Kathy - I agree, it's annoying to have to trace ba...

2009-12-13T21:46:48.270-08:00

Kathy - I agree, it's annoying to have to trace back up the page to figure out who's speaking! When I experience that, my first thought is "poor editing". I don't blame it on the author. Since the only things I know about writing and editing are those I have learned from following this blog, maybe I should blame it on the author...but I don't think an editor should

Fun photos, Kathy. Whenever I'm writing dialog, I ...

2009-12-13T14:40:37.583-08:00

Fun photos, Kathy. Whenever I'm writing dialog, I try to keep in mind what several excellent editors/agents/other writers have said:

"In dialog, tag with 'she said' or 'he said' or 'whoever said' every third or fourth time when there's lots of dialog." Readers don't see "said," so it's not repetitious to them, unless it's

thanks, Lynda! Merry Christmas to you, as well. I...

2009-12-12T12:58:49.605-08:00

thanks, Lynda!
Merry Christmas to you, as well. I should have time this week for some commenting and posting.
And some holiday fun.

Kathy, just stopped by again to wish you the best ...

2009-12-12T07:47:48.024-08:00

Kathy, just stopped by again to wish you the best and a very Merry Christmas!

Lynda :)

Better late than never................

2009-12-11T16:34:23.721-08:00

Better late than never.......

Okay, I'm officially losing it. Posted my apology...

2009-12-06T12:56:43.771-08:00

Okay, I'm officially losing it.
Posted my apology, went back to my original post, and there's Lynda's comment.
I agree the author shouldn't make things harder than they need to be for readers. Takes us out of the story.

EEk! I think Lynda Lehman commented, and it just d...

2009-12-06T12:54:57.315-08:00

EEk! I think Lynda Lehman commented, and it just disappeared. Sorry, Lynda. I don't know what happened.

Hi, Enid. I agree with you that a great story hel...

2009-12-06T12:51:27.982-08:00

Hi, Enid.
I agree with you that a great story helps me forgive a lot of head hopping. I wonder, however, if we'd love the book even more if we didn't have to think about whose head we were in.

I just read a romance where the author hopped one ...

2009-12-04T01:34:31.173-08:00

I just read a romance where the author hopped one POV to another paragraph by paragraph but I still love the story very much. I guess it depends on the authors' writing.

Bargain with the Devil

I think perhaps some authors make the "quick switc...

2009-11-30T07:24:45.138-08:00

I think perhaps some authors make the "quick switch" to avoid weighing down their plots with transitions, qualifiers, and tags. But to me it's arrogance, as if they assume that the reader should be SOOOO immersed in the plot that he/she should "just get it."

Poooo. I think POV can be effectively switched, but only with due consideration of reader comfort. You

Kathy: Thank you so much for commenting on my sit...

2009-11-29T13:21:37.733-08:00

Kathy:

Thank you so much for commenting on my site this morning.

No I didn't solve the problem. I found a way to get into Edit and write a new post, and I can delete it or make changes to it if I wish, but I cannot call up the list of all my previous posts. I have notified Blogger, but so far they've ignored the calls for help. Bummer!

By the way, the

I'm going to have to re-read a Steinbeck novel to ...

2009-11-29T13:00:39.444-08:00

I'm going to have to re-read a Steinbeck novel to check that out, Swu.
I headed to your site and you seem to have posted this morning, so I hope the problems are in the past. Like your train-jumping days!

Kathy: I know that some very well know writers sw...

2009-11-28T09:44:19.349-08:00

Kathy:

I know that some very well know writers switch abruptly switch scenes. Right now I'm thinking John Steinbeck. When reading one of his books I have to concentrate a lot more than I like in order to not get lost in no-man's land. What happened?

Of course, this type of writing is considered a no-no for us who slave every day trying to finish our first novel. But

Head hopping drives me nuts. Even though I'm guilt...

2009-11-27T10:53:58.792-08:00

Head hopping drives me nuts. Even though I'm guilty of it sometimes (but work hard to correct those times!). If there's enough of a break, asterisks or a chapter break, then I can follow along, no problem. But the writer has to give the reader enough clues!

Head hopping drives me nuts. I want to know whose ...

2009-11-26T05:51:21.027-08:00

Head hopping drives me nuts. I want to know whose head I'm in. I prefer a clear break or notification that I've moved heads.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Helen
Straight From Hel

Hi! Thanks for coming by Book Dreaming and leaving...

2009-11-25T18:03:08.563-08:00

Hi! Thanks for coming by Book Dreaming and leaving a comment. As you could tell from my post, I have a thing for words - that's what I love about your site! :)
www.shannonkodonnell.blogspot.com

Hi, Shannon! Thanks for dropping in. There are lo...

2009-11-25T13:54:20.574-08:00

Hi, Shannon!
Thanks for dropping in. There are lots of approaches to creating characters...glad you've found what works for you.

Beautiful pictures - I love your blog. I followed ...

2009-11-19T06:35:16.585-08:00

Beautiful pictures - I love your blog. I followed you over here from Megan Rebekah's blog! :)

I like to start somewhere in the middle (between bare and full) and add more to the branches as I go.
www.shannonkodonnell.blogspot.com

Lynda, You are so right about the synchronicity b...

2009-11-17T19:44:25.827-08:00

Lynda,
You are so right about the synchronicity between your comment and Swu's. Marvelous, isn't it?
And looking for the warts is great, as long as you leave enough to keep a good texture in your work.
Thanks for the compliment, also.

Hi, Swu. Truman Capote's description is terrific....

2009-11-17T19:42:44.973-08:00

Hi, Swu.
Truman Capote's description is terrific.
However, I have to say that some of your characters do leap right off the page for me. Sometimes just body parts!

Good analogy, Conda, and my approach, as well, alt...

2009-11-17T19:41:27.976-08:00

Good analogy, Conda, and my approach, as well, although it has been tedious lately. I sometimes, too, find it difficult to determine which branches are strongest.

Eek! Where have I been? I could say raking up thos...

2009-11-17T19:40:24.642-08:00

Eek! Where have I been? I could say raking up those fallen leaves.
Enid, thanks for stopping by. You are so right about the dread of winter.
I'm okay if the sun keeps shining.

Kathy, this is a great illustration of your point,...

2009-11-16T08:29:17.643-08:00

Kathy, this is a great illustration of your point, a good metaphor for ways of characterizing your protagonist (or antagonist, if that's the case).

I love great analogies like this. You're right: perspective is everything.

This is a great line: "Guess that leaves you, the writer, more powerful than pruning shears. Or a load of fertilizer."

It&

Kathy: Wow, what a great picture. And what a supe...

2009-11-14T09:25:36.876-08:00

Kathy:

Wow, what a great picture. And what a super way to illustrate your point.

Painting our characters from the bare branches up. What a challenge. It just so happens that this morning I was writing a book report for Truman Capote's short novel, Other Voices, Other Places. Here's how he painted one of his characters, "She had long ape-like arms that were

Kathy, fascinating post and my approach is to show...

2009-11-14T07:57:45.422-08:00

Kathy, fascinating post and my approach is to show (write about) every leaf and twig in the first draft...then prune away to the strongest branches.

Well Placed Words