writing – Page 20 – Jean's Writing

How to write the best opening scene?

Published on February 7, 2018May 3, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell17 Comments

How much action is too much?

Writing action in a story isn’t always easy.

At least not for me. Because I’m currently struggling with this very thing. The first couple of chapters have to be right or I can’t move on. I go back and forth trying to get that balance just right.

Writing the balance between action and story in those first few chapters is crucial to hooking a reader. Too much action and I risk exhaustion, too little and I may bore the reader to death.

So where does a story really begin?

I recently read a great article about starting at the true beginning of a story.

“When you are looking for your story’s true beginning, look for the first event that changed your character’s path.” M.L. Keller

Ms. Keller reminds us that we need to connect dots with a change to move our story forward.

Great advice for this writer.

So, seems I need to find the catalyst that changed things for my protagonist and start there. Link events with other changes to propel the story forward. Hmmm. This may be doable.

After I read her article a couple more times or maybe six, maybe I’ll get it. LOL

Click on the link to Ms. Keller’s post below and see what you think.

Opening Action: how to make it work By M.L. Keller

Are her tips helpful to find the true beginning of your story?

Do you think it’s important to write action in the beginning?

Are you guilty of writing too much backstory too soon?

Got any tips for writing a terrific first chapter?

Please share your thoughts!

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Is your monster really scary enough for nightmares?

Published on January 31, 2018January 31, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell17 Comments

Monsters lurk about in many forms.

Doesn’t have to be Big Foot or a dragon. A hateful neighbor or classmate, a work colleague, even a stranger on the street can be monsters in your story.

One man’s monster is another man’s pet. A monster can live in the protagonists past, their imagination or in a secret held close. It can take the form of an illogical or logical phobia, or a real flesh and blood monster.

The trick to writing about monsters as well as fantasy creatures is in the description and then escalating that fear. Bringing that fear to life is the goal of writers.

Readers love to feel the fear of a character. The right description determines whether a character is a paper doll cutout or a 3D believable personality.

Now Y’all know how much I love my cheat sheets, so guess what? Seems there is a list for just about everything. After reading the websites below, I combined some of the high points into an infographic for my readers.

Here is what I learned from the sources below…

A phobia is a great way to start scaring the bejesus out of your readers. Give your protagonist a phobia and build on that.

Want more information? Click on these links!

WHAT MAKES A MONSTER SCARY?

MONSTERS AND CREATURES VOCABULARY WORD LIST (282)

Monster – Quotes And Descriptions To Inspire Creative Writing

Monsters and Mythical Beasts Vocabulary Word List

Tell me…

Do you have trouble describing scary scenes or monster?

Did these tips help you with descriptions?

Do any of your characters have a phobia? Gonna give them one now?

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Do you know what makes great dialogue?

Published on January 15, 2018January 15, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell8 Comments

Turns out great dialogue contain beats.

Sunday’s are when I catch up on my reading. Blog posts I’ve missed or tagged to read are saved for a slow Sunday afternoon. There are so many great bloggers/writers it’s hard to keep up, but I do try.

I’ve been working on dialogue in my WIP, so you can imagine my excitement when I came across not one but two posts by Dan Alatorre on how to make that dialogue great.

Like Dan, I like to bang out the dialogue fast and get the gist down before I lose the flow. Works more times than not.

What I learned from Dan today…

Write like people talk. In my family, the women drive the men crazy talking over each other, no such thing as one-at-a-time.
Don’t forget the beats. Yes, a dialogue needs beats.
A trick to adding those beats, jot down a list of actions to match conversation. Sort of like setting out all the ingredients before baking a delicious cake.

Click on the links below and read all of Dan’s tips and tricks to turn your good dialogue into great dialogue.

3 Steps To Brilliant Dialogues In Your Stories By

Dan Alatorre

How Your Dialogues Mess Up Your Story, Part 2 By Dan Alatorre

Now tell me, did you learn something new?

Do you have a dialogue tip to help me?

Do you find writing dialogue hard?

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Authors beware, watch out for this scam

Published on December 15, 2017January 10, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell48 Comments

Tis the season for scamming everyone with a pulse.

More scammers appear every day, like ants at an all they can eat picnic. These varmints call, text, email and show up on Facebook and Twitter.

Y’all need to watch out for this scam. A company preying on writers want to sell books and reach readers. Apparently, this particular scam has been around for a few years but I heard about them until…

Today they tried to hook me.

Now let me tell you, getting through on my home phone is no easy feat. A few months ago we bought a landline phone with Smart Call Blocker. This phone screens out all robo calls unless I’ve added a number (like a docs office) to the directory.

So, anywho—when the phone rings I expect someone I know and have approved to be on the line.

But today I picked up the phone and a caller identified herself as a Book Scout for the publishing company Readers Magnet. They wanted to republish Tryouts for Ben, for a fee of course. I won’t bore you with her attempt at flattery. Might’ve worked if the connection and her English hadn’t been so horrible. LOL

At first, I tried to be polite and say “no thank you.” But she would not stop talking.

Finally, I said, “NO, I do not want to do business with you.” And hung up the phone before she could continue her spiel.

Let’s get real Y’all. Publishers and agents do not need Literary Book Scouts or Talent Scouts. A legit company has more writers banging on their door than they can count. So, don’t fall for a “Scout” who calls or writes you. They are scammers.

And the scamming doesn’t stop there. If you Google scams, you’ll get websites that want to sell you a service or program to avoid scams. REALLY!