description of a character can be difficult to convey—too much will slow the pace or feel 'list-like', while too little will not allow readers to form a clear mental image. If a reader cannot imagine what your character looks like, they may have trouble connecting with them on a personal level, or caring about their plight.
One way to balance the showing and telling of physical description is to showcase a few details that really help 'tell the story' about who your character is and what they've been through up to this point. Think about what makes them different and interesting. Can a unique feature, clothing choice or way they carry themselves help to hint at their personality? Also, consider how they move their body. Using movement will naturally show a character's physical characteristics, keep the pace flowing and help to convey their emotions.
TOES
Descriptors: hairy, wrinkly, gnarled, bunioned, calloused, knobby, long, dirty, dainty, blistered, arthritic, rough, soft, stubby, broken, dry, bruised, frostbitten, webbed, pruned
Interesting Toe Factoids: - The length of the second toe (whether it’s longer than the other toes or shorter) is determined by genetics.
- You can’t serve in the U.S. Army if you’re missing any toes. This led to drastic measures for some who wanted to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War.
- Syndactyly is a condition wherein two digits are fused or webbed. Famous individuals suffering from syndactyly of the toes include Ashton Kutcher, Dan Aykroyd, and Joseph Stalin.
- Marilyn Monroe had six toes on one foot.
- the first known prosthetic limb replacement was for an Egyptian woman’s big toe, in 1000 B.C)
- Toe cramps are painful and inconvenient, particularly at 3 in the morning. (Yes, I speak from personal experience). I'm sure they could drop a grown man to his knees, which could be an interesting flaw for a manly hero-type character.
Key Emotions and Related Toe Gestures: When someone is nervous or uncomfortable, toes can fidget or twitch like any other extremity. Adrenaline can cause the toes to tingle. And raucous, bladder-convulsing laughter can occur when the toes are tickled.
Simile and Metaphor Help: - Winter is not good for my toes. They dry out and get chalky and resemble aging mushrooms. It’s not pretty.
- I hadn’t realized I’d been in the pool so long. My toes looked like shrunken walnuts.
Clichés to Avoid: toes that “curl” when someone is appalled or disgusted; the kiss that one feels all the way down to one’s toes; toes that are gnarled like tree roots
HINT: When describing any part of the body, try to use cues that show the reader more than just a physical description. Make your descriptions do double duty. Example: His toes were slender and snakeish, like fingers, the long one curving way out past the rest. Between them and the fossilized nails, I shuddered to think of the damage he could do with just his toes.
BONUS TIP: The Colors, Textures & Shapes Thesaurus in our sidebar might help you find a fresh take on some of the descriptors listed above!
A few weeks ago I shared a bit of wisdom I learned from Bruce Coville at the Florida SCBWI's winter conference. In that post, I related how important it is for us, as writers, to
lengthen the chain for our readers. Bruce went on to share a few practical ways for us to do this:
1. Take Your Art Seriously, But Also Take Yourself Seriously As A Business Person. Learn to read contracts. Learn to negotiate. Know what's happening in the industry.
This is important because the more secure you are from a business standpoint, the more attention you can give to the writing of your stories. Confidence creates freedom—from indecision, from worrying that you missed something, from stressing over having to do something that you know you suck at (like balancing the checkbook or creating a marketing plan). If we can educate ourselves on the business-y things, we'll become more confident in our abilities, which frees us up to focus on the writing.
2. Take Your Art Seriously But Take Yourself Lightly. Strive to be great, but also try to be good.
Oh my word. How awesome is this? Because good people do good things, right? If we're so tied up in our craft and our ego, how will we have time for the real world and the people in it? Craft is important, but kindness and patience and forgiveness and truth-sharing—these are the gifts that truly help others. If we embrace these good things and practice them ourselves, not only will we be helping others in real life, but the goodness will also come through in our writing.
3. Never Throw Anything Away. Ideas are usually better than your skill level.
He talked about going back years later and rewriting an earlier story idea that he hadn't been able to do justice to at the time. My skill level hasn't evolved quite that far, but I HAVE learned the fine art of cannibalization. That story stinks, but the setting is really unique and interesting. Let me use that in my WIP. This idea is pedantic and elementary, but I love the character. Into my new story he goes. Truly, no idea is without value.
