ASHLEE111
Registered: 06/03/08
Posts: 93
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Drosenberg
Registered: 11/26/05
Posts: 787
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Reply with quote | #102 |
Since there are many new members there is a possibility that some are unaware of the topics on this thread that are designed to aid and assist authors.
For those of you who are new, look through them and glean what you will from them. Also add items to help others or suggest topics for discussion.
All the best,
David
__________________
Author of:
No Shortage of Evil
Infusion of Evil
Extension of Evil
Position Twelve
The Hungry Dragon
The Obvious Answer
The Compact Guide for the Creative Writer
http://www.drosenbergsbooks.com
http://blog.myspace.com/drosenbergsbooks |
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Drosenberg
Registered: 11/26/05
Posts: 787
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Reply with quote | #103 |
With any endeavor it's great to have a mentor--someone who's 'been there and done that'.
Many of us belong to small writing groups or share portions of what we write with other writers, neighbors or relatives. The response from them may be encouraging and it feels good to get a mental hug. Such praise may inspire you to keep writing. Such praise may induce a feeling of literary accomplishment. Such praise may do nothing but provide delusions and eventual disappointment when 'those in the know' such as agents and publishers review your work.
A qualified mentor may be just what you need to improve your plot, your character development, dialog and storytelling capability. You're probably thinking that such individuals are hard to find or perhaps their time is too dear and therefore expensive.
Look no further than your favorite author. While you might not be able to talk with them directly and they might never answer your letters or emails, there is a way to learn from the masters. Use their successful published works as a text book. Deconstruct what they've written. Examine their technique and measure it against today's preferred writing style.
Select your mentor author and answer the following questions as you examine the construction of a successful book:
How does the mentor author define the scope, time period, and location for the book’s characters? How does the mentor author develop characters and define specific roles for them to play? How does the mentor author use hand-of-god circumstances to challenge characters and cause a change in their motivation? How does the mentor author add character depth through the implementation of physical and psychological attributes? How does the mentor author use flashbacks to add character depth by relating to relevant character history? How does the mentor author maximize drama through blending action and events with character goals and motivations? How does the mentor author use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human needs to challenge the book’s characters? How does the mentor author use dialog to provide unique identities for the book’s characters? How does the mentor author sequence and blend scenes to maximize drama? How does the mentor author allow the characters to grow with additional skills and insight as challenges and adversity are overcome? How does the mentor author describe characters to the reader? How does the mentor author provide major turning points that alter the lives of book characters? How does the mentor author limit the use of narrative and allow characters to carry the story? How does the mentor author engage the reader’s interest from the first paragraph, first page, first scene, and first chapter? How does the mentor author provide satisfactory resolutions to challenges presented to characters? Then ask yourself: How will you implement lessons learned from your mentor author for the sole purpose of enchanting your readers?
All the best,
David
__________________
Author of:
No Shortage of Evil
Infusion of Evil
Extension of Evil
Position Twelve
The Hungry Dragon
The Obvious Answer
The Compact Guide for the Creative Writer
http://www.drosenbergsbooks.com
http://blog.myspace.com/drosenbergsbooks |
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rebecca
Moderator
Registered: 11/24/05
Posts: 4,476
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Reply with quote | #104 |
Interesting you're covering this concept today, David. Last night I began a study of the writing of Jack Whyte ... one of my favorite writers, I just love his books. Now I'm re-reading "Uther" from a technical standpoint ... I'll be looking at how he writes the characters and the narrative. The first thing I noticed last night ... and this is what I wrote in my notebook as I was reading ...
1. He writes his characters' actions as they have dialog, giving them movement while they speak, describing in a way that you can visualize them every single moment.
2. He uses simple words in sentences that flow, doesn't use words to impress or hint at the possibility of the writer's intelligence. Makes it easy to read and holds one.
So that's what I'm doing, as you say, sort of dissecting the author's work. Finding out what makes his writing better than most.
__________________
Luv, Becca b.
"Midnight at Trafalgar Square" - 2005
"Love Has A Price Tag" - 2006
"Midnight at the Eiffel" - 2007
"Bits & Pieces of Me" - 2008
"Midnight in Brussels" - Coming in 2009
"Write it Right: Book One" - Coming in 2009
My Web Site: http://www.rebeccabuckley.com
Published Articles: http://rebeccabuckley98.vox.com
Excerpts of Writing: http://rebeccabuckley99.vox.com
My Publishing House: http://www.rjbuckleypublishing.com |
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ASHLEE111
Registered: 06/03/08
Posts: 93
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Reply with quote | #105 |
Thank you, David! I am still reading your creative writers book. I thought you might be interested to know, that I have come up with a short story from those key words In the book. I will capitalize those key words. 
