Fran Shaff's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
Reaching Goals in 2011
Long-term goals are reached by working on them one day at a time.
Happy New Year, Everyone. It's time for reassessing, reorganizing and regrouping in order to set and meet goals for 2011.
A few days ago I set up a plan to meet my goals for this year. As usual, I've got a long list of things I hope to accomplish. At first glance the list is rather disheartening. I wonder just how I will have enough time to accomplish everything I want to get done.
When that gloomy feeling came over me I wanted to cross a few things off the list. I knew I'd have to make sacrifices in order to succeed in reaching all of my goals. But success doesn't come to quitters (unless quitting is their objective as in giving up smoking or some other activity :-) ).
Once I "womaned up" and decided to forge ahead despite the difficulty I'm bound to have in achieving my goals, I set up a day to day plan I will enact and follow in order to reach my goals.
We're all familiar with the saying, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." It's a well-known saying because it is true. No matter how lofty our goals may be, we can achieve them by consistently working toward them each and every day whether we are trying to quit smoking, lose weight or complete that first novel.
Best of luck to all of you in reaching your goals in 2011, and God bless each and every one of you with a wonderful year.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sits.google.com/site/fshaff
Happy New Year, Everyone. It's time for reassessing, reorganizing and regrouping in order to set and meet goals for 2011.
A few days ago I set up a plan to meet my goals for this year. As usual, I've got a long list of things I hope to accomplish. At first glance the list is rather disheartening. I wonder just how I will have enough time to accomplish everything I want to get done.
When that gloomy feeling came over me I wanted to cross a few things off the list. I knew I'd have to make sacrifices in order to succeed in reaching all of my goals. But success doesn't come to quitters (unless quitting is their objective as in giving up smoking or some other activity :-) ).
Once I "womaned up" and decided to forge ahead despite the difficulty I'm bound to have in achieving my goals, I set up a day to day plan I will enact and follow in order to reach my goals.
We're all familiar with the saying, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." It's a well-known saying because it is true. No matter how lofty our goals may be, we can achieve them by consistently working toward them each and every day whether we are trying to quit smoking, lose weight or complete that first novel.
Best of luck to all of you in reaching your goals in 2011, and God bless each and every one of you with a wonderful year.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sits.google.com/site/fshaff
Calling Writers of all Skill Levels
Do you know about Watt Pad? (wattpad.com)
I discovered this writing website recently. It's quite an ingenious site, and it has millions of readers. I figure readers at Good Reads are often also writers, so I thought I'd share this information with you.
At Watt Pad everyone can post her creative writing for everyone else to see, comment on, like, vote for, etc.
Teens through adults, male and female, truly everyone is posting there. It is a blast to see the variety of stories. I especially enjoy reading posts from teens. Some of them are quite talented though their stories often need lots of work from a technical point of view. Most of the time they've got great titles, premises and usually they're about things of interest to young people--peer relationships, school-related activities, etc.
I'm looking forward to learning more about Watt Pad as I try to figure it out. (Maybe I should message one of the teens for help.)
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
I discovered this writing website recently. It's quite an ingenious site, and it has millions of readers. I figure readers at Good Reads are often also writers, so I thought I'd share this information with you.
At Watt Pad everyone can post her creative writing for everyone else to see, comment on, like, vote for, etc.
Teens through adults, male and female, truly everyone is posting there. It is a blast to see the variety of stories. I especially enjoy reading posts from teens. Some of them are quite talented though their stories often need lots of work from a technical point of view. Most of the time they've got great titles, premises and usually they're about things of interest to young people--peer relationships, school-related activities, etc.
I'm looking forward to learning more about Watt Pad as I try to figure it out. (Maybe I should message one of the teens for help.)
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Character Charistics Revealed
"George was a stupid man."
Pretty boring, right? There are many ways to say "George was a stupid man," and they are all much more fun to read than this plain, colorless statement of fact.
"The teacher explained four times the process of opening a jar of peanut butter, but George still did not understand the procedure."
"The third time George placed the nail into the electric outlet, he decided it was too painful to indulge his curiosity."
"When the banker handed George the loan agreement and asked him to sign his name he explained he wasn't deaf and had never learned to sign."
Showing the traits of characters when writing a piece of fiction instead of telling facts always makes perusing the story more interesting for readers.