4. Embrace the Unfinished Chord. Leave something for the reader to dream about.
As a musician, I LOVE this analogy. An unfinished chord is...somewhat unsettling. It fills you with this itching desire for something more. This is one of my criteria for a truly great book: reading the final page and thinking about the story...and thinking. Going to bed and waking up...still thinking. As an author, I'd love for each of my stories to leave a little question in the reader's mind. Something to keep them thinking and make them wonder and maybe start them asking questions they wouldn't have asked before.
Good stuff, yes? Thank you, Bruce Coville, for sharing your wisdom and thereby lengthening all of our chains.
************
And one last bit of good news...
INDIERECON STARTS TODAY!
If you're an author (or want to be), you must make plans to attend the Indie Revolution Conference, or as we like to call it: Indie ReCon - making Indie publishing a mission possible! While the conference focuses on Indie publishing, there will be tons of advice that will benefit writers who utilize all publishing styles. And during the conference, our presenters and partners will be giving out loads of prizes - including new kobo e-readers.
Best of all, you can attend online, for FREE. That means you can stay snuggled in your pajamas, sipping a beverage of your choice, while we deliver the content to you. The conference runs February 19 through the 21st. Sign up now to ensure you don't miss important news and for a chance to win even more prizes. (We promise we don't spam.) So GO.
Sign up now. You won't regret a single minute of this amazing free conference.
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photo credit: visualpanic via photopin cc
Woooot! It's
FRIDAY, y'all! And I've just discovered that instead of spending hours looking for free photos that fit my posts, I can just spell out what I want to say with my kids' magnetic letters. I have a feeling you'll be seeing more of these incredibly professional images in the future.
Riveting as this is, it's not what I popped in to say. What I really wanted to share is that I'm over at
Kristen Lamb's blog talking about how to infuse emotion into your writing. If you're not familiar with Kristen's blog...oh my heavens. Just...go. Right this second. It's a gold mine of instruction and inspiration for the creative soul. I hope to see you there.
Have a great weekend!
Woooot! It's
FRIDAY, y'all! And I've just discovered that instead of spending hours looking for free photos that fit my posts, I can just spell out what I want to say with my kids' magnetic letters. I have a feeling you'll be seeing more of these incredibly professional images in the future.
Riveting as this is, it's not what I popped in to say. What I really wanted to share is that I'm over at
Kristen Lamb's blog talking about
how to infuse emotion into your writing. If you're not familiar with Kristen's blog...oh my heavens. Just...go. Right this second. It's a gold mine of instruction and inspiration for the creative soul. I hope to see you there.
Have a great weekend!
And if you are looking for some super awesome fun, don't forget to check out
WANA Con. This digital conference is a great value, packed with amazing publishing talent and a huge learning opportunity!
When I was a teenager, my mom used to like popping out from around corners and scaring me. I had to be super careful when I came home and the house was dark; just getting from the front door to my room was an adventure because at some point along the way, I knew she was going to get me. Sounds mean, but I actually loved it. And I still love that element of surprise in the stories I read—when I think it's headed one direction and then, WHAM! Surprise! Something happens that I totally didn't see coming, but when I look back, all the clues are there.
This kind of misdirection is magical, but like any good trick, it's hard to pull off. There's not a lot of information out there about how to effectively mislead the reader in a way that doesn't make them hate you forever, but Michaelbrent's here today with some great advice on the topic. So listen and learn, people. Listen and learn...
******
I’ve always liked magicians. Who doesn’t? For me, a kid who had trouble getting girls to even
look at him, I was fascinated by any guy who could convince a girl to get dressed up in what more or less amounted to lingerie and then let him cut her in half, or throw knives at her, or stab her with a sword while she was floating in a water-tank full of sharks that had angry bees superglued to their teeth.
The magic was cool, too. But mostly it was the fact that the guy got his pretty assistant to do all that stuff, whereas the girls
I knew probably wouldn’t call 911 if I took a bullet for them.
Then I realized that
the girl was part of a magician’s act. That he
counted on me watching her. Because while I was watching her,
he was doing the magic. He was setting up the trick, he was preparing to wow me with the surprise.
It’s a lesson I’ve taken to heart and put to use ever since.
