Tag Archives: write

Writing

A Guy’s Perspective on Writing Romance

October 27, 2011 – 10:00 pm

MichealRiversParanormal romance author Micheal Rivers joins me today for a look at a guy’s perspective on writing romance.  His secret is simple, but is speaks to the heart of women readers and rings true for even the most macho of men.

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When Karen asked me to write this I wasn’t sure in the beginning how I was going to approach the subject. Then I remembered write what you know. The subject of romance has been known to make the strongest of men cringe in fear. There are so many people out there both men and women that don’t have any idea what true romance is about.

I am not saying I am an expert nor am I saying my version is correct. I do know my versions work and that is all that counts for me. Romance can be a fleeting thing at the best of times. You can become complacent in your lives and forget what brought you to this point in your life to begin with.

Trust me–it was not the Super Bowl and the Chili dip. It was possibly your gentle smile toward her in the beginning, or the warm soft touch of her skin. For the record, there was a spark between the both of you that was not to be denied.

I am far from being gentile and my look at sports is the adventure that will take your life in a split second, doing it, not sitting as a spectator. The treatment of my lady is another matter entirely. Without going into actual script as for a book this is an example of what my idea of romancing the love of your life should be when I write it. This is the basis.

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Micheal and Rhea

Everything should revolve around her. Without question I treat her as if the entire world revolves around her. There is no other woman walking the face of the Earth in my eyes. An invitation to dinner is first on the list. Before she ever gets close to the time for getting ready for the dinner date someone will deliver a nice bouquet of flowers to her. They must be picture perfect in all respects with a card letting her know how special she is. Be careful with your wording gentlemen or your dinner date will be all the evening will offer. The words have to come from your heart. The ring of these words will tell her if your heart is true.

Dressed appropriately you will pick her up at her door and take her to dinner. Equality is fine but a gentleman escorts her to the car and holds the door for her. A simple taste of the old world is still enchanting for both of you.

The dinner is a special occasion. It is your desire it will never be forgotten. You have pulled some strings and have arranged for private dining at a casino. During the dinner she is treated like royalty from the staff. (Personal service from the restaurant manager). You will talk of pleasant things and let her know how special she is. It helps when you make certain they serve her the things she loves best; such as Filet Mignon and Lobster. Dessert was made in heaven and delivered by Satan. In short it is sinfully good.

In this case she likes to gamble just a little. This is the time when you have arranged for someone to be always close at hand to make certain she has everything she wants. Let her know the evening is still young and there are more things in store for her.

The valet brings your car to the door and you leave the casino. Heaven is just another avenue for you to let her know where you are going. It is close to midnight with a lover’s moon riding high in the sky when you reach your destination and she discovers you are on a mountain top in the middle of a cloud bank with a million stars above her. It is her moment and she does not have to share the spotlight with anyone.

The heavenly silence here is a dream in itself. Leaving the radio playing softly in the background you help her from the car and take her literally dancing in the clouds. A gentle kiss and hold her tenderly. You let her know in every way she is all that will ever matter to you. Your eyes will tell her what she wants to know. When the curtains close at the end of the evening there are only two people on Earth and the promise of love will blossom.

Depending on the writer this scenario can be difficult to convey to your reader in such a manner it moves their heart. My advice is to write from the heart and your words will follow. This is the key to understanding and placing your actions in perspective. The goal is to win the heart of the woman in your words. I hope this simple verse helps you.

When you walk by the shores of a rolling sea;

Will you dream the dreams of loving me?

~Published by Micheal Rivers~

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The Black Witch (Curse of the Witch)

It was the adventure of a life time. In an obscure marina off the shores of Maryland a schooner unlike any other ever built was discovered. Dorian and Diana Coe purchased the schooner and sailed from the shores of tranquility into the bowels of hell itself.
Prurient tales of suicide, murder, and the disappearance of an entire crew were hand written within the ship’s logs.

On her decks sailed a well seasoned Captain and crew that never knew the schooner’s shadowed past. The new owners ignored the words of men with integrity and sailed the Black Witch in the Spring of 1935.

