Monday Musings: January 21, 2019

At this moment, you can tell what the kiddos I’m watching had for every meal just by looking at my shirt.

Seriously. I have oatmeal on the back of my shoulder, yogurt on my sleeve, and ketchup somewhere in the vicinity of my midriff. No joke. I’m walking proof. (I’d add pictures but I have none.)

However, these traces of food got me thinking. (Go figure)

Shouldn’t the way I write be something like this? Instead of completely hiding something, or saying too much too soon, shouldn’t I leave traces in my story to let the reader start to theorize?

“Oh, what’s that stuck to her sleeve? Is it juice? Ice cream? Maybe yogurt? Did the kids have yogurt for breakfast?”

I think it’s an essential part of drawing in a reader, leaving a little to the imagination. I think each part of a backstory or tale we’re discovering should leave us feeling like we see the world in a whole new light. It should complicate things as well as clarify something in a way that makes us go “That means ____ had a whole different meaning behind it!”

Maybe it’s just me, but wouldn’t you read a book that has this going for it?

Today, let’s try to complicate and clarify. Let’s leave traces so our readers stay hooked and let’s discover what our characters are hiding. After all, you never know what they hda for breakfast until you look closely.

Monday Musings: January 14, 2019

There are a few things that annoy me in my writing. One of them is the way I write first drafts. Should every sentence begin with a “he”, “she”, or a character’s name. It seems terribly uncreative to me.

The problem arises when I start revisions. Let’s be real here, I hate revising as much as the next person. It is a necessary evil. However, as I go through my (usually splendid) writing, I find this common thread. Stupid names and pronouns.

I’m trying to find coping mechanisms, but it’s difficult when a small child clearly conveys his opinions and stories better than I do.

I know we’ve all been through it, but in reality it still hurts. I’m trying to be better, but feel as though I’ve regressed.

How about you? Do you have any weird writing habits you wish you could kick? I’d love to hear your stories about them.

As time is short today, I’ll leave you with one last thought. What fun would writing be if we didn’t grow during the process?

Hmm… I know I’ll be pondering that one all night long.

Why You Should Hide Fluff Inside Action

Something I have learned recently: hide fluff inside action.

Let me clarify. It isn’t exactly “hiding”, but rather inserting in the middle. Still confused? I’ll explain.

I have recently fallen down the K-Drama wormhole (don’t judge, we all have one quirky obsession), and it has actually been very good for my writing. Being a writer, I watch with an eye toward what the writers were thinking when they pieced the story together. One of the first things I noticed is how hard I began to ship characters. (For those of you who don’t speak the language of “ship”, let me know and I’ll write you a post.)

I digress. When I started to realize how squeal-worthy these shows were, I (naturally) began to dissect WHY. I discovered something particularly interesting.

Generally, when you learn to write, you start to break down what needs to happen into scenes and the like. You ask, “what is the purpose of this scene?” and break it down into Action, Love, Filler, Plot, etc.

But what if you didn’t have to? What if one scene could serve multiple purposes?

You see, that’s what I began to discover. I shipped these characters so hard because their lives weren’t dissected into different categories. Everything intermingled. Everything in their lives touched.

And the best part? The most squeal-worthy fluff scenes weren’t fluff scenes at all.

My favorite scenes began to take on a pattern. Anyone who knows me also knows that I LOVE ACTION AND ADVENTURE AND DANGER. Hands down one of my favorite things to read, watch, or write. It’s so exciting! So, naturally, my favorite scenes had danger and action. But then I realized, right in the middle, the writers would throw in a sprinkling of fluff.

A kiss before the hero runs into certain death.

A heroine reaching for her hero’s hand when she gets scared or injured.

A simple confession of “I like you” as they realize they may never get to say it again.

And then, right on with the action and adventure. As if nothing ever happened. (*Cue me, screaming at the screen* YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE US LIKE THAT! THAT’S CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT!)

Thus, they have created the need for more. As writers, I think that’s a cue we should learn from. Sometimes, less is more. People want to push characters into a relationship. We’re hard-wired to think two people in the story should end up together. If you give them an inch, your readers will take it a mile.

