For Wednesday's Writing Tip i am again prompted by the fantastic K M Weiland (see left side blog roll to find her website).
She lists five ways that internal monologue are great for your story;
1. Lets your characters think
2. Shows personality through word choice
3. Shows personality through how the character views the world
4. Illustrates character arc
and she cautions to do these by
5. Choosing the best way to punctuate thoughts without stopping the reader flow.
I love internal monologue, this is one of my writing strengths, and weakness. I get so into my characters that i find it difficult to get them talking, to pace the story and make it more alive through their spoken voices and conversations.
But this helps me get to know them deeper, to great that page turning quality we all want. I just have to learn to pepper it in with speech!
What do you think of internal narrative? What is your writing strength or weakness?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Describe this
A day late, but i think i can be excused!
So today's image is of a beautiful little Lane, here in my hometown of Hamilton, New Zealand.
Have a go at describing it and i'll post a random description on thursday!
Sorry, after making the image bigger, it isn't all that clear! But have a go anyway.
Here's mine:
Terracota paved pathway in a quaint little alley. Wrought iron posts with hanging signs depicting the stylish and gorgeous wares in their stores. Like a whole new country in the middle of a busy city district this is a place to spend time and waste time. Charming hanging baskets of flowers and old school oil lanterns on the walls, now electric.
Well, i suck at descriptions so show me your best!
So today's image is of a beautiful little Lane, here in my hometown of Hamilton, New Zealand.
Have a go at describing it and i'll post a random description on thursday!
Sorry, after making the image bigger, it isn't all that clear! But have a go anyway.
Here's mine:
Terracota paved pathway in a quaint little alley. Wrought iron posts with hanging signs depicting the stylish and gorgeous wares in their stores. Like a whole new country in the middle of a busy city district this is a place to spend time and waste time. Charming hanging baskets of flowers and old school oil lanterns on the walls, now electric.
Well, i suck at descriptions so show me your best!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Broken Heart blogfest
My first blogfest, and amidst reading for my diploma if thought this would break up the pace nicely!
So here is my entry with a scene of less than 1,000 words:
"the basic idea is to write about a heart breaking or one that is already broken. Show us the wretched emotions, the anger, depression, fear, whatever happens after the happy honeymooon lovey-dove V-day stuff is over and all that is left is a broken heart."
He'd used her. To gain access to power, he'd actually done as she'd asked, changed her world, her whole perspective on sex, love, everything. And he'd had another agenda all along.
The pain in her chest was crushing and she bent over clutching her heart, gasping for air.
How could she have been so stupid? She'd let down her guard, let him in and he wasn't what she'd thought.
But it had all seemed so real. The looks, the touches, the words. But that's all they'd been. Shallow reflections of what she'd always been looking for, wondering, and had thought she'd found.
But her first theory had been right. Fairytales were for books, not real life.
It crushed her, devastating her with the sharpness of his betrayal. With the discovery of the world's biggest lie.
How could he do this to her? He'd said he cared for her. Every look, touch, every time he'd spoken to her his eyes had been filled with... oh she was a fool. She'd probably imagined the soft affection in his eyes. He'd taught her that sex could be fantastic, mind-blowing. But for him it had been a means to power. And for her? For her it had been everything. She'd given him her heart and he'd taken it, enmeshed it in his lies and now she was broken.
Well, when i'd started this i'd hoped it would be something separate from any of my three WIPs. Turns out my Princess story just won't be banished, even for a blogfest!
Hope you've enjoyed my snippet!
Have fun with yours if you have joined!!
So here is my entry with a scene of less than 1,000 words:
"the basic idea is to write about a heart breaking or one that is already broken. Show us the wretched emotions, the anger, depression, fear, whatever happens after the happy honeymooon lovey-dove V-day stuff is over and all that is left is a broken heart."
He'd used her. To gain access to power, he'd actually done as she'd asked, changed her world, her whole perspective on sex, love, everything. And he'd had another agenda all along.
The pain in her chest was crushing and she bent over clutching her heart, gasping for air.
How could she have been so stupid? She'd let down her guard, let him in and he wasn't what she'd thought.
But it had all seemed so real. The looks, the touches, the words. But that's all they'd been. Shallow reflections of what she'd always been looking for, wondering, and had thought she'd found.
But her first theory had been right. Fairytales were for books, not real life.
It crushed her, devastating her with the sharpness of his betrayal. With the discovery of the world's biggest lie.