So remember, we don't say: "Judy was old." We say, "When Judy was twelve she witnessed President Harry Truman's marriage to Bess." or "Judy lost a fortune when the stock market crashed in '29."
Next week, more on character creation.
Have a great week,
Fran
Fran Shaff
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Pretty boring, right? There are many ways to say "George was a stupid man," and they are all much more fun to read than this plain, colorless statement of fact.
"The teacher explained four times the process of opening a jar of peanut butter, but George still did not understand the procedure."
"The third time George placed the nail into the electric outlet, he decided it was too painful to indulge his curiosity."
"When the banker handed George the loan agreement and asked him to sign his name he explained he wasn't deaf and had never learned to sign."
Showing the traits of characters when writing a piece of fiction instead of telling facts always makes perusing the story more interesting for readers.
So remember, we don't say: "Judy was old." We say, "When Judy was twelve she witnessed President Harry Truman's marriage to Bess." or "Judy lost a fortune when the stock market crashed in '29."
Next week, more on character creation.
Have a great week,
Fran
Fran Shaff
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Character Comparisons
Using comparisons in illustrating characters can be very effective. Check out these various ways of describing characters.
1a. He was graceful.
1b. He moved as fluidly as Michael Jordon executing a perfect layup.
2a. The room smelled horrible.
2b. Even skunk odor would be an improvement over the smell in that room.
3a. Ellen was the smartest woman in her class.
3b. Ellen could give science lessons to Einstein.
4a. Fred was too handsome to be a Fred.
4b. Cary Grant, Brad Pitt, Adonis, Apollo--every one of them would envy Fred's classic good looks.
5a. Fido was the ugliest dog I've ever seen.
5b. Fido's looks would be standard fare if he were a bulldog, but he was a French poodle.
Using a comparison in describing a character adds punch and style to a story.
Have a great week!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
1a. He was graceful.
1b. He moved as fluidly as Michael Jordon executing a perfect layup.
2a. The room smelled horrible.
2b. Even skunk odor would be an improvement over the smell in that room.
3a. Ellen was the smartest woman in her class.
3b. Ellen could give science lessons to Einstein.
4a. Fred was too handsome to be a Fred.
4b. Cary Grant, Brad Pitt, Adonis, Apollo--every one of them would envy Fred's classic good looks.
5a. Fido was the ugliest dog I've ever seen.
5b. Fido's looks would be standard fare if he were a bulldog, but he was a French poodle.
Using a comparison in describing a character adds punch and style to a story.
Have a great week!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Character Creation--Putting it all Together
Even with a framework for character creation in fiction it isn't easy to build compelling fictional characters. Having a guide definitely makes the job less challenging, though.
Summarizing the character creation posts of the last few weeks:
1. To nudge inspiration, begin your character creation exercises by writing a description of a real or fictional person and embellish where necessary. (See post on 1/17/11 at cavewriter.blogspot.com)
2. Show rather than tell facts about a person. "George was stupid." vs "The teacher explained four times the process of opening a jar of peanut butter, but George still did not understand the procedure." (See post on 1/24/11 at cavewriter.)
3. Compare and contrast to fully illustrate a character fact. "He moved as fluidly as Michael Jordon executing a perfect layup." instead of "He was graceful." (See post on 1/31/11 at cavewriter.)
4. Choices characters make give readers insight into their hearts. Read the post on 2/7/11 at cavewriter.blogspot.com to see how three different people react to a bus accident.
5. Whether or not a character lives up to his belief system can tell readers volumes about who he is. The preacher and the pregnancy illustration of this in the Cavewriter post on 2/14/11 shows exactly what I mean.
6. The hearts of characters are clearly illustrated by the way they treat others. Remember the example shown in last week's post at Cavewriter regarding Melanie and Belle from "Gone with the Wind?"
These six helpful ideas in character creation should go a long way in aiding writers struggling with characters as they hammer out their stories.
These points may also inspire fresh questions in the minds of writers such as "Do I use all of these ways of building characters in all of my works of fiction?" "When do I use them?" "Do I use them on all of my characters?"
Naturally, the writer is the creator when it comes to his or her stories. When, how or if writers use these techniques is totally up to them. I would suggest, however, that it might be most effective to use the type of character illustration which best suits the scene being written.
I'd also suggest interspersing these techniques throughout the story, using the most appropriate technique for each part of the story.
