Pen's Blog - Posts Tagged "reader"
The Soundtrack of Writing
Like any good movie, a good book requires the proper background music. Writing with a soundtrack can help boost creativity and productivity.
What type of book are you writing?
•Murder mystery
•Science Fiction
•Western
•Romance
Each of these categories has appropriate background music. Think of the last Science Fiction or Romance movie you watched. What type of music was in the background? Was it dramatic? Was it light-hearted? Did it enhance your movie-going experience? Whether you paid attention to the music or not, some of it probably stayed with you.
For that reason, using background music while writing will make a book stay with a reader.
Choose the Music for Your Writing
It stands to reason that Country Music may be best suited for writing a Western novel. But don't rule out listening to Garth Brooks or Trisha Yearwood for Romance. Likewise, consider Classical for Science Fiction or a Murder Mystery.
Some of the music of Phillip Glass is well-suited for stories of vampires, ghosts or the darker side of human nature. Many of his instrumentals are short and concise but have a deep sense of foreboding.
The Book Chooses the Music
There are times when music fits perfectly with whatever you’re working on.
For instance, for a recently completed Trilogy, all I heard was Pat Benatar.
•Invincible accompanied my protagonist as she rode her black steed, Galindore, to rescue her daughter
•Le Bel Age was background for every sword fight
•All Fired Up was instrumental in helping my protagonist face her worst fears
The strength and the wherewithal in the Benatar tunes helped to draw out the strength in my characters. My protagonist in the Trilogy lacked self-confidence in the first installment. By the final book, she was very comfortable with herself being the Queen of a Realm.
Song Lyric Interference
Afraid song lyrics may interfere with your writing? Give Classical compositions a try. Many movies utilize Classical music to set the tone. Those Classical pieces serve just as well when writing. A number of Classical pieces are available for free download at www.amazon.com. The music of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, et al, are timeless pieces and capable of evoking a myriad of emotions and visualizations.
It’s About the Reader, Too
Using music to set the tone for writing doesn’t just benefit the writer. It also serves to enhance the reading experience.
Like music enhances a movie, the music you hear in your head while writing will enhance every aspect of your writing. It will attune you to dialogue, character development, emotions and descriptions. The stronger and more realistic the visualization, the better you will write it.
The reader will not be able to hear what you hear. She or he may have an altogether different soundtrack in mind while reading. Or no soundtrack at all.
Regardless of what the reader hears or doesn’t hear, use your favorite tunes to create. The important thing is that you use the music to reach your best writing potential.
Any tool a writer can use to enhance her or his writing is invaluable. Create a Playlist that will enhance your writing experience. It is sure to flow over into the reading experience as well.
What type of book are you writing?
•Murder mystery
•Science Fiction
•Western
•Romance
Each of these categories has appropriate background music. Think of the last Science Fiction or Romance movie you watched. What type of music was in the background? Was it dramatic? Was it light-hearted? Did it enhance your movie-going experience? Whether you paid attention to the music or not, some of it probably stayed with you.
For that reason, using background music while writing will make a book stay with a reader.
Choose the Music for Your Writing
It stands to reason that Country Music may be best suited for writing a Western novel. But don't rule out listening to Garth Brooks or Trisha Yearwood for Romance. Likewise, consider Classical for Science Fiction or a Murder Mystery.
Some of the music of Phillip Glass is well-suited for stories of vampires, ghosts or the darker side of human nature. Many of his instrumentals are short and concise but have a deep sense of foreboding.
The Book Chooses the Music
There are times when music fits perfectly with whatever you’re working on.
For instance, for a recently completed Trilogy, all I heard was Pat Benatar.
•Invincible accompanied my protagonist as she rode her black steed, Galindore, to rescue her daughter
•Le Bel Age was background for every sword fight
•All Fired Up was instrumental in helping my protagonist face her worst fears
The strength and the wherewithal in the Benatar tunes helped to draw out the strength in my characters. My protagonist in the Trilogy lacked self-confidence in the first installment. By the final book, she was very comfortable with herself being the Queen of a Realm.
Song Lyric Interference
Afraid song lyrics may interfere with your writing? Give Classical compositions a try. Many movies utilize Classical music to set the tone. Those Classical pieces serve just as well when writing. A number of Classical pieces are available for free download at www.amazon.com. The music of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, et al, are timeless pieces and capable of evoking a myriad of emotions and visualizations.
It’s About the Reader, Too
Using music to set the tone for writing doesn’t just benefit the writer. It also serves to enhance the reading experience.
