Adventures in Writing

Witty dialogue is found in most Regency romances, and the comedies of Shakespeare are rife with word plays and banter between clever characters, but it also has a place in other writing.

Put two clever characters with a sense of fun together and let them at each other so they duel with words, and the reader is in for a treat that requires as much attention to the word play as the characters must pay.

This is from an unpublished contemporary novel.

"You have the tail of an ass," Ariel said.

David raised one eyebrow haughtily. "Women have told me I have a nice ass, but not one has mentioned a tail."

"They told tales."

"I am happy you are named for the sprite Ariel and not Puck. I could wake up from my afternoon nap with the head of an ass."

"Do not toss Shakespeare at me, amateur, or speak of Bottom. Why change your head into an ass? It would be redundant since you act like one already."

Witty dialogue, particularly in a romance, is emotional and personal foreplay. It reinforces a sense that these people “get” each other and are equals emotionally and intellectually.

Outside of romance, the most surprising and common use of witty dialogue is between the hero and the villain who also “get” each other.

Dueling with words can be just as much fun for the characters and the reader as dueling with swords, and just as dangerous.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Links of Interest

HOW TO WRITE A GREAT AUTHOR BIO:

http://www.rachellegardner.com/how-to-write-an-author-bio-theyll-remember/

CREATING CHARACTER NUANCES WITH TOY STORY AS EXAMPLE:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/let-toy-story-show-you-the-key-to-subtle-character-development/

INTRODUCING CHARACTERS TO A SCENE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2012/05/whos-there-introducing-characters-in.html

ANTHOLOGY CONTRACTS, WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/09/the-legal-side-of-writing-for-anthologies-part-1/

NINE WAYS TO IMPROVE DIALOGUE:

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/09/10/9-ways-to-improve-your-dialogue/

HOW TO USE BOOKBUB:

http://writerunboxed.com/2015/09/10/the-writer-unboxed-bookbub-interview-pt-1

DO YOU NEED TO TAKE A BREAK FROM YOUR BOOK?

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2015/09/taking-break-from-your-book-when-its.html

TIPS ON WRITING A GREAT SWORD FIGHT:

https://www.blackgate.com/2015/09/10/tips-on-writing-a-great-swordfight-from-a-professional-swordsman/

BUILDING YOUR AUTHOR PLATFORM ON GOOGLE+:

http://tonyriches.blogspot.com/2015/09/how-to-build-your-author-platform-on.html

WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS WON’T TALK TO YOU:

http://writerunboxed.com/2015/09/13/the-surprising-confessions-your-characters-make-when-you-listen/

GOING LOCAL WITH YOUR PROMO:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2015/09/go-local-with-your-book-marketing.html

B&N IN THE NEWS, AND IT’S NOT GOOD:

http://www.idealog.com/blog/barnes-and-noble-results-and-the-latest-news-from-perseus/

USING DIALOGUE TO DEEPEN A CHARACTER:

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/using-dialogue-to-create-dimensional-characters/

PARAGRAPH MISTAKES:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/paragraph-mistakes/

DOODLING COULD FREE YOUR INNER WRITER:

http://thewritepractice.com/doodle-writers-block/

WORKING WITH MULTIPLE CHARACTERS AND HAVING A SMOOTH PLOT:

http://writerunboxed.com/2015/09/15/the-math-and-music-of-multiple-characters

WRITING A GREAT ACTION SCENE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/09/bang-pow-boom-writing-action-like-end

THE STATE OF PUBLISHING IN FIVE CHARTS:

https://janefriedman.com/the-state-of-the-publishing-industry-in-5-charts/

53% OF COMICS READERS ARE WOMEN:

http://publishingperspectives.com/2015/09/think-more-comic-book-geeks-are-guys-think-again/

HOW TO GET READERS TO READ YOUR ENTIRE SERIES:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2015/09/how-to-get-readers-to-read-your-entire.html

USING THRILLER TECHNIQUES FOR YOUR DIALOGUE, ETC.:

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2015/09/what-thriller-writers-can-teach-you.html

7 CREATIVE MARKETING IDEAS:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2015/09/7-creative-book-marketing-suggestions.html?

RAISING THE STAKES:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2015/09/16/raising-the-stakes/

WRITING A NOVEL SYNOPSIS:

https://janefriedman.com/novel-synopsis/

Monday, September 14, 2015

Humor, Playing Against Type

Another type of humor that works well in fiction is having a character forced to pretend to be the exact opposite of what he is.

The prissy heroine may don dirty jeans and boots and do an earthy cowgirl impression to impress a potential client. This scene pushes the character out of her comfort zone as well as allowing her to see her own ridiculousness in both roles.

If you can play against type as well as situation, you can give the reader a double treat.

In this scene from an unpublished novel, two alpha males are escaping from a hospital although one of them is so badly hurt he should be admitted, not leave, and he had come into the hospital to kill someone so the situation is twisted, as well, into irony, another humor element.

Cole and Daniel staggered into the sanctuary of the empty elevator, and Cole hit the lobby button with his elbow.

When the door closed, he let Daniel slump against his chest, and he held him up with both arms. Daniel's legs buckled completely, but Cole was afraid to tighten his hold for fear of the fractured ribs.

The elevator clicked, and a light came on above the door.

"Oh, lord. We have company," Cole said.

Daniel tried to straighten his legs, but they bowed like a drunken cowboy's.

"Stay where you are." Cole pulled him back up. "And for pete's sake, hide that famous face of yours, darling."

Tittering drunkenly, Daniel buried his face in Cole's blond hair, then nuzzled his ear, his arms snaking around Cole's waist and neck.

