Ronda J. Del Boccio's Blog: Writing is pure Bliss, page 48

Enter the End of the World Flash Fiction Writing Contest

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If you love to write short stories or always wanted to try your hand at one, then enter Devin O’Branagan.

Flash fiction is a short work, in this case d1,000 words or less. Each month, Devin publishes a theme.  here is the theme for June, 2014 from her site:

“ This month’s challenge is to write a dystopian story under 1,000 words based on the Apocalypse or The End of The World As We Know It. Prose, verse, poetry welcome“..

Stories are due by June 15th. Member of the free forum judge the entries. Get detail here.

Happy writing!

Follow your BLISS,

Ronda Del Boccio, the Story Lady

Bestselling author, speaker and mentor

#flashfiction #writingcontest #writing #dystopian

Your stress is like the Grand Canyon

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Reshared post from +Doc Orman, M.D.

What do stress and the Grand Canyon have in common and are we in denial about this?   #stress   #stressrelief  
http://ormanstressrelief.com/stress-and-the-grand-canyon-are-we-in-denial/

Stress And The Grand Canyon: Are We In Denial? | Stress Relief — by Doc Orman

Sadly, for many of us…the answer is no. That’s because we have a remarkable capacity for denying the impact that stress is actually having in our lives. My Visit To The Grand Canyon. Years ago, I had the good fortune to visit the Grand Canyon for the very first time.

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Do you really give yourself permission to be powerful? This post will help

Send to KindleLive and work from your power!

Reshared post from +Aline Boundy

Give yourself #PermissiontobePowerful !

PERMISSION to BE POWERFUL | Individual and Business Empowerment

How would you answer any or all of these questions? Question Mark. * Have you recently given any thought to the fact that there might be something more, something more to do or to be, or to have in this life? * Have you thought about reaching more people with your message?

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Fiction Writing help: How Do I Write Great Dialogue?

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So many authors I know struggle with dialogue. Maybe I as a blind person have a distinct advantage over you sighted people, because I pay so muh attention to what I hear.

My observations tell me that problems with dialogue come from 2 main issues:

1. Not knowing your character well enough to hear them speak inside our head and translate that to the page, and

2. Being so focused on grammar and punctuation that you don’t put the cadence of the character’s voice onto the page.

Making Jewelry

Issue#1: Know Your Character

The most important things to know about a character are her hopes, fears, motivations and hot buttons. He will react to everything and everyone in the story based on those elements.

If he is terrified of dogs, he’ll react to a person he might like to date differently once he discovers his intended has 2 large dobermans. If she has been abused, someone raising a hand might cause her to flinch.

I don’t believe you need to reate a super complicated summary and life history for each inhabitant of your tales, but you want to know each of the main people like a friend.

How to Know your Characters Better

Answer those basic questions for the principles: hopes, fears, goals/motivations and hot buttons.
Get to know your character as a person. Don’t force him to be someone he’s not. Let him come alive.
One of my favorite techniques comes from author jan Morrill , author of The Red kimono. She suggests you interview your character in a place where they will feel comfortable. You can ask them anything. It is a great way to tap into insights you may not have otherwise discovered.

Now it’s time to develop your ear for how people really speak.

Issue #2: Cadence and Dialect

While you may otherwise be a dedicated grammarian, you need to keep in mind that your characters need to be free to express their truth in the way they would say it.

Your Characters Won’t (Usually) Have Perfect Grammar

In case you hadn’t noticed, people don’t speak in a grammatically correct way most of the time. We use shortcuts. Start sentences without a subject sometimes.. Say incomplete sentences. Put words in the wrong order. (I’m driving the grammar Nazis NUTS right now!)

And it’s bigger than how they speak…

Your characters think inside their heads the way they speak.

in other words, if your point of view character is a country boy, he won’t think, I wonder why has he not stoped doing that.  He’ll think, Why ain’t he quit?

Is dialect nothing more than stereotype?

I received a critique on a story that I was “tapping into too many stereotypes.” Naturally, the person who leveled this charge at me is a grammar Nazi.  You just can’t give every character impeccable grammar and punctuation.

stereotypes are what they are because there’s a good dose of truth in them. Jeff Foxworthy’s Redneck jokes work because, well, that’s how rednecks are.

Become a Keen Listener

Make your character’s dialogue and internalization sound like the character. The reader should hear their voice in her head. So the first order of business is to know your character so well that YOU hear her inside your own head. Then turn what you hear in your head into speech and inner thoughts on the page.

Next, make sure your character sounds right for the time and place from which she comes. If your character is from New York, she or he should talk and think like a New Yorker. If you’re from Iowa and have no idea how those from the Big Apple talk, then you might consider following the tips below. If he’s a 14th Century noble, he will not use contractions or modern phrases like “hey bro,” or, “what’s shakin’, dude?”