Like music enhances a movie, the music you hear in your head while writing will enhance every aspect of your writing. It will attune you to dialogue, character development, emotions and descriptions. The stronger and more realistic the visualization, the better you will write it.
The reader will not be able to hear what you hear. She or he may have an altogether different soundtrack in mind while reading. Or no soundtrack at all.
Regardless of what the reader hears or doesn’t hear, use your favorite tunes to create. The important thing is that you use the music to reach your best writing potential.
Any tool a writer can use to enhance her or his writing is invaluable. Create a Playlist that will enhance your writing experience. It is sure to flow over into the reading experience as well.
Writing Around the Details
Some details simply aren't necessary. You don’t have to provide a detailed summary of injuries sustained to characters, don’t have to be or consult with a doctor for a prognosis. Those details can sometimes be more detrimental to a story than helpful to the reader.
A prime example of this is Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter By Design.
For those not familiar with Lindsay’s Dexter series: Dexter is a serial killer who kills serial killers. He mostly targets those guilty of crimes against children, primarily pedophiles who kill children. He is also a blood splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. His foster sister, Deborah, also works for the Miami Police Department.
In Dexter By Design, Dexter and Deborah pay a visit to the home of a suspect. Deborah is stabbed in the process and hospitalized.
Not once throughout the ordeal does Lindsay go into detail about Deborah’s injuries. The only thing the reader knows is that “she lost a lot of blood.”
No medical jargon. No technical mumbo-jumbo. No lengthy explanations about where the knife penetrated, what organs (if any) that may have been affected and no platitudes about how lucky Deborah was.
Instead, Lindsay focuses on the real issue: the relationship between Deborah and Dexter.
Deborah recently discovered Dexter’s secret life and she was processing her feelings about the matter.
Dexter was processing how he felt about his sister. Feelings are something Dexter is always processing, whether he believes he has them or not.
There was already enough going on in the novel without it getting bogged down with medical details regarding Deborah’s injury. Going into those details would have been tedious instead of enlightening. Rather than have the reader stumble through the medical vernacular, Lindsay keeps the important stuff in the forefront while using Deborah’s injury as background drama.
Details about her injury simply aren’t necessary. It is enough to know that Deborah has sustained a potentially life-threatening injury and even more important is how Dexter reacts to it and feels about it. Details about the injury itself would have added insult (pun intended).
It is the foremost job of the writer to keep the story moving, keep the reader interested. Had Mr. Lindsay insisted upon including medical and technical details about Deborah’s injury, not one of those details would have been pertinent to the story. It would have just been information the reader had to slog through to get to the next interesting part.
This doesn’t mean you should forego any research that needs to be done. There are details that are imperative you know something about.
For instance, in the novel I am currently working on, I need to learn more about guns. This will require hands-on research: visiting a firing range, talking to people who are gun enthusiasts and probably handling and shooting a gun as well.
One of my characters is a superior markswoman (that’s right, I said woman). She’s going to know her gun, know it well and know how to handle it. This is an important detail in the novel and the research must be done.
I’m not crazy about guns. They scare me. I’ve never held one unless you count the childhood water gun. It is imperative that I overcome this, steel my nerves and do that research.
Weigh the importance of your details to your reader. Must they know that a conduit is not only a means of conveying water it also denotes a means of access? Do they really need to know the minute details of an injury or would it suffice they know it is life-threatening? Do they need to know the exact route to get to the buried treasure or is it more important what the characters endure to get there?
While the details can be interesting if they don’t move the story along or make a poignant point it may be best to write around them. Sometimes the how and the why of a thing isn’t as important as how the people affected deal with it.
It isn’t that details don’t matter. They do. As long as you expend the time and energy on the really important details.
A prime example of this is Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter By Design.
For those not familiar with Lindsay’s Dexter series: Dexter is a serial killer who kills serial killers. He mostly targets those guilty of crimes against children, primarily pedophiles who kill children. He is also a blood splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. His foster sister, Deborah, also works for the Miami Police Department.
In Dexter By Design, Dexter and Deborah pay a visit to the home of a suspect. Deborah is stabbed in the process and hospitalized.
Not once throughout the ordeal does Lindsay go into detail about Deborah’s injuries. The only thing the reader knows is that “she lost a lot of blood.”
No medical jargon. No technical mumbo-jumbo. No lengthy explanations about where the knife penetrated, what organs (if any) that may have been affected and no platitudes about how lucky Deborah was.
Instead, Lindsay focuses on the real issue: the relationship between Deborah and Dexter.
Deborah recently discovered Dexter’s secret life and she was processing her feelings about the matter.
