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Home » Writing Craft » Page 14

Writing Craft

All Dialogue Mechanics Are Not Equal (Viva la Différence!)

By Karen Ballon May 13, 2015
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While editing a novel recently, I was writing a note to explain the importance of beats. Which led me to an explanation of the importance of varying the kinds of beats we use. Which led me to a realization: dialogue tags and beats and descriptive beats are very different things.

Okay, okay…yes, I already knew that. But I hadn’t really thought it over much. As a writer, I sometimes tend to operate on instinct as much as “study of the craft.” I’ll write something, then realize it’s not quite right and fix it. But I don’t go through an analysis of why it’s not right, I just…fix it. Looking at this element of the craft while editing, though, I needed to analyze so I could explain. So if you ever wondered how an editor’s mind works, well, here goes:

Hmm. That beat after the dialogue doesn’t work. Yes, we need a tag or something here, but this beat is the same as too many other beats.

“Dear author, this is too similar…”

No, wait. It’s not just that it’s too similar. It’s that the action contained in the beat doesn’t really accomplish anything…it doesn’t add anything to the scene. It’s an empty beat. Okay…

“Dear author, this is too similar to other beats and it doesn’t …”

Hang on. Let me read that text again. Hmmmmm….

Stage direction: (Wham! The light dawns—and smacks the editor between the eyes.)

Aha! Okay, what we have here is not just an empty beat, but it’s a simple beat when what we really need is a descriptive beat. Ooo! Cool! Not all beats are equal! Simple beats do a bit more than dialogue tags. But descriptive beats… descriptive beats are like the cream cheese frosting on the brownie! It adds flavor and enhances the sweetness—or harshness, or whatever—of the scene. It gives a glimpse into the character or the setting or the emotions. Oh! Wow! That’s why I love well-done, strategically used descriptive beats! They’re cream-cheese frosting!

Speaking of which…I’m hungry. Maybe I’ll go get some lun—No. Better finish this note first. So where was I… Oh yeah, descriptive beats enhance and deepen the scene.

“Dear author, guess what? I just had a revelation and I owe it to you!…”

So, for the record, a dialogue tag identifies who is speaking and is, in it’s simplest form, he said/she said. (One note: do NOT, ever ever ever, use such things as giggled, chortled, sighed, laughed, guffawed as dialogue tags. For one very simple reason: it’s physically impossible to speak while doing those things. Try it. I dare you. But don’t try to guffaw words. You’ll choke. If you want a simple dialogue tag to identify the speaker(s), go with said.) And dialogue tags work well when they’re needed, such as when more than two people are speaking, or with an extended section of dialogue where readers may end up confused as to who is saying what (and yes, the right word to use there is who, not whom. <gg>).

Beats, in their simplest form, also tell us who is speaking but add a little more:

“It’s so fun to use descriptive beats in fiction!” Her delight made me smile.

This simple beat goes beyond just telling us who is speaking—it also shows she’s delighted and that it’s contagious.

And then there are the descriptive beat, which peels back the layers of the scene to give us a peek beneath the surface…

“It’s so fun to use descriptive beats in fiction!”

Our writing prof clapped her hands and did a little jig, her high heels setting the old, wooden floor to creaking.

The descriptive beats paint a picture of the speaker, even the location/setting. And the beauty is you can use descriptive beats as springboards to do even more:

“It’s so fun to use descriptive beats in fiction!”

Our writing prof clapped her hands and did a little jig, her high heels setting the old, wooden floor to creaking. I couldn’t decide if she was over-the-moon happy–or just a bit crazy.

Maybe even more than a bit.

Probably why I like her so much.

So go on. Get out there and have some fun with descriptive beats. Don’t, of course, overuse them. But when you find spots where they’ll work, enjoy!

