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andrewhoe: Great. I have TWO chapter 6's. Does anyone know how to delete a chapter of a book? |
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andrewhoe: Building my network of reviewers one awesome writer at a time. Mwa-hahahaaa! |
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:) - | ||
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andrewhoe: I got nuthin' |
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andrewhoe: Whew, tired lately! |
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andrewhoe: How many drafts of a work does it usually take you to get it "right?" |
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andrewhoe: "The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot." I wonder who can tell me what classic children's novel this opening comes from--WITHOUT a search engine? |
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_Tuck Everlasting_ - | ||
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andrewhoe: What is your cure for the dreaded WRITER'S BLOCK? |
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I like stimulates... i like sedatives.... i like to be me [write]... on coffee, wine, and tea. cheers. - | ||
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andrewhoe: How do you choose names for your characters? I like to generate my own, or pick unusual ones. I coined the name Reuter Wicker from the news association, "Reuters" and Wicker because it sounded close to "Walker." I actually wanted to name him Reuter Walker because of the story he appears in, but I thought it was just way too strong... |
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andrewhoe: Anybody every try writing a story using an "unreliable narrator?" I think that might be fun. |
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andrewhoe: When writing a narrative, bare-bones description of the setting is best. Let the reader fill in gaps. The more you describe, the less the reader can imagine. Spare settings also allow you to get to the action sooner. Agree or disagree? [The three-story house stared down at him, darkened windows like slitted eyes.] vs [The house stared down at him. The red brick shone dully in the fading sunlight, the darkened windows like slitted eyes. The walkway to the grand porch stretched out over the neglected lawn, which was a tiny forest of scraggly weeds pushing itself out of dry dirt.] |
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andrewhoe: The part in your story where the main character(s) screw(s) up is the most important part. It's THE part. |
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andrewhoe: If writing a narrative in 3rd person POV, when should the "main" character's name come up? a) The 1st paragraph. The 1st line. If possible, the very 1st word. Waiting too long takes away immediacy. b) Somewhere on the 1st page. Sometimes setting is important, or maybe the conflict is revealed in the 1st paragraph. c) It doesn't matter; it depends on the needs of the story. I'm an a) or b) kind of guy. What are you? |
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andrewhoe: "If you're going to write, then you MUST read the works of.... " Shakespeare, for poetic language and phenomenal imagery. OK, your turn! Complete the quote! |
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andrewhoe: Dialogue tags: my goodness, I've read maybe five stories (on and off this site) where people seem TERRIFIED to use "said." "[Character name] said" is perfectly acceptable as a dialogue tag. It can even go with a question: "Really?" she said. It's INVISIBLE, which is exactly what dialogue tags should be, but when people start messing with them, the reader becomes distracted with unorthodox tags: With a voice of complete sarcasm, "really?" I mean, it's cool to go with a "whispered" or "replied" or "asked" for variety sometimes, but not very often. Too much attention to the dialogue tags takes attention from what's REALLY important, like the story itself. What do you folks think? |
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What you see from many who post here are terms like 'queried' or 'wanted to know' and 'blurted out.' Is there an uglier word than 'blurted?'. 'Said' or 'Asked' are like punctuation marks and they don't jar the reader. Anything that isn't a way of saying something can jar the reader right out of the story. The best dialogue tag is NO dialogue tag. When there are only two people in a scene, once the reader knows who they are and who speaks first, only a very occasional tag is needed, and it can be a character action instead of 'said.' - | ||
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Emsey: I hear you, but I disagree (respectfully!) Pick up any book you like, and count how many times "said" is used. It's commonly used. redrider6612: nice trick! I'll try it! - | ||
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