Talking About Dialogue
So, we’re talking about dialogue. In my humble opinion, dialogue is an intricate part of storytelling—of getting the reader into the story— because it’s an extension of the characters’ personalities. Dialogue isn’t something the reader should ever have to think about. It should just…be. It should be an even flow, a give and take of conversation. If the dialogue reads stilted or forced, the reader is probably not going to hang very long with the book.
The first rule to writing believable dialogueis to make sure it jives with whatever time period you’re using in the story. If you’re writing a Regency story or a Civil War saga featuring slaves, you better be on your game with regard to those vernaculars. I got dinged in a review of my historical western romance because the reader felt I used 2012 terminology for a story set in the 1880s. Ouch! The last thing you want as an author is to have your reader yanked from the story.
Maybe that’s why I choose to write contemporary romance. No need to worry about the proper Scottish dialect for me. But even with contemporaries, you have to be careful. I personally love to use words like “gonna,” “hafta” and “kinda” in dialogue—Spell/Grammar Check be damned. This is how people talk in real life so it’s how my characters are gonna talk. Think about Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy. Did he say, “I am trying to take you to the grocery story.”? Uh, no. He said, “I’m tryin’ ta take ya to da store.” Huge difference.
The other thing to keep in mind when writing dialogue is, if your character can say something in five words, have them say it in four. Short, snappy lines makes the reading go faster because more pages are getting turned. It also puts more *white space* on the page. And readers loooooove white space.
As a reader, one of my pet peeves is when the author uses a bunch of he said/she said or he asked/she asked in dialogue. Rather than having Sally say blah, blah, blah, have Sally do something. If she’s upset, have her stomp a foot or glare at the hero. If she’s being coy or shy, have her swish side to side or twist her fingers together. Remember that pesky, yet brilliant advice: show, don’t tell. Don’t tell me who’s talking, but show me by having some action during the dialogue. It helps to solidify the characterizations and makes for a (hopefully) more enjoyable read.
Okay, so I’ve voiced my opinion about dialogue. Do you agree with me or am I barking up the metaphorical tree? Shout out your thoughts and opinions.
Contributed by MFRW author Lynda Bailey.
I’ve always loved stories, especially romances. For me the only thing better than reading a romance is writing one. That and drinking red wine while eating dark chocolate.
My romances are full of passion, with heat levels that range from hot to sizzling! I'm proud to have been a 2010 finalist in the prestigious Golden Heart®. Please join me for laughter and love, and where the good guys always win in the end.
I live in Reno with my husband of thirty+ years and our two pampered pooches.
Lynda's latest book is Shattered Trust, a contemporary BDSM erotic romance.
Kate Landry trusted the wrong man and paid dearly for her mistake. But she survived and raised her daughter alone. At forty-two, Kate has a good living as the owner of the Bluebird Saloon. But she’s forgotten how to live. That is until he comes into her bar…
Liam St. James loved a girl once. And only once. After an accident paralyzed her, she didn’t trust he’d continue to love her. Liam left and discovered a world where women did trust him—to be their Dominant. He’s a master – literally, but the request from the stoic bar owner will pose his greatest challenge yet…
Kate and Liam embark on a journey to uncover repressed urges and to discover new desires. They also fall in love. But when you’ve been shattered as badly as they have, loving is easy. Trusting is harder, especially when the heart is involved…
Learning to love is the easy part...
Monday, January 5, 2015
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Promoting Your New Book #MFRWauthor @kayelleallen
Learning vs doing is what we teach at Marketing for Romance Writers |
It's sad but true that many publishers do nothing for promotion.
The tide is changing on that, and more are starting to see if they help there are
more sales. (That's not rocket science, is it?) But honestly, most small presses
have no concept of promotion other than giving the author free copies to give away.
So, what's an author to do?
Here are the basics. I create the following for every book, and
teach members of Marketing for Romance Writers to do the same.
