For Authors: August 23, 2006 Issue [#1226]
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  Edited by: Holly Jahangiri Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Good art is not what it looks like, but what it does to us.

Roy Adzak

Art is an experience, not the formulation of a problem.

Lindsay Anderson

All art is concerned with coming into being... for art is concerned neither with things that are, or come into being by necessity, nor with things that do so in accordance with nature.

Aristotle





Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

Dynamic Dialogue: Bring Conversation and Life to Your Writing

The Gift of Gab

Dialogue is an important tool that every writer should strive to master. Good dialogue does the following:

- It yanks the reader into the story, rather than keeping him at arm’s length, as a casual observer.

- It gives valuable insight into each character – his socioeconomic and educational background, his mannerisms, his thought processes, his reactions to others, his attitude.

- It provides clues about the time period and setting.

- It helps keep you from getting bogged down in lengthy narration, provided you don’t let your speaker get bogged down in lengthy narration.

Good dialogue is dialogue that is essential to the story or to the readers’ understanding of the character. It always serves a purpose – either it moves the story forward towards its conclusion, or it illustrates an important facet of the speaker’s character. Good dialogue is not idle chit-chat.


Writing Believable Dialogue

Believable or natural dialogue is not the same as “real speech.” Listen to a group of people talking in a restaurant (yes, of course – eavesdrop!). Record them, or attempt to faithfully jot down what’s said. Real, everyday speech is not very interesting to the casual observer, for the most part. It won’t be interesting to your readers, either. How many real conversations have you heard that are devoid of annoying little lack-of-forethought time fillers, like “well,” “you know,” “uh,” “um,” “like,” and so on? A well-placed “uh” or “um” can render dialogue more believable, but use them very sparingly to avoid turning your dialogue into a sleep aid.

Good dialogue should sound natural. One of the best ways to gauge this is to read it aloud, or ask a friend to read it aloud to you. Subvocalize, if you’re very shy. If your tripping over the words, or getting your tongue wrapped around your eyeteeth and can’t see what you’re saying, then it’s not natural.

Try to make dialogue match character. Consider the character’s socioeconomic status and background. A guttersnipe speaks differently than a college professor. Consider “My Fair Lady.” It would be easy to distinguish Henry Higgins from Eliza Doolittle, even if the same person read their lines. As Eliza learns, she is more careful and precise in her speech, even, than Higgins – because she is conscious of and cares about the perceptions of others. To her, it is not a game. He can afford to be casual in his speech, even though it is not truly in his nature to be; she cannot.

Use dropped terminal consonants (doin’, goin’, seein’, wanna, gimme, etc.), contractions (don’t, wouldn’t, didn’t, etc.), profanity and slang if the character would naturally use them. Pretend your mother and your Fifth Grade English teacher will never read your work. You can’t be a real writer and live in fear that someone will be shocked to learn that you know “those words.” Consider using profanity when it’s out of character to give dialogue “shock value.” For example, if the preacher’s wife runs across a dead body in her geranium bed, she’s not likely to say, “Oh, dear, it’s a corpse.” She might actually scream and yell a bad word. It’ll get the reader’s attention if you suddenly have a well-established character act out of character. That said, remember that profanity is the last resort of little minds, and use it sparingly – for deliberate effect.

Show – don’t tell! Make sure your characters understand this rule. Using dialogue to relate past events may tempt you to tell the story in between quotation marks. Don’t let one character simply narrate the whole story. Dialogue should give us insight into each character’s unique traits – it’s your opportunity, regardless of the point of view from which you’ve chosen to write, to give the reader a glimpse of the character’s thoughts and emotions. Use dialogue to show how characters respond to situations and react to one another.


A Few Quick Tips

- Consider the character’s socioeconomic and educational background.

- Give the character a distinctive “pet phrase” or set of commonly-used expressions (e.g., “Valley Girl” speech). Be careful not to exaggerate speech mannerisms to the point of annoying the reader; a little seasoning in the pot works better than dumping in a whole jar of spice.

- Show, don’t tell! Avoid academic or wordy statements, unless they reflect a character trait.

- Use contractions, dropped letters (goin’, doin’, etc.) slang, profanity, accents, etc. with deliberate intent.

- Recognize when characters are likely to relate past events in present tense.


AVOID:

- Unnecessary repetition of a phrase or idea.

- Small talk that doesn’t illustrate character OR move the story forward.

- Having one character address another by name (they know to whom they are talking; it should be clear enough to your reader in context and by other means)

- Wordy, academic, stiff, stilted phrases rolling off your characters’ tongues, unless it’s a character trait.


