In the past two weeks, I’ve conducted three writing workshops. In each class I’ve asked participants to offer feedback on some of the best tips for writing children’s books. Here are the top four:
1. Create a strong ending that reflects the beginning. The resolution should reflect the character’s problem or goal that was stated at the beginning of the story.
2. Show, Don’t Tell. SHOW the character in action rather than telling what the character did after the action was complete. Instead of TELLing that Timmy rode his bicycle down the road, SHOW the scene by describing how he pumped the pedals.
3. Treat your character badly and then threat the character worse. Place obstacles in your character’s journey to raise the tension of the story. High tension builds high interest for readers.
4. Just get the story written. Don’t be too concerned about the use of voice and grammatical correctness at this stage. Good writing comes from rewriting. Future drafts of the manuscripts can spit shine it.
Contest for adult writers:
Family Circle. Limit 2,500 words of short fiction.
Must be unpublished and never have won a prize. Limit two entries per person.
Must be 21 or older and a legal resident of the US. Grand prize may be published in Family Circle.
One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive a prize package including $750, a gift certificate to one (1) mediabistro.com course of his or her choice, one (1) year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership valued at $55, and a one (1) year mediabistro.com How-to Video membership valued at $99.
One (1) Second Place winner will receive $250, a one (1) year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership, and a one (1) year mediabistro.com How-to Video membership.
One (1) Third Place winner will receive $250 and a one (1) year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership.
Deadline: Deadline September 7, 2012.
Details at http://www.familycircle.com/family-fun/fiction/fiction-contest-rules-2012/
Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label show don't tell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label show don't tell. Show all posts
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Show, Don't Tell interview with Sandi Underwood, Part II
Sandi Underwood, author of the new e-book, THE SECRET OF THE AFRICAN AMULET, (published by Keith Shaw at www.ipulpfiction.com), is visiting my blog again this week.
NKA: Welcome back, Sandi. In your writing you show rather than tell the action in scenes. What advice do you have for writers in using show, don't tell?
SU: One method that works for me in identifying opportunities to show rather than tell comes during the rewrite. I use a red pen and underline all the verbs, one page at a time. From this, I narrow the search to the most interesting scenes and rewrite using more action.
Example:
Rachel looked up toward her bedroom, but was too scared to climb the stairs. Her imagination conjured up all kinds of scary things, but she mustered all her courage and climbed upward.
In this scene, Rachel has come home to an empty house and is worried her wish has come true-that her mom would disappear! The last place Rachel saw the African amulet was in her bedroom. By showing that same information in the paragraph below, we heighten the suspense.
Rachel peered up toward her bedroom. ‘Dust angels’ waltzed in the streaming sunlight. Shadows danced in the corners. The hair on her arms twitched as she placed one shaky hand on the handrail. Mustering all her courage, Rachel raised one timid foot to the first landing and leaned slightly forward to shift her weight. Step-by-step, Rachel climbed the stairs.
Lastly, I’ve been known to utilize a more personal approach. I’ve actually performed a ‘walk-through’ to better visualize a certain scene in order to show rather than tell. Three questions that help pinpoint the action are:
1. What am I doing?
2. How am I doing it?
3. Why am I doing it?
In closing, I once read the description of writing is say what you’re going to say, say it, say what you said. I think a better way would be to do what you’re going to say and be done with it.
NKA: Thanks, Sandi, for your excellent advice and examples. Good luck with your wonderful new book. I look forward to you visiting my blog again.
NKA: Welcome back, Sandi. In your writing you show rather than tell the action in scenes. What advice do you have for writers in using show, don't tell?
SU: One method that works for me in identifying opportunities to show rather than tell comes during the rewrite. I use a red pen and underline all the verbs, one page at a time. From this, I narrow the search to the most interesting scenes and rewrite using more action.
Example:
Rachel looked up toward her bedroom, but was too scared to climb the stairs. Her imagination conjured up all kinds of scary things, but she mustered all her courage and climbed upward.
In this scene, Rachel has come home to an empty house and is worried her wish has come true-that her mom would disappear! The last place Rachel saw the African amulet was in her bedroom. By showing that same information in the paragraph below, we heighten the suspense.
