Creative writing – Page 8

What will suspend the disbelief of readers?

Published on July 31, 2018July 31, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell3 Comments

The character or the story?

Kind of a chicken and egg question.

My husband loves action movies. Lots of action with special effects and death-defying stunts. The bigger, higher, louder and most incredulous the better. Me, I can take or leave them. However, good actors are a must for me to sit through any movie.

So with the promise of dinner, I agreed to go see Equalizer 2 with Denzel Washington. A win-win for us both. Hubby gets lots of action and I don’t have to cook plus I get to watch Denzel. Be still my heart. Beating heart Later that evening, over dinner, we discussed our likes and dislikes. Hubby could use more action. Sigh… But, our conversation did get me to thinking about the suspension of disbelief. About how I can accept a temporary acceptance of a particular reality or situation that normally strain credulity? Because that’s what it takes to keep me in my theater seat or turning the pages in a book.

Now everyone knows movies like Mission Impossible, and Equalizer aren’t real. So, what is it about these movies that keep fans coming back? That gets us so involved we jump in our seats every time there is an over the top explosion? Cringe when an actor leaps from tall buildings in a single bound, and he isn’t Superman?

For me, it’s the actor and he must sell the story. Same with books. A reader cannot get lost in our story unless they become invested in a character. Hate or love doesn’t matter. But the reader must have strong feelings about your character.

Which brings me to my writing.

What is it in a story that enables a reader to suspend disbelief?

Is it the character, plot or storyline?

For me, it’s the character. If I feel an attachment to the character, he becomes life-like. I want him to survive and succeed or die and disappear off the face of the earth. See what I mean about strong feelings?

What makes a character life-like when there are unbelievable stunts and wild special effects that we know are not possible?

Is there a way to show a vulnerability that will make a reader care?

Yes. Through everyday events. Back to my movie example. In the Equalizer 2, a lot of regular, believable, and even mundane things give the Robert McCall depth. He drove a Lyft car, lived in a simple apartment, helped neighbors, cared for an elderly customer, made tea, cooked, read books, etc. You know, normal stuff. With these normal human activities scattered throughout the movie, I liked the man. And when the wild, out there unbelievable began to happen, I gladly suspended disbelief to cheer in on.

What do you do to get a reader invested?

How do you connect with unbelievable stories?

Got any tips for me?

Go to the bottom of this post and click on the links.

Writing Fiction: How To Write Evocative Characters Through Action And Strong Language

Suspension of Disbelief

FICTION AND THE SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF Eva Schaper

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How to keep all the writing advice in perspective

Published on July 26, 2018July 23, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell12 Comments

Do you feel besieged with advice?

Overwhelmed and unsure where to start? Well, keep reading.

Writing is hard. Writing well is harder.

But cutting the process down to bite-size pieces helps. So, if your feeling a little overwhelmed with the do’s and don’ts of writing, reading this great post by K.M. Allan will help. At least she helped me.

How? What did I get out of her post?

Get the story down first. Fix later.
Not everyone will love my story. So, what.
When editing, take one issue at a time. (bite size)
Listen to the advice that is helpful.
Consider the source of the advice.
Last but not least, take a break and then get back to writing.

You may get something totally different from I did after you read her post. That’s okay. We all see things through different filters. The important thing is to keep writing.

When Writing Advice Becomes Too Much By K.M. Allan

Well? What did you glean from Ms. Allan?

Do you become overwhelmed with too many advice rules?

How do you handle criticism from readers and editors?

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Do you want to write a perfect, beautiful sentence?

Published on July 17, 2018July 16, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

What writer doesn’t. Am I right?

More times than not, I worry about the correct grammar and structure of my sentences. But there is so much more to writing readable prose. The reader needs to connect with our words.

How do we as writers, produce sentences that manage this connection?

How do we write our best sentences than combined make for a great story?

Here is a really good article By John Matthew Fox, that not only lists 100 Beautiful Sentences in Literature but explains what makes a sentence memorable.

What I gleaned from his article…

Beautiful phrasing does not equal memorable. A reader may admire the words but not love them.
Wisdom does not equate beauty.
An ambitious sentence is not essential for a perfect sentence
Emotion is a must for a perfect, memorable beautiful sentence.
A beautiful sentence moves the reader forward.

His article is a must-read for us “perfectionist” writers. Perfection is not always what we think it is, but what our readers perceive from reading our stories.

What do you think?

What is your favorite sentence?

What do you deem a beautiful, perfect sentence?

Although this is from a movie, it’s stayed with me for years. That must make it pretty close to a beautiful, perfect sentence.

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Do you hide your light under a bushel?

Published on July 10, 2018July 9, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Or do you let it shine for all to see?

I’m not exactly shy. But I do have trouble tooting my own horn. When someone asks me how I spend my time, I become tongue-tied.

I can talk to anyone, about anything except my writing, blogs or books.

There are lots of reasons writers have this problem. Me?

Fear of judgment and rejection. Not disapproval but often people who don’t understand the process can be dismissive. Attitudes range from, oh how fun, how easy, to what takes so long. After all, they can read a book in a few days. What can possibly be so hard about a couple of picture books?

Ouch!

So, I try to avoid sharing. When ask, I turn around the conversation to something or someone else.

Do you need encouragement to speak up?

Then you’ll want to read this terrific post – Feel the fear and put yourself out there – advice for shy authors BY Roz Morris over at Nail Your Novel.

More info for selling your voice…