The old man down the dirt ROAD collected his mail from the mailbox. His dog Alex, by his side. Harry looked up to the clear, BLUE SKY and saw FEATHERY CLOUDS. Harry was heading back to his house, when he remembered the hole in the ground. Harry remembered there was a lot of GRAVEL by the hole and was afraid he would FALL into the hole and took a detour to his house. On his way home, Harry met his neighbor Mary. "Hello Mary. How are you,this fine day?" "I am ok Harry, and yourself?" "Good. My son Bob is supposed to be coming down to stay with me a few days." "Oh, how nice. How is he?" "He's doing just fine, Mary. Thanks for asking." "I'll bring over one of my apple pies later." "Thanks, Mary." Just then, Harry thought he heard someone call him from the HILLSIDE CABIN." "I'm up here dad." "Oh, be right there, Bob." Many OAK TREES stood in the far distance. A BEAR came down from the ROCKY mountains and headed for the STREAM.
DEER stood by the stream and drank the cool water. Nothing but silence and the WATERFALL could be heard now. Many FISH swam in the STREAM. A BREEZE moved the leaves on the ground from the MAPLE tree. Harry went to meet his son. Many TREES adorned this BIG fine land.
I am still reading. It will take me a while. This story came to me as I was reading your word chart. Thank you, so much!
Ash
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http://lmoralv702.tripod.com |
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Drosenberg
Registered: 11/26/05
Posts: 787
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Reply with quote | #106 |
If the scope of passing time covers many years, remember that characters not only change in physical appearance, but hopefully they grow wiser along the way.
Characters should emulate people and personal growth is what we normally experience.
People learn through schooling, through observation, through personal interaction with peers, due to normal living, adverse circumstances, by negative example, and from the life's school of hard knocks.
Consider the 17 year-old debutant, Scarlett O'Hara, in Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Gone With the Wind. The reader first sees her as a flirtatious teenager who enchants all men in her scope of influence. Due to the Civil War and the South's ultimate defeat she's challenged by degrading circumstances. After the war, the debutant evaporates, and the Scarlett becomes an aggressive business woman. The author provides a series of adverse circumstances and as they're heaped upon Scarlett the character adapts and grows in order to survive.
There's much to be learned from a successful author. Thank you Margaret for a wonderful piece of American literature.
All the best,
David
__________________
Author of:
No Shortage of Evil
Infusion of Evil
Extension of Evil
Position Twelve
The Hungry Dragon
The Obvious Answer
The Compact Guide for the Creative Writer
http://www.drosenbergsbooks.com
http://blog.myspace.com/drosenbergsbooks |
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ASHLEE111
Registered: 06/03/08
Posts: 93
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Reply with quote | #107 |
I like to play with words. At first,I visioned a young woman and a man and then another man, being that you said two men and a woman. But for some reason an old man, his dog, his lady friend and his son, came into the picture.
I do not know why, but it was in my head. Had I wrote it that way with the younger people, I would have made it longer , because I probably would have put a young woman in there and the characters would have grown from there. I was just playing with words, but had I taken my time, I would have come up with something different.
That is one of the great things about writing, you can change it, shape it, add more characters if you leave some things open. Things like not mentioning that the woman character has a brother. A brother she has not seen in years. That brother could always be brought in at any time. And yes we are always learning. That is what makes us grow.
Ash
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http://lmoralv702.tripod.com |
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dbutler33
Registered: 11/25/05
Posts: 767
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Reply with quote | #108 |
Colloquial writing.
That is how I have been writing my books and it is not a favorite of English professors.
But for my purposes, it is how I have approched all my current books and the one I am working on at this time.
When done with the books I am writing now...I will go back to all the proper ins and outs of the English language, with maybe a few exceptions.
Why I chose to write in Colloquial English is because it mirrors more how people speak these days. Few people take the time to write or speak with proper English grammar.
Have a nice day.
Dian
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Drosenberg
Registered: 11/26/05
Posts: 787
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Reply with quote | #109 |
Most of the quality word processing software packages have ways to insert comments when documents are reviewed by others.
This feature is also useful for making comments to yourself as you add text during the manuscript development process. It's easy to use and when the comment is no longer required a simple click and delete function makes the note to yourself evaporate.
I use Microsoft Word 2007 verision. The comments form as bubble areas on the right hand side of the text. You may paste picture icons to represent your characters or other pictures that represent the scene setting or a 'prop' that you may refer to while you're writing the scene.