Rachel peered up toward her bedroom. ‘Dust angels’ waltzed in the streaming sunlight. Shadows danced in the corners. The hair on her arms twitched as she placed one shaky hand on the handrail. Mustering all her courage, Rachel raised one timid foot to the first landing and leaned slightly forward to shift her weight. Step-by-step, Rachel climbed the stairs.
Lastly, I’ve been known to utilize a more personal approach. I’ve actually performed a ‘walk-through’ to better visualize a certain scene in order to show rather than tell. Three questions that help pinpoint the action are:
1. What am I doing?
2. How am I doing it?
3. Why am I doing it?
In closing, I once read the description of writing is say what you’re going to say, say it, say what you said. I think a better way would be to do what you’re going to say and be done with it.
NKA: Thanks, Sandi, for your excellent advice and examples. Good luck with your wonderful new book. I look forward to you visiting my blog again.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Show, Don't Tell interview with Sandi Underwood
Today and next week, I’m interviewing, Sandi Underwood, a friend and author. She’ll give us ideas of how she incorporated show, don’t tell into her new book, THE SECRET OF THE AFRICAN AMULET.
NKA: What does show, don't tell means to you as a writer?
SU: Thank you, Nancy, for the opportunity to talk about something near and dear to my heart. My first thought about this crucial writing technique is, as a writer who loves words, telling normally takes more words than showing. And like most writers, I’m guilty of loving my words! However, taking it one step further, as a reader I much prefer the writer who has successfully mastered the art of showing. The difference often determines whether or not I’ll continue to read the book. Editors must surely look at manuscripts in the same manner. A book filled with action is much more captivating that one filled with description.
NKA: How did the use of show, don't tell improve the writing in your book.
SU: In my new e-book, THE SECRET OF THE AFRICAN AMULET, (published by Keith Shaw at http://www.ipulpfiction.com/) my main character gets caught up in magic spells and native tribes in Africa. She dreams about being the ‘guest of honor’ at a human sacrifice. The following two sentences relate the same information, but the second sentence shows the action instead of telling it:
The flames burned closer and closer.
Revised:
Scorching flames licked at her bare feet.
Another example of showing is to incorporate the actions of sub-characters, in this case, the pet cat:
Primrose, the cat, even seemed to sense the danger as she disappeared into the closet. It was as if she knew more than she was telling.
Consider changing to:
Primrose warily padded over to the partially closed closet doors and peered inside. Her long fluffy tail swished rapidly back and forth, as if the wise cat knew more than she was telling. After a few minutes, Primrose disappeared into the shadowy closet.
By showing the rapidly swishing tail of the cat, the reader understands, without being told, there is more here than meets the eye.
NKA: Thanks, Sandi, for your explanation and great examples. Next week Sandi is going to give us more advice on using show, don’t tell.
If you would like to purchase Sandi's e-book, The Secret of the African Amulet, log on to http://www.ipulpfiction.com/.
NKA: What does show, don't tell means to you as a writer?
SU: Thank you, Nancy, for the opportunity to talk about something near and dear to my heart. My first thought about this crucial writing technique is, as a writer who loves words, telling normally takes more words than showing. And like most writers, I’m guilty of loving my words! However, taking it one step further, as a reader I much prefer the writer who has successfully mastered the art of showing. The difference often determines whether or not I’ll continue to read the book. Editors must surely look at manuscripts in the same manner. A book filled with action is much more captivating that one filled with description.
NKA: How did the use of show, don't tell improve the writing in your book.
SU: In my new e-book, THE SECRET OF THE AFRICAN AMULET, (published by Keith Shaw at http://www.ipulpfiction.com/) my main character gets caught up in magic spells and native tribes in Africa. She dreams about being the ‘guest of honor’ at a human sacrifice. The following two sentences relate the same information, but the second sentence shows the action instead of telling it:
The flames burned closer and closer.
Revised:
Scorching flames licked at her bare feet.
Another example of showing is to incorporate the actions of sub-characters, in this case, the pet cat:
Primrose, the cat, even seemed to sense the danger as she disappeared into the closet. It was as if she knew more than she was telling.