Into the realms of illusion and pure evil the ship and its compliment sailed never knowing the fate awaiting them!

Visit Micheal Rivers at his website: http://www.michealrivers.com, Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.

Join Micheal and 35 other authors as they celebrate the launch of Melissa Foster’s Come Back To Me.

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Writing

Writing For The YA Market

October 21, 2011 – 1:00 am

AndreaBuginsky

Today, YA author Andrea Buginsky shares what it takes to write a good young adult novel that captures the active imaginations of teenagers.  Andrea enjoyed writing since she was a kid. When she got to college, she decided to turn it into a career, and earned a BA in Journalism. Though freelancing for several years, Andrea always wanted to write a book.  She loves fantasy movies like “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter,” so she decided to take similar path with her YA novel, “The Chosen.”

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Many people think that it’s easier to write for kids than for adults. They couldn’t be more wrong. It’s just as hard to write for kids, if not harder, than for adults.

When you’re writing for kids, you have to make sure to use many descriptive phrases in order to get their imaginations going. They have to be able to feel a part of the story, or else they might get bored and start to tune out. Once that happens, they lose all interest in the story, and put the book down. That’s not what you want from your book. You want your book to be a page-turner full of action, adventure, mystery, and suspense.

When writing for young adults, the same rules apply. You need to be able to hook them right away, and keep their interest throughout the story. You can have a couple of slower-paced portions of the story here and there, but for the most part, you want to keep the story moving forward, with plenty of action and adventure to take the wandering minds of young adults all the way through the book.

So what does it take to write a book that will capture your readers’ attention right away, and keep it throughout the book? An active imagination of your own. If you have a creative mind and a big imagination yourself, it’s easy to write a book that will keep the attention of an active teenager. Write the book as you see the adventure unfolding. When you see that it needs to take a turn in the road to keep the story moving, take it. Let your story take you where it wants to go, instead of trying to make your story follow you. Listen to your characters, and let them tell you where you need to go next. They’ll know before you in most cases.

The best thing you can do for your writing when working on a YA story is to be an active participant in it instead of the controller. You may have had a specific plan for your story, but it’s ok to break the mold and take it somewhere unexpected. Some of the best books were written this way, and your best seller can come out of this adventure, too. Have fun, and let your imagination take off!

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The Chosen

Halli is a shy, young dwarf who has no idea of her true calling. When the evil Prince Gastle sets out to detroy the world of Phantasma, Queen Laurali of the Elves comes to tell Halli she’s a Holy Paladin with the power to heal, and will join The Chosen, a group of brave warriors being sent to defeat the evil beast and save Phantasma. Will Halli be accepted by her group, and be able to keep them alive through their adventures? Will the evil Prince Gastle be defeated, freeing Phantasma from his destruction? Only time will tell.

Visit Andrea Buginsky on her website: http://andisrealm.webs.com/.

Join Andrea and 35 other authors as they celebrate the launch of Melissa Foster’s latest release.

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Dialogue Uncategorized Writing

Dialogue: Common Mistakes Part 4

October 13, 2011 – 8:00 am

In this series on dialogue, I’ll cover several common mistakes that writers make in dialogue.  For a more thorough study on dialogue, I suggest picking up a copy of Gloria Kempton’s Write Great Fiction – Dialogue

In a previous post, I discussed the He Said, She Said Merry-go-round.

Today’s Topic:  Perfect English Syndrome

Okay.  Sometimes when you’re writing, do you hear your fourth grade English teacher’s voice in your head?  You know what you’re writing is not perfect.  Perhaps you cave to the voice and decide to remove all contractions from your dialogue.

WAIT!  Before you give into that voice, let’s look at the following example of the Perfect English Syndrome:

“I am serious.  You are going get hurt if you keep pursuing her,” Marcy said.

“I am not pursuing her.  I am just being friendly,” Kyle replied.

“I will bet.”

As she pulled to a stop behind his townhouse, she turned to face him.