I’m a writer. I’ve written movies, numerous #1 bestselling novels, and am consistently one of Amazon’s bestselling horror writers. And one of the things I like to do most is surprise the audience. My novel
The Haunted has spent almost a full year on Amazon’s bestselling Ghost Horror list, and my newest scare-fest
Darkbound bowed a few weeks ago and is currently beating out folks like Joe Hill and Dean Koontz on Amazon’s Hot New Horror Releases. Partly (I hope) this is because the books are generally cool. But there’s no denying that a large part of their punch is packed into endings that catch the readers off-guard. They get to the end of the book expecting one thing… and when they get something completely different, they are not only happy, they are absolutely delighted.
So how does a writer go about doing that?
How do you mislead your audience in such a way that when the final revelation comes, readers are caught flat-footed… and love you for it?Well, let’s go back to magic. Remember when you were a kid and your idea of a magic trick was to hold out an object, then demand that your mom close her eyes and you would then run off and hide it? “Open your eyes,” you would say. And Mommy would clap and coo and shout with delight. But not because the magic was any good. No, it was because that kind of reaction is, I’m fairly certain, required under the U.S. Constitution. Mommies
must love our tricks.
But non-Mommies? Strangers? Even (gasp!)
readers?
They’re a bit tougher.
Readers demand a better magic show. The whole nine yards. Flaming pigeons bursting out of our sleeves, disappearing monkeys, and even – especially – those skimpy assistants.
Because those assistants are what makes the trick work. Great authors – like great magicians – know that
the secret to misdirection isn’t withholding information, it’s giving extra information, and focusing the audience’s attention on
that.
A pair of examples: I was recently driving to a conference where I was going to be talking authory stuff to a bunch of fans. On the way I listened to an audiobook, a suspense-thriller by a big-time writer. But I stopped listening rather abruptly when I started screaming because the author had, for the bijillionth time, said, “And then the super-spy told the other super-spy the plan. It was a cool plan, an awesome plan. And the two super-spies started doing the plan stuff, because they were super. But I, the author, won’t tell you what the plan was, because now you will be surprised when you find out. Mwahaha.”
Okay, I’m probably paraphrasing. But it was pretty close.
Contrast that to the classic twist of recent times,
The Sixth Sense. We’re so busy focusing on the ghosts, the scares, the plight of the little boy who we believe to be the protagonist, that we completely miss what was there the whole time (SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS OR SO): the fact that Bruce Willis was a ghost! Eek! But the clues were all there. The filmmaker didn’t hide them. He presented them all. He just gave us
extra information, and made sure we paid attention to that instead of to the key stuff he planned on re-springing on us later.
As a reader, a good surprise can be one of the most gratifying experiences I have. But there’s a difference between a final revelation that ties together everything I already know and forces me to look at it in a completely new light… and a junky plot “twist” that the author throws at me out of left field with no warning whatsoever. One of them is a hoot, and makes me not only read the book again, but go around trying to get others to read it like I’ve just joined some kind of highly literary cult. The other just makes me want to hunt down the author and shake him/her until all the minutes he/she has wasted of my life are somehow tossed loose.
Authors are, by and large, solitary folks. We sit in our caves (we call them offices, but most of them are kind of dim and smell a bit odd, so “cave” is probably more apropros) and have only our own thoughts for company. That’s the bad news.
But the good news is that we can call up that attractive assistant at any time. To provide flash, dazzle, and interest. To give information we want our readers to have, so that the audience will not pay attention to the real information that will set them up for a surprise later on. Withhold everything and it’s irritating. But give a little extra, mislead properly… and it’s magic.
Michaelbrent Collings has written numerous bestselling novels, including his latest novel Darkbound. His wife and mommy think he is a can that is chock-full of awesome sauce. Check him out at www.facebook.com/MichaelbrentCollings or michaelbrentcollings.com.
Good news! Plot Whispering guru
Martha Alderson is visiting today as she releases
The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing into the world.
I know that finding inspiration and getting our writing mind running can be a struggle at times, and so having a book that offer s prompts and wisdom on how to connect with our creative inner selves is a great tool for our writer's chest.
Martha agrees, and so is putting 3 books up for grabs to 3 lucky commenters. To win, comment on which danger(s) listed below most plagues you. Share a method you’ve found helpful banishing writer’s block, and your name is in the draw!