One more suggestion--as writers flesh out their characters before they write a word of their stories, it might be a good idea to consider answering questions about each of the character's belief systems, life choices they've made prior to the beginning of the story, how they'd treat another person given a certain situation, and things of this nature. It's very helpful to know the characters' hearts as well as their overall personalities, their connections to other people and the way they look.
Remember, the better a writer knows her characters, the more believable they become to readers when they react in ways true to who they are as they face the challenges presented to them in the plot of the story.
Still sound complicated? As I said, character creation isn't easy, but all the work necessary in building believable characters is worth the effort. It truly is.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Summarizing the character creation posts of the last few weeks:
1. To nudge inspiration, begin your character creation exercises by writing a description of a real or fictional person and embellish where necessary. (See post on 1/17/11 at cavewriter.blogspot.com)
2. Show rather than tell facts about a person. "George was stupid." vs "The teacher explained four times the process of opening a jar of peanut butter, but George still did not understand the procedure." (See post on 1/24/11 at cavewriter.)
3. Compare and contrast to fully illustrate a character fact. "He moved as fluidly as Michael Jordon executing a perfect layup." instead of "He was graceful." (See post on 1/31/11 at cavewriter.)
4. Choices characters make give readers insight into their hearts. Read the post on 2/7/11 at cavewriter.blogspot.com to see how three different people react to a bus accident.
5. Whether or not a character lives up to his belief system can tell readers volumes about who he is. The preacher and the pregnancy illustration of this in the Cavewriter post on 2/14/11 shows exactly what I mean.
6. The hearts of characters are clearly illustrated by the way they treat others. Remember the example shown in last week's post at Cavewriter regarding Melanie and Belle from "Gone with the Wind?"
These six helpful ideas in character creation should go a long way in aiding writers struggling with characters as they hammer out their stories.
These points may also inspire fresh questions in the minds of writers such as "Do I use all of these ways of building characters in all of my works of fiction?" "When do I use them?" "Do I use them on all of my characters?"
Naturally, the writer is the creator when it comes to his or her stories. When, how or if writers use these techniques is totally up to them. I would suggest, however, that it might be most effective to use the type of character illustration which best suits the scene being written.
I'd also suggest interspersing these techniques throughout the story, using the most appropriate technique for each part of the story.
One more suggestion--as writers flesh out their characters before they write a word of their stories, it might be a good idea to consider answering questions about each of the character's belief systems, life choices they've made prior to the beginning of the story, how they'd treat another person given a certain situation, and things of this nature. It's very helpful to know the characters' hearts as well as their overall personalities, their connections to other people and the way they look.
Remember, the better a writer knows her characters, the more believable they become to readers when they react in ways true to who they are as they face the challenges presented to them in the plot of the story.
Still sound complicated? As I said, character creation isn't easy, but all the work necessary in building believable characters is worth the effort. It truly is.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
6 Steps to Writing a Book Synopsis
Synopsis writing is often dreaded by novelists.
Here are a few suggestions which should help make this difficult task a little easier.
1. Making an enumerated list of what's going on in a story from beginning to end helps a writer see his complete story in a nutshell.
2. From that list the writer should identify major scenes or points in the plot. These plot points, the ones the story needs to survive, should be included in the synopsis.
3. Identifying important facts about the characters is crucial. What they look like doesn't matter so much in a synopsis, but essential facts such as their objectives, motivation, determination, etc. are critical in fleshing out who these people are and what they want. Story relies heavily on characters. As with identifying plot points, it can help to make an enumerated list of facts about the characters and choose from them which aspects of these fictional people must be illustrated in the synopsis.
Once this preliminary work is completed, the writer is ready to put the synopsis together.
4. The opening. Grab the editor's attention with a good opening hook. Here's an example of an attention-getting hook which I could use for my book "Stolen Son."
A year after his wife dies, Rafe Wallace discovers his five-year-old adopted son was kidnapped when he was a baby--by Rafe's wife--and the adoption is illegal.
5. The middle. Here the author writes a novel-like story in a few pages giving the main plot points and character information as gathered from the pre-writing exercises suggested above.
It is of the utmost importance the writer makes it clear in the body of the synopsis just what the essential conflict is between the main characters.
In "Stolen Son" Rafe devises a plan to get to know the birth mother of his son so he can find out what kind of person she is. He knows he must set things right, but he won't risk bringing the birth mother into his son's life if she's a "bad" person.
