Zoe M. McCarthy's Blog, page 15
November 16, 2017
Speaker Attributes and Beats: They’re to Subtly Help the Reader
A speaker attribute is a way a person says something, such as he said, asked, whispered, or yelled. A beat is an action connected to dialogue. It reminds readers people are talking, not solely their heads. The main job of speaker attributes and beats is to let the reader know who’s speaking. Usually, they should […]
The post Speaker Attributes and Beats: They’re to Subtly Help the Reader appeared first on Zoe M. McCarthy.
November 9, 2017
Don’t Over Explain: Readers Get It the First Time
Most authors have heard or read RUE, Resist the Urge to Explain. In the example paragraph below, see if you can spot where the author has not resisted the urge to explain. Passage With Unnecessary Explaining Officer Pierce jumped the fence, the heel of his boot grazing the rail. The rail was higher than any […]
The post Don’t Over Explain: Readers Get It the First Time appeared first on Zoe M. McCarthy.
November 2, 2017
End Paragraphs With a Meaningful Punch
“Your goal is to entice your reader to read the next paragraph. The worst way for your reader to leave each paragraph is reading a vague word, such as his, it, with, there, or was. These words leave the reader with no gist of the paragraph’s meaning or how he should feel as he starts […]
The post End Paragraphs With a Meaningful Punch appeared first on Zoe M. McCarthy.
October 26, 2017
Squash These Wordy Phrases
Try this exercise and see if you can make the example below more concise by substituting a word for wordy phrases. Have fun. Passage With Wordy Phrases Greg went inside of the house. He didn’t know where Alice had gone to, but the fact of the matter was that he was unsure he wanted to […]
The post Squash These Wordy Phrases appeared first on Zoe M. McCarthy.
October 19, 2017
Don’t Detail Every Movement Your Story Characters Make
Try this exercise and see if you can improve the example below that over details the movements of the characters. You’ll replace movements with fewer words or delete them. Have fun. First, read the detailed paragraph. The Passage Loaded With Details Dan gripped the handles of the wheelbarrow full of seedlings, lifted them up, and […]
The post Don’t Detail Every Movement Your Story Characters Make appeared first on Zoe M. McCarthy.
October 12, 2017
Words & Phrases: Shun the Weak; Embrace the Strong
Try this exercise and see if you can improve the example below containing weak words and phrases. You’ll replace them with stronger words, cut wordiness, and add power words to spice up the piece. Have fun. First, read the flavorless paragraph. The Weak Passage I went out on the balcony to get away from Edgar. […]
The post Words & Phrases: Shun the Weak; Embrace the Strong appeared first on Zoe M. McCarthy.
October 5, 2017
A Great Story Is More Than a String of Interesting Events
Like many new writers, I thought I had to create a string of interesting events to make a good story. Some scary, some romantic, some brave, etc. I didn’t see the story as my protagonist’s journey to become someone better. Goals Now I know my protagonist’s internal and external goals need to guide the events […]
The post A Great Story Is More Than a String of Interesting Events appeared first on Zoe M. McCarthy.
September 28, 2017
Deadlines, Platform, Life Commitments, Oh My!
Have you ever felt so frazzled, you couldn’t find the panic button? You may even ask, “How could this happen? I’m an organized person.” Last week as I shuffled through my Writer’s Digest magazines, I spotted the February 2017 issue’s article, “Map Your Writing Time” by Sage Cohen. I gauged Ms. Cohen’s suggestions with how […]
The post Deadlines, Platform, Life Commitments, Oh My! appeared first on Zoe M. McCarthy.
September 21, 2017
Automated Editing Tools—Is One Right for You?
Automated help in editing material intrigues most writers. I looked at six online automated editing tools. I chose the ones that were free or had free options, hoping to buy one that fit my budget and editing needs. For a nice overview of free and for-sale editing tools, I recommend “INSTANTLY IMPROVE YOUR WRITING WITH […]
The post Automated Editing Tools—Is One Right for You? appeared first on Zoe M. McCarthy.
September 14, 2017
Diary of a Book Marketing Plan-Final Entry-Reviews & More
This is the final series post in which I share tasks and progress on my book-marketing plan for my second book. Gift of the Magpie came out August 15, but all my diary posts share my activities from two weeks in the past. Among other activities, my prior posts covered my setup, recruiting influencers, guest […]
The post Diary of a Book Marketing Plan-Final Entry-Reviews & More appeared first on Zoe M. McCarthy.