Notes on Formatting Dialogue

- Dialogue starts and ends with quotation marks: “ and ”

- If one speaker’s lines extend beyond one paragraph, each paragraph of dialogue opens with opening quotation marks (“); the last paragraph ends with closing quotation marks (”).

- Punctuation goes inside the quotation marks: “And so,” explained Liz, “that’s why I killed him.”

- When one speaker is quoting another, the quotation is enclosed in single quotation marks: ‘ and ’ For example: “I told him Liz said ‘Eat more oatmeal.’”


What is Art?

Several stock photographers on ShutterStock (http://www.shutterstock.com/?rid=6552) were discussing "Art Does Not Apologize," by Tony Long (http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71599-0.html?tw=rss.culture) an article from Wired  that claims digital photography isn't really "art."

Tony writes:

Digital makes sense for the photojournalist, where mobility and simplicity are key, and it's useful for taking those casual snapshots of besotted friends down at the neighborhood local.

But for "making photographs"? For making art? No.

It's like "painting" a picture using your computer. It's kind of fun to do and what you have when you're done may be superficially terrific, but unless you've actually applied brush to canvas you're no artist. You are merely a technician with a good eye.

What Tony is really getting at, I suspect, is something that all seasoned creative professionals expect of newcomers to the field - that they pay their dues. That they respect and appreciate the hard work that goes into creating something - whether it's a work of art, or literature, or music. But his examples don't really hold up to scrutiny. On the one hand, he says:

In many instances, the darkroom was where the real art was made. The negative was your raw material -- I worked in formats from 35 mm to 8x10, depending on the subject matter and the equipment at hand -- but what you did with it once it was in the enlarger determined whether or not you walked out of there with a "photograph" or merely a "snapshot." What to crop, what to retain? Burning in here, dodging a bit there. Damn. How did that lint get on the negative? Feeling the stop bath sear your cuticles. Choosing the right paper stock.

But he goes on to insult those who've embraced modern technology in the form of digital photography:

It's like "painting" a picture using your computer. It's kind of fun to do and what you have when you're done may be superficially terrific, but unless you've actually applied brush to canvas you're no artist. You are merely a technician with a good eye.

He seems to forget that the knowledge of how to crop, burn, dodge, mix and time chemical baths could also be seen as the work of a "technician with a good eye." Art has always involved the "technology" and tools of its time. Even the caveman had to figure out how to create pigments that would stick to stone walls.

So what is "art"? Is that the question? Or does the real question touch on those uglier things, like "what art is worthy to be called art?" "What is good art?"

As a writer, I have to laugh.

The author of the article may be dead wrong, but lots of photographers and artists read the article and it sparked numerous comments and discussions. I worried, reading some of them, that it might spark a few death threats. We all know what that did for Salman Rushdie's career, though. So, in writers' terms, it must be a great article. The worst condemnation for a writer - and quite probably for any artist - is to be dismissed as uninteresting and roundly ignored.

Now, as for "art," let me just throw a few ideas out there. If a plain, white porcelain urinal can be named "the most influential modern art work of all time" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4059997.stm), I suggest that some people just need to get over themselves and be a little more open-minded when it comes to judging what constitutes art and what does not. Art, in my opinion, is between the artist with his or her intentions - and the beholder, with his or her perception of the art. Some will like it - some will love it - others will think it's trash. So what? If we all thought alike, there would be no place for art in the world, anyway.

I'm more of a writer than a photographer (though I've been doing reasonably in stock photography, lately). Someone mentioned to me that they write "classic mainstream fiction," and my first thought was, "That's just pompous. 'Classic' is for readers and critics to decide, and only time will prove them right."

Art is a form of expression. You think it's art? It's art. A viewer thinks it's art, even if "art" wasn't on your mind at all when you created it? It's art. Its lasting value is what's really at issue, and whether it has value is up to you, while you live - and then to the artistic community and the art lovers out there.

The caveman probably didn't have some lofty concept of "art" when he created cave paintings. He also didn't have a written language, so this was his "journal" and a lasting record of his accomplishments. He took pride in bringing down the buffalo, and wanted others to remember his feat. That we consider it "art" is a lovely thing - a recognition of mental and expressive talents that went far beyond the ability to bring down meat on the hoof. But meat is important for survival, too - just as art is.

The "birthplace" of art is in the soul, I think. It's in what makes us human - a need to express what's in our minds, hearts, and souls. A need to create something new, maybe to leave a mark that says, "I was here."