All the best,
David
__________________
Author of:
No Shortage of Evil
Infusion of Evil
Extension of Evil
Position Twelve
The Hungry Dragon
The Obvious Answer
The Compact Guide for the Creative Writer
http://www.drosenbergsbooks.com
http://blog.myspace.com/drosenbergsbooks |
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Ashlee
Registered: 11/24/05
Posts: 1,556
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Reply with quote | #110 |
David, thank you for the info on writing it right. We can never learn too much!
Which brings me to the movie; 'Silkwood.' I loved that movie and thought it was well written. The measures they took to protect themselves from the bio-hazards were cool. Cher and Meryl Streep, were excellent! And yes, we are always learning even from watching tv and movies. Sometimes it is scary when you think of what could happen, if it really did happen.
I love those bio-hazard/disaster movies!
Ash
__________________
Ash
http://www.lmoralv702.webs.com
lmoralv702.tripod.com
Mr.Smith ISBN# 1-4137-9176-X
Nightmare City by Lmora- coming soon!
"The truth is out there." The X-Files. |
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Drosenberg
Registered: 11/26/05
Posts: 787
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Reply with quote | #111 |
Hollow adjectives:
There are times that simple adjectives serve the purpose. Strings of simple adjectives do little to paint mind pictures for the reader.
The well-dressed man asked the tall woman to dance.
What does 'well-dressed' really mean? How "tall" is tall?
Why not paint a better picture by adding detail.
A man in a black tuxedo walked across the room and asked a woman in a silvery evening gown to dance. When she stood, she towered above him and he looked at the gentle curve of her neck as they swayed to the big-band music.
The foreman pointed to the marked area. He directed the laborer to dig a large hole.
Here the foreman has one idea of the dimensions of the hole, the laborer is uncertain, and the reader hasn't got a clue.
The foreman pointed to the marked area on the ground. "I need a hole six foot on a side as deep as a cemetery grave.
In this example specific dimensions and a reference to a known depth clarifies what's required.
Keep in mind there is a balance. Too much description bogs down forward motion of the story, to little might not provide enough detail for the reader.
Use detail to help describe the location, mood, and circumstance that support your characters. Today's readers are visually oriented due to movies and television and often color an author's scenes according to their preference. Needless detail inserted by the author may have the effect of throwing gravel in a jet engine.
All the best,
David
__________________
Author of:
No Shortage of Evil
Infusion of Evil
Extension of Evil
Position Twelve
The Hungry Dragon
The Obvious Answer
The Compact Guide for the Creative Writer
http://www.drosenbergsbooks.com
http://blog.myspace.com/drosenbergsbooks |
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Drosenberg
Registered: 11/26/05
Posts: 787
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Reply with quote | #112 |
Sometimes precise English doesn't represent the nature of the character or the environment and urban dialect or slang is more appropriate. I'm reminded of the movie, Casino, that illustrates the point. Robert De Nero and Joe Pesci star in the movie and are New York City thugs transported to Las Vegas. The original movie contains harsh and vivid language containing expletives common to the neighborhood, educational level, and camaraderie used by street gangs. The television sanitized version removes this language with dubbed words that are more palatable for home viewing in the presence of children. To adults, the characters become almost comical when they use limp out of character dialog instead of the typical phrases that suit their psychological makeup.
In The Godfather, this problem is handled by using Italian vernacular. It adds ethnic color to the movie without being obvious to English speaking people.
Example: He's a strunz.
This sentence said in a harsh voice describes disrespect for another character. You get the idea that the other character doesn't glean favor, but unless you speak Italian, you're not sure exactly what it means. Sprinkling a few words in your text at the appropriate place adds spice without burdening the reader.
(Strunz comes from the Italian word 'strunzo', that means 'piece of feces'.
To aid and assist descriptive language you might find the Urban Dictionary useful. Words and definitions are available on line at http://www.Urbandictionary.com .
The Internet contains numerous sites and just about any language may be translated accurately. So far in my books I've used German, Yiddish, Turkish, Japanese, Spanish, and French in very limited circumstances to add ethnic flavor for the reader.
All the best,
David
__________________
Author of:
No Shortage of Evil
Infusion of Evil
Extension of Evil
Position Twelve
The Hungry Dragon
The Obvious Answer
The Compact Guide for the Creative Writer
http://www.drosenbergsbooks.com
http://blog.myspace.com/drosenbergsbooks |
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Ashlee
Registered: 11/24/05
Posts: 1,556
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Reply with quote | #113 |
Hi everyone, I was starting to read a book called 'Paradise City; by Lorenzo Carcaterra.' I did not put the book down because it was boring, it wasn't. I was just too busy doing other things and will get back to it as soon as I can.
