Clichés

A picture is worth a thousand words…Home is where you hang your hat…Experience is the best teacher…It is what it is…

I’ve been busy this week working on a book proposal, critiquing, and generally sorting out my overcommitted life. LOL. What about you? As you can see from the intro, we’re going to discuss clichés this week in Writers’ Corner. 

A cliché is any overused expression. Because we have a tendency to speak with clichés, especially in the South, recognizing them in our writing can be a challenge. There’s always a better way to express your thoughts and those of your characters than to use worn-out phrases. An editor might excuse an occasional slip-up, but repeated clichés reflect lazy writing. The exception to this is dialogue, because as I stated above, real people use them in speech. 

Here are a few examples:

All in due time                                                            An arm and a leg

As luck would have it                                                 Better safe than sorry

Between a rock and a hard place                                Cool as a cucumber

Cut to the chase                                                          Fit as a fiddle

Keep your chin up                                                      He keeps his cards close to his vest.

Knock on wood                                                         Lesser of two evils

At the drop of a hat                                                    At her wits' end

New lease on life                                                       Out of sight, out of mind

See the light                                                               No time like the present

Twist of fate                                                               Light as a feather

Time will tell                                                               Live and learn

Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, a full length novel, or a magazine article, take another look at your WIP, and challenge yourself to rewrite overused phrases in a fresh way. 

Now, I’d like to hear from you. What is your most frequently used cliché?

My Writing Journey - Three Lessons I've Learned

Sharon Randall & Me

“My stories run up and bite me on the leg. I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off.” Ray Bradbury

Don’t you just love Ray Bradbury quotes?

I’m often asked how I became a published writer. I used to wonder the same thing about writers, as if some mystery existed only an elite few were privy to. 

I wrote sporadically as a hobby for years. I could never quite figure out the publishing game, nor did I have the time. With the invention of the Internet and home computers, publication seemed possible. My dream, like many writers, was to write a novel. 

I’ll share a quick overview of my writing journey and three important lessons I learned in the process.

Ø  Walk through open doors, even if they’re not in your genre or master plan.

In the summer of 2006, I noticed a murder-mystery writing contest in my local newspaper already in progress. It was a once-a-month feature for a year. After reading the sixth installment, I thought, “I can do this.” So I wrote a 1,000-word chapter and submitted it. I was so used to rejection letters, I was flabbergasted when the feature editor called to tell me I had won. I had enough forethought to ask if I were eligible to enter again. Sure, go ahead, was her reply. Much to my surprise, I won the next five months. 

The following spring, I wrote an op-ed piece for the newspaper about a debacle involving a development project practically in my backyard. A developer had purchased the lot to remove its large berm because he needed the dirt for another project. His plan then was to market the bulldozed lot as build-to-suit. An unsightly crater remained where a beautiful hillside had once stood. My neighborhood had unsuccessfully fought the zoning change that allowed this to happen. My stance was—destroying natural resources to create build-to-suit lots does not constitute progress. 

I didn’t anticipate the hornets’ nest I would uncover by writing this piece. The newspaper had a call-in forum at that time, Straight Talk, where anyone could anonymously share opinions on different topics and then they were printed in the newspaper. I learned the lesson of having thick skin. I was labeled naïve, a tree hugger, anti-development, and accused of having a not-in-my-backyard mentality. Some folks wrote letters to the editor. It was suggested I move somewhere else that would suit me better since I obviously didn’t understand how this town works. Though these folks were in the minority on the subject, favorable support was drowned out by their voices.  

Another feature soon followed in the newspaper with a local middle school honors Science class debating both sides of the issue, which stirred up the Straight Talkers again. I was thrilled when my fifteen minutes of fame finally ended, and I could fade into obscurity once again.

Ø  Go where writers gather.

A few months later, I attended a charity function with speaker and award-winning columnist Sharon Randall. I love her nationally syndicated column because she’s from North Carolina and writes in a down-home relatable manner. I also was fairly certain representatives from the newspaper would be there. I had no game plan other than enjoy the evening, maybe get a moment to talk with Ms. Randall, and learn something about publishing. I waited until everyone else had gone through the reception line. While Ms. Randall and I were talking, the managing editor of the newspaper (who had been eavesdropping) walked up, extended his business card to me, and offered to let me freelance for the newspaper. He’d remembered me from the op-ed piece. I pretty sure I babbled something incoherent and thanked him. I began writing features for the newspaper soon after. 

Any time my local writing group hosted a published author for a workshop, I attended. I met Lynette Eason in 2008, when she was writing her fourth book for Love Inspired Suspense. She has now written twenty books. We became friends and her advice has helped me tremendously in my growth as a writer. I met Cecil Murphy and other published writers through local workshops, as well.