Most animals don't create art. That leads to a bit of arrogance in humans, unfortunately. Elephants seem to enjoy painting, so maybe the creation of art is not unique to humans. If humans gave animals the idea of painting, and have "trained" them, to some extent, is it art? I don't know, but I'd sooner have one of these paintings (http://www.elephantart.com/catalog/thailand.php) hanging on my wall, than Duchamps "Fountain" gracing my foyer:

See "A Horse is a Horse: Cholla," by Casey Schumacher (http://www.newsreview.com/reno/Content?oid=oid%253A23257). It's about a horse who has learned to paint, and whose works sell for around $1000 each. Towards the end of the article, the author asks:

But, is it art? Many critics claim that art is strictly a human experience--that emotion, intelligence and self-awareness are necessary to legitimately express oneself artistically.

After watching Cholla and Wise work, it's obvious that the horse displays his intelligence and training to create beautiful pieces of art. Every human artist learns technique from some sort of teaching, and his or her environment stimulates the creative process, not unlike Cholla's experience. Maybe humans have put up a barrier as far as what other species are capable of expressing. Maybe Cholla is a real artist.

What do you think? Animal art, by all accounts, is a commercial success. I'm not sure it's just the novelty of animals creating art. After all, "novelty" is one of the defining characteristics of great art - or literature - and I think the BBC News article, "Bidders go ape" (http://www.elephantart.com/catalog/thailand.php), implies as much by dragging Andy Warhol's Piss Painting into a story that's primarily about works produced by a chimp. I'm not sure I can appreciate Warhol's friends' urinating on copper any more than I do Duchamps' "Fountain," but I wouldn't go so far as to say, "That's not art!"

Sooo...Andy Warhol's Piss Painting on your wall, or a colorful painting by Congo the Chimp? Apparently, Picasso had no problem giving other species their due; he reputedly had one of Congo's works on his wall.

I wonder if Tony Long would acknowledge the animal artists before giving a nod to the human digital artists out there. After all, it must be a hot, sweaty job teaching an elephant to paint.




Editor's Picks

Numerous items on Writing.Com - essays, articles, journal entries, poems - address the question, “Why write?” Here’s a small sample of them.

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#1145247 by Not Available.

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#1122314 by Not Available.

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#847506 by Not Available.

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#805672 by Not Available.


And, back to the question, “What is art?” Here are a few members’ thoughts on the subject. Feel free to add your own, by way of the comment box at the bottom of this newsletter!

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#1133166 by Not Available.


I have often felt as rielle feels - except it’s the other way around. As a writer, it is photography or painting that fills the gaps, for me.

 The Typewriter Open in new Window. (E)
Why buy a typewriter in today's society of faster, smaller technology?
#1109835 by Aud Dana-Linde Author IconMail Icon


The need to be creative, to express what’s in our souls, is not limited to one art form or another, except - perhaps - by skill and inclination.

Turtle-ishous Art Work Open in new Window. (18+)
Useless doodles - artwork and design portfolio is located at coroflot.com/jflah
#862586 by JustTurtle Author IconMail Icon

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#866837 by Not Available.


And now, for your reading and viewing pleasure…

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#1039499 by Not Available.

Image Protector
FOLDER
cNotes by SMs Open in new Window. (E)
cNote Collections designed & created by the StoryMistress; original photography & images.
#549113 by The StoryMistress Author IconMail Icon



 
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Ask & Answer

Last time, I asked you “What is the hardest thing about writing?” To summarize the answers:

- writing a good battle scene

- writing good dialogue

- using correct punctuation

- mixed up timelines

- inconsistencies

- procrastination

- dealing with distractions

- getting past the middle

- shutting down the inner critic

- dealing with praise and criticism



Writing a good battle scene. How on earth do you describe what you half-dozen heros are doing at the same time as the twenty-odd villains getting beat up?

Breezy-E

"Action/Adventure Newsletter (May 31, 2006)Open in new Window. deals with writing battle scenes. In November, 2003, I found a great article called “Does Your Fight Scene Pack a Punch,” by Marg McAlister. See "Invalid EntryOpen in new Window..



The hardest thing, for me, about writing is writing. That is, I have ideas, and I'm told I have some talent for communicating them - but I find myself distracted by inconsequentials like working for a living, eating, attending Conventions, and responding to newsletters. Procrastination is my lifelong companion - I keep meaning to send it holiday cards, but I never seem to get around to it until February.

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#319168 by Not Available.

So, Robert, what are you afraid of?


J. A. Buxton Author IconMail Icon writes:

What’s the hardest thing about writing? Using proper punctuation comes in first by a wide margin. Commas from hell and whether or not to hyphenate always seem to slow down the creative process for me. Even the half dozen grammar books I own sometimes are no help.

