cj Sez: Since Halloween is only a couple of days away, here’s
your next book to read:
Perfect for the upcoming holiday: HALLOWEEN PIECES . . . An anthology of 18 pieces of work by 17 authors
A short paranormal story I’m kind of proud of, “Once in a Blue Moon,” is included in this fourth installment of the Mobile Writers Guild anthology PIECES series. Paperback and ebook available. Kindle is $1.99.
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Searching my archives for blog ideas, I came across this 2020
post by Ellen Buikema on the Writers in the Storm blog. I am a big fan/follower
of the concept for all of my writing and believe it’s worthy of sharing. Granted
my excerpt from her post is directed more to formatters and self-publishers, but
the entire post speaks to presentations, too, whether as an author at a
conference or in the business world conference rooms.
Since creating presentations for senior management was part
of my career in the automotive industry, I would add that for visual presentations
don’t use small, thin, script fonts (need 20 point or greater) and don’t use pastel
colors for text or graphs. They’re almost invisible to anyone beyond the first
row of your audience.
Read the full post by clicking on the link for Ellen’s
post below.
Ellen Buikema wrote:
Like a pause in a song, white space can help create drama,
emotion, a bit of quiet before a storm of words.
White space is the canvas where we paint our words.
Writers can affect readers with the use of white space in several
ways.
1. White space draws the reader’s attention
to the words on the page, makes the print easier to read, and improves
comprehension.
2. Space on the page makes finding where the reader left off
reading quick and easy.
3. Kerning, the space between letters, can change the look
of the print and add meaning. Just as using all capitals can be interpreted as
yelling, extra space between letters may emphasize speaking words slowly. “You
need to s l o w down.” (cj Sez…Personally, I’d use this only in advertising
and poetry.)
4. The use of white space at the beginning and ending of
chapters gives the reader a visual break. Some writers and formatters choose to
begin a new chapter halfway down the page. Others like to start all chapters on
the right-hand side of the book for physical copies. A new chapter beginning on
the same page as the previous chapter looks like a formatting error.
5. Line spacing may be adjusted to fit next to or around a
photo or illustration, or from left to right margin across the page. Avoiding a
line with the final word of a sentence dangling all by its lonesome self on the
following page is a good thing and can be done using line spacing as well as
kerning.
6. Blank pages are helpful in the case of an anthology of
short stories, particularly if the spacing and word count send the ending of
one story onto the right-hand page. A blank side gives the reader emotional
space to regroup for the next tale.
Ways to create white space:
1. The use of images surrounded by a margin of space:
illustrations, icons, graphs, photos, all give the reader a brief rest and let
the mind focus on something different.
2. Bullet points and numbered lists make reading quicker,
scan-able.
3. Variable sentence lengths make for more pleasurable
reading. Too many long sentences in a row create blocky text. If you pause and
go back to a big block of text. it is really difficult to find one’s place.
4. Use shorter paragraphs.
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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on,
and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you.
cj
Now a note from my sponsors:
My novels THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are
fast-paced, thriller/suspense stories with sassy banter and a smidgen of
romance. (Perfect diversions for a quick weekend getaway.)
The books are available on Amazon or through your favorite
eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from
Hoopla.
Little note: When you shop The Haunted Book Shop, I can drop in and sign copies
of my books for you. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 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.
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