April is Poetry Month. So, whether you wish to express undying love, political angst, or merely revel in the beauty of nature, this month is for you. Poetry comes in many forms. But all poetry uses an economy of words to express emotion, deliver an idea, or paint a picture with as few carefully chosen words as possible. Rhyme and Meter Poets use a variety of techniques. Rhyme refers to the same ending sound. Meter is the musical quality, or cadence of a piece. Combining rhyme and meter, the poet limits the word choice and length of a poem. Consider the simplest of poems, perhaps the first one you learned…
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Using Slang
Slang refers to words that are understood by a distinct and often marginalized group of people. These words could express ideas or concrete objects in the realms of politics, culture, or occupation. Political slang is influenced by current events and social movements, cultural slang by music and social media. Occupational slang evolves in the workplace. Today I want to talk about how using slang reflects your setting in both time and place. Be Intentional Each generation develops its own vocabulary to augment language of the time. When you use slang in your fiction, your reader gleans information such as the age or occupation of your character, the era in which…
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Satire
Satire pokes fun at the truth. Think SNL or The Onion. In this post I’ll talk about the purpose, style and some techniques to use to create believability in your satire. Satire Purpose Generally speaking, satire is a vehicle for humorous ridicule. It highlights the absurdity of an action or government policy. SNL’s opening regularly skewers the news of the day while driving home the outlandish claims and actions of those in power. The Onion’s article Everything You Need to Know About President Trump’s Board of Peace included this line regarding membership requirements: Pay the $1 billion fee for permanent membership and submit letters of recommendation from three different war…
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Diamante and Haiku
There are more than a hundred different poetry forms. Today I want to introduce you to diamante and haiku. Diamante The diamante poetry form is a relative newcomer. It was invented in 1969 by an American poet and educator named Iris McClellan Tiedt. The rules for this form are very straightforward. There are seven lines. The first and last lines have a single noun. The second and sixth lines have two adjectives. The third and fifth lines contain three verbs. The middle-or fourth line is made up of four nouns. When centered on the page this poetry form is diamond-shaped. That’s where it gets its name. Diamante is Italian for…
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Phonetic Spelling and Dialects
Phonetic spelling and dialect often go hand-in-hand. It’s a way to capture the genuine sound of language but it can be challenging for your reader. When to Write in Dialect Let’s say your character is a Scottish immigrant. In order to establish his unique sound, phonetic spelling is your best bet. This will not only give him a voice distinct from his fellow characters, it will introduce challenges of interpretation. Down becomes doon, no becomes nae. Some characters will be unable to understand a heavily accented Scot, while others will misinterpret his words completely. Why Phonetic Spelling? You want your reader to ‘hear’ the words as your Scot pronounces them.…
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Body Language and Dialogue
Body language and dialogue play equal roles in communication. Sign language interpreters are engaging and expressive. While their hands sculpt meaning for the hearing impaired, their facial expressions drive home the emotional tenor. As a public official reads from a prepared disaster statement in calm tones, the interpreter punctuates the message with sharp movements and facial expressions that convey the true seriousness of the situation. Body Language When writing dialogue, channel the sign language interpreter. Have your characters jab with intensity and sway as if buffeted by hurricane force winds. Display emotion not only in facial expression, but with shoulders, posture, gaze. Imagine you are observing your character from across…
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Choose Your Words
Word choice can make or break a piece of writing. When you find the perfect words, they will convey the exact tone, expertise, and information you want your reader to have. Tone Word choice can set a serious or humorous tone. Consider the following: Ricky puffed out his chest and flexed his arms Ricky thrust his chest forward and struck a strongman pose The first example shows preening where the second paints a humorous caricature. A tear slid down her cheek A tear coursed down her cheek One is a trickle the other a torrent. Or consider Spoiled children Spoiled brats Two distinctly different vibes emerge by…
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Writers Wear Many Hats
With Halloween days away, I’ve been thinking about how writers wear many hats. As children, Halloween is an excuse to slip into another skin. If you dream of being a firefighter, it’s perfectly acceptable to portray yourself as one. Likewise, if you have an obsession with Freddy Krueger, no one will bat an eye if you don a fedora and strap on some wicked fingernails. Costuming How does this apply to writers? Well, unless you are a memoirist or nonfiction writer, you make stuff up. You create firefighters or Kruegeresque characters with nothing more than a vivid imagination and a keyboard. Feel like writing a character who works at a…
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How do You Name Your Character?
I like my character’s name to be compatible with the time period. For instance, if my female character was born in the 1920s I’m inclined pick the name Evelyn or Doris. But if my female character was born in the 2010’s I’m more likely to pick Emily or Madison. So how do I select a time-appropriate name? Historically Accurate When writing in a different time period, my go-to website is SSA. The social security administration has compiled the 200 most common names for girls and boys from each decade starting in the 1880s. Generally speaking, when choosing a character’s name, I pick a number before I pull up the list…
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Plot and Story
Plot and story: Plot is what happens. Story is how plot causes a character to change. Effective writing needs both. Back to School Assignment Every September of my school life, the first writing assignment was some variation of What I did over summer vacation. In retrospect I pity my teachers who were forced to wade through boring itineraries. I took swimming lessons. My sister and I played in the sprinklers with the neighbor kids. Our family vacation was driving to Aunt Wally’s and Uncle Pete’s. We swam in their pool with my cousins. It was fun. Bo-oring. That was merely a disjointed listing of events. If my summer vacation…
