Symbols and symbolism took a leading role this past week with world-wide protests of police brutality against minorities. So, this week I want to address symbols and symbolism in your writing. Symbols are a kind of shorthand to the reader. Without explicitly stating something the author conveys a message or a meaning. Examples of Symbols and Symbolism Let’s look at Harry Potter’s Hogwarts. Membership in Gryffindor symbolizes bravery and courage; Hufflepuffs are loyal; Ravenclaw represents wisdom; and the House of Slytherin symbolizes cunning. Each time J.K. Rowling mentions one of these houses, the reader instantly accepts the defining characteristic for its members. Because Draco is a member of Slytherin, there…
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Backstory and Info Dumps
What are backstory and info dumps? Backstory is everything that happens to set your character up to tell their story. Info dumps, on the other hand, are a writer’s attempt to tell the backstory in large chunks of print on the page. Backstory Before you begin to put words on the page, you have a vision of your character and their circumstances. How many brothers and sisters? Do they live in a city or the country? What are their secret desires? Their fears? What is it about their past that drives them toward their future? These are all elements that make up their backstory. As a writer you may want…
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The Power of Story
Stories bind us together. The best stories, whether real or imagined have a vulnerable character exercising extraordinary courage. Here is my friend’s latest: The other day some ants came into the house. But I didn’t mind because they are the only visitors I’ve had in weeks! What makes this story so memorable is the universal connection we feel during this pandemic. From this two-sentence story we learn my friend is a very social person and that the restrictions placed on us during the pandemic have made her lonely. Vulnerability and courage are definitely on display here! You have to know that my friend takes great pride in her house and…
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Celebrate Poetry Month
Writers celebrate poetry month every April. In poetry, ordinary things become extraordinary because the reader feels a connection to the words on the page. We’re all searching for connection amid forced stay at home orders and pandemic quarantines. Thank goodness for FaceTime, Zoom, and all those other platforms that allow us to keep in touch with loved ones and others in our community. Writing Poetry Soothes the Soul Writing poetry gives us time to reflect, to take stock. To examine our emotions. Whether you’re shooting for humor or poignancy, consider free verse, sonnet, and rhyme to get you there. Here is an exercise to close out poetry month. Listen, really…
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Motion, Emotion, Motivation
Motion, emotion, and motivation will keep your story moving. It’s no coincidence these three words share the Latin root for move. Whether you’re writing fiction, biography, or an informational article, be sure to include each of these. Let’s look at how each one enriches your story. Motion Plot is the motion in your story. It moves the story forward and compels your reader to keep turning the pages. What will happen next? Plot is the logical progression of events. It’s a series of cause and effect that leads the reader to an endpoint. The motion must be focused and directed toward the end goal to avoid aimless wandering, and risk…
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Things That Fall From the Sky
Precipitation has a specialized vocabulary all its own. Generally speaking, precipitation includes rain, snow, and hail. But each of these has a range of words to describe them. Rain Rain falls from the sky as drops of water. It comes down hard, soft, heavy, and light. Rain has its own specialized vocabulary. It can mist, sprinkle, drizzle, or rain. A light rain is a shower. Heavier rainstorms come in downpours, cloudbursts and torrents. Rain paired with thunder is a thundershower, and is often accompanied by lightning. A rainfall with copious amounts of water is called a deluge and may lead to flash floods. In northern latitudes you may experience freezing…
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Suffixes: Word Endings
Suffixes are always added to the end of a word. We use them all the time to change a word’s meaning. Suffix categories are different than prefix categories. The four categories are: noun suffixes, adjective suffixes, verb suffixes, and adverb suffixes. Noun Suffixes Noun suffixes create a noun from a different part of speech. Generally speaking, nouns fall into these categories: person, place, or thing. Teach is a verb. Add the suffix /er/ and you have a person, a teacher. Bake is a verb. Add the suffix /ery/ and now you have a place, a bakery. Create is a verb. Add the suffix /tion/ and creation is a thing that…
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Prefixes Transform Words
Prefixes change a word’s meaning. Let’s look at different categories of prefixes. Some prefixes change a word to mean its opposite. Others change a word to indicate repetition. Still others refer to quantity or position in time, movement, size or are related to science or medicine in some way. Opposites One of the first prefixes I learned was un. It is probably the simplest way to change a word to its polar opposite. Comfortable becomes uncomfortable, believable becomes unbelievable. In fact, people will understand your meaning even when you use it to create words that don’t exist. I’m thinking of the words undead and uncool. Another common prefix for the…
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Vocabulary, Building Blocks for Writers
Vocabulary is a fancy term for the words you use. Since words are the writer’s building blocks it makes sense to build a large vocabulary. So how do you do it? Building Vocabulary Vocabulary can be specific to a profession, art form, or region. For instance, to a student, the word site will probably refer to a website, but to a biologist or archaeologist it will refer to a location. Medium to an artist is the material they use to make their art, but it can also be a psychic leading a seance, a size, or the way information is transmitted. And then of course, different regions have their own…
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Bring Intellectual Curiosity to Your Writing
I enjoyed the holidays with family. I hope your holidays were full of happy times with people you love. Here’s something to think about as you write in this new year. Intellectual curiosity withers in either or, black or white, up or down, left or right. It thrives on maybe, what if, but, and so, possibly and even though. Intellectual curiosity allows us to look through another’s lens. It forces us to consider viewpoints other than our own. When the world is presented as either or it puts blinders on the intellect. The world is not black and white. It is filled with a kaleidoscope of color. Media Landscape…