The conflict: He falls in love with her, and he knows he'll lose her when he tells her the truth about her kidnapped son. Once he reveals the truth, how do they work together in their son's best interest, and how do they handle the strong feelings they have for each other--the good and the bad?
"Stolen Son" is quite dramatic. Therefore, conflict should be peppered throughout a synopsis written for this book in order to convey the intensity of the plot.
6. The conclusion of the synopsis must include the ending of the story. Answer all the questions raised in your plot description. A writer must not "leave the editor hanging" thinking this will encourage her to want to read the book. She needs to know the complete story in order to decide if she'd be interested in reading the book and considering adding it to her publisher's collection.
These six steps are an overview of synopsis construction. It is important to keep in mind there are many details which are essential to making a synopsis flow smoothly and pique an editor's interest. Some quick points:
A. Use present tense in telling the story.
B. Use third person for the synopsis even if the book is written in first person.
C. Keep the synopsis as short as possible while still telling the complete story.
D. Using dialogue in a synopsis isn't usually a good idea unless the writer feels a brief bit of dialogue is essential in illustrating a character trait or plot point.
E. Choosing strong, descriptive verbs and nouns and eliminating adjectives and adverbs as much as possible will give the synopsis more punch with fewer words.
I wish I could say this lesson is "Synopsis Writing Made Easy," but, in the 10 plus years I've been writing, I've always been in the group of writers who think writing synopses is one of the hardest parts of being an author.
Good luck with whatever you're writing this week!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Here are a few suggestions which should help make this difficult task a little easier.
1. Making an enumerated list of what's going on in a story from beginning to end helps a writer see his complete story in a nutshell.
2. From that list the writer should identify major scenes or points in the plot. These plot points, the ones the story needs to survive, should be included in the synopsis.
3. Identifying important facts about the characters is crucial. What they look like doesn't matter so much in a synopsis, but essential facts such as their objectives, motivation, determination, etc. are critical in fleshing out who these people are and what they want. Story relies heavily on characters. As with identifying plot points, it can help to make an enumerated list of facts about the characters and choose from them which aspects of these fictional people must be illustrated in the synopsis.
Once this preliminary work is completed, the writer is ready to put the synopsis together.
4. The opening. Grab the editor's attention with a good opening hook. Here's an example of an attention-getting hook which I could use for my book "Stolen Son."
A year after his wife dies, Rafe Wallace discovers his five-year-old adopted son was kidnapped when he was a baby--by Rafe's wife--and the adoption is illegal.
5. The middle. Here the author writes a novel-like story in a few pages giving the main plot points and character information as gathered from the pre-writing exercises suggested above.
It is of the utmost importance the writer makes it clear in the body of the synopsis just what the essential conflict is between the main characters.
In "Stolen Son" Rafe devises a plan to get to know the birth mother of his son so he can find out what kind of person she is. He knows he must set things right, but he won't risk bringing the birth mother into his son's life if she's a "bad" person.
The conflict: He falls in love with her, and he knows he'll lose her when he tells her the truth about her kidnapped son. Once he reveals the truth, how do they work together in their son's best interest, and how do they handle the strong feelings they have for each other--the good and the bad?
"Stolen Son" is quite dramatic. Therefore, conflict should be peppered throughout a synopsis written for this book in order to convey the intensity of the plot.
6. The conclusion of the synopsis must include the ending of the story. Answer all the questions raised in your plot description. A writer must not "leave the editor hanging" thinking this will encourage her to want to read the book. She needs to know the complete story in order to decide if she'd be interested in reading the book and considering adding it to her publisher's collection.
These six steps are an overview of synopsis construction. It is important to keep in mind there are many details which are essential to making a synopsis flow smoothly and pique an editor's interest. Some quick points:
A. Use present tense in telling the story.
B. Use third person for the synopsis even if the book is written in first person.
C. Keep the synopsis as short as possible while still telling the complete story.
D. Using dialogue in a synopsis isn't usually a good idea unless the writer feels a brief bit of dialogue is essential in illustrating a character trait or plot point.
E. Choosing strong, descriptive verbs and nouns and eliminating adjectives and adverbs as much as possible will give the synopsis more punch with fewer words.
I wish I could say this lesson is "Synopsis Writing Made Easy," but, in the 10 plus years I've been writing, I've always been in the group of writers who think writing synopses is one of the hardest parts of being an author.