I personally believe — after much trial and error — that fluff as its own scene can be grating. However, if you give a taste of fluff inside a much richer, fast-paced scene, people will come back for more. They’ll crave that relationship and all it entails.

Raise the stakes, my friends. Let your purposes intermingle and bleed into each other. Life is messy, so why can’t our character’s lives be a little more realistic in that way?

Declaration Statements

I have recently rediscovered how much I love it when a character in a movie/book/tv show discovers who they really are. It’s either a breathtakingly tragic moment or a moment of joyous celebration.

With discovering who they are, almost all of them nail down what their purpose is, and we all know that we love to know what their purpose is. To prove my point, please enjoy just a few of the declaration statements I thought of as I thought through this.

“I am Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

“I am Loki. Of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose.”

“I am Moana of Motonui. You will board my boat and sail across the ocean to return the heart of Te Fiti.”

“I am a Jedi.”

“I am that hero.”

“I am Groot.”

“I am Iron Man.”

“I am the President of the United States of America, clothed in immense power. You will procure those votes.”

Those are just some of them.

You’ll notice in the case of Loki, I added in a villain. (Don’t argue with me, for the sake of the Avengers movie, he was a villain.) This is because it’s not just the heroes who can have this epiphany moment.

In the case of Groot, it’s less an identity statement as it is that’s all he can say, but hey I couldn’t resist.

Declaration statements often come out in the heat of battle, or when they need to know who they are most. In the case of Inigo, he talks about saying that to the man who killed his father, but he never says it with as much conviction as when he finally meets him face to face.

The same goes for Moana (who eventually comes to the revelation — in song, no less — that “I am Moana!”). She needs to know that who she is, is enough to help save her people.

Declaration statements are fun and even more fun to use. I’m going to go try some in my newest WIPs. What about you?

March WIP Excerpt!

I’m so excited to implement a once-a-month excerpt from my current WIPs. Whatever I’m working on, you get to see some sneak peeks once a month! I’m so excited for you to join me on this journey!

Here’s your first excerpt and I totally hope you enjoy it!

The lights came up. Hadassah inhaled sharply.

The hosts spoke, but she could hardly hear them over the blood rushing in her ears. Her gaze traveled over the judges, to the first rows of the audience, illuminated by the bright stage lights.

As she feared, eyes bore into her with steely determination. All but one bowed head full of brown waves. A head she recognized all too well.

Why didn’t Morgan look up? Why did he look so concerned? Something had to be wrong. He never would have looked away if something wasn’t wrong. Oh, she wished she could see his face, to look into his eyes and find the dilemma.

Morgan’s head snapped up and his eyes found hers.

Hadassah blinked. Had someone said something? She couldn’t remember, or she hadn’t heard. Her own gaze flicked to the hosts, who both smiled at her encouragingly. One of the girls next to her nudged her toward the one last circle in front of her. When did they call all those other names?

This had to be a sign of a breakdown. There wasn’t another explanation. She should have heard all that, her ears worked fine. How did she miss it?

The crowd’s cheers deafened her. Hadassah clenched her fingers in her skirt instead of taking the step back she wanted. Keep up the facade, she reminded herself as she took short, quick breaths through her nose. Don’t freak out on them. They want someone beautiful, not fragile.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. When she thought of her stalker, a sinking in her stomach accompanied it. This time, it was more butterflies than Titanic. Hadassah lifted her eyes and found a pair of deep green, stormy eyes staring back at her. Her breath caught and her chin lifted, ever so slightly.

Have I Told You?

 

Have you guys heard? I’m posting a series of short stories on Kindle for .99 cents each! I’d like to take some time today to give you an overview of what you can expect from this series.

The Realities serial stories start with five young adults, each trapped in a different world with different dangers. Some are wise and some are flighty. Some are afraid while others face their worlds head-on. Only one character connects them, and he is generally known as The Ringmaster.

As each story unfolds, these five young adults will find ways to communicate with one another, and they will have to decide which realities aren’t real at all. Whether you like dystopia, fantasy, or good old-fashioned action and adventure, these stories have something for everyone and the best part ? Each one takes thirty minutes or less to read. You can read them on the go! Anywhere you want, because they’re so accessible and easy to get through.

Intrigued? Good, I’m glad.

