Sharpening Your Imagery with Visual Aids

Most writers are able to conjure up images from the depths of their imagination or memories when describing a scene or a particular character. Then there are those who actually use photos or drawings in order to push their creativity to the limit. How about you, do you use visual aids when writing?

  

When I wrote the first book of my middle-grade series, The Clara Jeane Mysteries, I used actual photos from my childhood because the main character is loosely based on myself, and some of the events that take place in the story are from actual events in my childhood. Even though most of the memories I had were enough, using photos allowed me to sharpen my description of landscapes, weather and even smells for the visual images staring back at me allowed my memories to come alive!

In writing school one of the exercises in a creative writing course I took was to write a story based on a photo of our own or an image from a magazine. That is when I discovered using visual aids can be a very effective tool used to help push the limit of your creativity. If you’ve never tried it I recommend taking an old photo from a time in your life and discover how alive your memories can become!

It’s not to say our imagination is not an effective tool for imagery for sometimes we conjure up places and people that never existed before. Not until we write them that is! However, I am saying there are times in which visual aids can add a spark to our visual senses and help to sharpen our written imagery. So go ahead, push the limit and try adding visual aids to your writer’s toolbox!

In closing, I wanted to share a link to my new blog, The Cat Vamp Diaries: All Things Scary, where I am honored to join some very talented writers in the horror genre for Flash Fiction Friday’s through Vamplit Publishing. If you like to read all things scary or even want to try your hand at flash fiction stop by and explore. You just may find a new favorite author or two!

Until next time,

Keep on thriving, keep on striving and keep on writing!

T.K. Millin

The Unknown Author

Keeping the Beat With or Without Attributions

Last week we explored attributions and the different ways in which to use them (click here if you missed). This week we’ll explore beats and how they can help reduce the amount of attributions or even eliminate them altogether.

A beat is a small piece of stage action which transfers the focus from one character to another. For example: Coughing, puffing on a pipe, plopping down on a sofa or shifting one’s gaze. In other words, the diversion from one person to another can be accomplished through action instead of having to use attributions. Let’s explore:

SCENE WITHOUT BEATS

Mrs. Taylor shoved her tiny frame through the crowd trying to join her husband who stood at the start of the line. Trying not to stir up any heated emotions she kept her eyes glued to the ground as she squeezed her way past the man who was as wide as he was tall.

“Hey lady, wait your turn.” He shouted.

“I’m sorry, but my husband is already in line.” She said, turning around.

“I don’t care where he is. Get in the back of the line.” He ordered.

“Look mister, I don’t want any trouble.” She said, adding her best smile.

He reached out and touched her right shoulder and before he knew it he was staring up at the scorching sun listening to the roaring crowd.

              ^^^^^^^

Not bad, we knew who was talking, but let’s see what adding beats can do to the scene.

SCENE WITH BEATS

Mrs. Taylor shoved her tiny frame through the crowd trying to join her husband who stood at the start of the line. Trying not to stir up any heated emotions she kept her eyes glued to the ground as she squeezed her way past the man who was as wide as he was tall.

He clears his throat with the arrogance of a fighting bull dog and stomps his boot to the pavement, “Hey lady, wait your turn.”

Mrs. Taylor turned to him and then looked toward the front of the line, “I’m sorry, but my husband is already in line.” 

He looked at the crowded line behind him and then swiped his arm across his brow. “I don’t care where he is. Get in the back of the line.” 

She pretended to lift lint from the cuff of her half sleeved shirt and gave him her best smile. “Look mister, I don’t want any trouble.” 

He reached out and touched her right shoulder and before he knew it he was staring up at the scorching sun listening to the roaring crowd.

             ^^^^^^^^

Beats are an effective tool in transferring focus from one character to another, but more importantly they help to bring characters to life through action! Keep in mind when using beats to place them before the character’s dialogue and have the dialogue in the same paragraph as the beat.

  

So the next time you’re in a quandary over attributions consider adding a beat or two to spice things up. It's okay, just beat it!

Until next time,

Keep on thriving, keep on striving and keep on writing!

T.K. Millin

The Unknown Author

What Should It Be, He Said or He Sighed: The Basics of Attributions

Attributions are the words used to define who is speaking, for many beginner writers it is difficult to decide where to place them or even which ones to use. Even experienced writers can struggle with them from time to time. How about you, do you ever struggle with attributions?

