Seminar Notes: Part IV

4 Trends in Today's Market: To really get into character

It's not easy to become noticed in a noisy world. to rise above the average an author must write an exceptional story. To do that here are four tips that will help an author (you) shine within the crowd.

I. Show versus Tell

   This incorporates a great number of things. When you "tell" a story, you place the reader into an omniscient role as he/she reads the narrative.

   When you "show" the story the reader experiences the story as the character does. The reader will feel, see, hear, and know only what the character knows. This type is a more intimate style of writing.

   Let's look at three ways to be able to show rather than tell.

       A. Deep POV

          1. When writing you literally don the mantel of your character.

             a. See through your character. Hear and feel only what your character hears and feels.

          2. Eliminate not all but most "was", "were", use sparingly the "ly" adverbs. These are "telling" signs. Use active verbs no passive verbs.

             a. Ex: He felt....she heard....he knew....she thought....he wondered....she remembered.

             b. If you tell it, then it is better to show it. You are in the character's head, so write from the character's head.

       B. STAY in one POV per scene

           1. Head hopping is when you jump from one character's viewpoint and into another's viewpoint

           2. We can't know what "Joe" is thinking if we are in "Susan's" or "Jon's" point of view.

           3. Head hopping CONFUSES the reader.

       C. Have a reason for switching your POV.

           1. New scene equals a separate scene, use a scene break.

           2. Place can be the same place, but there must be a reason for switching POV. Does it push the story forward?

II. G.W.S. (Goes Without Saying)

       A. Dialogue tags: she said...he asked...she quipped....

            1. These are unnecessary.

               "Did you get the items from town?" she asked.

               This creates a "ping-pong" effect to the reader. The mind's camera bounces from one character to another. Are they standing still?

                  a. Eliminate the tags and insert action instead.

                     "Did you get the items from town?" She closed the door and turned to him.

                  b. This strengthens not only the characters, but the plot.

       B. You write about your characters and he's angry.

           Sam slammed the door and kicked the ottoman out of his way. The cushions sank as he collapsed on the couch. The ingrate! Who did he think he was dealing with? Sam was incensed that Tim double-crossed him.

             1. Number one thing: the reader will go "Well, duh!"

               We don't need that last sentence. It goes without saying that Sam is angry.

             2. Most GWS statements are "telling" and not "showing" the story.

III. R.U.E. (Resist the Urge to Explain)

       A. You'll find this in some authors' works. He/she shows the action, you as the reader are immersed in this story, suddenly you are yanked away because the author felt the need to explain what he/she had just written.

           1. Not only does this insult the reader's intelligence, but it also jars the reader out of the story.

           2. Lord Ravenwood closed in on his assailant. Soon he would have the man dead-to-rights. The wind creaked the shingles overhead masking the sound of his revolver as he drew it from his leather holster. He knew the wind was loud enough so that the assailant would not hear him withdraw his gun.

              a. This last sentence is another author intrusion. The reader understands that the wind was loud enough. No explanation is needed.

              b. This is another form of "telling" the story instead of "showing".

IV. NO INFO DUMPING ALLOWED, VIOLATORS WILL BE EDITED

      A. Info dumps include paragraphs of giving character descriptions, background information, etc.

      B. These info dumps pull the reader away form the story and cheats the reader from experiencing the book. This is another form of "telling" instead of "showing".

      C. You work character descriptions and background into the story as you write: dialogue and deep POV.

Following these trends increases the strength and depth of your novel and fleshes out your characters.

In the next and last segment I will reveal a writing breakthrough secret. Until then, think about how you can incorporate these tips into your writing to make your book shine!