How could he do this to her? He'd said he cared for her. Every look, touch, every time he'd spoken to her his eyes had been filled with... oh she was a fool. She'd probably imagined the soft affection in his eyes. He'd taught her that sex could be fantastic, mind-blowing. But for him it had been a means to power. And for her? For her it had been everything. She'd given him her heart and he'd taken it, enmeshed it in his lies and now she was broken.
Well, when i'd started this i'd hoped it would be something separate from any of my three WIPs. Turns out my Princess story just won't be banished, even for a blogfest!
Hope you've enjoyed my snippet!
Have fun with yours if you have joined!!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
when inspiration strikes
When i have the time to sit down and write i don't seem to have that inspiration and it turns into a hard slog until i finally get into the groove, and then my precious time is up!
But when i've got that inspiration it's just as i've gotten into bed and think i can finally sleep, or i'm in the car on the way to school drop off, or watching a movie spending some quality time with my husband... I love that inspiration because i can get a few thousand words down with a minimum of fuss, but it's always at the wrong time!
I did maximize my writing word count in January by having three WIP's on the go. Yep, 3! When inspiration struck it was for either of the 3 and i just went for it, and got the most word count (collectively) that i have ever.
What do you do with your inspiration? Do you have more than one WIP on the go? When does inspiration usually strike for you?
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Authorial Voice
Do you get confused or totally bewildered when you read/hear the comment "voice"?
What is this "voice" other authors and those in the industry keep talking about?
How i understand it, it is the way you put sentences together, the emphasis you put on certain parts of writing, the total overview that is totally "you" whenever you write.
You know your writing is fake when you are trying to emulate someone else, but when you have it right, the words just flow and are all from you. This is your voice.
From Wordplay, K.M Weiland tells us:
"Sometimes an authorial voice is something we consciously produce, but usually it’s just a natural manifestation of our inner voices. Everything we write—whether we’re crafting a text message or trying to mimic a foreign dialect—naturally occurs in our own unique voice."
From her fabulous book 12 point guide to writing romance, Kate Walker says:
- it's your own particular style, the way you tell your story
For more tips visit her blog
How would you describe your "voice"?
Mine is quite intense, i seem to thrive on the characters deepest darkest fears/emotions and making them live/voice them. Yep, my writing it kind of intense but that is where the passion comes from!
What is this "voice" other authors and those in the industry keep talking about?
How i understand it, it is the way you put sentences together, the emphasis you put on certain parts of writing, the total overview that is totally "you" whenever you write.
You know your writing is fake when you are trying to emulate someone else, but when you have it right, the words just flow and are all from you. This is your voice.
From Wordplay, K.M Weiland tells us:
"Sometimes an authorial voice is something we consciously produce, but usually it’s just a natural manifestation of our inner voices. Everything we write—whether we’re crafting a text message or trying to mimic a foreign dialect—naturally occurs in our own unique voice."
From her fabulous book 12 point guide to writing romance, Kate Walker says:
- it's your own particular style, the way you tell your story
For more tips visit her blog
How would you describe your "voice"?
Mine is quite intense, i seem to thrive on the characters deepest darkest fears/emotions and making them live/voice them. Yep, my writing it kind of intense but that is where the passion comes from!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Describe this
I thought it may be an interesting feature to test our writing skills by trying to describe pictures.
I think we'll start with this one, the heroine of my story is called Billie, played here by Catherine McCormick.
I've chosen this one because i am having a hard time describing her hair do.
So, let's have some fun and see how creative you can be! I'll post some of the descriptions on thursday for you all to comment on!
I think we'll start with this one, the heroine of my story is called Billie, played here by Catherine McCormick.I've chosen this one because i am having a hard time describing her hair do.
So, let's have some fun and see how creative you can be! I'll post some of the descriptions on thursday for you all to comment on!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Making your Characters Suffer
From a blog i follow, Word Play by KM Weiland, i thought you may like to read this post.
It shows how evil we are - and have to be - to our characters to create page turning quality in our stories.
It's all about conflict and frustration and not giving our characters what they want until either they have grown, or you are at the end!
Have a read here! and let me know your thoughts!!
It shows how evil we are - and have to be - to our characters to create page turning quality in our stories.
It's all about conflict and frustration and not giving our characters what they want until either they have grown, or you are at the end!
Have a read here! and let me know your thoughts!!
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