You can find the first two stories (Silas and Kennedy) on Amazon and the Kindle app. Once you get through the first two, you can pre-order Christian and it will be automatically delivered to your Kindle or Kindle app on March 1, 2017!

As a bonus, I’m going to let you in on the titles for the rest of the series! You ready? Let’s take a look.

1. Silas
2. Kennedy
3. Christian
4. Ariel
5. Giselle
6. Dawnbreakers
7. Fears and Secrets
8. Nightmares of a Generation
9. Hauntings
10. Sands of Time
11. Enter the Flood
12. The Circus Trap
13. Invasive Maneuvers
14. Creatures and Beasts
15. Whispers of Death
16. End of the Tunnel

And there you have it, my friends! Aren’t you so excited to find out what happens in each of these stories? Me, too. I hope you look forward to it half as much as I do and I’ll see you on the other side.

Realities: which will you choose?

.

.

.

Did you like what you read today? Do you have questions, comments, or cat-killing curiosity about something? If so, please either comment on this post or visit the Contact page and drop me a note!

It was good to have you as a visitor today! Please drop by again, or become family by following the Write Knowledge. Thank You.

Learn the Language

What’s the first thing you do when you visit or move to a foreign country?

You learn the language.

And not just the spoken language. You learn the gestures that are permissible or impermissible. You take time to learn how their bartering system works. You learn what the people from the country love to do and what they’re not so fond of. You learn every aspect of the language they speak from the inside out.

“But, Megan, what does this have to do with writing?”

Good question. And one I’m here to answer.

When people leap into their preferred book or movie writing genre (fantasy, sci-fi, action/adventure, etc.), most of them don’t take time to learn the language. It’s the ones that do take that time who excel in what they’ve set out to do.

“What do you mean by ‘learn the language’?”

What do I mean? I mean that each genre has a language you should be learning.

Do a study for me, just to humor me. Pick up a Science Fiction book or movie and really listen to what they’re saying. You’ll probably hear a lot about lasers, teleportation, spaceships, and other fun stuff. Now pick up an Action/Adventure. Bullets, car chases, knives, and stalkers.

If you look at each genre, through multiple stories, you will find that each has its own set of rules and its own language to learn. People who read or watch those genres all the time have an innate ability to speak that language fluently, and without really thinking about it.

If you’re going to write a specific genre, I suggest you pick up a book or movie and start learning the language before you take one step further. Fans will know if you really speak their language or not, and if you don’t (I hate to say it) they’ll put down your stuff and call you a fake.

Just like any other language, the genre languages are more easily learned when you immerse yourself in them. When I sit down to write an Action/Adventure, I make sure I’ve spent weeks reading that genre and watching all my favorite action movies. The more time I spend immersing myself in those things, the better my writing becomes. Why? Because I’ve learned the language.

Don’t jump into writing a fantasy novel when you’ve been on a steady romance-only diet. (Just an example, exchange any two genres in there.) What you put in is what will come out when you sit down to write. Please, please, please do the world a favor and immerse yourself in the language. Learn it until you can’t possibly speak anything else. Until the syntax and sentence structure are fused into your bones. Trust me, your readers and I will thank you later.

.

Your genre and your favorite story therewithin (book or movie). I want to know!!!

.

.

.

Did you like what you read today? Do you have questions, comments, or cat-killing curiosity about something? If so, please either comment on this post or visit the Contact page and drop me a note!

It was good to have you as a visitor today! Please drop by again, or become family by following the Write Knowledge. Thank You.

4 Lessons About Writing From “Hoodwinked!”

For those of you who are now wondering what in the world “Hoodwinked!” is, I will explain. “Hoodwinked!” is not only fun to say, (go on, try it!) but is also an animated movie from the early 2000s. The premise? To learn the “true” story of Little Red Riding Hood, a tale distorted by time. (Let it be noted that I know a lot of people who don’t like this movie, but I happen to think it’s pretty awesome and will continue to like it despite protests.)

There are tons of lessons we can learn from fairytales themselves, but that’s a blog post for another time. In this case, we’re taking lessons from the movie loosely based on the fairytale. They are completely different. So…

#1 – No Character is an Island Unto Himself

It’s true folks, this movie made me sit up and see the light on that point! No character exists in his own little bubble. All their lives interconnect, even when they don’t realize it.

