Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Dialog Tags in Fiction: If I Read "Whisper" Once More...

Oh kill me now... I just found a wonderful new (to me) author. She writes engagingly, her characters are witty and charming, and there's a real plot to her novel.

I'm rubbing my hands, thrilled, already making plans to glom all this author's backlist asap.

Then it starts.

The heroine stops talking. She starts whispering. For page after endless page. Every interaction she has with the hero -- he's an alpha male of few words -- she whispers. Even when they're talking about the man who's trying to kill her. Whisper, whisper... And I'm done.

"Never use a verb other than 'said' to carry dialogue": Elmore Leonard

"Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue" is one of Elmore Leonard's ten rules of writing.

Depending on your story, of course you can use other dialog tags, occasionally. Very occasionally.

Your readers skip over "said"; it just lets them know who's talking. Your readers will not skip over other tags. If you use whisper, there had better be a reason, or you'll annoy your readers. Annoy them too often, and not only are they done with your book, they're done with everything else you'll ever write.

Whenever you're tempted to use a dialog tag like: shouted, exclaimed, snorted (another doozy -- no one snorts a sentence) -- don't. If you have a thesaurus, leave it alone. Emotion sells your fiction. Emotion never comes from dialog tags. As Elmore Leonard says, any tag other than "said" is just you, the author,  muddying it up by giving stage directions.

Fiction is entertainment, so entertain

Readers read fiction to be taken out of their daily lives, and enter a new world you've created. 

Use the words which come naturally. Let your characters talk. Their emotions should come through in their words. If they don't, it means that you're not feeling it, so the your characters can't, and all the whispering in the world won't help your readers to feel it either.

Learn the secrets of emotion, and much more, in Hot, Hotter, Hottest: Write Bestselling Kindle Romances.

 

Join Angela on Google+, and on Twitter: @angee. You can find Angela on Pinterest, too.

Kindle Romance Writer Weekly: What Happens in the 26 Weeks?

I've been asked about Kindle Romance Writer Weekly, and what you can expect over the 26 issues.

Originally, I conceived of KRWW as a continuation of Hot, Hotter, Hottest: Write Bestselling Kindle Romances,  because there was so much to cover... but I didn't want to overwhelm new authors. I wanted them to write, and keep writing, and present new ideas and techniques slowly.

However, so many writers asked for KRWW as a separate program that I was happy to do it.

In a nutshell, KRWW covers hot genre fiction news and tutorials. It's focused on romance, because romance sells, and is (theoretically) easier to write. There's not much you can do to mess up in romance. Romance readers are forgiviing, as long as you give them what they want. A romance doesn't need fancy footwork, and yet, done well, romance can be satisfying to write, as well as to read.

What if you don't want to become known as the Romance King or Queen of your town or state? People tend to be sniffy about romance. Consider that many authors got their start writing romance -- umm... smut. Lawrence Block, for one. Romance in all its glory is a wonderful training ground for authors. Here's the solution if you don't want to be known for romance writing... use a pen name. Your great aunt Maisie never needs to know that you write smut. Once you start making money however, it might be easier to tell her than have her think you're dealing drugs... :-)

OK, all jokes aside. 

Kindle Romance Writer Weekly gives you:

* 26 weeks of writing tutorials and instruction, so that you know the elements of genre fiction, and can use them in your ebooks/ books; AND

* HOT news. For example, in Issue 2, we discussed a price point on Amazon which is a no-no. In Issue 3, we talk about the hottest-selling categories in erotic romance.

Hot news: how it works

You receive one issue of KRWW a week, starting with the first issue, so that you receive all the instruction and don't miss out if you join later. 

I send out hot news so you receive it immediately, if I know it will make a difference to you in the next few weeks. It also goes into an issue, so that you have a permanent record of it.

We're having great fun with Kindle Romance Writer Weekly; join us. :-)

 

Kindle Fiction: Could YOU Write a Romance?

Could you write Kindle fiction, specifically romance fiction? With the release of our romance writing class, Hot, Hotter, Hottest: Write Bestselling Kindle Romances, and our new Kindle Romance Writer Weekly digital magazine, I’ve been getting questions from freelancers who want to try to write romance.

They’re hesitant. They write Web content, or copy, and haven’t written fiction. I ask them all the same question: have you tried reading romance?

Here’s what’s always worked for me, and works for my students when they’re not sure whether they can write something or other. If you THINK you can, and you WANT TO, you can. What counts is your enthusiasm and excitement.

