Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
Crafting great dialog takes work. And today I’d like to discuss 3 mistakes I see more often than any other.
Let’s look at definitions first.
A dialog tag (also known as attribution) tells the reader who is speaking, but also [Read more…] about 3 Common Dialog Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Oh those pesky dialogue tags.
Said.
Asked.
Replied.
Responded.
There’s a lot of conflicting information out there on what to use.
What’s a writer to do?
In the multitude of manuscripts I read, I see writers employ such things as “Sally smiled” or “Gerald laughed.” In and of itself, there is nothing wrong with that. The problem arises when the writer uses it as a substitute for “she said” and suddenly the character is constantly smiling or laughing.
Generally, a reader needs to have an identifier every 4-5 lines of dialogue in order to stay on track with who is speaking. So a tag isn’t required every time someone speaks (but I’ve seen writers do just that).
Let’s look at an alternative to the dialogue tag. [Read more…] about Those Pesky Dialogue Tags
I first met author J.A. Marx this summer when I interviewed her about her debut book, Destiny Defied. During that interview she spoke about publishing industry standards, so I asked her come back and share more.
J.A. has made a special offer for my readers with her post today. See the details at the bottom of this post.
Fiction writing is a form of art. It’s fluid. Like music and fine arts, it changes to express and reflect the shifting thought processes and beliefs of our culture.
This can madden or bless the writer, and I’ll sum up why in one word: Subjectivity
I entered Destiny Defied in a contest a few years back. Two judges’ responses:
Madden the writer: Agents and editors are equally biased for their own reasons, so research them before submitting anything.
Bless the writer: Write from your passion. Learn ALL the rules for writing before you start breaking those rules.
The essential standards (mentioned below) required [Read more…] about What Does the Publishing World Expect?
When I heard New York Times best-selling author Cecil Murphey (90 Minutes in Heaven) was doing a workshop for the writers group I belong to, I wasted no time in signing up.
How better to learn about writing than to be taught by a multiple, best-selling author? During the day, he taught on dialog. Here’s part of what he shared.
In all novels, dialog must accomplish 1 or more of the following tasks.
Dialog:
Thank you, Cec Murphey, for your permission to share these 9 aspects about dialog!
In the coming days, I’ll be diving deeper into writing dialog. In the meantime, how do you feel about dialog? Love it, hate it, dread it? Leave your comments below.
“Bloated, chunky, dull dialogue is a five-alarm warning to the reviewer that you can’t write salable fiction,” says James Scott Bell in his book The Art of War for Writers.
Dialogue, like any other part of your novel, must move your story forward.
An important part of good dialogue is the distinctive voice of each character. Even if your characters grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools, they have different parents, siblings, and perspectives on life. Those things will affect the way they speak.
Discover your character’s voice by creating a voice journal, a stream of conscious writing you write from a character’s POV. Start your character’s journal by having her or him respond to the questions “Who am I and what do I want?” Then write for about 10 or 15 minutes.
I recommend creating a journal for each main character of your story. Utilize these journals throughout the process of writing your novel, especially when you feel stuck.
What tools do you use to create compelling dialogue?
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013