7 Dialogue Tips

Every fiction writer knows dialogue is an important (some would say the most important) element in their storytelling. Here are a few pointers I've picked up from people far more clever than me.

• Look over your manuscript for places emotion is expressed outside of your dialogue. The odds are that those emotions are actually explanations of one type or another.  See how the dialogue reads without it. If it doesn't read well, you may need to improve your dialogue.

• Do you need every one of those 'he said/she said's? You might not.

• Do you refer to your character in the same way throughout the scene? Or is it 'Charlie said' and then 'Mr. Bopper said' and then 'Chuck said'?

• Check those adverbs. Do you need them? And (in my opinion) the answer to some of them might be 'yes'.

• Read your dialogue out loud. It's the best way to discover if it's sounding too formal.

• Dialogue can smoothed and polished to the point where your character's voice is lost. Beware.

• Is that awkward dialogue really disguised exposition? 

What's your best tip for creating effective dialogue?

Fun Friday

Time for trivia! Here are some interesting historical happenings on the first 7 days of November. There are, of course, many, many others.

November 1: (1995) The first all-race local government elections took place in South Africa, marking the end of the apartheid system.

November 2: (1947) The first and only flight of Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" flying boat occurred in Long Beach Harbor, California. It flew about a mile at an altitude of 70 feet. Costing $25 million, the 200-ton plywood eight-engine Hercules was the world's largest airplane, designed, built and flown by Hughes. It later became a tourist attraction alongside the Queen Mary ship at Long Beach and has since been moved to Oregon.

November 3: (1957) Soviet Russia launched the world's first inhabited space capsule, Sputnik II, which carried a dog named Laika.

November 4: (1922) King Tut's tomb was discovered at Luxor, Egypt, by British archaeologist Howard Carter after several years of searching. The child-King Tutankhamen became pharaoh at age nine and died around 1352 B.C. at age 19. The tomb was found mostly intact, containing numerous priceless items now exhibited in Egypt's National Museum in Cairo.

November 5: Remembered as Guy Fawkes Day in Britain, for the anniversary of the failed "Gunpowder Plot" to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King James I in 1605.

November 6: (1860) - Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th U.S. President and the first Republican. He received 180 of 303 possible electoral votes and 40 percent of the popular vote.

November 7: (1885) Canada's first transcontinental railway, the Canadian Pacific, was completed in British Columbia.

Thirties Thursday

Thanks to all of you who took the time to leave a comment on my blog yesterday.

But today...

We're traveling back to 1930s Hollywood and a studio tour.

To Be or Not to Be

 I'm wondering if I should continue this...

I'm trying to do this...

What do you...

My 10 Tips for NaNoWriMo

Today is the first day of NaNoWriMo - or National Novel Writing Month. Writers across the world are attempting to write 50,000 words in a month - which may not be an entire novel, but it's certainly a big bite of one.

Last year, I was one of those writers. Here's what I learned:

10. Quality doesn't count. Quantity does. (that's what editing is for)

9. I wrote without an outline, which was a freeing experience, but not one I'd want to repeat. Why? Too many repetitions... (ironic, isn't it?)

8. Don't worry about character names. I had one character called Klutzy-Girl.

7. Keep track of where you are in the word-count and remember every word is one word closer.

6. Don't expect perfection - expect a really rough first draft.

5. Channel your inner Dory - Just keep writing, writing, writing...

4. Have a secret supply of coffee. Trust me.

3. And chocolate. Trust me more.

2. Let your fingers do the walking and some days they'll dance.

1. Cursing at the computer screen is part of the experience. (or at least it was part of mine) Have fun!

A Hallowe'en Post

It's Hallowe'en!

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin...

It's the day (and night) for scary stories...

SO...

I could talk about the battle of getting an agent...

Or whether it's the right decision to self-publish...

Or how to fix a price in the whole e-book world...and which e-reader is going to stay around and which will go the way of your old VCR...

Or...

We could look at fun pictures of jack-o-lanterns.

Guess which option I'm voting for.

Oh...happy Eat All Your Kids' Candy Night (ahem, I meant Hallow'een)!

Here's a few inspired by movies...

Oooh, love it, I do! (I actually can do a great Yoda voice)

This is phenomenal.

The Death Star...

Heeeeere's Johnny!

I love my Mac...

And a few for all you dog-lovers out there...

Fun Friday

I wish I could claim authorship of this, but I can't. It was sent to me in an email back in September.

Enjoy, everyone. Happy weekend to all and to all a good night.

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

Thirties Thursday

Here's a list of the #1 Fiction Bestsellers in the US during the 1930s.

• 1930 - Cimarron - Edna Ferber
• 1931 - The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
• 1932 - The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
• 1933 - Anthony Adverse - Hervey Allen
• 1934 - Anthony Adverse - Hervey Allen
• 1935 - Green Light - Lloyd C. Douglas
• 1936 - Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
• 1937 - Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
• 1938 - The Yearling - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
• 1939 - The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

I refuse to divulge how many I've read. Are you brave?

Fishing for Ideas

For today...

I'm thinking of a this...

as a this.

We all have days like this...

and days like this...

and some days we catch one the size of this...

and then there are the days when we catch one the size of this.

I wish all of you many, many days of catching at least this...

But remember...

You'll need a really good this.

10 Things I Learned at the Surrey International Writers Conference

First,  5 Serious Things

5. There's a difference between taking a workshop you need and taking one you don't need, but you admire the presenter. I'm not saying the latter is a bad thing, just a different thing.

4. Take notes. You will get so overwhelmed with information that your brain stops processing.

3. Take advantage of the opportunity to meet other writers and to actually talk out loud to real people.

2. Take every bit of advice with a grain of salt. Remember, what works for one person, doesn't necessarily work for another.

