Dialogue: How to Hear Voices in Your Head

One of the hardest parts of writing is getting the dialogue right. You ask yourself question after question, debating line after line:

• Does that sound natural?
• Would she really say that?
• This is the stiffest argument I've ever read.
• Oh. My. Goodness. Why did ever I think that sounded right?
• Pffttt. Who is he? Homer? No one would phrase it like that in 2016!

I've found that many times I just cannot connect with the dialogue in some books that I read, leading me to reflect on my own dialogue style. It seems that sometimes when trying to make something sound realistic, it's easy to try too hard. So how do we fix that? How do you make dialogue a strength?

One of the more interesting resources I came across was Nadia Kalman's TED-Ed original titled "Three Antisocial Skills to Improve Your Writing." Check out the short video below and find out how eavesdropping, imagination, and muttering to yourself may help to improve your dialogue skills. As Kalman puts it, it shows "how to hear voices in your head" and improve your writing.

11 Reasons Writing Is the Worst, But Nothing Else Is Better

Some days there's nothing good about writing. Everything you type stinks...if you even get that far. Other days, everything flows right out, racing like a storm-ravaged stream onto the page. Next time you're having a day full of "writer's block," self-doubt, and extreme self-criticism, remember that you're not alone and take a moment for a laugh or two before taking a deep breath and diving back in. Because the only way to fix it is to write, right?

1. You're completely fickle about what you write...

2. ...but that's when you actually write...

3. ...and stop getting distracted by online "inspiration." Or Facebook.

4. Of course, you spend a lot of time doing legitimate research and are full of a ton of random information. It's always great to drop a "fact" bomb later when all that research becomes relevant to real life...

5. ...but then you worry that you're on a government list somewhere since you just researched things that could be considered dangerous in the hands of the wrong people, such as your characters.

6. You have to keep a notebook, or your phone, on your nightstand because the perfect character, dialogue, or plot twist always strikes in bed.

7. Of course, when it's time to write it later, your mind goes blank; you should have got up to write right instead of sleeping. 

8. That moment when everything you planned goes out the window and your characters take you in a direction you never expected.

9. When you have to make the hard decisions to stay real and keep your readers on their toes.

10. You love to start a new book, you but find yourself very critical of the character development, dialogue, and plot in everything you read. 

11. Depending on the day, it's both the hardest and the easiest thing you do!

Lesser Known Literary Terms: Portmanteau

You can have a bromance.

Or enjoy a nice brunch.

Chillax after a long day...

...in your McMansion, of course.

5 Writing Tips to Beat the Hectic Holiday Season

'Tis the season! It's that time of year for decorating, shopping, attending holiday parties, and all-around preparing for those precious 24-hours at the end of December. The holidays get everyone in a tizzy! However, while it brings us together, it also tends to eat up much of our free time. As a writer, it's easy to let the holidays sidetrack you and put a quick halt to writing. Perhaps you'll use this time for a welcome break, but if you want to stay on track, try these five simple tips to avoid holiday-induced diversion.

While you're waiting on those holiday cookies or treats to bake, take a few moments to write. Make every spare moment count.

Waiting on family or friends while they shop? Bring along a journal or break out that phone! Grab a cup of coffee and write while they get things done.

Don't take on too much! Decorate, attend some parties, and do some shopping online to save time, but keep your holiday fever in check. People often don't take the time to really enjoy the holiday season because they're so busy. Apply this to writing, too! Take time for you this season.

Choose a special time daily, before bed or early in the morning, to sit down and write. Use an alarm to remind you if needed.

Set a weekly goal. Even if the holidays may distract you from writing every day, having a weekly goal will let you catch up and stay on track.

Happy Holiday Writing!

Word Prompt: Summer Sails

 

Exercise: Personification of Kitchen Appliances

Next time you need some practice, try this exercise on for size! Look around your home and choose four appliances. Let your mind be your guide, but here's a list if you just want to randomly choose:

Blender
Microwave
Toaster
Stand Mixer
Hand Mixer
Coffee Pot
Food Processor
Refrigerator
Freezer
Dishwasher
Stove

Teapot
Rice Cooker
Waffle Maker
Pasta Maker
Bread Maker
Toaster Oven

George Foreman Grill

Crock Pot/Slow Cooker

Once you've made your selections, write a poem or short story where you bring these four appliances to life. Not literally, figuratively. Use personification (giving human qualities to animals, inanimate objects, or ideas) to make describe these objects in a new way. Does your teapot whistle? Maybe your toaster spits out a bagel. The fire of your gas stove could hug pots and pans. It doesn't have to be complicated, but I ask you to challenge yourself! One final tip: avoid usual descriptions (like a teapot whistling). Your imagination is your only limitation!