 

Usually, the straightforward way of using attributions follows one certain standard: Dialogue–Character–Action, as in, “Good afternoon.” Mary said. However, it’s also possible to reverse the order. Let’s explore:

“Good afternoon.” said Mary. (Dialogue – Action – Character)

Mary said, “Good afternoon.” (Character – Action – Dialogue)

  

In my opinion, the second example is the better option. For two reasons: One, it reads smoother, and two, it works particularly well in long passages because it gives the reader a clue as to whom is speaking.

Another technique used to help promote smooth reading is to place the attribution after the first phrase in the dialogue. For example: “I’ve been all over the world.” Mary said, “but I have never seen anything like what you’re wearing.”

When it comes to deciding which attributions to use I have found through experience, the simpler the better. Often times, it’s best just to leave it at “Said.” or "Says." However, there are many writers who feel using these attributions to be bland and they worry that repeating them over and over would annoy many readers. But did you know a majority of readers find them to be invisible? It’s the use of synonyms which can make a reader become annoyed, simply because most times they are physically impossible! Let’s explore:

“Good afternoon.” Mary sniffled.

“Good afternoon.” Mary grunted.

“Good afternoon.” Mary sighed, slowly sipping a cup of tea.

I truly would like to see someone sniffle or grunt a word. The last one is a good example of being physically impossible, and it contains an adverb!

Often times, scenes with dialogue will have four or more characters and it can become extremely confusing as to whom is speaking and it can become distracting if you are using “Said.” or "Says." each and every time. That’s why it’s important to keep in mind when writing dialogue to keep the amount of characters limited, preferably to two or three at the most, that way you can use less attributions.

Next week, we’ll explore a technique used which will allow you to eliminate some of the attributions all together and sharpen your dialogue.

Until next time,

Keep on thriving, keep on striving and keep on writing!

T.K. Millin

The Unknown Author

  

Diction vs. Dialect: Deciding How to Characterize Your Characters

A writer basically has two options when it comes to characterizing their characters in the way they speak; diction and dialect. Diction is the way in which a character says something; in particular, their grammar, word choice, and the way they express themselves. Dialect is how they pronounce their words. 

For example, when one character says he’s “going out for a night on the town” and another says he’s “heading uptown for the evening,” those are differences in diction. When a character says “there ain’t no fog out thar,” that’s dialect.

Diction and dialect work well for telling anecdotes, because the characters are not constrained by the back and forth of dialogue and can freely express themselves. However, using dialect to show a particular time in history or to make a geographical reference should be done so in a careful manner. Let’s explore:

Here is an excerpt from Emily Bronte’s, Wuthering Heights, published in 1847:

“Running after t’ lads, as usuald!” croaked Joseph, catching an opportunity, from our hesitation, to thrust in his evil tongue. “If I war yah, maister, I’d just slam t’ boards i’ their faces all on ‘em, gentle and simple! Never a day ut yah’re off, but yon cat o’ Linton comes sneaking hither; and Miss Nelly, shoo’s a fine lass!”

     

It is quite obvious Emily Bronte didn’t have the use of Microsoft Word’s grammar check; otherwise, most of her manuscript would have looked like a lit up Christmas tree! Kidding aside, Wuthering Heights is a masterpiece and is akin to the work of the great Romantic Poets. However, outside of readers who love this style of writing, I would venture to say it would be difficult to sell a book today written with such dialect because most modern readers don’t want to deal with it.

I am not saying it can’t be done. If a certain scene calls for its usage, then using it in small snippets may be a powerful way to get a message across. But, if the character is a main character, instead of them speaking throughout the book with dialect which can be difficult to read, try using diction instead. It can be one of the best ways to overcome regional differences in speech.

Take for example; you have a conversation between two characters. One of the characters has just moved into a small New England town while the other has lived there their whole life. By giving the local character the clipped speech of a New Englander, you’ll make it easier to differentiate between the two characters. Furthermore, if you only give hints here and there of their dialect and then use diction instead, like using a single word like nope in a sentence, you’ll give enough clues that the reader will hear the two characters differently. One author who comes to mind that uses this technique quite well is Stephen King.

So the next time you are writing a story in which you want to differentiate between characters, try playing around with diction vs. dialect and discover a writing style that suits your story’s characters! Who knows, you just may be the next Emily Bronte or Stephen King!

Until next time (oh, and don't forget to feed the fish!),

Keep on thriving, keep on striving and keep on writing!

T.K. Millin

The Unknown Author