Writing – Page 10 – WRITE TIME AND AGAIN

Strong Point of View

Posted on October 16, 2021October 16, 2021 by L. M. Montes

First Person POV: The story is told from the story teller’s point of view and uses the pronoun ‘I’, ‘us’, ‘our’, or ‘ourselves’. It can also be narrated by the protagonist/main character, witness, or side character.

Third Person POV: The story is told from outside the story and the narrator refers to the characters by name or as ‘he/she/they’ and also ‘him/her/them’. Types of third person include:

Third Person Omniscient: the narration of the story is told with a voice as if from the author. They take on an all knowing perspective on the story being told.
1. Example: As Rob and Janet slunk in their seats to watch the movie at the drive-in theater, he hoped he’d get lucky in the backseat of his car, and Janet secretly wished it was Dave snuggling next to her instead.
Third Person Limited: only the narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of a single character. Other characters are presented externally.
1. Example: He reached over to hold Jill’s hand but stopped halfway. Did she want him to, or would she slap him?
Third Person Objective: think of this POV as a peeping tom. The narrator is neutral and not privy to the thoughts or feelings of the characters’.
1. Example: She twisted her hands, as she paced the floor of her bedroom.

For a stronger point of view that pulls the reader into the story, use verbs that create action directly (note the bold faced words in the examples above). When you do this, emotions are created at the same time, which is felt by the reader and pulls them in even further. Now your reader is hooked. They want to know how the story is going to play out and change for the better/or worse. Have you ever read a book you can’t put down? Strong point of view is all part of that.

Setting

Setting (Paint Your Picture Continued)

Posted on October 13, 2021October 21, 2021 by L. M. Montes

Where are you? What does that place look like? What feeling does it convey? Is it essential to the story? Did something significant occur there?

When you are selecting settings for your story, the reader must know where the story is taking place. More importantly, they want to ‘see’ it and ‘feel’ it. You may have just read the previous sentence and said, “Well, duhhh.” I kid you not. There are some writers out there who don’t pay enough attention to their setting. It leaves the reader scratching their head. I’ve read books where I have had to back track because the setting wasn’t paid its due diligence. I don’t know about you, but I picture in my head what I’m reading. It plays out like a movie. If I can’t see it, the story lacks that flow. Once you hook the reader on the first page, you want to keep them.

Writing

Journaling

Posted on October 9, 2021October 8, 2021 by L. M. Montes

What helps you to keep your writing ideas fresh? Do you have a bulletin board you pin them on? A three ring binder with sections for different types of ideas? Perhaps you have a journal you write in daily. If you do any of these, continue reading. Below are some ideas to chew on for writing ideas.

What is the worst nightmare you’ve ever had?
How would someone else describe you?
Describe your ideal getaway.
If you could have three things, what would they be? Why?
How can some of the trials and tribulations you’ve been through turn into something good/blessings?
What are 3 or 4 things you are grateful for?
Describe your favorite season if you were to combine two of them together.
If you could go anywhere in the past, where/when would you go? Why?
Describe your ideal day.
Write down three of your favorite things, and create a cartoon scenario using them.
What does happiness mean to you?
How have you changed in the last 5 years?
Write about your hobby.
Complete this sentence. I was walking in the forest when…..
What distractions are keeping you from being productive?
How do you spend your Sundays?

Writing

Writing a Novel/Books: Must Do’s

Posted on October 7, 2021October 6, 2021 by L. M. Montes

Photo by Alexandr Podvalny on Pexels.com

What do you love? What do you think a lot about doing? What is your dream? Many people go through their life dreaming about something they want to do/achieve but never do it. Maybe the opportunity never presented itself. Maybe waiting for that opportunity isn’t the answer. Maybe you have to decide to just go for it and stop making excuses. Ultimately, it is your choice.

My dream was to be an author. I achieved that, and I keep on going with it. Yes, there are obstacles that get in the way. That doesn’t mean I don’t stop. That just means I work around those things. When something comes up and I am not able to work on my manuscript, I am thinking about my story. I am plotting in my head. I am writing in my journal. You might think that just thinking about your manuscript/story doesn’t constitute working on your novel. OH, but I think it does. The way I see it, when I get back to the actual writing, I am ready with the words, and I end up typing like a mad woman, HAHAHA. Being consistent is what it’s all about. Stay on task, whether you are working on it in your head or on paper/computer

Here are some must do’s in the world of book writing (some but certainly not least) :

Write everyday. If something gets in your way and all you can do is jot down ideas and thoughts in a journal, do so.
Come up with a target word count to reach everyday and reach it, whether you are writing in your journal or on your computer.
Read other books of authors who have been at it for a long time. Truth be told, they know more than you do because they’ve been at it for a while. Learn from them.
You get better by editing and rewriting. I like to edit after all is said and done because it frees up my mind for sticking to the story and getting it on paper.
Rejection. That nasty word. Nobody likes it, but that makes you better as well. When someone gives you constructive criticism and tells you they didn’t like something in your story, listen to what they’re saying. Think of what they are saying from their point of view. Then fix it, if you think what they are saying holds merit. Remember, it’s your choice. After all, it’s your work. But don’t get upset over rejection. It’s part of the process of writing.

