ABC ... EASY AS ... 123, THE LETTER 'D'

Today is 'D' day. The word of the day is 'Dialogue'.

(My continued journey of novel writing tips from A-Z)

di·a·logue

noun

1   A written composition in which two or more characters are represented as conversing

2   a:  a conversation between two or more persons

     b:  an exchange of ideas and opinions 

     c:  a discussion between representatives of parties to a conflict that is aimed at resolution 

3   The conversational element of literary or dramatic composition 

***

Dialogue is an integral part of any story. It is a multi-purpose tool that should do some or all of the following:

1        Reveal something about the character and the relationships between characters.

2        Help to move the story forward.

3        Increase the tension between characters or of the story line.

Action:

A key element to writing good dialogue is to break it up with action. The reader needs direction in order to visualize a scene. Otherwise, the dialogue would be boring. In Winter’s Captive, Georgia confronts her cheating ex-husband. The sample below reveals elements of each character but doesn’t move the story forward.

 “Have we moved on? Have you?”

“How can you ask if we moved on? I presumed you did that a year ago. Now you’re asking me? I don’t think Julie would be too happy to hear this conversation.”

“This has nothing to do with Julie. It’s about you and me.”

 “You really are something. There is no you and me. There hasn’t been for a long time. And I’ll tell you something else too. It’s about you and only you,”

“How can you say that? I’m trying to communicate with you about how we feel. I want to know what you’re thinking.”

“Where was the communication when you left me? Where were you when I tried to figure it all out? When I doubted myself as a wife and a woman? I’ll tell you where, with Julie, right where you wanted to be. You never gave me an explanation or showed any concern for my feelings then. You shut me out and even refused to talk to me. It’s your feelings we’re really talking about here, because you’re confused. You never even asked to see your baby until I pushed it on you. You haven’t even asked me her name. I’ll tell you what I’m thinking, Colin. You’re a whiffle bird.”  

“A what-bird?”

“A whiffle bird ... he flies in ever decreasing concentric circles, faster and faster, the circles getting smaller and smaller, until finally--he flies up his own ass.”

 “I guess I deserved that, didn’t I? I know I’ve been a shit to you. I couldn’t talk to you because I didn’t know how. And then there was Julie, telling me I had to make a clean break. She was so jealous and insecure. I felt like I was being pulled in opposite directions. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“That's my point. Again, it’s about how you felt,”

“You’ve changed. You were never this ... aggressive before.”

Here's the same sample with action and thought:

Colin stared at me for a long moment. “Have we moved on? Have you?”

“How can you ask if we moved on? I presumed you did that a year ago. Now you’re asking me? I don’t think Julie would be too happy to hear this conversation.”

“This has nothing to do with Julie. It’s about you and me.”

My mouth dropped open. “You really are something. There is no you and me. There hasn’t been for a long time. And I’ll tell you something else too. It’s about you and only you,” I said, my anger rising.

“How can you say that? I’m trying to communicate with you about how we feel. I want to know what you’re thinking.”

“Where was the communication when you left me? Where were you when I tried to figure it all out? When I doubted myself as a wife and a woman? I’ll tell you where, with Julie, right where you wanted to be. You never gave me an explanation or showed any concern for my feelings then. You shut me out and even refused to talk to me. It’s your feelings we’re really talking about here, because you’re confused.” I was wound tight. All my pent-up anger released. I stood up and leaned towards him. “You never even asked to see your baby until I pushed it on you. You haven’t even asked me her name. I’ll tell you what I’m thinking, Colin. You’re a whiffle bird.”  

“A what-bird?”

“A whiffle bird ... he flies in ever decreasing concentric circles, faster and faster, the circles getting smaller and smaller, until finally--he flies up his own ass.”

Colin stared at me, a look of shock on his face, and I stared back defiantly, hands on my hips. After a long silence, he started to smile.

“I guess I deserved that, didn’t I? I know I’ve been a shit to you. I couldn’t talk to you because I didn’t know how. And then there was Julie, telling me I had to make a clean break. She was so jealous and insecure. I felt like I was being pulled in opposite directions. I’m sorry I hurt you.” Colin took my hand in his.