The Importance of Place and Setting

When writing a novel or short story, it can be easy to forget that the reader does not see the setting showing clearly in the your mind. Building the setting and putting the reader in that moment and place takes careful consideration. Speaking as both a reader and writer, tossing someone into a scene that they cannot picture or place in the timeline of the novel is like dropping someone in the ocean and telling them to swim to the nearest island. But where are they? How do they find a sense of direction?

Readers need guidance and one of the ways to drive their fear, desire, anger, or heartbreak is through setting. Here is an imperfect example from the novel I am currently writing:

Ben's grieved howl responded in horror. As his brother dropped to his hands and knees and emptied his starved stomach onto the hardwood floor, Mike bit down on his tongue and held his white fists in the air before punching through the drywall to his right. A large photo of the smiling family watched over the motionless bodies. Their father lay face down on the couch, a gaping wound to his side emptying every pint of blood onto the now slick floor. Betty Sue was motionless beneath him, a large oozing bite to her left arm while her blue eyes stared toward the ceiling. Her arms hugged John's back, their only comfort found in one another those final moments.

Mike leaned his forehead against the wall as sobs overtook his body. Between wails, his chest heaved for breaths, and his cries sounded foreign to his own ears. He squeezed his eyes closed tightly, unable to view the room that held so many memories. The quilt their mother sewed years ago hung on the couch, now stained a deep red. The coffee table their father built for their fortieth anniversary. Family chronicles captured in photographs beamed from surfaces and hanging frames. Pain struck like bolts of lightning from his chest as he tried to block out the image of their death seared to his lids.

Yes, your characters drive your story. Yes, their joys, disappointments, successes, and pains pull your reader in. Just don't forget: the setting is just as important. A young woman passes by a coffee shop, remembering that first day she met her lost love. An elderly man leaves the home he shared for fifty years with his wife. A mother stands in her son's room the day after he leaves the state for college. All of these places hold significance.

Use the setting! Put your reader in that place, in that moment, and let them see, let them feel. Increase the tension. Kick the drama up a notch. Provide context. Appeal to the senses. Your reader will thank you.

Five Types of Poetry You Should Try

Before I really studied poetry, my own poems always focused on end line rhymes. I had no idea what meter, rhythm, closed form, and free form had to do with writing poetry.  Yeah, everyone knows William Shakespeare's work, but do you know how hard it is to write a good Shakespearean sonnet?  Try one of these types of poetry to stretch your poetic skill.

1. The Nonet is all about syllable count. There is no focus on rhyme schemes or meter.  Write 9 lines, the first containing 9 syllables, the second 8, the third 7, until you end at one.
2. Shape Poetry. Write a poem in the shape of whatever you're writing about.  For example, a poem about a bird would be shaped like a bird.  This is a great way to see how shape and white space can enhance a poem.
3. The cinquain focuses on syllable count. Using a total of 22 syllables, the lines are split between 2, 4, 6, 8, and 2 syllables. On the fourth and longest line, the poem comes to a climax or twist, and the final line serves to bring it back down.
4. The triolet utilizes rhyme and repetition. The 1st, 4th, and 7th lines repeat and the 2nd and 8th lines repeat, creating the form abaaabab. Only the 2nd, 5th, and 6th are unique in the poem.
5. Free verse frees you from any constraints. Focus on where to put line breaks and see where it takes you!

Feel free to share in the comments.

7 Ways to Boost Creativity

Ever get stuck in a writing rut? I know there are times when I just cannot get the creative juices flowing. Sometimes it helps to step out and try something different. Next time you need a creativity boost, try some of these on for size.

1. People watch. Go out somewhere in public and just observe those around you. A park, the mall, a coffee shop. It doesn't matter. Find a place you are drawn to and park it. You see so many things when you take a minute to stop and pay attention. Inspiration can be found all around you.
2. Pick up a book. I love to read, and sometimes it helps me to just let go and read someone's work. Choose poetry, short fiction, or even non-fiction and take a break to let your mind stretch and recharge.
3. Listen to music. Put on your favorite tunes and just jam! Research indicates that listening to music makes us happier, which helps improve cognitive performance. I can definitely say that I seem to be much more inspired while I'm listening to music, and I write much more than normal. Give it a shot!
4. Daydream. Studies say it works! Let your mind drift and see where it takes you.
5. Get tired. As I wrote in a previous post, you are much more creative when you're tired. Stay up late, let your mind get fuzzy, then put that pen to paper.
6. Move your eyes bilaterally. According to one study, subjects who moved their eyes bilaterally from left to right were much more creative than those who stared straight ahead. The movement is said to increase communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, thereby increasing creativity. 
7. Write while emotional.  A study in 2007 revealed that creativity receives a significant boost when emotions are running high. Next time you are very happy, angry, sad, etc, try to write and those emotions just might pay off.