Dexter was processing how he felt about his sister. Feelings are something Dexter is always processing, whether he believes he has them or not.
There was already enough going on in the novel without it getting bogged down with medical details regarding Deborah’s injury. Going into those details would have been tedious instead of enlightening. Rather than have the reader stumble through the medical vernacular, Lindsay keeps the important stuff in the forefront while using Deborah’s injury as background drama.
Details about her injury simply aren’t necessary. It is enough to know that Deborah has sustained a potentially life-threatening injury and even more important is how Dexter reacts to it and feels about it. Details about the injury itself would have added insult (pun intended).
It is the foremost job of the writer to keep the story moving, keep the reader interested. Had Mr. Lindsay insisted upon including medical and technical details about Deborah’s injury, not one of those details would have been pertinent to the story. It would have just been information the reader had to slog through to get to the next interesting part.
This doesn’t mean you should forego any research that needs to be done. There are details that are imperative you know something about.
For instance, in the novel I am currently working on, I need to learn more about guns. This will require hands-on research: visiting a firing range, talking to people who are gun enthusiasts and probably handling and shooting a gun as well.
One of my characters is a superior markswoman (that’s right, I said woman). She’s going to know her gun, know it well and know how to handle it. This is an important detail in the novel and the research must be done.
I’m not crazy about guns. They scare me. I’ve never held one unless you count the childhood water gun. It is imperative that I overcome this, steel my nerves and do that research.
Weigh the importance of your details to your reader. Must they know that a conduit is not only a means of conveying water it also denotes a means of access? Do they really need to know the minute details of an injury or would it suffice they know it is life-threatening? Do they need to know the exact route to get to the buried treasure or is it more important what the characters endure to get there?
While the details can be interesting if they don’t move the story along or make a poignant point it may be best to write around them. Sometimes the how and the why of a thing isn’t as important as how the people affected deal with it.
It isn’t that details don’t matter. They do. As long as you expend the time and energy on the really important details.
Establishing a Character's Character
Characters must have character.
This may seem an obvious statement, but you’d be surprised how many writers fail to give their characters character.
You must ask yourself what characteristics do I want my characters to have? The answer to that is completely up to you.
Determine if your character is a good guy/girl or a bad guy/girl.
A good character may have some of the following characteristics: Integrity, Courage, Loyalty, Determination, Ambition, Compassion.
A bad character may have some of these: Greed, Hate, Anger, Deceit, Ruthlessness, Dishonesty.
Mind you, characters will more than likely not be this cookie-cutter. And these are just a few of the traits found in each category. But if you’re trying to establish who the reader should root for, then each of your characters needs some of these traits.
Let’s begin with the good guy.
The last thing you want to do is state, “She or he was loyal, brave and true.” She or he may be all three but it’s a very boring way to let the reader know.
Instead, put the character into a situation that shows the reader how loyal, brave and true she or he is. Like in the paragraph below.
Donovan crept along the cobblestone path to the door of the castle, his hand ever ready on the hilt of his sword. Dawn was fast approaching. He had to get inside, kill the wizard Morgrith and flee before the wizard’s demons found him. He knew he could do this. He must do this. Otherwise, Morgrith would cast a spell rendering King Rodolfo powerless, incapable of running the kingdom. Even so, Donovan’s hand trembled upon the hilt. He knew not what he would encounter in the castle, only that he would deal with whatever lay before him.
We have established that our hero, Donovan, is afraid; his hand would not tremble upon the hilt of his sword if he weren’t afraid. His courage is evident in that he is willing to act in the face of his fear regardless of what he may encounter. His loyalty is to King Rodolfo and he will see his mission through.
Let’s tackle the flip side of the coin. It isn’t enough to state that someone is evil. Show the evil.
Morgrith stood at the window of his study following Donovan’s every move. The demons stood at the ready, awaiting Morgrith’s signal to begin their assault. There was a vat of hot boiling oil and talons and teeth sharpened to a fine point awaiting the beleaguered hero. Let him think one lowly knight could thwart this wizard’s plans to possess the kingdom. He would know otherwise soon enough.
Here we’ve established the evil in our wizard. He’s ready to kill one knight and it shows he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
In order to develop a character’s character, it is vital to force the character into challenging situations. How the character deals with those situations will establish the character of the character, for better or for worse.
It gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the character, what makes the character who she or he is. It enhances the reading experience to know a character will face her or his demons and will be a stronger person for having defeated those demons. It enhances the reading experience even more to see how a character deals with her or his demons.
Because how a character in a story or a novel deals with those challenging situations may well inspire a reader with new ideas about how to deal with her or his own challenging situations.
