cj Sez: I’m a visual person (is that a right brain
or a left brain thing?), and that shows up like screenplay scenes in my
writing. Scenes and dialogue are the least complicated for me to write.
Scenes
I enjoy working to create details that permit my
readers to visualize where the characters are and what they are seeing. I do try
to keep my details sparse and incorporated into the flow of the scene’s action.
I.E., I don’t tell the reader the office is small and crowded. I’ll let the
character do that by having her desk chair bump against the wall when she
stands up or spins around to retrieve a document from her printer that’s
sitting atop the three-drawer file cabinet near her left elbow.
By the by, my scenes also incorporate at least one of the five senses—sight, smell, sound, taste, touch—as well as journalism’s five “Ws” who, what, when, where, and why. I also add the “H”: how.
Dialogue
Writing dialogue is another favorite. I especially
like it when I can create almost an entire scene with dialogue and need to use
only one “said” tag because I’m able to create a movement/beat for the speaker. This works especially well for me when there
are only two characters, and with a little bit of finessing, can also work with
three. How do I make it real? I read it out loud.
Dealing with personal introspection/emotions/internal
dialogue is more difficult for me since I “see” the action in my stories,
something akin to watching a movie in my head. Narrative doesn’t exist in
movies unless there’s a voice-over, so I tend to use very little of it.
I’ve
been told and I do understand I need more narrative in my novel, so I have to
work on expanding my use of internal dialogue.
Okay, I’ve confessed. Now it’s your turn. What is
your writing strength or weakness?
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That's Biscuit over there peeking out from under my monitor, making sure I'm still working.
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Book Review
I spent most of last week reading best-selling author Susan
Yawn Tanner’s Storm Out of Texas —book 3 of her Bellamys of Texas series. I have to
tell you, I really connected to the characters, the emotion Susan brings to the
story, and the continuous action.
When the pain of losing his wife still “threatened
to bring him to his knees” even a year after her death, Ford Bellamy knows he can’t
spend another winter in a place that holds so many precious memories. He pulls
up stakes and takes a stage coach Westward through Indian and road bandit
territory in search of a new life for himself and McKenna, the infant daughter
his wife never got to hold.
Along the dangerous journey, passengers with their
own life stories get on and off the coach, some to stay where they are, some to
die. Ford is attracted to the beautiful and betrothed young woman who volunteers
to care for McKenna when he must face and mete out death. What he doesn’t know is
that the same may be waiting for her and for him at the end of the journey.
P.S. It’s free on kindle Unlimited…
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That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep
on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and
safe summer…with lots of time for reading!
cj
Little note: The
Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact:
https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us If she happens to be out, I also have a small
stash. Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her
own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you any book(s) by any author of your choice.
➜ Follow me on . . .
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