information – Jean's Writing

Sometimes Google is not the end all be expert.

Although, in our family, the go-to phrase is, “Google it.”

However, on occasion, we need more. But, Facebook and Twitter as a news authority? Really?

Like most people, I love reading Facebook and Twitter but, we need to always check the source. Too many times an opinion piece is considered news. Remember, check the origin of that article your Aunt Sue tagged you in. And if unsure, there are plenty of websites you can run the truth meter. Snopes, and FactCheck are just two.

What have I learned from Facebook and Twitter? Writing an eye-catching title is important. Not easy but important.

So where do we look for answers to our burning questions?

Read this post by Jacqui Murray. She gives us several places to get the facts straight.

Unconventional Research Sites for Writers by Jacqui Murray

My favorite on her list?

How Stuff Works and Info Please

And here is another you can add to her list. How It’s Made. Click on the link to watch the episodes.

What is your go to information resource?

Do you Google for everything?

Which of her suggestions do you find interesting?

I like to hear yours. Leave me a comment and let’s talk.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

And how to avoid info-dumping?

FYI, I’ve been working on my latest book for the past year and boy-howdy this has been a big issue for me.

Not sure what writing with good exposition is?

It’s like beautiful painting when done right. But done wrong, turns into ugly info-dumping.

Too much information in a story all at once drives me nuts. How to weave it in so the seamlessly so that the reader absorbs the information without distraction, now that takes a little talent and a lot of hard work.

So what is the difference between info-dumping and good exposition?

Bridget over at Now Novel (link below) just wrote a terrific blog post that gives us examples to live by. And for me, this couldn’t come at a better time. I just finished ripping about a thousand words from my WIP because it contained too much info.

What did I learn about writing “good exposition” from this post?

With dialog, make it realistic.
- Remember how people have conversations. No one dumps their family history all at once when they meet a stranger.
Use to set up the history of a place.
- I can use a characters’ present and their past or even future, to flesh out historical details of their lives. But it’s important to merge the description with the scene settings.
Write descriptions with rich atmosphere.
- use personification of objects to enhance. Give an inanimate object human-like character to show your setting’s atmosphere with a metaphor or an analogy. What’s the difference between metaphor and analogy?
A character’s personality.
- Peppering a scene showing glimpses of a character’s personality, development, fears, loves, hopes, etc. can make the character 3D.
Open by describing puzzling, dramatic events before the novel begins.
- Sowing curiosity, in the beginning, can develop a reader’s desire to search for an answer.

This is just a glimpse at the information Now Novel shares about avoiding info-dumping and writing with good exposition.

To read the entire post click on this link.

Good exposition examples: Narrating your story’s background

My tip…

Read, read and read some more. Read good books, bad books, newspapers and magazine articles. Because unlike TV, and movies these venues must engage the customer with words. Fake news is a good example. These writers paint such a vivid picture readers fall for the story.