The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts gives you the inspiration and motivation you need to finish every one of your writing projects. Written by celebrated writing teacher and author Martha Alderson, this book guides you through each stage of the writing process, from constructing compelling characters to establishing an unforgettable ending. Here's some great answers to an area that trouble's many: writer's block. If you've had it before, you know how terrible it is, and how hard it can be to climb out of it. Please read on!
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Angela: What dangers are responsible for writer’s block?Martha: I address writer’s block on the first page of my new book, The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing.
“But you’re stuck. You can’t seem to get going. And what seemed so easy and so urgent now appears as a huge obstacle sitting in front of you, blocking your path to fulfillment.”
Writers beware of the three major dangers responsible for writer’s block.1) Disorganization
2) Uncertainty
3) Lack of Knowledge about How to Write a Story with a Plot
Angela: How does one pull oneself free of writer’s block?Martha: I have always been fascinated by energy, which is why the Universal Story so delights me. I love the idea of an energetic path that cycles through the beginning and the end of a story, and everything else in life, too. Sometimes the energy builds and sometimes it fades, like the waves near my house. I appreciate that you can’t force a story to come any more than you can force a wave to break. However, there are three magic elixirs, one each to cure the three major dangers for writer’s block. Practice them liberally to ensure the path of creativity stays clear and wide open.
1) Replace Disorganization with Discipline I cringe even writing the word discipline, like I’m writing a bad or even evil word. Yet for writers with jumbled ideas, cluttered workspaces, stacks of stories started and stopped at varying degrees of completion, writing in moments of sublime inspiration followed by weeks and months of writer’s block isn’t working.
Discipline once referred to an avid pursuit. At some point in history, discipline became linked to punishment and quickly fell out of favor, especially with creative and more permissive people. An everyday discipline is not nearly as romantic as being struck by inspiration. Yet every successful writer I know writes daily.
The most successful writers write full-time everyday. Discipline demands self-control. Self-control requires emotional maturity. How does one achieve emotional maturity, you ask? Same way as your protagonist achieves her full character emotional development, through trial and error and trauma and plunging into the dark night of the soul. The protagonist’s emotional development takes place over time and culminates at the end of the story in a lasting transformation. The character’s emotional development can be plotted from the beginning to the end of the story.
Your emotional maturity develops from writing a story with a plot from beginning to end and culminates at the end of the story. This means you write every day. Even when you don’t want to, even when you don’t know what to write and when there are so many more important things to do than write, you sit down, wait and write what comes. Rather than punishment, discipline grants you access to a wondrous world.
At first, establishing a daily writing discipline takes persistence and will-power. You try and fail and pick yourself up and try again. The more consistently you follow-through with the intentions and promises you make to yourself, soon your writing discipline becomes automatic, a habit, a routine. Rather than controlled by whim or strong emotion or wait for inspiration to strike, a disciplined writer writes.
Consistency creates habits and routines. Every time you write repeatedly with strong purpose, intention, and emphasis, the habit or routine enters the realm of a ritual. Finishing happens when you write consistently.
Today I write.
When you’re writing a first draft, committed not to show anyone until you’ve written all the way through to the end and started rewriting, use your critique group instead as a place to publicly state your writing intentions. Having your intentions witnessed increases your likelihood of discipline and success.
2) Replace Uncertainty with Confidence To write takes confidence and energy. Something haunts you—a line of dialogue, a character; an event whispers to you like an invitation to sit down and write. Imagine for a moment that perhaps something in the invisible world wishes to manifest in the visible world. You—yes, you—have been chosen to make that dream a reality. You can always say no. However, once you say yes, the energy and commitment you bring to that task is sure to rise and fall as you follow the path on which your story leads you.
In appreciation of how fragile most writers’ confidence, I added to the PWBook of Prompts daily affirmations reminding you of your goals. Each time you renew your commitment to yourself, you renew your energy for your story. The more committed and highly energized you are, the more successful you’ll be at writing everyday. Suddenly, the ritual of showing up for your dreams empowers you to seize that which you most want.
Learning new concepts and exploring new ideas in your writing can fill or deplete you of energy. Daily affirmations lift your vigor, refocus your beliefs in yourself, and keep you writing. The ritual of repeating an affirmation every day at the same time becomes the anchor that keeps you grounded when life and your story fall apart around you.