“Please, listen.  Neither one of you is ready for the type of relationship you have in mind—”

“I do not have anything particular in mind.”

“You do.  It is written all over your face.  I am just saying that I think you have enough to deal with right now.  You are still going through a ton of physical therapy.  You are still grieving.  You still have to deal with what it means to have a role in your daughter’s life.  You are just getting familiar with a new job.  I think that is plenty for now, do not you?”

Gross.  No, really.  This is just gross.  Even though the conversation was written in 2011, it sounds like it is crossed between 1811 and 2011.  The lack of contractions feels very stiff and off putting.

Now, let’s look at a less-than-perfect-English, but much-better-flowing example:

“I’m serious.  You’re gonna get hurt if you keep pursuing her,” Marcy said.

“I’m not pursuing her.  I’m just being friendly,” Kyle replied

“I’ll bet.”

As she pulled to a stop behind his townhouse, she turned to face him.

“Please, listen.  Neither one of you is ready for the type of relationship you have in mind—”

“I don’t have anything particular in mind.”

“You do.  It’s written all over your face.  I’m just saying that I think you have enough to deal with right now.  You are still going through a ton of physical therapy.  You’re still grieving.  You still have to deal with what it means to have a role in your daughter’s life.  And you’re just getting familiar with a new job.  I think that’s plenty for now, don’t you?”

See contractions aren’t so bad, are they?  The second example flows much better.

I hope this has encouraged you to use less-than-perfect English in your dialogue.

How would you rewrite the example?  Please leave a comment below.

 

Like what you’ve read?  Leave a comment below or email Karen at info(at)karenbaney(dot)com or check out her books on her Amazon Page.

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Dialogue Uncategorized Writing

Dialogue: Common Mistakes Part 3

October 7, 2011 – 8:00 am


In this series on dialogue, I’ll cover several common mistakes that writers make in dialogue.  For a more thorough study on dialogue, I suggest picking up a copy of Gloria Kempton’s Write Great Fiction – Dialogue
In a previous post, I discussed the Unspoken Interjections.

Today’s Topic:  He Said, She Said Merry-go-round

We’ve all seen it—dialogue that lacks luster because of a “he said, she said merry-go-round” issue.  Let’s take a look at the following example:

“Niki!  Get up!” Kyle exclaimed.

“What time is it?” Niki asked.

“It’s after seven,” he said.

“Shoot!” she exclaimed.  “Can you grab me a cup of coffee?”

He said, “Got it right here.  It’s the perfect shade of tan—just the way you like it.”

“Thanks.  You’re the best,” Niki said.

Oooo.  I totally cringed as I wrote this.  The thing that gets annoying to the reader is the over use of tags.  First, we don’t need the first “Niki asked” because Kyle already used her name.  Then, we don’t need each and every line of dialogue identified, especially when the conversation is bouncing between two people.  It may be necessary to tag the dialogue if the scene involves more people, but that is a judgment call for the author.

Here’s an example of the above dialogue cleaned up:

“Niki!  Get up!” Kyle exclaimed.

“What time is it?”

“It’s after seven.”

“Shoot! Can you grab me a cup of coffee?”

“Got it right here,” he said.  “It’s the perfect shade of tan—just the way you like it.”

“Thanks.  You’re the best.”

In this cleaner example, I removed several of the unnecessary tags.  It flows better, helps the pace move faster, and the reader can still keep up with who said what.   As a general rule, I don’t like to go more than a few volleys before adding a tag back in.  This helps the reader stay on track with who is speaking.  (As a reader, I’ve found that I get lost after two or three volleys.)

I hope this example helps you find more balance in your dialogue by getting off the “he said, she said” merry-go-round.

Would you write this example differently?  If so, please leave a comment.

In my next post, I’ll discuss the Perfect English Syndrome.

 

Like what you’ve read?  Leave a comment below or email Karen at info(at)karenbaney(dot)com or check out her books on her Amazon Page.