There are several characters in “Hoodwinked!” who, at the beginning, seem random and unessential. Until you start to figure out the story behind the story. Suddenly, you realize these characters aren’t random and they are very essential to understanding what’s going on in the Forest. They bring with them a depth the story wouldn’t have had if they had been left out.

So don’t underestimate those characters that just happen to show up for a brief scene. What if they’ve crossed paths with your hero or villain (or both!) in the past? What if they know more than they’re telling? Think about how their life connects with the other characters’ lives, then see what depth your story has just developed.

#2 – Nothing Should Ever Be As It Seems

“Hoodwinked!” has one major writing advantage to other kids’ movies. Nothing turns out like it seems.

That crazed axe murderer? Not a crazed axe murderer at all. Granny floating through the clouds? Logical explanation. A seemingly random avalanche? Not random at all.

When writing, we should remember that people make assumptions, and those assumptions are usually very wrong. Don’t let your characters figure things out too quickly. Let them assume what they just saw was something completely different than what it actually was. It makes for conflict, and conflict makes for a great story.

#3 – Villains Aren’t Always Cut-And-Dried, Sometimes They’re Cunning

I won’t give the spoiler on this one, but the villain isn’t who you think it is. He’s unassuming. He’s a friend. But, behind the scenes, he’s orchestrating everything to make it look like someone else did it.

Villains don’t always seek the attention. Sometimes they’re villainous because they DON’T want the attention. They want someone else to take the fall so they can pick up the pieces and make a profit. Think outside the box when it comes to villains. Let them be someone you don’t think a villain normally is. Surprise us by twisting the story around until the REAL villain jumps out and says, “You didn’t see that coming?”

#4 – Keith Is Not A Scary Name

“…And Keith… get a scarier name. Really, who’s going to be afraid of a guy named Keith? ‘Ooh, I’m so scared, it’s… Keith.’ ‘Everybody look out, here comes… Keith’.”

The longer you think about it, the more you realize he’s right. Keith is just not a scary name. Friendly, maybe, and totally hero-sidekick-available. But not scary. Because of this movie I now realize I can never name a villain… Keith. This is a very important lesson, folks. Be sure to give your villain a scary name like Gunter or Nash or Vadislev. Not… Keith.

.

.

Have you seen this movie and will you fangirl with me? BONUS QUESTION: Can you spot the Marvel Cinematic Universe reference in this post?

.

.

.

Did you like what you read today? Do you have questions, comments, or cat-killing curiosity about something? If so, please either comment on this post or visit the Contact page and drop me a note!

It was good to have you as a visitor today! Please drop by again, or become family by following the Write Knowledge. Thank You!

The Power of Prose

Words are magical.

I mean, think about it. With a simple turn of phrase, we can make people see exactly who, what, or where we want them to. With one carefully placed word, we can turn a sentence from sweet to creepy or vice versa. There isn’t much that our words CAN’T do.

I know, better than most, that this puts a huge weight of responsibility on our shoulders. What if we choose the wrong word? What if the word we pick isn’t strong enough? What if we fail to make it come across as we see it in our head?

All valid questions.

The answer is: we never know if we’ll have the desired effect until we let others see our work.

I know, it’s a Debbie Downer. But, the good news is that there are things we can do to make sure we get our point across exactly as we want it to come across. Let me ‘splain.

For those of you who write Suspense or Thrillers, you’ll want to know how to heighten suspense in your scenes. Thankfully, I have a pretty good idea how Suspense works, so here’s my number one suggestion to create the suspenseful scene you’re looking for. Ready?

Use short sentences.

That’s it. The shorter the sentence, the more clipped the feel of the scene. And don’t just use short sentences in your narrative, throw some into your dialogue as well. Fragments are welcome in a suspense scene, because it inherently tells your reader that something is terribly wrong. (Despite what people think, anyone who paid attention in English during middle school subconsciously knows their grammar.)

For those of you who write Romance (or any sub-genre thereunder), you’ll probably want to know how to show your readers how sweet one or the other person is without being super cheesy. So, my number one advice:

Use body language.

“In my writing? Really?”