This may seem an obvious statement, but you’d be surprised how many writers fail to give their characters character.
You must ask yourself what characteristics do I want my characters to have? The answer to that is completely up to you.
Determine if your character is a good guy/girl or a bad guy/girl.
A good character may have some of the following characteristics: Integrity, Courage, Loyalty, Determination, Ambition, Compassion.
A bad character may have some of these: Greed, Hate, Anger, Deceit, Ruthlessness, Dishonesty.
Mind you, characters will more than likely not be this cookie-cutter. And these are just a few of the traits found in each category. But if you’re trying to establish who the reader should root for, then each of your characters needs some of these traits.
Let’s begin with the good guy.
The last thing you want to do is state, “She or he was loyal, brave and true.” She or he may be all three but it’s a very boring way to let the reader know.
Instead, put the character into a situation that shows the reader how loyal, brave and true she or he is. Like in the paragraph below.
Donovan crept along the cobblestone path to the door of the castle, his hand ever ready on the hilt of his sword. Dawn was fast approaching. He had to get inside, kill the wizard Morgrith and flee before the wizard’s demons found him. He knew he could do this. He must do this. Otherwise, Morgrith would cast a spell rendering King Rodolfo powerless, incapable of running the kingdom. Even so, Donovan’s hand trembled upon the hilt. He knew not what he would encounter in the castle, only that he would deal with whatever lay before him.
We have established that our hero, Donovan, is afraid; his hand would not tremble upon the hilt of his sword if he weren’t afraid. His courage is evident in that he is willing to act in the face of his fear regardless of what he may encounter. His loyalty is to King Rodolfo and he will see his mission through.
Let’s tackle the flip side of the coin. It isn’t enough to state that someone is evil. Show the evil.
Morgrith stood at the window of his study following Donovan’s every move. The demons stood at the ready, awaiting Morgrith’s signal to begin their assault. There was a vat of hot boiling oil and talons and teeth sharpened to a fine point awaiting the beleaguered hero. Let him think one lowly knight could thwart this wizard’s plans to possess the kingdom. He would know otherwise soon enough.
Here we’ve established the evil in our wizard. He’s ready to kill one knight and it shows he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
In order to develop a character’s character, it is vital to force the character into challenging situations. How the character deals with those situations will establish the character of the character, for better or for worse.
It gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the character, what makes the character who she or he is. It enhances the reading experience to know a character will face her or his demons and will be a stronger person for having defeated those demons. It enhances the reading experience even more to see how a character deals with her or his demons.
Because how a character in a story or a novel deals with those challenging situations may well inspire a reader with new ideas about how to deal with her or his own challenging situations.
Inspiring the Reader
You want to inspire a reader to read your book and tell everyone else about it. But that's not the only way you want to inspire the reader.
You want to inspire the reader to think: think about what you've written what your characters have endured and possibly how it could affect their lives.
You do this by having characters who change their own lives.
For instance, if your character begins as a struggling musician and ends up winning a Grammy, facing and overcoming every challenge in between, your reader may be inspired to follow her or his own creative career.
Barbara Neely is the lead character in my Sword of Tilk Trilogy. In Book One: Worlds Apart, she struggles to take care of herself, her daughter and her foster grandmother; she doesn’t even have the confidence to stand up to her boss. By Book Three: At Sword’s End she is quite comfortable being one of the Queens of the Tilk Realm. And it was quite the journey she made to reach that point.
You inspire the reader by showing her or him what is possible. Providing them with the steps a character takes to reach her or his destination may very well give the reader ideas about how to reach her or his own destinations.
Not everything you write is going to inspire everyone. But if you inspire even only ONE person, you are doing what you are meant to do.
You want to inspire the reader to think: think about what you've written what your characters have endured and possibly how it could affect their lives.
You do this by having characters who change their own lives.
For instance, if your character begins as a struggling musician and ends up winning a Grammy, facing and overcoming every challenge in between, your reader may be inspired to follow her or his own creative career.
Barbara Neely is the lead character in my Sword of Tilk Trilogy. In Book One: Worlds Apart, she struggles to take care of herself, her daughter and her foster grandmother; she doesn’t even have the confidence to stand up to her boss. By Book Three: At Sword’s End she is quite comfortable being one of the Queens of the Tilk Realm. And it was quite the journey she made to reach that point.
You inspire the reader by showing her or him what is possible. Providing them with the steps a character takes to reach her or his destination may very well give the reader ideas about how to reach her or his own destinations.
Not everything you write is going to inspire everyone. But if you inspire even only ONE person, you are doing what you are meant to do.