Good luck with whatever you're writing this week!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Character, Inanimates and Animals
When we think of characters in stories, we think of people--Tom Joad, Ashley Wilkes, Dorothy Gale, Little Bo Peep, Luke Skywalker.
However, characters can also be things or animals.
If a thing or an animal is given human traits it becomes a character in a story.
Remember the scene in the movie "Backdraft" where the De Nero character explains to the Baldwin character as they watch a flame make its way up a wall that fire "thinks" and "moves" in an intellectual way? In this scene, the fire is a character because it is behaving in a human manner--thinking and moving with intent.
Helen Hunt's character in "Twister" believes a tornado behaves like a thinking entity. "You've never seen it come after you," she says at one point to the Bill Paxton character. He replies, "Is that what you think it did?"
Though it is completely irrational to believe a twister or a fire can think or behave in any way other than what its physical properties will allow, giving human characteristics to inanimate objects can increase the intensity in a story line, just as it did in "Backdraft" and "Twister"--as though those favorite movies weren't intense enough without the use of anthropomorphism.
Authors frequently use animals as characters in their stories. Pets can add humor to plot lines, provide a friend to a lonely protagonist or behave in a heroic way.
And don't we love it when we see a favorite animal behave as though he has reasoned a solution to a problem, fallen in love with someone or something or behaved in some other way unique to human beings? We must, because stories featuring animals as lead characters can be found in many books and movies.
When plotting a story, it's a good idea for writers to consider all possible characters who might add something positive or negative to their fictional tales--even inanimate objects and animals.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
However, characters can also be things or animals.
If a thing or an animal is given human traits it becomes a character in a story.
Remember the scene in the movie "Backdraft" where the De Nero character explains to the Baldwin character as they watch a flame make its way up a wall that fire "thinks" and "moves" in an intellectual way? In this scene, the fire is a character because it is behaving in a human manner--thinking and moving with intent.
Helen Hunt's character in "Twister" believes a tornado behaves like a thinking entity. "You've never seen it come after you," she says at one point to the Bill Paxton character. He replies, "Is that what you think it did?"
Though it is completely irrational to believe a twister or a fire can think or behave in any way other than what its physical properties will allow, giving human characteristics to inanimate objects can increase the intensity in a story line, just as it did in "Backdraft" and "Twister"--as though those favorite movies weren't intense enough without the use of anthropomorphism.
Authors frequently use animals as characters in their stories. Pets can add humor to plot lines, provide a friend to a lonely protagonist or behave in a heroic way.
And don't we love it when we see a favorite animal behave as though he has reasoned a solution to a problem, fallen in love with someone or something or behaved in some other way unique to human beings? We must, because stories featuring animals as lead characters can be found in many books and movies.
When plotting a story, it's a good idea for writers to consider all possible characters who might add something positive or negative to their fictional tales--even inanimate objects and animals.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Writing Tip ABCs, Part 1, A-C
Starting this week, coincidentally beginning with the resurrection of the school year, we're going to be "studying" the ABCs of writing. :-)
Each week I'll focus on tips such as A for "action," B for "back story" and C for "character." We'll work our way through the alphabet as best we can (not sure about Q, X, Z) until we've completed our ABCs.
Let's start at the beginning: A.
ACTION is essential in every story. Action shows the reader what is happening rather than telling him. Action is much more exciting and engaging for the reader than narrative is. Example: Harry thought the joke was funny. (telling; no action) Harry laughed until tears rolled down his cheeks. (showing; lots of action)
ADJECTIVES (and adverbs). Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly. Strong nouns and verbs make for better story telling.
AUDIENCE. Remember who your audience is and write appropriately. Your voice, the words you use, the way you unfold the story should be suitable to your genre readers.
On to B
BEGINNINGS must hook the reader. They must be provocative and engaging. If the reader is bored by the opening lines, paragraphs, pages, why would he continue reading?
BACK STORY. Giving too much back story up front will bore a reader, maybe even irritate her. Filter in back story a little at a time as needed for clarification, characterization or any other reason which is necessary to the plot. Do not give background information just because it interests you. Back story must have an influence on the character or the plot or it is not needed.
BRIDGES. Make transitions from one scene to another, one point of view to another, etc. as clear, smooth and easy to follow as possible.