Affirmations provide inspiration and foster creativity as you follow the more concrete plot elements of writing your story from beginning to end. Every day you repeat an affirmation, you are symbolically focusing your thoughts on your goals. Daily repetition of an affirmation builds positive, upbeat energy.
3) Replace a Lack of Knowledge about How to Write a Story with a Plot by Studying Plot and Structure The more you know about plot and structure, the more confident and disciplined you grow and the more easily your ideas fall into place.
As a plot consultant and teacher, I meet writers who talk about writing but don’t actually write. I meet others who write endlessly but never get anywhere. In every case, it means the writer doesn’t know what to write next. Writers who know what comes next in a story with a plot and have a plan and pre-plot, no matter how vague, are less apt to experience writer’s block than writers who don’t know what goes where in a story with a plot. The writing prompts in the PW Book of Prompts take care of that for you with daily plot prompts to prompt your imagination and expression toward the plot and structure considerations at the exact spot where you are in writing your story. Increase your appreciation and knowledge of plot and structure and move from blocked and frustrated to writing the story all the way to the end.
Thank you, Angela, for allowing me space to share my passion for plot with your friends and followers. I invite you all to join me virtually on March 6th to
Track Your Plot at the Scene Level, a webinar hosted by the
Writer’s Store.
Martha Alderson,
aka the Plot Whisperer, is the author of the Plot Whisperer series of plot books for writers:
The Plot Whisperer Book of Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing,
The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories – a companion workbook to
The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master. She has also written
Blockbuster Plots Pure & Simple (Illusion Press) and several ebooks on plot.
As an international plot consultant for writers, Martha’s clients include best-selling authors, New York editors, and Hollywood movie directors. She teaches plot workshops to novelists, memoirists, and screenwriters privately, at plot retreats, RWA, SCBWI, CWC chapter meetings, at writers' conferences and Writers Store where she takes writers beyond the words and into the very heart of a story.
As the founder of December,
International Plot Writing Month, Martha manages the
award-winning blog for writers, awarded by Writers Digest 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. Her vlog,
How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay covers 27 steps to plotting your story from beginning to end.
Super helpful as always Martha--it is always great to have you on the blog. I have learned so much about writing from your books, blog and videos. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us!**Don't forget! You could WIN 1 of 3 copies of Writing Prompts, so tell me in the comments which danger(s) listed below most plagues you. Share a method you’ve found helpful banishing writer’s block! Print (US only) or ebook (International), the choice is yours!
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40 countries in a single day? Dang you Becca, you and your talent for one-up-man-ship!
Oh well, hearing about your last time on that ride made up for it! ROTF, I hope your kids make it a little less 'memorable' this time :)
I hope you have a wonderful trip! Though without other incidents like the one you described.
Hehehe - we actually ended up buying Micky Mouse sweats. I didn't even think of hitting an emergency exit. Silly me. I'm SURE this trip will go better. Have fun!
Funny story. Hope today goes better.
Have a great time!
Well, we returned with no embarrassing memories whatsoever. Which is good. And something of a rarity for my family.
T Drecker, that is so funny. I think we've all been there ;).
Oh, and that was a nice post over there.
Things don't go always go as hoped, even at Disney!
Any parent understands this.
Have a great trip!
Ha!Now that's one memory I am sure you'll never ever forget LOL.
Embarrassing? Yes. Priceless? Oh, yeah!
Heading on over there. Great topic!
Have you ever noticed all those Small World dolls have the same face? I had a friend who was told he was banned from Disneyland for making out on the Journey Through Inner Space ride back in the 70's. Popping over to el otro blog.
rofl, Leslie. My husband got kicked out for throwing pennies on the Peter Pan ride. He said they were bombing London.
Some Disney insider should write a book; you know they've got a million stories, lol.
Oh those poor people. I love the song, but to hear it go on and on and on for fifteen minutes would drive anyone insane. I bet no on went back on the ride. You scarred them for life, Becca. lol
Ha Ha! I'd be afraid to return too. Though I bet people do stuff like that all the time. The wanted poster wall would be too big.
It never fails, does it? What else can you do but risk setting off alarms in that situation. Great Mom!
This is a hilarious story, Becca, but then I wasn't in your shoes or in the boat, so. . . Anyway, you're an awesome Mom.
Aww, thanks, guys! In hindsight, we think it's pretty funny. :)