The hardest money you’ll ever earn is if you take a writing commission just for the money. Believe me, I’ve done that, and barely lived to tell the tale. Yes, I’m serious. The last time someone waved a lot of money at me, and I foolishly agreed to write a book I didn’t want to write, I ended up in hospital. Even though I had surgery, I’m convinced that stress wrecked my body so that I needed to go under the knife.

So, in a nutshell: if you can read romance fiction with enjoyment, and are enthusiastic about writing it, you can write it.

Write Short Stories First.

Start small. As I wrote in this article of fiction writing tips:

… write short stories, and if you can, write erotica short stories – smut SELLS, and sells well. Last year, you could write ultra-short erotica, and make a great income. These days, focus on erotica romances. Aim for 10,000 to 20,000 words. Use a pen name for this stuff. You can write under whatever names you choose.

For the first time in decades, you can make excellent money writing short stories and novellas. And yes, if you enjoy reading smut, write it. Under a pen name. Your great aunt Ruth and your pastor never need to know that those kinds of thoughts go through your mind. :-)

Forget Publishing. Just Write.

When you’re starting out with fiction, just write. Make up stories. Practice brainstorming fiction.

Expect to be clumsy at it. If you’re used to writing nonfiction, making up stories seems weird, at first. Give it a week or two. Write on the train, and while you’re watching TV. Distract your logical left brain, and give your creative right brain a chance to come out and play.

Lower your expectations, and keep reading romance. You can find hundreds of free romances on Amazon.

If you enjoy what you’re writing, our romance writing class, Hot, Hotter, Hottest: Write Bestselling Kindle Romances, and our new Kindle Romance Writer Weekly digital magazine will help you to make writing romance fiction your new career. Or just a sideline to whatever you’re writing now.

I started my writing career writing romance, and these days, writing it seems like a holiday. I do my other writing chores, and look on my romances as the reward for my other writing.

Start small, with short stories, and encourage yourself to have fun with it. If you think you can write romance… you can.

Join Angela on Google+, and on Twitter: @angee. You can find Angela on Pinterest, too.

NEW: Your Short Story Factory - Personal Coaching

Buy this on Selz Sell digital downloads on Selz

 

Want to write and sell short stories on Amazon? You can. Short fiction is profitable in some genres. I've had many requests for personal coaching in writing short stories, and building a catalogue of your works, so here we go. This is a fun course. We'll work together for 30 days.

 

Writing Your Book: Who Tells the Story?

The biggest choice you make when you start your novel is the decision: who tells the story?

If you tell it in the third person, who's the primary viewpoint character? 

On the other hand, if you choose the first person -- "I" -- that presents challenges. Your first person narrator needs to be there for all pivotal scenes. Moreover, there's a limit to what he knows and understands.

As this article, How a Pronoun Shaped a Novel, says:

Writing in the first person was thrilling at first. No scene started as a blank slate—my heroine was always there. I was not obliged to do any complicated bobbing and weaving between the narrator's perceptions and those of other characters. And writing from a single character's point of view sped up the Frankenstein-like authorial process of making her seem alive.

Writing in the first person can be comfortable, but it may not be the best choice for your story. It's not the easiest choice, either.

Try writing from your preferred point of view. If it doesn't work, that's fine. You can always rewrite if you see it's not working.

 

 

A Christmas Carol: it's that time of year again

It's the season of peace and goodwill, so dig out your copy of A Christmas Carol and read it to the deserving young in your life. Or you can read it again, just for yourself. :-)

You can download a copy here, if you don't have one.

If you just want to listen, you can buy a copy of A Christmas Carol at Audible, read by the wonderful actor Paul Scofield.

The ending always brings a tear to my eye, no matter how many times I read it:

Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and
infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was
a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a
master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or
any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old
world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him,
but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was
wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this
globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill
of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these
would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they
should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in
less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was
quite enough for him.

He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon
the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was
always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas
well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that
be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim
observed, God bless Us, Every One!

Want to start a family tradition? Reread A Christmas Carol each year. As a writer, reading the master is  good for your soul.

Writers' Christmas Treats: Writing Gifts for You, Dear Writer

Want to write a book?

I've received several questions this week about freelancing fiction.

These kinds of writing jobs are available on the outsourcing sites, but if you want to write a novel, just write it, and sell it. You just may get lucky. Writers hit the bestseller list every year.

Start by writing a genre novel. Readers of these novels have certain expectations, and if you can meet those expectations, there's a real market for your writing.