1. Enjoy. Open yourself up to new ideas and new processes.

Now (because this is me writing and what else did you expect?) 5 Funny Things:

5. Know where the bathrooms are. Actually know where all the bathrooms are. They get crowded.

4. Diana Gaboldon is absolutely beautiful with a wonderful sense of fashion. And she's really tiny. And friendly!

3. Being a bestselling author seems to be like an exclusive club where they all know each other.

2. There are more genres and subgenres, Horatio, that are dreamt of in your philosophy. I swear, by the end of the conference if someone had told me they wrote "Urban Paranormal Historical Creative Non-Fiction Fantasy" I'd have nodded my head and said "How interesting."

1. I can now say "I know Margaret George."

More as the Story Develops...

This is going to be quick...

Let me say my time at the Surrey International Writers Conference was --- what shall I say ---

FANTASTIC.

The writer that went into that conference on Friday morning no longer exists.

As the conference continued I found myself getting more and more focused; so much so that I noticed on Sunday I was no longer taking notes that read as general writing advice and was, instead, making notes like:
Raise character name's stakes by doing this.

Give character name a ticking clock.

Lose character name's backstory and give vital info through dialogue with character name.

Yes, I met and shared conversations and meals with authors I truly admire. I took workshops from many authors, editors and agents who are not only gifted at their jobs, but can teach.

And --- one more thing...

The agent I pitched to was intrigued by my novel's title (and wanted the story behind it), said "You'd be a perfect fit for...and named a publishing house", loved that it's the potential beginning of a series,  and wants me to send her the first 50 pages.

As I said to someone over the weekend, I haven't won the race, but I'm off the warm up track and the door opened on the starting gate. (I may have read too many Dick Francis in my life -- sorry, I digress)

SQUEEEEE!!!!!!!

So Long, Farewell (for now)

I'm drawing up this...

and doing this...

because I do my best work when it's this...

FAREWELL FOR NOW!!!

Help! Advice Wanted!

I'm attending my first writers' conference in three weeks where I have an appointment with an agent. I'm asking for advice.

What do I need? Business cards? And what do they say?

I know I have to prepare a pitch, but what else to I need to do?

I'm attending workshops for three days - does one take notes, or will I be an object of scorn?

Needless to say, any and all advice is welcome.  Links to helpful advice would be welcome.

I don't know how much (if any) I'll be posting in the next three weeks. Social networking is important, but actually getting the job done is more important.  Sooner or later, you've got to step out of the wings and on to the stage.

It's the Mother of all Auditions.

Wish me luck. I've never liked auditions.

Fun Friday

Today, we're going back to the 1970s with a few commercials you may or may not remember. I admit to remembering all of them.

Thirties Thursday

It wasn't all gloom and doom during the 1930s. Here's a quick video of goings-on high above the Picadilly traffic in London.

Such scamps!

The Writing Game

Some of us write about this...

while some write about this...

and if you're a mystery writer (like me) you write endless versions of this...

But really, we're all writing about this...

There are the days when you feel as if you're playing this...

or this...

and even the days you feel as if you're playing this...

But we all need to play this...

and make our characters play this...

and remember no one ever has this...

on this...

And trust that one day you'll be playing this...

Because you have created a this.

10 Reasons It's Great to Be a Writer

10. There is no dress code.

9. You're not eavesdropping; you're working.

8. Your rather eccentric computer history of websites can be explained as research.

BONUS: Actually, anything can be explained as research - it just takes a bit of thought.

7. Your active imagination now has something to focus on.

6. Although you say you don't base your characters on anyone you know, you could. Revenge is sweet.

5. People expect odd behaviour from creative types. This is an advantage.

4. You know talking to yourself serves a purpose.

3. You can tell yourself your typo isn't a typo, it's a new word. Language evolves.

2. If you write romantic scenes you can blush and tell people you couldn't possibly confirm whether they're autobiographical.

1. You can make your own rules and then break them.

First Impressions

Most of us try to make a good first impression - we check our clothes for stains, ensure we're wearing matching shoes, maybe even practice a few phrases. Good first impressions pave the way to second impressions; and after that, the sky's the limit!

Take a look at your current manuscript and see what first impression your main characters make. I always try to ensure:

• The reader may not necessarily be meeting him/her at their finest moment (or maybe they are) but it is a moment that will demonstrate one of the character's priorities.

• There something intrinsically likable (in my opinion) about my main characters. People want to learn more about people they like or can identify with in some way. It might the situation the character finds themselves in, it might be their background, it might be their love of shoes - but there's something that makes the reader want to read on.

• No character makes the same first impression as another. My logic is the reader is just getting to know these people - I try to keep it as easy as possible!

• I will not introduce a continuing character in a way that harks back to a previous event in an earlier story. The reader may not know the event and will start off feeling that they're missing something. That's just mean.

• I'll always choose dialogue over description.

First impressions - you can only make them once.

Make them count.

Fun Friday

Some views of my little corner of the world in autumn.

Take a moment.

Breathe.

See you Monday.

Thirties Thursday

Here in the northern hemisphere, it's the first full day of fall. Let's look at hats from 1935. Back then, you'd have never left the house without one. Now, hat-sporters garner odd looks and are often judged as eccentrics. Times change.

But, I still wear a hat from time to time. I like hats.

Getting to Know Them

Each of our new characters start off like this...

But over time...

We learn she has eyes like this...

and he's proud of this...

We know whether they're this...

and if home is this...

or this...

or even this...

We know their pet looks like this...

although (secretly) they really want this...

and, after a while...

if we're very lucky...

and work very hard...

we may discover they have this.