“That's my point. Again, it’s about how you felt,” I said, shaking my hand from his.

“You’ve changed. You were never this ... aggressive before.”

I gave my shoulders a shake and turned towards the water. “Let’s walk.”

Big difference, right? By adding action, we’ve moved the story along and added tension to their encounter by showing body language and thought.

Dialect:

The most important thing to remember when depicting dialect in dialogue is to be consistent. This is a very tricky element to express. If you have a character with a southern states drawl or a Native American dialect, etc., it is extremely difficult to carry their dialogue with the right inflection throughout the entire story. It was suggested to me by my editor to choose some key words that reflect their dialect and use them consistently throughout the story. The dialogue will ring true to the reader and they will buy into it. But only if you are CONSISTENT.

In Winter’s Captive, Book 1 and Chasing Georgia, Book 2 (to be released in April), two words I chose to indicate that Nonnock was an indigenous native, were references to her Peoples and when she talked of nature as the Mother or Mother Earth.

For all of you writers out there:

Keep on Keeping on Writing!

Visit me at: www.facebook.com/june.bourgo

ABC ... EASY AS ... 123, THE LETTER 'B'

Today, we look at the letter 'B'. The word of the day is BACK STORY.

Definition:

BACK STORY
Noun
* alternative spelling of backstory

1. background information provided, often in narrative form, to give help in understanding something, as the behaviour of a character

2. history to describe events leading up to the present

Back story is something I've always had trouble handling. It's something that requires finesse. And finesse comes with writing experience and in my case, from the advice of a good editor.

Story writing today is part of the fast-foods McDonalds era we live in. How often do we take the time to go into a restaurant and enjoy the dining experience? Most of us rush about in our busy lives and buy fast foods on the way home or take ten minutes to gulp down our food at fast-food restaurants before rushing to our next destination.

Readers today have a short attention span and want into the action quickly. If not, they get bored, skip pages, and maybe give up on the story all together. The problem with this is that they don't have time to get to know the characters, to relate to them and feel connected. So if the characters are plunged straight away into a suspenseful conflict, the reader may not care. The writer wants readers to get invested in the character's life and dilemma and really care about what happens to them. Disconnect is a bad thing for a writer.

In my opinion, this is an even larger problem when writing a series, which I am. If the reader has read earlier books in the series, they already know the main character. They have an invested interest in the character's life and care what's going to happen to them next, like an old friend. But someone who hasn't read previous books need some back story and it is the writer's job to make sure the book can stand alone for a new reader. The problem here lies wherein the writer has to add enough back story to interest the new reader but not be repetitive as to bore the established reader.

My third book, A Missing Thread, Book 3 of the Georgia Series jumps right into the action with Chapter 1. My problem here is that anyone who knows Georgia Charles-Dixon well, will jump into the action right along with her, but a new reader hasn't had time to care about her. I need to add back story. How do I do that?

I could start the narrative earlier before the crisis, to describe the character and get the reader invested in her. However, they may get bored, along with the old reader who already knows her story up to this point. So I'm not going there.

I could and have in the past, put flashbacks in the middle of the action to describe her history, The problem here is that the story can become choppy and it stops the action. I risk ruining the build-up to the crisis. (My editor, Ron Bagliere, taught me this tidbit)

Another method, is to put the back story into dialogue, not narrative. This is showing not telling. And if the dialogue is part of the current story line, it's not going back into the past and can serve its purpose of allowing the reader to connect to the character. It has to be subtle and fit into the conversation. Don't info-dump (which could possible be our 'I' word in future ABC blogs LOL).

A prologue can work, but it definitely takes finesse. I did some research myself by putting the question out to my readers what they thought of prologues. Most didn't like them. By the time they got into the body of the story, they had forgotten what the prologue was all about, especially if there was forgotten information they needed and they had to go back to the prologue and search it out. The most common complaint was prologues that were too long. With that in mind, I do believe prologues can have a place in certain story lines, but only if they are short and to the point. I would never write a prologue that was more than three pages. Let it serve its purpose, leave the reader intrigued and move onto the action in Chapter 1. Now that's just my opinion.