My point is, this guy is a great writer. He paint's a picture of what the characters are, in a few words. Sometimes less, is more.
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He will use sentences like; 'The tops of his pants brushed his dexter's.' Which tells me what kind of clothes he wore.Or 'The pants he wore, belonged to a cousin he never met, in Brooklyn.' (hand-me-downs.)Which is saying that he has family in Brooklyn. Either that, or family he has never seen. I would have to read on to know for sure. I do know that this character is Italian and is surrounded by the mob. One of which killed his father. About ten years later, he becomes a cop to catch his father's killer.
But the 'less is more,' approach is important in writing. I am trying to lighten my load of words in smaller sentences. It does paint a more accurate picture. Key words are also very important. Sometimes ones does have to use slang. It depends on what kind of a book it is you are writing.
David, I did go back to a chapter, after I went forward with another one. It does work when you get stuck in a chapter and do not know where to take it. Thanks for all your informative, very helpful information.
Ash
__________________
Ash
http://www.lmoralv702.webs.com
lmoralv702.tripod.com
Mr.Smith ISBN# 1-4137-9176-X
Nightmare City by Lmora- coming soon!
"The truth is out there." The X-Files. |
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Drosenberg
Registered: 11/26/05
Posts: 787
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Reply with quote | #114 |
This segment covers the implied or inferred message.
Example:
“Hey Thomas, we’re going over to New London. I live on Bank Street close to Ocean Avenue. You’ll have to park on a side street; otherwise, my downstairs neighbor won’t be able to get out of the driveway in the morning.”
Without understanding the circumstances and context where this sentence is used, the dialog appears as a straightforward communication necessary to make a visit easier.
By identifying circumstances present in previous paragraphs an inferred message is delivered to Thomas (and to the reader).
Example:
“My-my, you really have been out of the game for some time. STD means sexually transmitted disease. I’m clean and I want to stay that way. I’m also on the pill; so no worries there. How about you?” “I’m clean and careful.” She reached over and put her hand high on his leg. “I think we’re going to get along fine.” She nodded at Mark when he put her glass of ice water on the bar. “When you’re done with your drink, we can go. I don’t know about you, but I have to work in the morning. If it’s all right with you, let’s begin sooner than later.” Mark, who witnessed Louise’s interaction with men before, presented their bar tabs. Thomas took a small sip of his whiskey and reached for his wallet. He looked at both tabs and pulled out a twenty to cover the drinks and a handsome tip. “I’ll be in the dark red Honda Accord. You can follow me in your car,” Louise said as she slipped into her black coat, and headed for the door. Thomas nodded, indicating that he understood and waited until she was outside. “Anything you want to tell me before I go any further with this?” Mark smiled. “Believe me—you won’t be disappointed. Just let her be in control and she doesn’t like hands on her neck. She’ll go along with just about anything else.” “Thanks.” Thomas grabbed his coat and rushed to catch up with Louise who was sitting in her car with the engine running and checking her hair in the visor mirror. He waved to her as he walked in front of her Honda to get to his car. She rolled down the passenger side window. “Hey Thomas, we’re going over to New London. I live on Bank Street close to Ocean Avenue. You’ll have to park on a side street; otherwise, my downstairs neighbor won’t be able to get out of the driveway in the morning.” He gave the thumbs up signal and crawled inside his car. This woman doesn’t want me to get lost. She must be horny as hell and she’s assuming that I’m going to spend the whole night with her. He started the engine, turned on the lights, and pulled up behind her. She turned right for the ten minute ride to New London. I wonder what if there are strings attached? This was just too easy, he thought, as they rolled over the steel bridge into Waterford. This scene describes a tavern pick-up interaction. When Louise tells Thomas to park on the street, she's telling him that she expects him to spend the whole night with her. Hence, it is an inferred or implied message. I chose to have the male character verbalize this in thought so the reader would catch the subtle message. An author may choose not to verbalize it, and hope it isn't missed by the reader. All the best, David
__________________
Author of:
No Shortage of Evil
Infusion of Evil
Extension of Evil
Position Twelve
The Hungry Dragon
The Obvious Answer
The Compact Guide for the Creative Writer
http://www.drosenbergsbooks.com
http://blog.myspace.com/drosenbergsbooks |
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sassylady1977
Registered: 12/14/06
Posts: 88
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Reply with quote | #115 |
David or Becca,
Since My email was compromised I do not have a copy of David's Guide. Can you send me a copy at cmilner@claudettemilner.com.
Becca are you still editing? Let me know. Thanks.
__________________
Claudette Milner
Author "Children of Plains Estates"
and "Unheard Voices" Children of Plains Estates.
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