In First Steps To Write A Novel: Pick A Genre | Write a novel | Write A Nonfiction Book or Novel and Get It Published I wrote:

"These expectations that readers (and of course publishers) have for a genre give you a handle on how to write that particular genre of novel. You start by deciphering what those expectations are, and how the elements of the book meet those expectations. Tip: many publishers offer ‘writer’s guidelines’ for their books. While these are useful, your own thoughts about WHY readers like a genre are much more valuable to you, because everything you write is filtered through your own experience."

Happy writing. :-)

If you're interested in kicking off your freelance writing career quickly, check out next week's ezine, in which our theme is Mastering Freelancing FAST.

NaNoWriMo tools you need for your writing journey

Here comes NaNoWriMo again. Another month devoted to writing until your fingertips ache.

Good luck to you if you're taking part -- enjoy the journey. :-)

Here are tools to help.

Firstly, a couple of counters. All Freelance Writing » Blog Archive » 2 Free Word Count Trackers for Writers reports:

"Our second word count tracker is a cool little tool that you can use for much more than tracking your word counts. For example, if you set an income goal as a freelance writer and you want to keep your blog readers updated on your progress (for the year, month, or however long you choose), you can choose to track a dollar amount by entering that into our custom field. Or you can use our preset options to track words, pages, or posts (such as a certain number of blog posts each month). Do you know what’s really great about the custom field though? You can use this to track anything, even if it’s not writing-related! Need a weight loss tracker? Here you go! Want to count down until a vacation or other event? You can do that too! You can track just about anything you want!"

Next, some ideas for preparation.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 1: Pick a genre 

Think about what you'll write in November; start by picking a genre. 

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 2: Be a squirrel

Squirel away the stuff you'll need in November.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 3: Your characters' professions

Choose professions for your characters.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 4: Write a character journal

Choose one character, and write his or her journal.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 5: Interview your hero and heroine

Following on from #5, it's time to interview your primary characters.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 6: Gear up with story boards

Have you discovered story boards? They're a great help to keep track of your story.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 7: Get organized

When you're writing a novel, you need to get comfortable with creative chaos... and then get organized. :-)

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 8: List action scenes - fiction is not real life

In fiction, you leave out the boring bits. List your action scenes and write them.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 9: Get your story into shape

Conquer the dreaded middle of your novel (that's what ACTION scenes are for.)

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 10: Ready for takeoff?

Final tips to help you through November...

You've only got a couple of days until the big day -- make the most of them. :-)

Fiction: getting to know your characters

Miss Potter is a lovely gem of a movie. If you haven't seen it, rent it as soon as you can. It's a must-watch for novelists.

In it, Beatrix Potter knows her characters. They are real to her.

Without giving away the plot of the movie, there's a time when Beatrix can't draw or write. She's close to a breakdown. Watch what happens with her characters in the scene where she's trying to  write: it's truthful.

So how do you get to know your characters as well as Beatrix does hers?

You get to know them the same way you get to know people: you live with them, talk to them, listen when they talk to you.

You write down snippets of information about their history and their daily life. You journal about them and care what happens to them.

When you begin working with characters, you will "make them up." But as you continue to live with them, they will become as real to you as all the other people in your life. They will then become real to your readers too.

Discover more about creating characters which live in your heart, and your readers'.

Technorati Tags: fiction

NaNoWriMo: time management so you can write a book in a month

Writing a novel is FUN. If you love to write, then covering a notepad or computer screen with words is just about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Or off, come to that. :-)

With NaNoWriMo just a couple of weeks away, I posted "It's write-a-novel time again - here comes NaNoWriMo" with some links to some NaNoWriMo QuickStarts I wrote last year.

But know what? You don't need all that preparation. What you need is TIME. Nothing will derail your NaNoWriMo efforts faster than not having time.

I suggest that you clear a block of time either at the end of the day or at the beginning of the day, depending on whether you write better at night, or early in the morning.

For NaNoWriMo month, that hour or two is sacrosanct: you'll need to protect this time like a mama bear protecting her cub from others in your household, and from yourself too.

If you're going to tackle NaNoWriMo, tell yourself that no matter what, you'll show up for yourself and your writing each day.

So start thinking about how you'll clear that block of time now: it's vital to your success.

Good luck. :-)

Technorati Tags: NaNoWriMo

It's write-a-novel time again - here comes NaNoWriMo

It seems just a little while ago that the madness was over, but here we are again - it's NaNoWriMo time...

