Body Language
Up to 93 % of communication is non-verbal. Including tone of
voice, eye movement, posture, hand gestures, facial expressions
and more. The pressure of body language can especially be felt
in emotional situations. Body language usually prevails over
words. Use body language in your writing. Show the reader what
your characters are feeling rather than telling them!
Know Your Character
A writer should know their characters intimately, but only those
traits that are key to defining a given character should be
revealed to the reader. Write back story about each character
that will not appear in your novel. You should be able to
answer detailed questions about the character. If the character
isn't real to you, the reader cannot become friends with them or
see themselves in the character's place.
Dialog
Dialog makes the characters you create come alive on the page,
no matter what genre you are writing. Effective Dialog is not only entertaining
–it moves the plot along, gives background information and makes your characters
more realistic. Learn correct punctuation for writing dialog. Poor grammar will
flag you as an amateur.
Correct:
“I don’t like onions,” he said.
Incorrect: “I don’t like onions”, he said.
Incorrect: “I don’t like onions,” He said.
Fade:
“I wonder where my dog is . . . ”
Interruption: “Look at that dog's teeth! I hope he doesn’t – ”
I will add more tips as I find time. For details on these topics and more, contact me for a group workshop. I now offer individual help for beginning writers as well -- Email me for details.