 

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Category: Craft, Editing, Grammar, Writing CraftTag: Beats, Craft, Dialogue, Writing Craft

Tools from the Front Lines: Emotional Memory

By Karen Ballon April 22, 2015
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You’ve heard it over and over: Show, don’t tell. And that’s appropriate whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction. When you communicate emotions in your writing, when those emotions are vital to your scene or message, it’s more powerful to show them. Now, I’m not going to tackle the pros and cons of telling, or when and why it’s better to show. (I covered at that in a previous post, so go there …

Read moreTools from the Front Lines: Emotional Memory
Category: Craft, Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Emotional Memory, Writing Craft

Your Conflicted Characters

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 5, 2015
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I am blessed to work with many talented authors with great ideas. Recently one of my clients, Renee Andrews,  submitted a wonderful chart outlining her characters’ conflicts. You may have seen similar charts before, but I especially like the way Renee laid hers out: [Character Name] INTERNAL EXTERNAL Goal — What? Motivation — Why? Conflict — Why not? Renee is a very successful author at the …

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Category: Craft, Get Published, Writing CraftTag: Characters, Writing Craft

Pets and Personality

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 12, 2015
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Do any of the characters in your novel have pets? When I read about pet ownership, the choice of animal and where they live may say a lot. The use of animals in a story can lend some wonderful texture to your character. It uses some common assumptions about various animals. A few examples: A large dog on a farm means a carefree, rambunctious animal roaming about the place, showing up on the back …

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Category: Craft, Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Creativity, Writing Craft

Suspending Disbelief

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 22, 2015
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After watching a television series about the life of St. Teresa de Jesus, my husband and I viewed the special bonus about the making of the film, in the early 1980s. One scene showed travelers, using conveyances common to the 16th century, moving toward several parked trucks. Another scene showed vehicles parked behind a village facade. An outtake showed St. Teresa speaking, with a contemporary …

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Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Writing Craft

Unlikeable Characters

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 18, 2014
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In a recent blog, I touched upon the problem of unlikeable characters. I mentioned that I stopped reading a published book because I didn’t like any of the characters. So when do I think a reader will keep reading about unlikeable characters? I’d say one or more of the following will save a story: 1.) The protagonist has been victimized and the reader can root for her to overcome being …

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Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Characters, Writing Craft

What’s Your First Line?

By Karen Ballon November 19, 2014
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Listen! Do you hear it? It’s been there all month, echoing in the background. The sound of hundreds of thousands of fingers tap-tap-tapping away. Yes, it’s here again: NaNoWriMo! That grand adventure of joining with other writers worldwide from November 1-30 to uplift and encourage each other as you write a novel in a month. A full novel. In one month. Sound impossible? Well, I confess I’ve never …

Read moreWhat’s Your First Line?
Category: Craft, CreativityTag: first lines, NaNoWriMo, Writing Craft

Will My Therapeutic Novel Sell?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 2, 2014
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My novel is based on the difficult times I’ve had in my life. Will it sell? The short answer — probably not. Should you write it? Yes. Issues versus story I often see proposed novels that focus on social issues, and sadly, most of them are based on the author’s personal experience with hurt or grief. And because the author is healing while writing the book, the issue comes to the …

Read moreWill My Therapeutic Novel Sell?
Category: Get PublishedTag: Get Published, Issues, Writing Craft

Long Live Napoleon Solo

By Dan Balowon September 16, 2014
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The middle of September 1964 was one of the most historic periods in world history.  Rarely has humanity seen the kind of cultural shift that occurred fifty years ago this month.  Subsequent generations will never be the same. In one week, families, friends, fiends, fish and fun boat-rides changed forever, because fifty years ago this month, the following television programs premiered on U.S. …

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Category: Craft, CreativityTag: Creativity, Writing Craft

Novel Settings: City or Small Town?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 11, 2014
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Recently a faithful blog reader posted a question in response to my post on setting. She wondered why more Christian fiction isn’t set in large cities, and if there is a way to write the story to make a big city feel like a small town. Opportunity Versus Roots I grew up in a rural village. I have lived in apartments near D.C., and now I live in a mid-sized town. My comments are based on my …

Read moreNovel Settings: City or Small Town?
Category: Craft, Get Published, Writing CraftTag: Craft, setting, Writing Craft
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