Have fun with your writing, and think of these must do’s as part of the process of making it fun for yourself. You are at the wheel. Where you steer your story and how you achieve that dream is up to you.

Plot/Story

Connections

Posted on October 6, 2021February 23, 2023 by L. M. Montes

Bridges, websites, people, situations, events. What do all of these things have in common? They all have an opportunity to link. Whether the link is two shores connected by a bridge, a website that connects us to information, two people having a lot in common, or two or more situations or events having some kind of link/connection between them; they all allow for a connection in some way.

So too are the events, situations, and people within your story. How are they connected? How will you connect them? The answers to these questions only you can answer because it’s your story(s). A good way to check and make sure that the parts of your story connect is to ask yourself why something is happening. If they connect and have something to do with your story, that’s great. That’s what you want. But if they don’t, and they sound disjointed, ask yourself what is it you can do to bring them together. Otherwise, it sounds like random information that has no place in your story. The result is a confused reader.

On the other hand, some random events shed some light on something else. For example, Let’s say you have Mary who is with her boyfriend Charles. They are in the middle of a heated discussion as they are walking down the street. Charles is speaking to Mary, but a beautiful sunset caught her attention as they are walking by an open area that displays a beach in the distance. Charles could care less about the sunset. He is more focused on the discussion (even though she points out the sunset).

In the above example, the sunset plays no part in the story itself. It’s random. BUT, what it DOES do is give the reader insight into the character of Mary. Thus, making a connection between the character of Mary and the reader. That’s good. You want that. It creates empathy. But that’s a whole other blog post.

Writing

The Circle of a Writer’s Life

Posted on August 8, 2021 by L. M. Montes

When you’re a writer, a full-time writer, going to work isn’t like having a regular job where you go to work and do the same thing every day. At least it isn’t like that for me anyway. My day is a hodge podge of different experiences, events, conversations, activities, etc… Why is it like this? Because I’m constantly creating. Yes, even when I’m not writing, I’m writing. I seek fiction in the nonfiction world of reality.

When I hit a brick wall in my story, I go for a walk to relax my mind and think of possible solutions. Talking to people is a great way to find great dialogue for any story. Although, most of the time you might end up changing parts of it to suit your story. A boat ride or a day at the beach is fun and. Write your experience down in your writing journal.

So, in a nutshell, the circle of a writer’s life is different each day.

Writing

Metaphor

Posted on July 8, 2021 by L. M. Montes

Definition: (from Dictionary.com) “A figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance”.

Examples:

His hand on my shoulder is a frigid icicle.
The house was hot furnace.
The sand is a blanket underneath me.
The wildflowers are a color wheel.
The stain was an annoying fly; always around and refusing to go away.

As you can tell by these examples, pictures are created within the readers mind that heightens their reading experience. They pull the reader into the story.

Writing

Metaphor and Simile

Posted on June 28, 2021June 27, 2021 by L. M. Montes

Comparisons, we all make them whether we are aware of it or not. We do this for emphasis in making clear a point we’re trying to make. In writing we use comparisons for the same reason, but add to that, visuals. If we want our readers to know just how big something is, we need to go beyond using the word big or huge or even gargantuan. Readers want to SEE the hugeness. Two forms of comparison writers use to accomplish this is:

Simile–Comparing using the words like or as.

His mouth was thick like paste.
The cat’s eyes glowed in the dark like twin moons.
He smile was as bright as the sun.

Metaphor–A direct comparison.

The warm sand is a blanket.
The sound of his laughter was a dogs bark.
The moon is a lightbulb.

Writing

Writing Fun

Posted on June 27, 2021June 27, 2021 by L. M. Montes

When I was in high school, I went to the Rueben Daniels Center of the Arts and Sciences. In my dance class we learned about theme and variation. What we had to do was choreograph a dance routine that was about one minute in length. Once we had our routine down, we had to choreograph two more dance routines based on the first one. More precisely, they had to be variations of the first by modifying it somehow without changing it completely. With writing this can also be done. Create a scene. Then, create two more scenes by varying the first scene. But, don’t vary things too drastically. It needs to be clear that your varied scenes are essentially the first scene but with slight differences.

What does this do? It works at developing creativity. It’s like a brain workout except its “bench pressing” words instead. So…have fun with it and think outside the box.

Writing

Personification

Posted on June 27, 2021 by L. M. Montes

Personification–Giving inanimate objects human qualities.

Examples
- The flowers danced in the wind.
- The wind reached its fingers inland, grabbing those it could at high rates of speed.
- The sun smiled down as it lit up the day.

As you can see, giving human qualities to inanimate objects goes a long way when it comes to putting emphasis on various aspects of what you’re writing. Doing so also makes your writing stand out in way of creating better visuals for your reader.

Tip: Give yourself an arsenal of ideas to pull from by brainstorming examples of personification (and other literary/poetic devices) and writing them in your writing journal.