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Dialogue Writing

Dialogue: Common Mistakes Part 2

September 30, 2011 – 8:00 am

In this series on dialogue, I’ll cover several common mistakes that writers make in dialogue.  For a more thorough study on dialogue, I suggest picking up a copy of Gloria Kempton’s Write Great Fiction – Dialogue.  In a previous post, I discussed the Overuse of Character Names.

Today’s Topic:  Unspoken Interjections

What?  Okay, I couldn’t think of a better way to describe interruptions in the dialogue with a character’s reaction.  Specifically, I’m talking about the misuse of “He smiled.”

I’ll admit, I’ve made this mistake a time or two (or more, especially in a first draft).  I’ll drop in a “she smiled” as if words can be smiled.  Here’s an example:

“How was your date?” Marcy asked.

“It was awful,” Niki cringed.

“Why?”

“Chad is an accountant,” she frowned.  “You know I hate accountants.”

“Hate is a pretty strong word,” Marcy smiled, knowing Niki loved to over-dramatize everything.

At first glance, the errors might not be very noticeable.  It reads well and we get some insight into Niki and Marcy’s reactions.

Let me ask you this, can you cringe words?  Can you frown them?  Can you smile words?  If you figure out how to do so, then please let me know.  Until then, I will suggest the following changes:

“How was your date?” Marcy asked.

“It was awful.”  Niki cringed.

“Why?”

“Chad is an accountant.”  She frowned.  “You know I hate accountants.”

“Hate is a pretty strong word.”  Marcy smiled, knowing Niki loved to over-dramatize everything.

Notice the subtle differences?  It’s all about the punctuation.  Look at the new version of the second line.  See the period at the end of the spoken words.  Since Niki can’t cringe words, she must first speak them (ending in a period) then she can cringe.

I hope this example helps illustrate how proper punctuation can right issues with unspoken interjections.

Do you have an example you would like to share?  Please leave a comment below.

In my next post, I’ll discuss the He Said, She Said Merry-go-round.

 

Like what you’ve read?  Leave a comment below or email Karen at info(at)karenbaney(dot)com or check out her books on her Amazon Page.

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Marketing Writing

Managing Your Brand

September 25, 2011 – 5:19 pm

Whether you are an indie author or not, it is important to manage your brand.  What’s your brand?

In a word:  You.

You are your brand.  Not your books.  Not your publisher.  Not your distributors.  You are the brand.  If you’ve successfully developed a reader base, your fans are buying books you write.  They like your writing style.  They follow you.  They look for your name on a book and buy it just because your name is there.  (Okay, not always, but you get the point?)

So how can you best manage your brand?  Here’s a few of my tips:

1. Brand Image – for an author, your brand image is your photo.  I strongly suggest using a professional looking photo of your self everywhere.  Use the same image for your website, for your bio on the back of your books, on your business cards, your twitter account, your facebook page, your google plus account, your Goodreads account, etc.  Flood the web with a consistent brand image–you.  Think about your favorite car manufacturer – can you visualize their logo in your mind?  That’s what I’m talking about.  That’s what brand image boils down to.

2. Brand Message – What are you about as an author?  Can you summarize the types of books you write in one or two short sentences?  What sets you apart from other authors?  In entrepreneurship, this is what we call your elevator pitch.  Mine?  I write Christian Historical and Contemporary Romance novels about life like people in real life situations.  My goal is to inspire my readers in their every day lives through relatable fictional characters.

3. Be Professional - Always remember, especially in this world of mass information accessible at the tap of a finger on a smart phone, what you say will be read.  So, even when you tweet, or post on Facebook, etc., make sure you are presenting a professional image to potential readers.

A Note About URLs and Usernames - In my opinion, it is best to choose your name for a url or a user account name for Facebook, Twitter, etc.  It helps promote a consistent image whether you’ve written one book or one hundred books.  Your book titles will come and go, but your name remains consistent.

 

Like what you’ve read?  Leave a comment below or email Karen at info(at)karenbaney(dot)com or check out her books on her Amazon Page.

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