*

There you have it, four ways of working in the back story. Only you can decide which method is best for your story. And I do believe that every story is different. What I might do in one of the Georgia Series books may not work in another one. Herein lies the challenge. What will I do with the problem I'm facing with back story in A Missing Thread, Book 3 of the Georgia Series?

Let's look at each option. First, starting the narrative earlier is out. I like my first chapter which delves right into the action.

Option 2, using flashbacks is out to me as well. It will make the story choppy and ruin the build up to the crisis.

Option 3, putting the back story into dialogue is also out because my character is alone in a car with no one to talk to.

That leaves me Option 4, using a prologue. This appeals to me as the best solution for this particular dilemma and the direction I am heading in. However, it will be short, to the point, and hopefully intrigue the reader to move on to the action of Chapter 1.

For all you writers out there, good luck with your back story and keep on keeping on writing. 

Click HERE to visit me on my Facebook page.

ABC ... EASY AS ...123 ... WRITING A TO Z AS EASY AS SINGING ABC

Recognize the lyrics? A 1970 Michael Jackson hit, song title, ABC.

A few years ago I was going to find words that pertained to the journey of writing, starting with the letter A through Z. I began this project but soon abandoned it. Reason? I didn't feel knowledgeable enough or creative enough to carry it off.

That was then, this is now.

I've decided to revise this project and today I'm starting once again with the letter A. I was prompted to restart this quest when staring at the name of my blog site, Aspirations of a Novelist.

Who knows how long it will take us to get to the end. These posts won't be consecutive unless I have nothing else to say LOL. I'm very excited to share with you what I've learned along the way, and am still learning. I hope you find this project helpful, inspiring, and entertaining.

First I want to say that I don't believe there is a set way to write a novel. This will come up later with one of our alphabet words. There are certain basics we should all follow, but in the end it is up to you to find your own style, routine, and method of pulling a novel together. What I hope to offer you is an understanding of some writing terms and how my journey evolved along the way. The trick is to find yours and perhaps my journey will help you with that.

Therefore, my A to Zs of Novel Writing will not include a set method or format to writing a novel, but will outline more the tools and steps necessary to actually sit down and write a book. Let's get started.

'A' is for Action

Definition:

ACTION [ak-shun]
noun

1. the process or state of acting or of being active.
2. something done or performed; act; deed.
3. an act that one consciously wills and that may be characterized by mental activity.
4. actions, habitual or usual acts; conduct.
5. energetic activity: a man of action.

WRITING A NOVEL TAKES ACTION

Thinking about it, wanting to do it, and dreaming about being a published author wont get it done. However, thinking about characters, plot, location, conflict and resolution is a definite start. Number 3 above is very important. Mental activity is just as important as the physical act of pounding your story into the computer or hand-writing the story. 

My husband has come to recognize my facial expressions when I'm sitting quiet and silent. "You're writing aren't you?" he'll ask. A lot of planning and detailing happens in my head long before I physically put it into my computer.

KINDS OF ACTION

Okay, so you're tired of working on storyline, developing protagonists and antagonists (hey, here's another 'A' word and a necessary one to the plot). You're muse has dried up and you need a break. There are lots of other things you can do which add to the process of creating a novel.

One is research. Some writer's hate this process. I love researching and embrace it enthusiastically.But for those who find research a tedious proposition, read another author's book that covers the subject. You can enjoy the read as well as cash in on their expertise. (But don't plagiarize LOL.) Interview someone who knows the subject, or works in the field you are describing. Interviews can be informative and fun, and you can make new acquaintances and acquire potential readers.

Another course of action is to read other writer's blogs, a great source of information with links to marketing and querying sites for writers. Once your book is complete, you will need to start pitching your book to agents and publishers if that's your chosen course of action. Or if you are self-publishing, that all-important task of marketing will begin. You might as well get started early. Believe me, it will make the process flow more smoothly.

That's it for 'A', see you at 'B'.

KEEP ON KEEPING ON WRITING!

VISIT ME AT MY FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE. CLICK HERE!