Writing Ideas Category
Crafting the Romantic Hero––Part V
Posted on May 30, 2018 Leave a Comment
Character interviews are an interesting way to bring out their personalities. Let’s do a short interview with Judah this time, and Tovah next time, and see what we come up with. Knowing the habits, quirks, and traits, physically and emotionally will bring your characters to life. In romance, your two protagonists must be relatable and […]
Dazzling Dialogue—Part X
Posted on March 7, 2018 Leave a Comment
This week we conclude our series on Dazzling Dialogue. We could probably go on forever, and there are many resources you can look to make your written conversations sparkle and gleam. Six more Tools for Talk will make your dialogue sizzle and shine. Click to Tweet #DazzlingDialogue #amwriting
Dazzling Dialogue—Part IX
Posted on February 28, 2018 Leave a Comment
We’re gearing down our Dazzling Dialogue discussion. Six Tools for Talk will make your dialogue sizzle and shine. Click to Tweet #DazzlingDialogue #amwriting Remember that the number one goal of scenes is to move the story along. You do that by creating conflict in your dialogue, as well as using action, and a bit exposition.
Dazzling Dialogue—Part VIII
Posted on February 21, 2018 Leave a Comment
Have you ever had two conversations going on at the same time? One surface. One just below. That’s subtext. When done effectively, subtext adds depth with a sparkle to your dialogue, making it dazzle. Click to Tweet #DazzlingDialogue #amwriting
Dazzling Dialogue—Part VII
Posted on February 14, 2018 Leave a Comment
Cut it out! Pare it down. Weed out unnecessary words. Instead of a long, flowery sentence, like this one, sometimes the use of shorter sentences can add sizzle and shine to your dialogue and make it dazzle. Click to Tweet #DazzlingDialogue #amwriting
Dazzling Dialogue—Part VI
Posted on February 7, 2018 Leave a Comment
Change it up. Do something different. Be true to the POV character and who they are interacting with. Sometimes, life hits us with the unexpected. Put that in your dialogue. At times, something comes out of left field. We’ve never thought of it that way before. Insert these techniques into your dialogue to make the […]
Writing Your Story from the Middle––Part X
Posted on December 27, 2017 Leave a Comment
We’re wrapping up this series on writing your story from the middle, with a look at the antagonist, as a character, and antagonistic thoughts within the protagonist themselves. The antagonist should also have a mirror moment to explain why they can’t transform––or change in a negative way. Click to Tweet #amwriting #writefromthemiddle #charactertransformation
Writing Your Story from the Middle––Part VI
Posted on November 29, 2017 Leave a Comment
Do you reflect on how you’ve gotten to where you are? I do. Our characters should. That’s the “mirror moment.” When they “literally” take a look at themselves and try to figure out what happened. How did they get here? Decisions they made have now brought them to a low point in their story. They’re […]
Writing Your Story from the Middle––Part IV
Posted on November 8, 2017 1 Comment
We’ve been discussing writing your story from the middle, by pinning down the protagonist’s “mirror moment.” It’s a moment of self-reflection to determine what their next move is. They consider where they’ve come from, so they can plan where they’ll go from here. Click to Tweet #amwriting #writefromthemiddle
Writing Your Story from the Middle––Part I
Posted on October 18, 2017 Leave a Comment
It’s a radical concept. Generally, the middle is the hardest place to write through. I’ve already talked about keeping the middle from “sagging” in your story. But did I once ever discuss this radical concept I’m about to introduce? I don’t think so. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a plotter, a panster, or something in-between. […]
Donna L.H. Smith 