Monthly Archives: February 2019

Today’s Writing Tip

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No matter how unique your character is, he or she needs to be “relatable” to the reader. One way this can be accomplished is by including everyday life tasks and responsibilities, which are part of life. You don’t want to overdo it and give a twenty-four hour chronology of everything your character did from the moment he or she got up that morning. However, including a few in your story gives it a touch of reality.

For example, if your hero forgot to pay his power bill and his electricity was cut off, it tells you something about him. It builds character. If you can tie it into the plot in some way, that’s even better, but the main thing is it tells you something about the character than many can relate to, either in themselves or someone they know.

Today’s Writing Tip

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A story is more interesting when the reader learns something they didn’t know. Learning should be enjoyable and picking up a few facts in a novel is always a bonus on top of a good story.

I could easily go on a rant right now about how important I believe it is to keep your facts straight in your fiction, but that really isn’t my intent, at least in this blog. What I’m talking about are little tidbits, perhaps in the trivia category, the the reader didn’t know before. This can be about a remote subject, profession, or historical situation.

To be most effective, it needs to be tied into the plot in some manner. One easy way is to give your protagonist an interesting career or hobby. But remember to keep you facts straight. It’s usually best if it’s something about which you already have some knowledge. For example, I like to sneak some astrology into my stories.  If you enjoy research, like I do, then the possibilities are endless.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Symbolism in your story will give it another dimension. Not all readers will catch it, but those who do will appreciate it. Much of the great classics in literature are heavy on symbolism. I remember being in my Senior Lit class in high school studying such things and wondering if the author had intended that when he or she wrote it. I have written things that I looked at later and realized they were symbolic while at the time that was not intentional. At any rate, if you want to write an award winning story, it should probably have it at some level.

Using weather to reflect or enhance a story’s mood is a classic, albeit unoriginal, way that actually isn’t true symbolism, at least the kind I’m talking about. It doesn’t have to be an object, though it can be. Often it is the plot itself, for example illustrating that not all prisons have bars, but can be a person’s mind. Science fiction is often used in this manner. If you’ve ever read “Alice in Wonderland” and didn’t catch the symbolism (perhaps because you were too young), you might want to read it again. Like nursery rhymes, literature is often used as a form of thinly veiled political protest.

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Pets in a story are another way to add humor. Be sure to give the animal a personality, though. Its presence alone isn’t sufficient. Otherwise it won’t have any more impact than a picture on the wall or a random joke.

Being an integral part of the story is even better. Animals, at least to those who love them, are endearing and teach us about life in subtle, nonverbal (obviously) ways. A story written from a pet’s point of view can be particularly humorous.

Another benefit of including an animal or pet is that it can help sell it to those who are also fans of that particular critter. Some authors have done very well capitalizing on this trick. Give it some thought how it might add another dimension to your story.

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Yesterday’s topic was humor. Let’s take that a step farther. Once you decide what kind of humor you want to include, then you need to decide how to include it. This can be done through the narrative coming through the point of view character, reflecting his or her thought process.

It can also be expressed through actions. This doesn’t have to be the sophomoric kind (see yesterday’s post for the definition), like the “Three Stooges” variety. It can be a gesture, someone rolling their eyes, tripping over a curb when trying to look cool, etc. Dialog is another easy way to show it through one of your characters.

The book I’m currently reading had me laughing out loud at how stupid one of the characters was by misnaming an historical figure. Skewing a quote is another way. People reveal who and what they are through their speech and this applies to your characters as well. Of course their thoughts, as expressed in narrative or stream of consciousness, is another.

Today’s Writing Tip

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You may have noticed that I missed a few days, which is the first time, well, ever, since starting these. Truth be known, I’m inclined to multiplex a bit more than I should and sometimes I’m going in so many directions I get nothing done. Since I’m in the throes of finishing up my WIP, this can be very detrimental to my progress. I can’t promise it won’t happen again.

So, that said, today’s topic is humor. (I know, it should be distractions, but that’s the way it is.) Humor is an important component, even in books that are otherwise serious. First ;you need to decide which kind of humor you want. If you’re not aware of the fact there are different types, then it’s time to get educated. Some examples are sophomoric, sarcastic, or dark.

Sophomoric is defined as “immature and over-confident.” It is often annoying, but a light-hearted romance or cozy mystery might do well with some silly, childish humor. Sarcastic humor works well in a story with an intellectual or more serious tone, such as thrillers and heavier mysteries. Dark, of course, fits well with horror as well as those for sarcastic.