The ideas usually flow easily from my imagination to my fingers and then to my computer screen. Often, it’s as if my characters take over my body and mind, while I just sit back and let my fingers do their work.

A stray comma or lack of same, however, often trips up the flow of my words when I go back and edit the story. Right now, whether to use old-fashioned or old fashioned is holding up the final proofreading of my “Home of the Red Fox” at the printers. Google is absolutely no help since both versions pop up.

Yes, writing would be much easier if only correct punctuation wasn’t so important.

Judity

In "For Authors Newsletter (February 8, 2006)Open in new Window., I recommended three great books (not your usual, boring grammar books). And, in "For Authors Newsletter (April 5, 2006)Open in new Window., there’s a whole editorial on proofreading tips. If that doesn’t help, let me know!


D. Cavanaugh Author IconMail Icon writes:

I'm not necessarily sure this is the most difficult for me in writing, although it does happen occasionally. I find this more of a problem in reading. I have read published books that have changed timelines, character names, or even so much as references to them. A book published by Harlequin once had a party that everyone was to attend on Sunday, in the third chapter. By the fourth chapter, it was Saturday afternoon and everyone was at the party.

I guess my question would be if you know of any easy way of tracking your movement and characters when writing, aside from going back and forth to check. If not I think I need to develop software to help writers with this.

Diane

I just keep a notebook handy, or open another Word document, or something, where I jot down those little factual details that are likely to bite me in the butt six chapters later. I still miss some, though. If you write the software, I volunteer to play guinea pi--er, beta tester.


schipperke writes:

The hardest part of writing, for me, is getting past the middle part of the story. I tend to become lazy and give up on it and hit the delete button.

Excellent newsletter.

Lazy? Or do you just succumb to the inner critic (who has a nasty tendency to tell you you’re just a lazy slob who’ll never amount to anything, anyway, so why bother)?

I tend to get bored with my own writing about halfway through. Or do I just succumb to self-doubt and an inner critic who knows my greatest fear is writing boring stuff?


plainsue Author IconMail Icon writes:

Great Newsletter! Now, about that question. What is the hardest thing about writing? Real compliments and criticism! It can give you a big head or writer's block. It scares me!

So true!

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I briefly took Tae Kwon Do lessons. My instructor, a highly-ranked black belt from Korea, pointed out that it takes little time, energy, or thought to lavish praise on someone. But to offer really helpful, constructive criticism takes all of that - it is truly a gift of oneself to another, in an effort to help someone else improve. Why would anyone critique you if they disliked or wanted to hurt you? Really - wouldn’t that be a small waste of a valuable chunk of their life? Sure, there are mean-spirited people who will say nasty things just to hurt you, but when someone spends fifteen minutes, an hour, three hours - just to help you improve something you’ve written, then surely it can’t be because they want to be cruel. You should feel all warm and fuzzy inside, when you get honest criticism - someone cared enough to spend part of their life on you.

That said, remember how little time and effort goes into praise, and enjoy it accordingly. It’s not meaningless, by any means. It feels great, and it may well be deserved. Just don’t let it give you a big head. Widening all the doorways in your home gets expensive. And if all you ever get is praise, you probably aren’t stretching your talents and challenging yourself enough.


redshirt writes:

Firstly, your Katie has some great ways to come up with titles. Loved the trip from a piece of watermelon candy to a title of something she created. Secondly, for me, dialogue is the most difficult part of writing. I would love to know what advice others would give on writing good dialogue. Thirdly, THANK YOU for including my story "YoYo Conscience" in the newsletter. That was a very nice suprise! This is the first time I've commented on a newsletter but I have enjoyed each and every one and found some useful information in all of them.

I just happened to have an article on dialogue hidden up my sleeve; now seemed like a good time to rerun it. Anyone else have any tips I didn’t cover here? Send them to me by way of the comment box, below, and I’ll include them in an upcoming issue!


twyls writes:

Jessie,

How I love your newsletters. Thanks for another informative one, this time about titles. (By the way, your daughter sounds like a child any parent would be proud of!)

The hardest part of writing for me is not scrapping what I write before the first draft is done. I have a very hard time shutting down that inner critic long enough to get a draft out. This is much harder with poetry or more artistic works than with my fiction. Why would this be?

Any advice is appreciated!

Write on!

twyls and her twin

The inner critic knows all the right buttons to push! The more “personal” your form of expression, the more vicious the critic becomes. Learning to put the inner critic in his or her place is as important as learning the mechanics of writing. During the editing stage, the inner critic can be a useful partner, so don’t go out seeking revenge or destruction. Say “Look, I’m not going to let you get to me right now. Sit down, shut up, let me create. It’s okay to write a crappy first draft. But you can help me, if you will, when it comes time to edit. Deal?”

