Barry Writes: #Grammar Tips #Writing Tips

Barry Writes: #Grammar Tips #Writing Tips: Compare to or Compare with. To c ompare to   is to point out resemblances between objects regarded as important but of a different order; ...

#Grammar Tips #Writing Tips

Compare to or Compare with.

To compare to  is to point out resemblances between objects regarded as important but of a different order; to compare with is to point out the differences between objects regarded as of the same order. We can compare actual life to a drama, or we can compare our form of government with that of another country.

#Writing Tips #Grammar Tips

Disinterested. This words means "impartial." It is often confused with uninterested which means one is not interested in...

Allude is often confused with elude. You allude to a speech or point of reference. You elude someone who is pursuing you. To allude is to mention, indirectly.

Allusion. It is often confused with illusion. Allusion means "an indirect reference." Illusion is an unreal impression or image.

#Writing Tips #Grammar Tips

Lay-a transitive verb with the exception of its use in slang (let her lay), do not use it in place of the intransitive verb lie. The chicken lays an egg, the man lies down. The girl went home to lay down.

Less-should not be used to mean "fewer." There were less people. There were fewer people. Less refers to quantity and fewer refers to number.

#Writing Tips

 Discover character development techniques through scenery.

In my next book, you will notice that I have truly enjoyed this novel as much as my short stories, but this is not about me, it's about improving upon your writing, assuming you believe there is always room for improvement. Unlike my non-fiction books(Ascend, How to Build a Putting Green, Overcoming) which allows one to persuade according to ideas and beliefs limited by fact, in fiction, we generously embellish upon character motivation to allow the character to persuade the reader through his/her actions.

In the below scenarios the writer has the freedom to use scenery to make abstract character implications involving three people with different dispositions. The key to this technique is to open the story in a scene that will repeat throughout the story. The reader soon learns to guess which character is doing the actions based on familiar scenery. This technique baits the reader deeper into the story.

Because people experience life differently, we have a broad canvas on which to paint the characters we know. Some are pathological, others mysterious or even romantic.  Below, we have an example of a man sitting on a patio. The writer desires to show you how to describe character through the development of this single story idea. It's simple but effective. Simultaneously, we discover an emotion that moves each of the characters. At this point, the reader begins to identify with the character.

Adapt this technique to your own style and see how quickly the reader gets involved. This technique works in all genres: Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Romance, Young Adult, etc.

Try it.

Here are examples of the openings of a particular scenery that might repeat throughout a story.

                                                                    
                                                                   (Thriller)
An early September rain fell upon Houston. Torrential waters angled and rushed into the patio from North- to- south and then directly into his face, simultaneously, as a cutting wind, attacked the porch where slept. A strong gust of wind shuffled a clay flower pot. It fell crashing to the floor. He leaped to his feet, grabbed the pistol beneath his chair and...

                                                                     #
                                                               (Mystery)

It was an early September rain that awakened her or had she heard something? They say that its when you fail to trust your instincts that you're in trouble. The bedside lamp was still on from last night. She yawned, stumbled to the face bowl in the bathroom and brought herself alive with cold water that made her face cringe. That's when she remembered. She stopped. She had not checked on the baby and had not heard it. She rushed into the next room, and there sat the eight month old, in bed smiling.
She laughed when she realized she was not holding a baby bottle but rather, a bar of wet soap.

                                                                   #

                                                             (Romance)
She smiled as she slept. Images of John danced at the peripheral of her consciousness and she smiled, again. And then it began to rain. She squeezed her pillow. If only John were here, she thought. She would snuggle up to him like this and the pillow disappeared beneath her blanket. Torrents of rain dribbled on her roof like hundreds of tiny basketballs and she smiled, again. John liked basketball.

                                                                   #

Determine which of the three above scenes is repeating. (this technique will help you to remain sharp and precise with character development).

(1) She heard the door bell because she turned swiftly, tapping her hair in place. She rushed to the bathroom, checking her appearance in a cheval mirror as she went.

(2) He practically slept with one eye open and the other on the weapon.

(3) Suspicious and cautious by nature,Wanda looked upon the stranger with circumspect.

Let "difference" define your ficitonal characters.

Amazing things happen when we let go and follow the direction of our calling. The same thing happens to our fictional characters. This notion leads me to believe that there are destinations to which principle leads us.

This leads to another question, does your character lack character? It's not a twist on words but a real question.  Before you start questioning your character's behavior and motivations, pose these questions and watch the character jump off the page as you practice these techniques.

Does s/he place more  value on position and titles rather than character?

You can probably see how the above question begins to develop personality.  If not keep reading. I will give you a scenario and you can allow your familiar character's to respond.

Your character is walking to the car. Your character see's a bank robbery taking place. S/he see's the license plate of the getaway car but may choose to respond or not get involved.  When questioned, your character may or may not answer honestly.

Now, let this scene play out with one or more of your characters by using the exact same scenery.

For example:

Walter Ennis did not expect this excitement. He did expect he would continue to live by his own motto: mind your own business and look out for Walter. No matter what happened, Walter Ennis stuck to his convictions.

 He was simply walking to the vegetable market when it happened. He could have frozen in his tracks when he saw it but common sense told him to keep walking and to look in the opposite direction.

The bank robber hurried to car. As he reached Walter, the robber hesitated.

Walter continued walking, happy that he had not stared at the license plate. Why should he get shot over someones money. Besides, banks are greedy. They wouldn't donate a penny to his funeral service if he was foolish enough to intervene and get himself killed.

Walter continued along, minding his own business.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Denise saw him. No sooner than the robber fled through the front door. Before the robber reached her, Denise crossed the busy intersection, dialing 9-1-1- as she fled. She turned to the left, made a mental note of the license plate of the robber's car and whispered into the phone. She was compelled to live by her own motto: Do your part.

"Good job," the 9-1-1 operator said.

Denise wondered how someone could not report such a crime. That's the problem, she thought, people are afraid to get involved.

When questioned by the responding police officers, she remembered more details.

"Good job," the officer said to her.

Those words rang in her ears for months: good job.

If others cared to do a good job as citizens the world would be a much better place, she thought...if only people would do their part.

#Writers, What does it mean?

Go Set a Watchman,# Harper Lee.

After the tremendous fame of  #To Kill a Mockingbird, many wonder why the publisher released the title, Go Set a Watchman.

A better question is, What does this revelation really mean? Are we afraid of what it may reveal about who we really are?

As we appreciate a renown title such as #To kill a Mockingbird, a title written in a dark moment of American history, can we appreciate the totality of the times which includes the likelihood of Jim Crowism incorporated in #Go Set a Watchman, or, are we limited to the thought that Gregory Peck's character represented the personification of who we really are?

If the former is true, we should have no qualms about the contents of book we have not yet read. If the later is true, then the earlier book would not have been necessary.

The writer who causes us to question our fears has done the greatest public service possible via the pen. The writer may have revealed the dimensional personality(ies) of the individual.

Ecclesiastes 9:14  (of the Holy Bible) says it best: there was a small  city, with a few men in it...

Study the passage and be enlightened.