How to Develop Your Ear for Dialogue

Listen to music relevant to what you’re writing. It will convey the feeling for the correct way of thinking.
Watch TV shows and/or movies set in the correct time and place. This will help you hear the difference between the way a city slicker and a country boy speak.
If your character comes from another country, take in media from that country. If your character is East Indian, watch some Bollywood films to get the cadence right. If she’s English,watch some shows on BBC America.
Don’t be afraid to write what you hear. Your character’s voice will stand out as long as you let it.

For more help with all aspects of writing, including developing your ear for dialogue, you can become an Awakened Author Adventure Premium Member.

Premium Members get a live weekly all, short action-based audio teachings and much more, all for less than what you’d offer for lunch with a friend. You get 7 days free, so there’s zero risk to you.

Begin your 7 day free trial membership now and I’ll talk to you on the next call.

Follow your B.L.I.S.S.!

Ronda Del Boccio,The Story Lady

Bestselling author, speaker and mentor

Look for the hashtag #AwakenedAuthor across the social web or more author tips and tools.

Story Excerpt of The Assassin and the Prince in When Assassins and Allies Conspire

I LOVE Goodreads, and I'm excited to bring you an excerpt from one of the stories I wrote. This story literally came to me in a dream, and I wrote most of it the same day and the rest the day after.

When Assassins and Allies Conspire: Visionary Tales, Volume I is a collection of tales that I might call mystical. They are fantasy stories with a personal development twist.

Perhaps you'd like to sample each of the stories so you can get to know my writing style.

The book is available in print, large print and Kindle formats.

So here is the first excerpt from the collection.

"The Assassin and the Prince", takes the reader deep inside the mind of an efficient Feline assassin who is NOT thrilled with her job of protecting a pampered human prince from danger. He's so annoying she just might kill him.

Here's the excerpt:

from "The Assassin and the Prince"

Seeing a castle in a picture or hologram did not compare to standing at the thick iron gate between two stalwart stone pillars. Aree's long silver whiskers twitched as she took in the strange building. Was this supposed to keep people out? Aree could climb over it easily if she needed to. Claws and agility were wonderful things. But then, this was a human construction. Ridan was a small but significant planet.

Aree stood before the censor that would relay her image to the gatekeeper. She knew her appearance might be startling to the humans on sheltered little Ridan. A five-foot-tall, brown striped Feline wearing a strappy leather bodysuit might cause a stir. But maybe that is just what the inhabitants of this imposing stone building needed.

A flat male voice came through the speaker. "State your full name and your business."
\
"I am AreeLaradi-prr-Kyree. I am here to apply for the bodyguard position advertised in Warriors, Assassins and Renegades Weekly." Aree scolded herself. Even though she spoke Common, the language that allowed the diverse species of the galaxy to communicate reasonably well, she spoke with a strong Feline accent. These were isolated humans. She had not spent much time among humans, who spoke Common with a distinctly human accent.

Aree waited. A laugh. "Say your name again, please. More slowly."

Aree cringed. He was laughing at her name. She hated to be laughed at. Didn't that human realize his name would sound just as strange to her? She tried not to repeat her name through gritted teeth.

"Oh—my apology. You are expected." The gate opened.

Aree kept her long striped tail close to her body as she walked through the heavy gate. The space between the gate and the immense stone castle was large enough to park a four-hundred-passenger shuttle. The path had decorative stones featuring human faces interspersed among plain ones. The faces probably belonged to past rulers.

Pristinely manicured flower gardens lined the path. These humans must like their world orderly and planned. The entrance was designed to either impress or intimidate, but Aree was neither. She walked with purpose but not with haste to the wide wooden castle doors. The man awaiting her studied her from head to foot with a critical eye. His lips formed a tight straight line. The smell of him made Aree's stomach turn. She had forgotten how awful humans smelled, but she knew she would get used to it after awhile.

"Here are my credentials and the pass I was told to present." Aree stood in front of the man and held his gaze with her gold eyes. His shoulders slumped slightly and he took a step back.

The man blinked. "Oh... yes, thank you." He inserted the small triangular chip that the King had sent her into a matching hole on a console and swiped the censor of the square identity chip that showed her credentials. "You're applying for the special assignment?"

"Yes. You sound surprised."

The man averted his eyes and shuffled. "I suppose I shouldn't be, but… you're a cat!"

Aree raised her chin. "The job announcement said nothing about human applicants only. Why shouldn't I apply?"

"Because you would be protecting—I will let them tell you. It is not for me to decide."

Aree's tail started to twitch of its own accord. How dare he judge her because she was feline, not human. "Yes, that would be wise. Where do I go?"

Can you tell I love cats? Aree's character is based on my own cat, Tica.

Purchase When Assassins and Allies Conspire on Amazon

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Follow your bliss!
Ronda Del Boccio
bestselling nonfiction and fantasy author
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