Nuggets of Knowledge (Part 2)

From now on - since this is supposed to be more of a marketing blog (sprinkled with a few rants and raves), I will always include a marketing tip for published and pre-published authors no matter the topic of the post. I will also rank the cost: Free, Low, Medium, High.

Today's tip: Fancy up your cards
Always use both sides of our business cards and always do them in some kind of color. (Low-medium cost depending on design)

• Published - Use both sides of your business card - use the front for your information, and use the back to list your book title(s), blurbs, how to buy book, etc
• Pre-published - You can do the same. Use the front for your information and the back for the book you are trying to sell along with your 2-3 sentence elevator speech. It may catch an editor or agents eye.

Now for Self-Editing for Fiction Writers continued:

7) See How it Sounds -

• Dialogue must be compressed and more focused than real dialogue.
• use more contractions.
• two sentences can be strung together with a comma instead of period. Most real people do not pause between sentences. (do not overuse).
• dialogue is excellent to get facts across.
• weed out fancy words - instead of "have you considered the consequences?", how about "have you thought about what might happen?"
• have characters answer unspoken questions, talk at cross purposes, have them hedge or disagree.
• good dialogue must mimic real speech so it sounds real.
• read your dialogue out loud with someone - be alert for anything you naturally change or say that is not written. Even non verbals.
• Don't not use trick spellings or lexical gimmicks. Occasional different spelling is OK but don't use it too often.
• best way to show dialect or speech is through word choice, cadence and grammar.

8) Interior Monologue -

• don't use too much - it can interrupt the scene. Focus on beats.
• be sure you do not reiterate what is already in scene.
• make sure it is not explaining dialogue.
• show what you can't show in dialogue.
• ask yourself - how important are these feelings to the story?
• never use quotes and you don't need italics.
• rarely a good idea to mumble or speak under breath unless it is specific to your character.
• if monologue is long, set off in a separate paragraph.

9) Easy beats

• internal monologue is considered a beat.
• physical actions can be beats.
• allows you to vary pace of dialogue
• don't describe actions in too much detail unless it is critical to story. Assume your readers can fill in the steps you skip.
• # of beats depends on rhythm of dialogue.
• only describe things that really matter.
• higher tension - fewer beats; lower tension/breaks - more beats.
• beats show change in emotion - when character has a change of feeling or realization
• read aloud for natural flow. Listen for the natural pauses - that is where you can add a beat.
• write fresh beats to cliches. Change up cliches.
• Watch your friends as they are talking for non verbals

10) Breaking it up

• watch lengths of paragraphs. never longer than 1/2 of a page.
• You want some white space
• longer paragraphs - create a slower pace; shorter paragraphs create more tension.
• All chapters do not have to be the same length.
• brief scenes or chapters create tension.
• IN real life - few of us get a string of sentences off without any interruption. Look for long paragraphs of dialogue and break it up.

11) Once is enough!

• be sure you are not repealing feelings or actions too often.
• watch for echos - words repeated in a paragraph should be altered for variety. repeated phrases in a chapter should be altered.
• don't use brand names often - mention once and then use generic.
• be on lookout for repetition on a larger scale as well. -
• Writing 2 or more chapters that offer the same thing - consider combining them or distinguishing them.
• When you have characters that accomplish the same thing - consider combining them or distinguishing them.
• Watch repetitive effects (throwing up, rolling eyes etc)
• Do not crate stereotypical characters- find a way to change them.
• watch repetition from book to book. Be sure the plot shifts and different characters are not really just the same one repeated with a different name.

12) Sophistication

• Watch "stylistic constructions" beginning with as or ing word. Pulling off her gloves, she turned to face him. OR As she pulled off her gloves, she turned to face him.
• Only use these if you need the actions to happen at the same time and if they physically happen at the same time.
• Look for cliches - life in the fast lane - change them up or replace them with something different.
• Watch for characterization cliches - nerd with pocket pen etc
• Look for ly adverbs.
• You can depart from conventional comma usage in dialogue. It may convey how the speech really sounds.
• do not need emphasis quotes
• use exclamation points when someone is yelling.
• Do not use italics for emphasis - show emphasis in dialogue and rhythm.
• Watch out for flowery or poetic speech unless it is part of your character trait.Be sure character speaks as they really would.
• Subtle approaches invokes reader imagination. Leave some physical details to the reader.

13) Voice

• Literary style is different from voice - they are not interchangeable. You can have one and not the other.
• Watch out for too many sentences in a row with same structure. Diminishes voice - no one talks that way.
• If you capture a state of mind poetically - be sure it captures a turning point or key state of mind in character development
• Most characters do not have a "descriptive" speech naturally
• Watch for vagueness (generic) descriptions - man ordered drink vs dwarf ordered a vodka
• If a passage seems obvious - check for explanation (narration or dialogue) or rewrite
• If passage seems strained - read it aloud for any minor changes you can make.

That's it - I learned a ton. You may find some things are not as problematic to you as others.

Go through your book and highlight each one in a different color. Sweep through for each problem to see if it needs to be addressed.

Happy writing!