Ø  Resist “branding” yourself.

The newspaper features I wrote led to my first book-length ghostwriting opportunity, an autobiography for a local Christian singer/songwriter. This in turn led to another non-fiction ghostwriting opportunity, which I am writing now. 

So, I started with a dream of writing a novel. How has that worked out? I’ve completed two fiction manuscripts, one of which recently placed second in the national RWA Emily Contest. I anticipate having good news to share on this front in the future. 

Meanwhile, I’ve published three dozen articles, fiction, non-fiction, devotions, and of course, this blog for the past year. 

I hear writers say they only write in one genre. That’s fine, if you can’t muster up interest in other areas. However, be open to opportunities God may provide to sharpen your writing skills, build your writing credits, and create a network. 

When I reflect over the last six years and the wonderful path God wove, I couldn’t have planned that particular path myself. If I had insisted on writing only fiction, specifically a novel, likely it wouldn’t have succeeded. I needed the other writing experiences to hone my skills and build my writing credits. 

I could share so much more, but I’ve written enough for one post. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, I hope you’ve gleaned some inspiration in your quest to become published. 

Do you have an anecdote to share about becoming published? I’d love to hear it.

God bless,
Laura

Point of View

“From a dog's point of view, his master is an elongated and abnormally cunning dog.”~Mabel L. Robinson

This quote only loosely illustrates our subject today, but it struck me as funny, so I’m sharing it.

If you’re a fiction writer, you’ve heard the term POV. It’s an acronym for point of view, which is shown through a story’s characters. Three basic points of view exist within the context of a narrative.

• First person – Story is told by the main character with words like I, me, and mine.
• Third person – Story is told from the perspective of the main character driving the scene. Short stories are typically told from the main character’s POV. Novels often utilize more than one character’s POV, though never within the same scene. (More about that in a moment.)
• Omniscient – Story is told from an all-knowing perspective. The author gives information the characters don’t know because events and/or their limited interaction with each other haven’t revealed the information yet. Sometimes authors slip into omniscient POV without intending to.

Here’s an omniscient example from Self-Editing for Fiction Writers:

“In small South Carolina towns, most houses are built in the shadow of tall trees. Each autumn, the children charged with the yard care curse the leaves that seem to multiply on their way to the ground…One such tree, a tall oak, stood in the front yard of the house Coral Blake rented from a man who had long ago moved his family north.”

Here’s the switch to third person from the same book:

“Coral Blaze mopped the gritty sweat out of her eyes and gazed up at the dusty green underside of the oak. The dog days of August had settled in, it seemed, and like most folks in Greeleyville, South Carolina, she took cover from the sun on her front porch under that grandfatherly tree. My, how she hated that tree in the autumn.”

The difference between the two scenes is stark. One is distant, omniscient. The other draws the reader into the story.

Recently, I read about a contemporary author whose latest book has mixed POV, meaning a switch between first and third person. I’ve not read the book, but it’s not the norm. It’s also not something you want to try as an unpublished author, or you’ll likely stay unpublished. Select your voice and stick with it.

However, the beauty and freedom of third person is you can change whose POV the reader will see. This must be done with scene changes.

When an author changes POV within a scene, that’s referred to as head-hopping, which is a no-no in the literary field. In the past, legendary writers like Larry McMurtry, author of the Lonesome Dove series, have utilized head-hopping and have done so effectively. Believe me, you and I are not in his league—yet. You might as well put a banner on the cover of your manuscript that says “newbie,” if you intend to try it to find out.

I used this scene in a previous post about tag lines. It also serves well to show POV.

“Have some juice.” John extended the orange juice pitcher.

Brenda didn’t want juice. In fact, she didn’t want to be sharing a table with someone who had betrayed her. Besides, she hated orange juice. And he knew it. Probably the reason he offered it. “No, thank you.”

John thumped the pitcher on the table, sloshing the juice over the top.

“Now you’ve done it.” Brenda reached for a dishtowel. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times.”

“You’ve told me what?” John scowled over his forkful of eggs.

“Clumsy.” Brenda returned his scowl and picked up her fork. If she tried hard enough to ignore him, maybe he’d take the hint and disappear. For good.

The POV in this scene is obviously Brenda’s. As a writer, I can show John’s mood or nature without showing you his thoughts. I do this by his clumsiness, scowling, and apparent disregard for Brenda’s feelings. He doesn’t seem to have a clue as to what makes her tick. Yet, I’ve not revealed his thoughts. While we might assume John’s thoughts, he would be scene-stealing to interject them here. However, in another scene, I could switch POV, and we’d learn what he really thinks about Brenda.

A writer must guard against slipping into another character or omniscient POV. I mention the proofreading/revising stage of a manuscript almost weekly. This is another item to put on your checklist when proofreading.