- Review sheet containing the title, author, genre, rating (PG-R), tagline, blurb, buy links (US authors: find your Amazon links for US, UK, DE, AU - your readers will love you). Include your social media links. If you use Twitter, this is not the place to write it as @yourname. Write out the link so someone can click it! You get more users that way. This review sheet will hold all details about the book. Add premade tweets you can copy and share. You'll have every aspect about your book handy for interviews, questions, blog posts, and so on.
- Covers in sizes 200x300, 500x750 for website, blog, and other guest spots.
- Excerpt sheet (three different scenes) Try for lengths of 100-150 words, 200 words, 500 words. If you write hot romance, have different heat ratings available.
- Signature displaying info about the book (used anytime you email), and your social media. Make it easy for people to follow you.
- Amazon author page. You should have this already set up. If not, build it now. If you're self-pubbed, Amazon adds this to the back of your book, so have it ready. https://authorcentral.amazon.com/
Nice to have:
- Banner for the book (468x60 - web standard, 600x400 for blog tours, Twitter promo, etc.)
- Timeline covers for Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Google+
- Pinterest board for the book and/or characters, or the era you write about
Other Options
Blog spots are great if you can get them. To me, Twitter is essential.
People are going to be talking about your book on Twitter whether you are there
or not. What hashtags would support your book? A Goodreads author page helps you track reviews there.
Social media isn't something you can do without. What you have
and what you do with it is up to you, but it needs to be in your marketing plan.
And without making it sound like a footnote, a marketing plan that you follow for
all your books will help you avoid a last minute panic. It's great to have it all
done, and then be able to just ask for a few blog spots or help with tweets. Having
a plan is part of being a professional writer. Are these things easy? No. But neither
was writing the book, and your story was worth the work, wasn't it? Don't abandon your book and characters now.
You can do this.
About the Book
Human Perfect |
In the android business, the best of the best are Human Perfect.
Coming Jan 2015 http://kayelleallen.com/exc-perfect.html
About the Author
Kayelle Allen is a best-selling, multi-published, award-winning author. Her unstoppable heroes and
heroines include contemporary every day folk, role-playing immortal gamers, futuristic covert agents, and
warriors who purr.
Unstoppable Heroes Blog http://kayelleallen.com/blog
Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Sunday, December 28, 2014
The Business of Writing: That Dreaded Synopsis
That dreaded synopsis. I know there are lots of blogs,
articles, and handouts on these things. I’ll be honest I hate them. I can do a
blurb. It’s not always easy trying to squish your story into a paragraph or two
but It does keep you from putting too much in. In romances it’s your two main
characters, and your major plot.
The synopsis is where you need to put in more detail. You
can add some of your larger secondary characters here and maybe a secondary
plot or two. You do have to be careful not to put too much in and that drives
me crazy. I don’t know what is too much.
You also need to know the type of synopsis the publisher
wants. There are some publishers who only want a page. Maybe two. That’s like a
giant blurb. Some want ten pages. That’s like rewriting the book to me.
There is no quick and easy solution to writing the synopsis
but I can tell you what has worked for me and maybe it will work for you as
well. My publisher asks for an outlined synopsis to be sent in when I fill out
the forms to get the book into production. I break it down chapter by chapter
then put it all together. I find it easier to give a little more detail without
giving too much.
Barb:)
Bio:
Barbara Donlon Bradley wears many hats. She’s a mother, wife, care-giver, author, and editor. She’s a senior editor for Melange Books, and writes for Phaze and Melange books/Satin Romances with over twenty titles under her belt.
Barb:)
Bio:
Barbara Donlon Bradley wears many hats. She’s a mother, wife, care-giver, author, and editor. She’s a senior editor for Melange Books, and writes for Phaze and Melange books/Satin Romances with over twenty titles under her belt.
Barb's Links:
Website: http://www.barbaradonlonbradley.com/
Publisher: http://www.phaze.com/author.php?author=21
Twitter: https://twitter.com/barbbradley
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/barbaradbradley/
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