Hi Folks, In the previous two posts I mentioned using action verbs in brief descriptive narratives. The same goes for longer narratives, of course. There are three kinds of verbs: state-of-being verbs, linking verbs, and action verbs. State-of-being verbs do not show action. As their name implies, they are used to indicate a state of being. The state-of-being verbs are am, is, are, was, were, be, being and been. These are often accompanied by have, has, and … Read more
The Day Rolled out at 2:40. Not quite as tired this morning. Spent a short while doing emails, etc. to wake up, then turned to the writing computer. Did a short session of around 700 words, then took a walk. Only went just under 4 miles, but it was over rocky, sloping terrain so it was a good workout. Also took time to get a lot of pictures as well as a few videos. Still learning … Read more
Hi Folks, In the previous post I mentioned the nuances of the stuff between the quotation marks. Here’s a second installment on dialogue tips. This is all about the nuances. If you have questions about any of these, please ask in the comments section. Thanks! Well-written dialogue should be colorful, especially the dialogue of flat or secondary characters, and even more especially if the flat or secondary character is used to foreshadow a later event. Strive … Read more
Hey Folks, Because dialogue comes directly from the character’s mouth to the reader’s ear, no other part of your story is more intimate with the reader. No other part of the story will do more to engage the reader directly. Dialogue dialogue consists of three elements: two parts narrative and one part nuance. The narrative parts are tag lines and brief descriptive narrative. Nuance is composed of the subtleties of implication. What your character says is … Read more
The Day Almost 3 when I rolled out this morning. Checked emails and weather. No rain, so I’ll walk this morning. Had a great walk. Only about 5.5 miles but at a good pace despite shooting a few pics. Got a couple cover pics so it’s all good. The guy on the left is a baby cotton tail and he was naturally curious. Hopped just off the trail, then stopped and looked while I took pictures. … Read more
The Day Rolled out at 2:30. Checked emails and weather. No rain, so maybe a walk a bit later. Messed around waking up, then drove out a little early for a sunrise walk. Got some great perspective pics of the railroad tracks and maybe a couple good cover shots, but the walk was truncated when I kept encountering swarms of flying ants. Even got a video of them, little monsters. (grin) Back at the house, while … Read more
Hi Folks, There’s some old wisdom that says if you take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves. It’s true for gas tanks. If you keep the top half full, the bottom half will take care of itself. It’s true for health. If you eat right and exercise, you won’t have nearly as many health problems as a lot of folks do. And it’s true for writing. Oh man, is … Read more
Wait! Before you click off ’cause maybe you aren’t interested in this topic, read this: If you are NOT a subscriber yet over at FrostProof808.com and if you ARE a writer, you want to do yourself a favor and stop over there to read yesterday’s post. I think you’ll enjoy it. (grin) Okay, now go ahead and read about Writing Memoir, below. Hi Folks, I’m pretty sure a lot of folks who read my blog are … Read more
Hi Folks, This is to introduce a new series of posts. Two of my recent posts have been about learning, but many others (especially those on FrostProof808) have been about writing into the dark, a function of the subconscious mind. The thing is, you LEARN with the conscious (critical) mind. You WRITE with your subconscious, creative mind. So this series will be nuts and bolts stuff to feed your conscious mind. What is important will sift … Read more
Hi Folks, Note: I’m not sure why this post missed going out on June 1, but I’m looking into it. In any case, here it is a day late. Harvey This is an important blog post. I first posted it over on The Journal in slightly different form. I encourage you to sign up for that blog. It is the more important of the two, and if this one goes away, that one will continue. As … Read more