And, finally, C
CONFLICT. Without conflict there is no story. Who cares if Mary has a crush on John, and he likes her back? However, if Mary is in love with John, and he is married to Mary's sister we have conflict. And when Mary starts to plan how she is going to get rid of her sister so she can have John for herself, we have more conflict--we have a story we can sink our teeth into.
CHARACTERS. As with conflict, we have no story without characters. In the above example, if we were to write Mary's and John's story, we'd need to clearly identify who Mary, her sister and John are. Unless we know these people intimately, we writers would have no idea how they would react in whatever circumstances they meet.
CLICHES do not belong in stories, most of the time. We're writers. We ought to be able to come up with better phrases than "quiet as a mouse," "hard as a rock," or "cool as a cucumber." However, our characters may not be as clever as we are, and, once in a while, our stories may contain people who use cliches rather liberally because that's just who they are.
We've got a good start now on our ABCs. Next week, in part two, we'll cover D-F, including dialogue, editing and flashbacks.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Each week I'll focus on tips such as A for "action," B for "back story" and C for "character." We'll work our way through the alphabet as best we can (not sure about Q, X, Z) until we've completed our ABCs.
Let's start at the beginning: A.
ACTION is essential in every story. Action shows the reader what is happening rather than telling him. Action is much more exciting and engaging for the reader than narrative is. Example: Harry thought the joke was funny. (telling; no action) Harry laughed until tears rolled down his cheeks. (showing; lots of action)
ADJECTIVES (and adverbs). Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly. Strong nouns and verbs make for better story telling.
AUDIENCE. Remember who your audience is and write appropriately. Your voice, the words you use, the way you unfold the story should be suitable to your genre readers.
On to B
BEGINNINGS must hook the reader. They must be provocative and engaging. If the reader is bored by the opening lines, paragraphs, pages, why would he continue reading?
BACK STORY. Giving too much back story up front will bore a reader, maybe even irritate her. Filter in back story a little at a time as needed for clarification, characterization or any other reason which is necessary to the plot. Do not give background information just because it interests you. Back story must have an influence on the character or the plot or it is not needed.
BRIDGES. Make transitions from one scene to another, one point of view to another, etc. as clear, smooth and easy to follow as possible.
And, finally, C
CONFLICT. Without conflict there is no story. Who cares if Mary has a crush on John, and he likes her back? However, if Mary is in love with John, and he is married to Mary's sister we have conflict. And when Mary starts to plan how she is going to get rid of her sister so she can have John for herself, we have more conflict--we have a story we can sink our teeth into.
CHARACTERS. As with conflict, we have no story without characters. In the above example, if we were to write Mary's and John's story, we'd need to clearly identify who Mary, her sister and John are. Unless we know these people intimately, we writers would have no idea how they would react in whatever circumstances they meet.
CLICHES do not belong in stories, most of the time. We're writers. We ought to be able to come up with better phrases than "quiet as a mouse," "hard as a rock," or "cool as a cucumber." However, our characters may not be as clever as we are, and, once in a while, our stories may contain people who use cliches rather liberally because that's just who they are.
We've got a good start now on our ABCs. Next week, in part two, we'll cover D-F, including dialogue, editing and flashbacks.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Writing Tip ABCs, Part 2, D-F
Writing Tip ABCs continues this week featuring letters D, E, F.
Let's get right to it!
Starting with D:
DESCRIPTION can be a tricky little demon to handle. How much is too much, and how much is too little? The goal is to give the reader enough information so she can get a good mental visual of a scene, person, object, etc, but we don't want to bore her, and we don't want to bog down the pace of the story.
It is usually best to filter in description a little at a time. Check out these two examples for comparison so you can see what I mean.
1. Robert wore a gray suit, white shirt and bright red tie. His black hair was heavily oiled and combed back neatly. Though his nails were neatly groomed, his hands were definitely those of a laborer.
2. Robert nervously tugged at the middle button of his gray suit jacket. "Hello," he said to a chunky, older, red-headed woman he passed in the hallway. He noticed none of the other men in the crowded corridor was wearing a tie. Would his bright red tie be too flashy for the interview? It really stood out against his white shirt. "Excuse me," he said to a tall, dark-haired man in his forties, "Could you tell me where I could find Mr. Johnson's office?" As the man gave him directions Robert ran his rough but manicured hand over his neatly arranged, oiled hair.
Description number one is efficient and short. Depending on the circumstance, it may work well in your story.