What are some ways you boost your creativity?  Feel free to share in the comments!

The Beginning of the End!

Today I am beginning one of my last three courses for my Master's degree. My last three courses will focus on fiction fundamentals, and I'll really be buckling down to work heavily on my thesis. I'm really torn on my thesis. The original idea that I applied to the program with is still hanging around in my head, but during my last class, an idea struck me that has stuck. I have a vision yet I'm completely nerve-wrecked that I can't pull it off.



The original idea was a dramatic love story. No glitz, no creatures of the night, etc. Humans with human problems, though not ones experienced in everyone's lives. My new idea is quite the opposite. I've always gravitated toward paranormal works, and I have a clear vision of this paranormal world where although the human population knows about other beings, they don't realize their complicit role in this underworld's corruption. Of course, it's more clear and detailed than that. Do I have the talent to fully create this other world for my readers? Can I write a decent fight scene? I have so many doubts about writing something that I love to read yet have never attempted myself.

I guess my question is this: should I stick with what I know and write the love story, or should I stretch my comfort zone and write my paranormal piece? Decisions, decisions!

A Surprising Fact About Late Night Creativity

You know those ideas that pop into your head late at night?  Maybe you're trying to sleep and your mind starts wandering with your Midnight Muse.  Perhaps you write best at night or that's when you have the most time.  Your mind races with ideas that you know you need to write down before they're lost.  Why in the world does my writer's block lift when I can't sleep?  Science has an explanation!

According to Business Insider's "10 Surprising Facts About How Our Brains Work," a sleepy brain is more creative:

If you’re tired, your brain is not as good at filtering out distractions and focusing on a particular task. It’s also a lot less efficient at remembering connections between ideas or concepts. These are both good things when it comes to creative work, since this kind of work requires us to make new connections, be open to new ideas and think in new ways. So a tired, fuzzy brain is much more use to us when working on creative projects.

Great news, writers!  Those late nights when you lose sleep to write have a productive purpose.  Next time your spouse questions your midnight dates with written word, don't be afraid to tell them that's when you're at your best... science has your proof.

First Lines Challenge: Day 30.... The End!

The pressure of teeth on my neck sent tingles rippling through every inch of my flesh, my hand instinctively pushing his head closer until the familiar sting sank toward my veins.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 29

The end is coming.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 28

His body felt in slow motion, each step and turn of the head swayed his body uncontrollably until the resounding whack sobered his scrambled brain.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 27

Only six more hours.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 26

I could feel it creeping through my veins.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

Three Mistakes Beginning Writers Often Make

Every writer has their own strengths and weaknesses. Some are strong in grammar. Some are guilty of “showing” so much that they don't move the story along. Others don't give enough description. The more you write and get feedback from others, the more you will figure out what you need to work on to become a better writer. Here are three mistakes beginning and even experienced writers often make. I know I catch myself being guilty of these.

1. Spell-check Software vs Editing: Many believe a quick run of spell-check will catch all of their spelling and grammatical errors and quickly polish their piece for reader consumption. Think about this: does spell-check catch the difference between their, there, and they're? Simple mistakes or misspellings are not identified with basic spell-check programs.  You need to edit!  Read your work silently at least three times to identify spelling and grammatical errors.  Read it out loud to identify the flow of your work.  How does it sound to the reader?  You wouldn't believe the difference it makes to hear your work out loud.  Not only is it important to edit for errors, it's important to edit for clarity, flow, and readability.  You'll catch sentences that are full of filler.  You'll catch sentences that stumble through to the end.  Lesson learned: Edit!
2. Using Clichés: As a reader, how many times do you read the same metaphors over and over again?  Be creative with your descriptions, metaphors, etc.  I try to avoid clichés in my work unless I absolutely cannot think of something better.  If you have to, use them initially, but when you go back to edit, change to something more creative.  You'll be amazed at the things you can come up with if you just put in some effort.  Believe me, readers will appreciate it.
3. Wordiness!: When you put too much in a sentence, readers will stray and have a hard time following it.  For my final in my Place & Setting course this semester, we had to revise two of our major creative writing pieces in the class.  When I went back today to revise my very first assignment, I completely agreed with my professor that some of my sentences were over the top.  You can convey the same feelings, descriptions, or ideas in simple ways that do not lose your reader. 

First Lines Challenge: Day 25

The air swirled around, wrapping her in an icy cocoon.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 24

When the gas light came on, I knew I was screwed.



Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 23

The drip drop of his sweat beat like a terrifying drum against my heart.

Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.