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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Craft » Page 7

Craft

Your Words Can Be More Powerful Than Technology

By Guest Bloggeron April 15, 2021
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Today’s guest post is by Laura L. Smith. She is a best-selling author and speaker who lives in the picturesque college town of Oxford, Ohio, where you’ll find her running the wooded trails, strolling the brick streets, teaching Bible study at her local church, shopping at the Saturday morning farmer’s market, or going on a sunset walk with her husband and four kids. Her latest title, How Sweet the Sound, dives into the power and relevance of hymns in our modern lives. She is represented by Bob Hostetler.

_________________

My phone is great for loads of things. But every time I pick it up it feels flat, smooth and the temperature of its environment. It smells like absolutely nothing. And taste? Well, considering phones are said to have more germs than a public restroom floor, I don’t want to try. I’m guessing it’s as tasteless as it is odorless. Technology is extremely useful, but the written word has an edge over it.

I could post a picture of the black trail that winds through my nearby woods to tell you a story about my morning run. I could go a step further and post a video. Then you’d glimpse the squirrel with orange markings around his ears darting in front of me. You’d hear the echo of my feet as I jogged across the covered bridge. If we got really snazzy and put it in virtual reality, you could see the trail, squirrel, and bridge through my eyes. But as with everything digital, the viewer would miss all the tastes, smells, and physical sensations. They’d only access two of the five senses.

But writers? If we’re doing our job well, we can one-up technology by providing our readers a full sensory experience. Here are the first five minutes of my run, not in a picture, video, or VR, but simply in words.

The thick, pungent exhaust from a lone truck assaulted my nose and mouth as I stretched my tight calves in the parking lot. But once on the trail the air was crisp and fresh. I inhaled giant gulps of it, letting it fill my lungs with something clearer, purer than the circulated air from my vents at home.

The wind pricked my cheeks. Somewhere overhead, a woodpecker’s lightning-fast beak hammered a tree trunk. Looking up, I caught a glimpse of his scarlet head bright in contrast against the pale gray sky and blackish branches stripped of their leaves. Earbuds in, I pressed play on my Maverick City playlist and started moving. The piano chords and deep, soulful cadence of Dante Bowe’s voice in my ears and the air so clean it tasted like spring water propelled me forward. Soon my breathing settled into a pattern and my feet found their rhythm sinking into the soft cinder trail.

I hope you found yourself on the trail with me. That’s what writers do—invite our readers into our journeys. That could be a journey of understanding a certain theology or of a woman walking to a stream during the Civil War (either fictional or nonfictional) or a journey out of depression or debt or through marriage or adoption. No matter the journey we’re writing about, we can bring our readers along with us by offering them a full sensory experience depicted by words.

You try. What are you currently writing? Try incorporating taste, smell, touch, or all three into your article, blog post, or chapter.

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Category: Craft, Guest Post, Writing Craft

Proofreading: Tips and Tricks

By Steve Laubeon March 8, 2021
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[Since today, March 8th, is National Proofreading Day I thought I would re-post this article from a few years ago, with some revisions. I’ve left the comments attached below since so many were illustrative. Please add new thoughts as well.] I have regularly displayed my lack of proofreading skills in past blog posts. In fact, it got so bad I’ve had to hire someone to proofread my posts …

Read moreProofreading: Tips and Tricks
Category: Book Proposals, Career, Craft, Editing, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Proofreading, Writing Craft

A Cliché Simile Is a Bad Simile

By Bob Hostetleron February 24, 2021
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One of the many things I fairly harp on when I teach at writers conferences (full disclosure: I’m a fair harper) is the need to eliminate clichés from your writing. Seriously, they’re old hat.  One of the places clichés seem to creep in most often is in similes and metaphors. (Quick refresher: a simile is a figure of speech comparing two things, usually using “like” or “as,” while a metaphor is a …

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Category: Craft, Creativity, Grammar

A Writer’s “Voice”

By Bob Hostetleron October 28, 2020
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A couple months ago I asked some of my clients if there are terms they hear in writing and publishing that they wish someone would clearly and conclusively define. One said this: “Professionals say, ‘Find your voice,’ ‘Trust your voice,’ ‘Embrace your voice.’ I can recognize another writer’s voice, but I can’t for the life of me describe mine. Is ‘your voice’ something someone else has to describe …

Read moreA Writer’s “Voice”
Category: Craft, Creativity, Editing, Get Published, Pitch, Pitching, Writing CraftTag: voice, writing voice

Diligence Is Rewarded

By Steve Laubeon September 28, 2020
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by Steve Laube

The ease of today’s social media communication brings a casual layer to the task of writing. Careful composition is trumped by the need for speed. For most “throw away” emails and posts that is the new normal. But it should never leak into the business of writing, either in craft or in delicate communication.

The other day I received an email query/proposal. There was a very …

Read moreDiligence Is Rewarded
Category: Book Proposals, Communication, Craft, Pitching, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Communication, Craft, Diligence, Writing Craft

May I Use Real Names of Places in My Novel?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 24, 2020
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The “Your Questions Answered” Series __________ I am wondering about whether or not to use real names of places in my novel. Is it better to disguise names of towns and cafes or offices? What about popular franchises like MacDonald’s? When authors write about a town, most inhabitants are thrilled. I wrote Love Finds You in Maiden, North Carolina, and received a warm reception. I enjoyed …

Read moreMay I Use Real Names of Places in My Novel?
Category: Copyright, Craft, Legal Issues, The Writing Life, Your Questions Answered Series

Should You Write Short Stories First?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 20, 2020
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The “Your Questions Answered” Series __________ What are your thoughts on writing some short stories before you jump into your first novel? I don’t recommend writing short stories before jumping into your first novel IF your goal is to be a novelist. Writing where you don’t want your success to be is akin to the dieter craving a chocolate candy bar but eating a container of yogurt instead. I’ve …

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Category: Branding, Career, Craft, Creativity, Genre, Your Questions Answered Series

What I Learned from Editors

By Bob Hostetleron August 19, 2020
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I’ve been writing for publication since my teen years, when the world was young and the Garden of Eden’s discount fruit stand was still in business. As you might imagine, I’ve worked with more than a few editors over the years (and even been an editor myself). Though some writers see editors as “the enemy” (or perhaps the stumbling blocks in their paths), I’ve always had great relationships with …

Read moreWhat I Learned from Editors
Category: Craft, Editing, The Writing Life

Realistic Language in Fiction

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 6, 2020
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The “Your Questions Answered” Series __________ I’m a former crime reporter and trauma survivor with lots of counseling writing a suspense novel. I’m trying to balance Christian fiction guidelines with the speech and behavior I’ve seen in police stations and at crime scenes. I’ve come up with some of my own ways to show through action that a cop is angry or frustrated, but can you guide us to some …

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Category: Craft, Your Questions Answered Series

Show Versus Tell – HELP!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 30, 2020
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The “Your Questions Answered” Series __________ Could you write about the difference between showing and telling? I am constantly mixing them up. Thanks! Telling is like giving readers a grocery list. They must memorize facts to absorb your story. For example: She never stood out in a crowd, any crowd. She had bobbed hair the color of dishwater and expressionless brown eyes. Her clothes were …

Read moreShow Versus Tell – HELP!
Category: Craft, Your Questions Answered Series
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