Writing – Page 4 – WRITE TIME AND AGAIN

Writing Advice and Pointers

Posted on September 16, 2023 by L. M. Montes

There are those individuals out there who charge for the information they give out on writing. You know, pay a fee and you can get writing pointers and tips on how to write a book, etc… That’s all well and good if that is what they want to do. They have every right to do that. However, I don’t believe in doing that unless I am publishing a book on the subject. That is the only way I will charge for the writing tips and information I give out. LOL, I don’t want to write a book about that. I enjoy what I do here on this blog. My published books are fiction for the most part. I have a book of poems published as well.

That being said, if you have any questions at all about anything having to do with writing fiction, please ask me.

Writing

So…You Want to Write a Book

Posted on September 8, 2023 by L. M. Montes

You want to write a book, but you don’t know where to start. First of all, the whole process from beginning to end will take a while. I’m not saying that to scare you away. I’m just being realistic. The upside to this is you will finish if you stick to it. Do not back down. Take a break, yes, but don’t get discouraged. The ideas and creativity will come and go. Jesus is my inspiration. Without Him my efforts are meh.

All that being said, what do you do first? Well, there are some things one must think about and decide on before sitting down at the computer to write. Those things come in the form of questions to answer first and/or things to think about. You will find them below.

Do you want to write fiction or nonfiction?
In what genre do you want to write? If you want to write fantasy, what type of fantasy? High/epic fantasy? Low fantasy? Magical realism? Sword and sorcery? Dark fantasy? Fables? Fairy tales? Superhero fiction? Be specific. If you want to write a romance, there are quite a few of those, too. I just decided to pick on fantasy at the moment.
Who is your reader? Young adult? Children? Older adults? Adults?
Why are you writing the book?
Learn the three act structure of a book (fiction).
Get to know your characters.
Ask yourself ‘what if’ questions. This will help you with creating your story and give you something to build it around.
Decide on the best time of day to write and write everyday.
Explore ideas.
Loosen up your writing and relax.

As you can see from this list, there is much to think about. Relax, take your time with it, and about all…have fun.

Prompts

Why Blog

Posted on September 3, 2023 by L. M. Montes

Why do you blog?

Because I enjoy sharing the writing experience with others.

Writing

It will improve your information and writing skills when you’ll research to write blog

Posted on September 1, 2023 by L. M. Montes

Daily writing prompt Why do you blog? View all responses Research is a crucial component of blogging that can significantly enhance your information and writing skills. As I researched on this topic (body spray for men). Here’s a more detailed explanation of how research can be beneficial: Depth of Knowledge: Researching a topic thoroughly before […]
It will improve your information and writing skills when you’ll research to write blog

Prompts

Writing Enjoyment

Posted on August 21, 2023 by L. M. Montes

What do you enjoy most about writing?

Watching the story unfold and knowing I’m the hand behind its coming to life.

Editing

Planning Your Story

Posted on August 14, 2023August 13, 2023 by L. M. Montes

There needs to be some degree of planning, when it comes to writing your story/book. I’ll let you in on what I do. Maybe that will help you. It took me some time to figure out my own personal writing process as it relates to writing a book. I had heard and read about the planner and the pantser (see details of each below).

Planner: One who plans out ahead of time each chapter and scene, then sets out writing and sticks to what they planned.
Pantser: One who makes it all up as they go along with no planning prior to.

I’ve tried to be a planner. And failed. Why? Because as I’m typing along I always end up veering away from what I planned. Try as I might to get back on track with my plans, I couldn’t. More precisely, I wouldn’t, because what I ended up with was way better than what I planned in the first place. So, I realized I’m a pantser. Well, for the most part anyway.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when the situation calls for planning. In that case I use a journal to write down ideas to use for later. In my second novel I had to come up with seven poetic brain twisters for the main character to figure out. Those I planned, and each of them went into my journal. Also, when it came to some scenes, I’d sit down to write them, and I’d end up deleting and starting over. The scene was in pieces in my head and getting them ironed out was nagging me, so I set to writing in my journal the various pieces. Looking at them on paper helped. Once it all came clear, I set to typing my scene once more.

So, you see. There is always some type of planning one has to do. Figure out how you write/work/your process. Everyone is different. If you don’t know right now, take what others are doing, try it, and go with what works for you.

Scenes

Creating Flashbacks

Posted on August 9, 2023August 9, 2023 by L. M. Montes

In a previous post I gave a brief account of when to use a flashback. In this post I’ll be covering how to create them. It really isn’t hard. If done right, the reader will know and understand that a flashback is occurring.

But first, how does one separate a flashback from the rest of the text/story/scene. Simple…with an extra space gap between the paragraph just before the flashback starts and the flashback itself. Second, I always find it better if the flashback itself is in italics. There’s no rule that says you have to do this. I just find it better to do for the benefit of the readers.

So how do you lead into a flashback? Here are some samples of some lead-ins.

Sally thought about the first red rose she got from her boyfriend and smiled…..
Jeff leaned against the door frame and watched his family open Christmas presents. Nothing had changed since he was kid…..
Much like right now, my mother never did understand what happened that summer…..
I slipped my foot into the saddle’s stirrup, grabbed the horn, then froze. Would this time go smoothly, or would I end up like last time…..
Stan straightened his tie. He expected his wife, Dawn, to saunter in and take over then give it a once over, but not this time nor any other time. He smiled at the last time she’d done that…..

Remember, use flashbacks only when necessary, and don’t make writing them more difficult than they have to be. If you’re in doubt, have someone else look at it.

Action Words

Other Words for ‘Walk’

Posted on August 3, 2023 by L. M. Montes

There are times in our writing a story when we want to use another word for walk, especially if we want to depict a certain way the character is walking. If the character is angry, we don’t want them to walk away. Instead we might want them to walk away angry, but what words can we use to depict the action and at the same time convey the emotion the character is feeling. Simple, don’t use the word ‘walk’. Use something else. You will find a list of other words for walk along with the emotions they represent.

Angrily
stomp
tramp
careen
stalk
flounder
skulk

Relaxed/Sadness
stroll
saunter
amble
wander
meander
ramble
traipse
dally