Category: dialogue
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Friday’s Findings
I’m doing word sprints in preparation for NaNoWriMo. Yes, I’m training like an athlete trains for a race. In this case, I sit in my chair, set my phone for 20 minutes and write non-stop on my WIP (not my NaNoWriMo project). If you think about it, isn’t this a great way to write a…
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Friday’s Findings
Today I wrote an email to someone who worked in another department at my company. The subject being a sensitive one, I sent a preview of my text to my supervisor to get her opinion. “You’re too nice!” she joked. “I would just tell the person to do it, not ‘suggest’ it.” True, I admit.…
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Friday’s Findings
A baseball pitcher imagines the pitch he throws-before throwing it. A gymnast mentally reviews her routine-before executing it. A tennis player sees the swing of the racket in her mind-before each game. Athletes use mental imagery to improve their performance and connect the body to the mind. Writers should use mental imagery before they write…
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Friday’s Findings
Every situation is an opportunity for a writer to collect sensory details. Tomorrow, one of my closest friends for many years (decades, really), is getting married. I’m so happy for her and her groom. As a writer, I’m going to take the opportunity to mentally record sensory details for possible use in future stories. Weddings…
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Friday’s Findings
Six to eight past midday. That is when I am writing. I don’t have the luxury of writing full time, so I need a schedule to motivate me to apply body to chair, fingers to keyboard. A person can get a lot done in two hours. Some writing advice: Story Structure: How The Act Three…
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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…
Andrew M. Friday 