Just for grins, here’s how I’d like to deal with the inner critic… See "Invalid ItemOpen in new Window. . It’s not finished, yet - it may never be finished. Seems I’m in need of those tips for “not quitting in the middle.” The voice that got to me here said, “November’s over. This is silly. What a waste of your time. Write something that actually stands a chance at getting published, why dontcha?” Don’t fall victim to that voice.


scribbler Author IconMail Icon writes:

ok so sure the title should be clever but my biggest pet peeve is titles that are cheesy. PLEASE don't use clichés, or something you figure sounds poetic. Titles need to be creative but have to be honestly. Your reader should pick up on that and feel it is sincere but not boring.

I agree. The title really does give a reader his first impression - make it count.



I agree. Titles are what you first see. It should fit but it should stand out also. If it's quirky title that's nice, but I want a clue as where it came from. Don't underestimate what the title can do for your work. Look at some classic books: Death on a Pale Horse, Catcher in the Rye, Needful Things, The Color of Magic. You have to be a bit into the books to see why the title works well. These titles alone make for great stories all on their own.

Did you ever read a book where the title was so good you ended up being disappointed that the author didn’t make better use of it? (Good news, if you have - titles aren’t copyrightable.) The title is almost like a suit jacket - you may be all dressed up, look great - but without the jacket, something’s missing.


bazilbob writes:

Wow! Thanks a lot for a great newsletter on titles. I really struggle with thinking up good titles, but using an allusion rather than the obvious is a fantastic idea! Thank your daughter for me. :)

Done! She was pleased to be of help.


Helen Author IconMail Icon writes:

This is great!

Thanks for your article and what a creative and lovely daughter you have~ You have helped me to be more inspirational!

She is, indeed. Thank you.


shallot writes:

I think Katie is definitely thinking along the right track. There is some invaluable advice there! Thank you so much for including it in the newsletter.

Thank you!

dogfreek21 writes:

I never worried about titles. I need to finish the story first!

If you finish a nice story, then go back, look at all the different twists and turns the story takes. Get a title that the reader won't understand until the last page. Those are my favorite titles!

I mean, why worry about finding titles when they'll just come to you later on?

I think that’s kind of a sneaky and effective way to make the title memorable (and a memorable title helps, if you want to sell books). It’s also more fun for the reader, if there’s a bit of a puzzle to it. I don’t worry about titles, unless it’s been three weeks since I edited the thing and I’m still stumped. Then it’s a problem.



I've got to say that this week's theme wowed me a bit. I think your daughter is on the right track. And it's really cute how you ask for her input about the topic. Anyway, it really was helpful.

What’s funny is that she had no idea that I was typing that fast, recording our dialogue almost verbatim. It was fun discussing the topic with her, and even more fun to show her all the positive feedback the next day.


Doris Author IconMail Icon writes:

One of my favorite things to do is come up with a "title". That has been my trail of crumbs leading me through my story. Most often, (though not always) my title comes first. Now the question would be does it portray what I'm meaning, to other that read??? That would be a good feedback.


Equilibrium Author IconMail Icon writes:

I agree with what your daughter said. I usually pick out titles just like that—they don't directly refer to what the pieces are about but makes the imagination of the readers work by suggesting what the content is. I think it makes things much more interesting, since the author doesn't spell it out for the reader. That way, there is more room for creative thinking.

It’s always good to make the reader an involved participant, rather than a passive observer. There are many ways to do that, starting with the title. While I don’t think reading should be work, necessarily, it should challenge the mind.



You are my hero and I bow before your greatness! Titles are THE HARDEST thing for me to come up with. Your daughter is a genius.

Thank you (and her) for this newsletter!

Remember what I said up there about widening the doorways to accommodate a swelled head? Gee thanks - my daughter and I will never be able to walk through a doorway side by side, ever again. *Laugh*



I liked your advice (and your daughter's) about coming up with titles. Usually, I'll use a song title, because I'm a big music fan. Although sometimes coming up with the proper title eludes me for a while!

I often have a working title and a final title - the final title doesn’t come until after the first or second edit, when I can see the big picture and look at it all with fresh eyes.


Thank you all for the wonderful, warm reception to my last issue; it was fun to share your comments with my daughter and collaborator, Katie. I’m not sure which of us enjoyed them more, but I hope it’s encouraged her to team up with me again in the future. That was fun.


grim Author IconMail Icon writes:

A month later, that sentence doesn't seem so bad...

Because I’ve written so many worse ones, since then? *Wink*


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