Yes. Really. Over half of the ways people express how they’re really feeling is in their body language. Do they have a nervous tick? Do they have a habit of reaching to push the girl’s hair behind her ear? Anything like that can add loads of layers to a scene and, ultimately, a story. This is one of those instances where “Show, Don’t Tell” comes in really handy. Don’t tell your readers he likes her. Show them by his actions. Just like real people.

So, you romance writers, go plug in your favorite Rom-Com and take notes on how he shows he loves her.

For those of you who write Historical, you’ll want to know how to keep your facts straight.

Google.

There is nothing better. Oh, and for heaven’s sake, please find out if the words you choose for them to speak were actually spoken in your time period. Please. I’m begging you. It’s a pet peeve of mine.

For those of you who write Fantasy…

…

…

Okay, I’m sorry, I’ve got nothing for you. It’s all in your head. As I am not a fantasy writer, I can’t give advice on the subject, except to say pay attention to your plot holes.

So, advice for the day, pay close attention to your genre and READ, READ, READ!!!

.

.

What genre do you write and what’s your favorite part about it?

.

.

.

Did you like what you read today? Do you have questions, comments, or cat-killing curiosity about something? If so, please either comment on this post or visit the Contact page and drop me a note!

It was good to have you as a visitor today! Please drop by again, or become family by following the Write Knowledge. Thank You

Learning to Intrigue

I’ve struggled a lot while learning the craft of writing. A. LOT. And do you know what the hardest part is (for me, at least)? Catching and holding an audience. And, as I write romantic suspense, that’s kind of a problem.

So, here I am to tell you I’ve finally found the solution.

I have taken a lesson from the movies.

Let me expound. I found this solution for myself by thinking about what I want readers to feel like when they read one of my books. I sat down, I thought, thought, thought (Eh? Anyone? No?), and I said to myself “action movies”. You know the ones. The ones where you sit on the edge of your seat, bite your nails, and worry over whether the characters are going to make it out alive. And then, after I had nailed that down, I promptly sat down to marathon and take notes.

What fun tricks did I learn, you ask? Well, that’s why we have this blog post!

1. Keep the audience in the moment

This may sound like an impossible task, but it is accomplished by utilizing one simple tool. Withholding information. To keep in the audience in the moment you’re at, you only tell them what they need to know to understand the story thus far. Do not — I repeat, DO NOT — burden them with exposition. Keep them in that moment in time. Do not take them back in time. It is okay ON OCCASION to foreshadow something from the future, because we’ll need that in a minute.

Which brings me to point:

2. Foreshadow future events

Let me clarify. Not every single line of narrative has to foreshadow the future. Do not harp on people about how “If I knew now what I knew then” and “I would have chosen differently if…”! Just don’t. Foreshadowing is a tool to keep your readers/watchers guessing. If you keep using it over and over and over in an overt way, they’ll lose interest.

So, use subtle foreshadowing. That gun that has a tendency to jam. That squeaky door when you enter the house. That weird note the heroine gets at the beginning of the story. An “off” line of dialogue. Be creative. Be subtle.

3. Keep them guessing

I recently watched a new release where a character was introduced and we weren’t sure if she was totally evil or semi-okay. She was there to torture, but then she helped the hero escape. Everything she did could be taken for good or evil, and we didn’t know which way she would ultimately lean. You know what this did? It kept me guessing!

If your audience has seen the plotline before and knows that “Oh, hey, this is what’s going to happen next”, they’re a thousand times more likely to put your book down or turn off your movie. You have to keep them up in the air. Don’t solidify anything until at least the third act.

That isn’t to say don’t tell the audience anything. Give them hints, clues, snippets. They’ll read on.

Anyway, those are the major points I’ve learned while studying the action/adventure movie drama for tips. I hope you found them helpful, and I also hope if you have questions you’ll either comment or contact me. Here’s till next time!

.

.

What are your thoughts on keeping readers hooked? I’d love to hear!

.

.

.

Did you like what you read today? Do you have questions, comments, or cat-killing curiosity about something? If so, please either comment on this post or visit the Contact page and drop me a note!

It was good to have you as a visitor today! Please drop by again, or become family by following the Write Knowledge. Thank You