I've already  covered NaNoWriMo extensively in previous years, so here are some links for your enjoyment -

NaNoWriMo QuickStart 1: Pick a genre

NaNoWriMo QuickStart 2. Be a squirrel

NaNoWriMo QuickStart 3: Character professions

NaNoWriMo QuickStart 4: Write a character journal

NaNoWriMo QuickStart 5: Interview your hero and heroine

NaNoWriMo QuickStart 6: Gear up with storyboards

That should keep you happily engaged until the big day. :-)

Technorati Tags: NaNoWriMo

Got a novel? Cash in with Amazon.com's Breakthrough Novel Award

Money for writers is always welcome. :-)

Amazon.com: Breakthrough Novel Award: Books reports: "Are you a writer longing to be discovered? Submit your manuscript for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. It’s the perfect opportunity to become the next great novelist: the winning author will receive a publishing contract from Penguin Group, including promotional support for their book on Amazon.com, and a media suite from Hewlett-Packard. All entrants are eligible to self-publish their novel with CreateSpace and sell it on Amazon.com. Enter your manuscript for consideration by November 5, 2007!"

How much do you win? Publishers Marketplace says:

Amazon's contest promises the largest field of potential entrants--they'll accept up to 5,000 unpublished manuscripts between now and November 5--and the biggest prize, which includes a publishing contract with the Penguin Group for an advance of $25,000, plus some lovely gifts from Hewlett Packard.

If you haven't started your novel yet, it's too late for this one. However, since there are so many novel contests at the moment, it's a real clue that publishers are struggling to find talent. So get writing. :-)

Fiction: free course on how to write your novel

A few days ago I found this amazing resource, and have been reading it with delight. Novelists Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer are writing a year-long novelist's workshop, He Wrote, She Wrote. It's both fun and enlightening. Whether you're writing your first novel, or your tenth, you'll love it.

Fiction secrets: getting to know your characters

Characters are at the heart of your short story or novel. You need to understand them to bring them to life.

I admit I've rarely bothered to develop characters for my novels before I start a first draft. The "what color eyes/ education/ hobbies/ clothing" character sheets bore me witless. I start my stories knowing what the character's challenge is, and his history. That's all. I develop characters as I write.

Although this works sometimes, I often end up with characters I don't  understand. They're shadows living in a ghostly world. I journal about them, and write their diaries, but I rarely feel that I'm getting under a character's skin: getting to understand what makes a character tick.

But there's this woman...

I've had this character and her story skittering around in my imagination for weeks. This woman won't leave. She's constantly at the back of my mind, and I can't stop thinking about her.

Great, yes? Obviously I'm meant to write this woman's story. But I don't want to. I've got quite enough writing to do. The thought of investing months in a story which withers and dies scares me.

Well, praise the lord and pass the ammunition, when I downloaded Holly Lisle's Create A Character Clinic I found the solution. The book's amazing. I've only been working with it for a few hours, but I can see that it will help me to write my  skittering-woman's story. I now know something of who she is - and how to discover more about her life and her world before I start the first draft.

I've admired Holly's work and her commitment to it for years, and "Holly Lisle’s Create A  Character Clinic: A Step-By-Step Course for the Fiction Writer" goes far beyond what I expected. I never considered that Maslow's hierarchy of needs could be helpful in developing characters. Holly shows you exactly how to use them, and much more.

Thank you Holly, great stuff.

Technorati Tags: fiction

A writers' fear: What if they don't publish your novel?

When you're writing a novel, it sometimes hard to keep your mind on your writing.

Doubts creep in. What if your novel never gets published?

I received a panicky email this week from a writing colleague who's riddled with angst about her current novel. She's bogged down in the middle of the book. Her inspiration's long gone, her characters seem wooden, her plot seems  contrived, and she's ready to hit the Delete key and send the whole mess into oblivion.

More novels are junked at page 143 than at any other time. Don't hit Delete.

Panicking is allowed. Stopping writing isn't.

If you're stuck in the middle of your novel too, please realize that it's normal: expected even. At least once in a novel, you'll hit a wall, and you won't want to go on.

Here are some tips which may help:

* Realize that you're not thinking straight: you're tired. You're not capable of assessing what's "good" and what isn't right now;

* If you're rereading obsessively, stop rereading. Just keep writing;

* Chunk the remainder of the novel. Write one scene at a time, and forget everything else. Write one word, one paragraph at a time, but keep going. You may not be capable of your usual daily output for a week or two. Be satisfied with a little progress. If you can only write 50 words a day, so be it. Just keep going at that rate;

* Tell yourself that yes, it's all garbage, and that you may throw it out, but you can only do that when you finish;

* Change the Point of View. If you're writing in first person, change to third person POV for a chapter. This will sometimes be enough to break whatever's damming up the flow of the book.

Good luck; keep writing. :-)

Technorati Tags: books, fiction, novel