Sunday, January 4, 2015

Ways to Improve Writing

Today, I’m continuing the series “Ways to Improve Writing.”

Play into a character’s emotions as you write. By showing the reader how the character feels, the character seem more real, and that is the goal.
Fear flooded my entire body as I watched the bear walk closer. The reader is not going to feel the character’s fear because the character isn’t feeling it. The emotion has not been revealed. Stating that a character feels fear is telling.
Show how the character feels and reacts. The bear walked closer. My hands trembled and my heart pounded so hard, it hammered my ears works much better because you have placed the reader in the middle of the action. Emotions trigger a body’s physical reactions.
Thoughts and dialog also suggest emotions.
Thought: Why can’t he just shut up? And dialog: “You think I did what?”
Use such mental and verbal responses to showcase a character’s feelings. The more real the character, the more engaged the reader.
Website for Young Writers:
The only way to become a storyteller is to tell stories. The way to become a better storyteller is to learn new storytelling skills. And the way to become the best storyteller is to develop your own storytelling techniques. The best way to do all this is to explore many different kinds of storytelling. To find a storytelling project, with a story, craft, and activity, that you can do right now, stop in at the ClubRoom Page to learn about telling a Story Sprite Story with Storytellling Cards.
Call for Submissions for Adult  Writers: CHICKEN SOUP: HOLIDAY EDITION

Everyone loves holiday stories and that’s why our holiday books are so popular. In fact, we create a new edition for Christmas/Hanukah every other year. We are now collecting stories for our Holiday 2015 book and we are defining Christmas as the entire December holiday season, including Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and the New Year’s festivities too. We want to hear about your holiday memories and traditions. If your story is chosen, you will be a published author and your bio will be printed in the book if you so choose. You will also receive a check for $200 and 10 free copies of your book, worth more than $100. You will retain the copyright for your story and you will retain the right to resell it.
Deadline January 31, 2015.
Submission guidelines at http://www.chickensoup.com

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