However, did you notice how active description number two is? Slipping in bits of description, connecting how Robert looks with what he's feeling greatly enhances our narrative. Readers not only see how Robert looks, they experience the anxiety he's having about how his appearance might affect the outcome of his upcoming interview with Mr. Johnson.
One more thing about description--a rule of thumb: give three facts about each character on stage in any given scene. In example two above, did you notice the brief points given to describe the woman and the man with whom Robert interacted in the hallway? The limited information about these people who are passing insignificantly through Robert's life gives us a glimpse into who they are.
Here are three important things to remember about DIALOGUE. 1. Make it sound real. 2. Be sure the dialogue is material to the scene/plot. While we real people say lots of things which are not significant, characters should not. 3. Good dialogue divulges information about characters.
Set reasonable DEADLINES for your writing projects, and be sure to meet them.
On to E:
Readers have buried themselves in your book in order to ESCAPE the hassles and problems in their real lives. Be sure to entertain them thoroughly.
Once the climax has passed END your story quickly. Be sure to tie up any and all loose ends.
EDIT your book meticulously. Your copy should be immaculate.
And finally, F:
Although they are sometimes necessary, FLASHBACKS should rarely be used. They interrupt the story, bog it down. They can frustrate readers too. It is usually better to filter in events of the past here and there so the reader has the needed information without having to be interrupted by something like: "Oh, wait a minute, I've got to tell you what happened to John ten years ago."
Unlike flashbacks, readers tend to enjoy FORESHADOWING. Giving them hints of what may be coming can make them feel more like participants in a story rather than mere observers.
People whose FEELINGS are roused while they're reading a story will be more engaged. Readers enjoy stories in which they can laugh, cry, love and get revenge along with the characters. Give readers what they want, and they'll eagerly read more.
If you'd like more Writing Tip ABCs, visit my Twitter page at: www.twitter.com/franshaff
See you next week with letters G to I.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Let's get right to it!
Starting with D:
DESCRIPTION can be a tricky little demon to handle. How much is too much, and how much is too little? The goal is to give the reader enough information so she can get a good mental visual of a scene, person, object, etc, but we don't want to bore her, and we don't want to bog down the pace of the story.
It is usually best to filter in description a little at a time. Check out these two examples for comparison so you can see what I mean.
1. Robert wore a gray suit, white shirt and bright red tie. His black hair was heavily oiled and combed back neatly. Though his nails were neatly groomed, his hands were definitely those of a laborer.
2. Robert nervously tugged at the middle button of his gray suit jacket. "Hello," he said to a chunky, older, red-headed woman he passed in the hallway. He noticed none of the other men in the crowded corridor was wearing a tie. Would his bright red tie be too flashy for the interview? It really stood out against his white shirt. "Excuse me," he said to a tall, dark-haired man in his forties, "Could you tell me where I could find Mr. Johnson's office?" As the man gave him directions Robert ran his rough but manicured hand over his neatly arranged, oiled hair.
Description number one is efficient and short. Depending on the circumstance, it may work well in your story.
However, did you notice how active description number two is? Slipping in bits of description, connecting how Robert looks with what he's feeling greatly enhances our narrative. Readers not only see how Robert looks, they experience the anxiety he's having about how his appearance might affect the outcome of his upcoming interview with Mr. Johnson.
One more thing about description--a rule of thumb: give three facts about each character on stage in any given scene. In example two above, did you notice the brief points given to describe the woman and the man with whom Robert interacted in the hallway? The limited information about these people who are passing insignificantly through Robert's life gives us a glimpse into who they are.
Here are three important things to remember about DIALOGUE. 1. Make it sound real. 2. Be sure the dialogue is material to the scene/plot. While we real people say lots of things which are not significant, characters should not. 3. Good dialogue divulges information about characters.
Set reasonable DEADLINES for your writing projects, and be sure to meet them.
On to E:
Readers have buried themselves in your book in order to ESCAPE the hassles and problems in their real lives. Be sure to entertain them thoroughly.
Once the climax has passed END your story quickly. Be sure to tie up any and all loose ends.
EDIT your book meticulously. Your copy should be immaculate.
And finally, F:
Although they are sometimes necessary, FLASHBACKS should rarely be used. They interrupt the story, bog it down. They can frustrate readers too. It is usually better to filter in events of the past here and there so the reader has the needed information without having to be interrupted by something like: "Oh, wait a minute, I've got to tell you what happened to John ten years ago."
