Category: dialogue
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Start The Scene With Action And Dialogue
Okay, this is a long post. Just warning you. This good news is you can just read the highlights in bold to get the gist for each section. This post is for reference as you may want to experiment with the writing exercise I’ve fleshed out in the following paragraphs. In the previous post, I…
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Friday’s Findings: A Fiction writing Experiment in Layering
I’ve been experimenting with layering as a way to develop a scene. One aspect of layering I find helpful is how it can focus on the dialogue and action. I believe those two fiction elements are where a writer should begin when writing a scene draft. Here’s how I’ve been doing it: I make a…
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Writing Advice Page Updated
Have you ever wished you knew more about writing short stories and novels? How to write realistic dialogue? How to create smooth prose? I’ve updated my writing advice page by collecting links to articles on fiction elements. Feel free to explore them to hone your writing craft through learning or reference. Topics include: Backstory Beats…
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Consider This: Palahniuk, Da Vinci, Warhol, and body language
A few library books have been sitting in my living room for months. They’re not overdue. My town’s library system has been closed because of COVID-19. I’m not sure, but I think they’ll open in September. Who knows. All overdue fees have been swished away. So, because I figure I have plenty of time to…
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Friday’s Findings
I’m putting today’s list of Friday’s Findings together in a coffee shop. It’s only the second time since January I’ve been to a coffee shop, which happens to be my favorite place to blog. I wore my mask when I ordered my coffee. My hand sanitizer sits on my table. And speaking of tables, the…
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Friday’s Findings
During this period of COVID-19 crisis, each person who writes finds himself or herself in his own unique situation. Some are furloughed from work. Some are working at jobs considered essential. Some who write full-time already may not find their writing routine changed much. I am blessed to have a job during this time. Fortunately,…
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Writing Style Outcasts: Telling
Geez, “telling” gets treated like like the weird kid at school, but it’s an important tool in the writing and editing process. Stop harassing it! You’ve all heard, “Show don’t tell.” The thing is, the writer is suppose to use both. Usually, I use telling at the beginning of the scene. If the reader needs…
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Writing Style Outcasts: Exclamation Marks
“An exclamation point is like laughing at your own jokes.” F. Scott Fitzgerald As the author of classics such as The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise has said in the above quote, the exclamation point is like that guy who utters stupid jokes and laughs at himself. Followed by that awkward silence. In…
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Friday’s Findings
Writers helping others is a great way to improve your fiction writing skills. Here are five articles by writers on the writing craft: Five Self-Publishing Mistakes You Need To Avoid Nobody Is Going to Teach You How to Write 5 Ways to Develop Character Voices 26 Things to Remember About Being a Writer Your writing…
Andrew M. Friday 