"Don't be fresh," Cole muttered as the door opened at three. A well-dressed, middle-aged couple walked in.

"Hello," Cole gushed cloyingly and grinned, careful to keep his own famous face in shadow.

When the graying matron saw the two men in intimate embrace, she backed into the already closed door.

Cole purred proudly, "We're being married tomorrow."

The gentleman shoved the next floor's button instead of the main floor.

Cole fought to keep a straight face and Daniel on his feet.

The elevator door opened, and the couple rushed out.

"Damn, they've left," Cole complained. "I wanted to invite them to the wedding."

"What will Penn and Lylah say? They don't even know we're dating."

Cole's laughter got them through the lobby and outside the hospital.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Links of Interest

WORLDBUILDING, TYPES OF MAGIC SYSTEMS:

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2015/09/magic-systems-and-my-world-bui.html

SELF-PUBS, WHAT IS YOUR DISTRIBUTION PLAN?

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/09/indie-publishing-paths-whats-your.html

LIST O’ LINKS:

http://positivewriter.com/blog-posts-for-writers/

MAKING YOUR PLOT AND THEME A TEAM:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/your-plot-and-your-theme-are-they-a-team/

USING SYMBOLISM:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/09/meaning-what-you-say-and-a-bit-more/

THE DANGER OF TOO MANY PARTICIPLE PHRASES:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/participle-phrases/

WHEN A CHARACTER WON’T TALK TO YOU:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/09/what-to-do-when-your-character-isnt.html

“TURN” AND “BEGIN,” TWO WORDS TO AVOID:

https://janefriedman.com/2-stammer-verbs/

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF A SCENE:

https://janefriedman.com/writing-scene/

BOOK MARKETING TIPS:

http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2015/08/31/book-marketing-tips-ricci-wolman/

AN OVERVIEW OF THE SELF-PUB MARKET BY THE CREATOR OF SMASHWORDS:

http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2015/09/07/indie-nation-mark-coker/

COMMON CONFUSED WORDS, THE LETTER “M:”

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/top-10-words-confused-in-english-m/

USING SECONDARY CHARACTERS TO GIVE A BIGGER “FEEL” TO A NOVEL:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/09/second-fiddle-sweeter-musicusing.html

THE PERILS OF UNDER WRITING:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2015/09/09/dont-jump-to-conclusions-the-perils-of-underwriting

TIPS ON WRITING YOUNG ADULT:

http://thewritepractice.com/writing-young-adult-fiction/

Monday, September 7, 2015

Humor. Misunderstandings

This is the beginning of a short series on comic elements in stories.

I have never written strictly comic stories, my writing tends toward darker or more serious stories, but I like to add comic elements. These elements are situational, not in the sense of a situation comedy filled with punch lines, but the humor lies in the situation.

Humor changes the pace of the story, can reflect on what is happening, or gives the reader another side of a character.

One type of humorous scene has one character totally misunderstanding or not having the right information in a situation.

This example is from an unpublished category romance of mine called COURTING DISASTER. The hero and heroine work at the same sporting goods store during the Christmas rush, and they’ve finished a full day of work. They chat in the parking lot at their cars. Cody is very interested in Maggie, but she’s not interested in any man because she wants to remain true to her late husband. For the first time, she’s beginning to see that maybe this isn’t quite as easy a life decision as she thought.

Cody sighed loudly. "On a night like tonight, I'm glad I don't have to go home to an empty house. Nothing’s worse than an empty house and a dinner for one."

Maggie’s heart twitched more painfully than her feet. That was exactly what was waiting for her. An empty house. “You have a housemate?"

"No. I was talking about Molly." They stopped by Maggie's car, and Cody grinned inanely. "I must admit Molly turns me into a pile of mush when I'm around her. I never expected to be as crazy over her as I am."

Cold settled in Maggie's heart. "That's nice."

"I really miss her when I'm working. I promised her I'd spend tomorrow morning with her. I can already guess what will happen. She'll curl up against me in bed early tomorrow morning, rest her head on my chest, and stare at me with those big brown eyes until I wake up."

Vivid images flashed through Maggie's head. A beautiful woman naked against Cody, her head resting on his magnificent bare chest--he probably had curly auburn hair on it--and he'd..., and she'd... Maggie fumbled for her keys in her purse, her head down to hide embarrassment and envy.

"Later, we'll go for a run in the woods and find some fallen leaves to play in. She loves fallen leaves. We'll play in the leaves, then I'll scratch her tummy, and her tail will really wiggle. Then we'll snuggle."

Considerably more than her tail would wiggle if he scratched her tummy. But she didn't want her tummy scratched! Not by him, not by anybody. She was an adult, she was Jeff's widow, she was.... She was jealous of Molly.

Flustered by that knowledge, Maggie unlocked her car door. "Well, have a nice day off."

"I intend to."

The punchline of sorts is that Molly is Cody’s golden retriever puppy. In this case, the reader is in on this joke because Molly was in an earlier scene with Cody, but the reader can also be fooled.

I didn’t want the reader to think Cody was deliberately fooling Maggie about Molly’s identity so I had him tell her about his puppy earlier although he failed to mention her name which was an honest omission on his part, not a mean joke.

I also didn’t want Maggie to be an idiot about this mistake so I let her realize her error a few paragraphs later when Cody shows her the new collar he got for Molly. This also allows her to question her own feelings about Cody and her determined decision to remain a widow.

To make this light moment more than a throw-away joke, I made Molly an integral part of the plot through the novel.

For a light moment to work in a novel, it should never be a throw-away joke.