Unlike flashbacks, readers tend to enjoy FORESHADOWING. Giving them hints of what may be coming can make them feel more like participants in a story rather than mere observers.
People whose FEELINGS are roused while they're reading a story will be more engaged. Readers enjoy stories in which they can laugh, cry, love and get revenge along with the characters. Give readers what they want, and they'll eagerly read more.
If you'd like more Writing Tip ABCs, visit my Twitter page at: www.twitter.com/franshaff
See you next week with letters G to I.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
How to Write a Book, Sort of
When we write a book we read (and re-write), re-read (and re-write) and re-read (and re-write) our copy as we work to improve the story. In addition to writing a plot which makes sense and entices readers to continue their reading, we’ve got to keep an eye on many other things involved in the writing of a story.
Here a few things we need to keep in mind:
1. Characters: consistencies in the way they behave (true to their nature, to who they are), in their physical descriptions, their histories as “people,” etc.
2. Settings: where are the characters--country, state, city, house, room, etc.
3. Who: who’s in the scene, where are they, what are they doing, etc.
4. Goals: what are the goals of the POV character in the scene, story, etc.
5. POV: In whose point of view are we writing and why
While these are the main things we writers must keep in mind as we trudge through our story’s plot, we also must be aware of HOW we are saying what we are saying.
How are we:
1. Phrasing our description?
2. Describing our setting?
3. Illustrating our characters through dialogue?
4. Making POV clear to our readers?
5. Using words cleverly to execute our plot?
With all these things working in our heads at the same time as we strive to write a story which can be easily read by our dear readers, it’s no wonder we can miss the little things which tend to bog down a story’s pace such as:
1. Using meaningless intensifiers such as “perhaps” “very” or “always”
2. Using “that” where it isn’t necessary
3. Using extraneous phrases such as “as a matter of fact” “when all is said and done”
4. Using redundant modifiers like “past memories” “important essentials” “tiny little”
5. Using repetitive categories such as “huge in size” and “blue in color”
A good method to use in writing a book is this:
1. Work on plot layout and characters
2. Once your pre-writing work is done (research, plot layout, character identification) write the first draft working mainly on the storyline
3. Second draft should concentrate on fixing weaknesses on plot and character
4. Third draft and succeeding drafts should continue to fix weaknesses
5. Final draft should fix all the edits such as the overuse of intensifiers, “that” type of words, and redundant words and phrases, etc.
Of course, you may already have a better way of doing things, but if you need a little steering or grounding as you struggle to complete your book, I hope these tips help.
Good luck with your current project.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Here a few things we need to keep in mind:
1. Characters: consistencies in the way they behave (true to their nature, to who they are), in their physical descriptions, their histories as “people,” etc.
2. Settings: where are the characters--country, state, city, house, room, etc.
3. Who: who’s in the scene, where are they, what are they doing, etc.
4. Goals: what are the goals of the POV character in the scene, story, etc.
5. POV: In whose point of view are we writing and why
While these are the main things we writers must keep in mind as we trudge through our story’s plot, we also must be aware of HOW we are saying what we are saying.
How are we:
1. Phrasing our description?
2. Describing our setting?
3. Illustrating our characters through dialogue?
4. Making POV clear to our readers?
5. Using words cleverly to execute our plot?
With all these things working in our heads at the same time as we strive to write a story which can be easily read by our dear readers, it’s no wonder we can miss the little things which tend to bog down a story’s pace such as:
1. Using meaningless intensifiers such as “perhaps” “very” or “always”
2. Using “that” where it isn’t necessary
3. Using extraneous phrases such as “as a matter of fact” “when all is said and done”
4. Using redundant modifiers like “past memories” “important essentials” “tiny little”
5. Using repetitive categories such as “huge in size” and “blue in color”
A good method to use in writing a book is this:
1. Work on plot layout and characters
2. Once your pre-writing work is done (research, plot layout, character identification) write the first draft working mainly on the storyline
3. Second draft should concentrate on fixing weaknesses on plot and character
4. Third draft and succeeding drafts should continue to fix weaknesses
5. Final draft should fix all the edits such as the overuse of intensifiers, “that” type of words, and redundant words and phrases, etc.
Of course, you may already have a better way of doing things, but if you need a little steering or grounding as you struggle to complete your book, I hope these tips help.
Good luck with your current project.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