Consider changing to:
Primrose warily padded over to the partially closed closet doors and peered inside. Her long fluffy tail swished rapidly back and forth, as if the wise cat knew more than she was telling. After a few minutes, Primrose disappeared into the shadowy closet.
By showing the rapidly swishing tail of the cat, the reader understands, without being told, there is more here than meets the eye.
NKA: Thanks, Sandi, for your explanation and great examples. Next week Sandi is going to give us more advice on using show, don’t tell.
If you would like to purchase Sandi's e-book, The Secret of the African Amulet, log on to http://www.ipulpfiction.com/.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Show, Don’t Tell
Show, don’t tell is advice we often hear at writing conferences, but what does it mean? Think of the phrase this way: don’t just tell me Bobby is angry, show me how he acts and what he says.
When a character shows emotions, the reader gains a better understanding of the character. As readers, we want to know more about a character than what he is saying or his actions. We can do this by showing the character’s sensory reactions, what the character sees hears, touches tastes, and/or smells. Show the readers with words what you want them to see, rather than telling them.
Let’s look at a couple of examples.
When I was writing my picture book, The Munched-Up Flower Garden, I wrote “James ran” in the first draft of my story. That phrase is telling. When I revised the story, I changed “James ran” to “James sure can make the dust fly as he pick them up and puts them down.” The revision shows a more detailed picture of the character’s movements.
Mary was happy is telling.
Mary’s face opened into a wide grin, and a laugh spilled out of her mouth is showing.
Telling Mary’s reaction is an uninteresting way of writing. The reader learns more about the character by showing Mary reaction.
As you read books and articles, notice the different ways authors incorporate show, don’t tell into their writing styles. Give it a try and watch your writing sparkle.
Next week, I’m interviewing, Sandi Underwood, a friend and author. She’ll give us ideas of how she incorporated show, don’t tell into her new book, THE SECRET OF THE AFRICAN AMULET.
For the Younger Writers:
Hand out a sheet of lined paper to each student. Ask students to write their names at the top of the page. Explain that they are in a word race. Each student will look around the room for words. The goal is to write as many words that they see in the classroom on the sheet of paper. Each word must be spelled correctly. Allow about 10 minutes for this activity. When the time is up, ask students to read from their list. Limit reading to about five words each. Collect the papers and count the number of words each student wrote. Add the totals and write the combined number of words and the date on a chart. Play the game again each week or month with an attempt to increase the number of words. Display the chart so the students can see their progress.
Show, don’t tell is advice we often hear at writing conferences, but what does it mean? Think of the phrase this way: don’t just tell me Bobby is angry, show me how he acts and what he says.
When a character shows emotions, the reader gains a better understanding of the character. As readers, we want to know more about a character than what he is saying or his actions. We can do this by showing the character’s sensory reactions, what the character sees hears, touches tastes, and/or smells. Show the readers with words what you want them to see, rather than telling them.
Let’s look at a couple of examples.
When I was writing my picture book, The Munched-Up Flower Garden, I wrote “James ran” in the first draft of my story. That phrase is telling. When I revised the story, I changed “James ran” to “James sure can make the dust fly as he pick them up and puts them down.” The revision shows a more detailed picture of the character’s movements.
Mary was happy is telling.
Mary’s face opened into a wide grin, and a laugh spilled out of her mouth is showing.
Telling Mary’s reaction is an uninteresting way of writing. The reader learns more about the character by showing Mary reaction.
As you read books and articles, notice the different ways authors incorporate show, don’t tell into their writing styles. Give it a try and watch your writing sparkle.
Next week, I’m interviewing, Sandi Underwood, a friend and author. She’ll give us ideas of how she incorporated show, don’t tell into her new book, THE SECRET OF THE AFRICAN AMULET.
For the Younger Writers:
Hand out a sheet of lined paper to each student. Ask students to write their names at the top of the page. Explain that they are in a word race. Each student will look around the room for words. The goal is to write as many words that they see in the classroom on the sheet of paper. Each word must be spelled correctly. Allow about 10 minutes for this activity. When the time is up, ask students to read from their list. Limit reading to about five words each. Collect the papers and count the number of words each student wrote. Add the totals and write the combined number of words and the date on a chart. Play the game again each week or month with an attempt to increase the number of words. Display the chart so the students can see their progress.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