If you have any questions or would like to comment about POV or another writing subject, please do so in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.

He Said/She Said

“The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible.”~Vladimir Nabakov

Welcome to Writers’ Corner. I hope you’ve had a productive writing week, making your invisible words come to life.

Today, we’re going to discuss taglines. When I first started writing, the more descriptive the tagline, the better. Characters exclaimed, lamented, inferred, intimated, scolded, interjected, and yelled. Those exciting and descriptive tags were banished by editors who informed us such excitement detracts from our writing.

Hence, the he said/she said formula reigned supreme.

Within the last few years, however, fiction has trended toward no tags.

Or in the words of novelist Elmore Leonard: “I try to leave out the parts that people skip.”

Are you wondering how this could be accomplished? Here’s an example:

“Have some juice.” John extended the orange juice pitcher.

Brenda didn’t want juice. In fact, she didn’t want to be sharing a table with someone who had betrayed her. Besides, she hated orange juice. And he knew it. Probably the reason he offered it. “No, thank you.”

John thumped the pitcher on the table, sloshing the juice over the top.

“Now you’ve done it.” Brenda reached for a dishtowel. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times.”

“You’ve told me what?” John scowled over his forkful of eggs.

“Clumsy.” Brenda returned his scowl and reached for her fork. If she tried hard enough to ignore him, maybe he’d take the hint and disappear. For good.

Because I didn’t insert he said/she said tags, your eye skimmed over the story quicker, thus drawing you into the conversation better.

This example also ties in with my previous blog about hooking the reader. This could easily be used as an opening paragraph, and again, not much information has been given the reader, but that’s okay. The atmosphere has been created. The characters are in conflict. It’s a good start.

So, the challenge this week is—look at your WIP and see how many he said/she said tags you can delete and rewrite.

For a more in-depth look at writing without tags, visit award-winning novelist Gail Gaymer Martin’s website Writing Fiction Right. She’s my go-to guru for all things written.

If you have any suggestions for future blogs on topics you’d like illustrated or elaborated on, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you. 

Hook 'Em

“Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” ~Gene Fowler

Well, there are certainly days when writing feels that way, doesn’t it? Writers struggle with the first page of a manuscript—often with the opening paragraph. What to write, how to say it, how to hook the reader.

A general rule of thumb for fiction is to start in the middle of a conversation, conflict, or with a revelation. Whatever you do, don’t start with backstory. This is true with fiction and non-fiction. For the purpose of my example, I’ll use all three hooks.

Example:

“You said you wanted to be a father,” Katie wailed.

“But not like this. Not now.” Steve shifted from one foot to another, twisting the brim of his hat between his hands.

“If not now, when?”

His eyes narrowed. “After we bury your husband.”

She sniffed. “But he isn’t dead…yet.”

Okay, you want to know what will happen next, right? All sorts of scenarios ran through your mind as you read the example. I’ve not told you much about the characters, but already you’re imaging a tawdry affair of some sort. Read on:

            Katie touched Steve’s arm. “You promised to take care of me.”

            “Fatherhood wasn’t part of the deal.”

            “I’ll be a widow by the end of the week.” Her hand tightened around his arm. “Tell me what I’m supposed to do.”

So it doesn’t appear anything indecent has transpired. Steve is either a relative or close friend of Katie’s dying husband. And he’s promised to take care of Katie. The fact that Katie needs taking care of, Steve has promised to do so, and he wears a hat points to this being an historical fiction. Maybe even a western.

I’ve not gone to any great lengths—or any length at all—to give you information about either character. And I don’t have to. Your mind fills in the blanks. The important thing is hook your reader from the first line and then don’t let them go. Gently drop in details about their lives as the story unfolds.

Scene and setting details can be added on revision, as well. Describing the kitchen curtains, what Katie’s wearing, Steve’s biceps bulging, the beef stew cooking on the stove, and so on, isn’t necessary on the first draft. Some of it isn’t necessary at all. The important thing is to get the opening sentences written, and the rest will flow easier.

When writing memoirs or other non-fiction centered on a person’s life, start in the middle of a conflict, crisis, dark moment, or revelation in the subject’s life, and then backtrack to tell their life story. Unless their (or your) birth happened on the morning of December 7, 1941, in Hawaii, (or has some other great significance), a reader is not going to trudge through the beginning to discover the purpose of the book.

Take a few moments to review the opening of your WIP, and imagine a reader (or an editor) trying to decide whether or not to purchase it. Good writing isn’t good enough in today’s market. Revise until the hook is apparent.

Please leave a comment and let me know how your writing is progressing since you’ve started following Writers’ Corner each week. I’d love to hear from you.