Writer's Guide

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

A disclaimer in front of your book is recommended. Here is an example...

"This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or people would be really cool, but entirely coincidental."

------------------------------------------------

"Okay" is frequently over used. Try replacing "okay" with one of these alternatives...

fine, right, all right, right then, all right then, right you are, very well, yes, very good, agreed, okey-dokey, okey-doke, roger that,

-------------------------------------------------

Here are some examples for when you might want to have a character say one thing while thinking something else...

"Fixing blame is not very helpful, Frank." Dick! "We need to come up with a solution."

"We can do that. Yes." Maybe.

"Did I do that?..." Crap. "...I forgot to do that. Sorry."

"I care about what you all think." I didn't care what they think. They are morons.

"That's a good idea." The first idea he came up with that didn't suck. "Let's try it."

Oh fuck. "Do you really want to do that?" You will ruin my plans. "Perhaps there's an alternative you can try."

"I hope your son is safe," I said. However he was dead, I feared.

"She is over there," I said. But not for long, I hoped.

"Come here, Big boy." I urged, batting my eyes. So I can slit your throat with my blade.

"Your a genius!" I exclaimed. No, wait - what's the opposite of 'a genius'? Your that.

------------------------------------------------

I leaned the hard way that it's very detrimental to add unnecessary details. For example, the readers don't need to read the minutiae of how a family prepared for a trip. If at all possible, skip past all that with a quick line of dialog. Like so...

"We need to go." I said. Thirty minutes later we were gone.

-----------------------------------------------

Sometimes you have a character come in late and it only makes sense that the other characters would want to update the newcomer. But there is no reason to repeat what the reader already knows. Use these techniques to prevent repetition...

When he asked what happened I gave him a condensed explanation.

She gave him a concise recounting of the events while I barricaded the doors.

I told him about the virus, the outbreak, the zombies, the tank, how we ended up in the bank, and the ducks. "It's been a long day." I added.

-----------------------------------------------

Have you ever found yourself wondering if you should write "He said" or "Said he"?

"He said" is the 'standard' version. "Said he" is a more 'colored' version that sounds kind of arty, poetic, or quaint. If an author uses it, he's trying to pull off some kind of effect that doesn't exist in the standard version.

-----------------------------------------------

The em dash (—) is the long dash. It can be used to show a character being interrupted by another. For example:

I picked up a spoon and said: "I good way to make soup is t—"

"I know how to cook soup!" barked Frank.

You can even use the en dash to indicate a THOUGHT being interrupted. For example:

I began wondering how long we could survive on our own without th—

"Pay attention." said Uncle Peter interrupted my dark mussing.

OR

I wiped the blood off my face with a wet paper towel as I looked in the mirror. It was only three month's ago that my biggest problem was worrying how I'd pay for my prom dress. Now I ne—

Suddenly a zombie appeared in the reflection.

-----------------------------------------------

Suddenly...

The word "suddenly" is often over used. You might try replacing some with "at once" or "abruptly".

-----------------------------------------------

Show Emotion Through Actions Instead of Adverbs:

Since adverbs can sometimes look amateurish, many writers choose to use action words instead of adverbs to express emotion. Take the examples below. In the first, adverbs are used. In the second, actions...

"Where is my money?" she asked.

"I... er," he mumbled. "I invested it."

"Invested!?" she screeched. "You mean gambled!"

or

"Where is my money?" she asked.

"I... er," he mumbled, shuffling his feet. "I invested it."

"Invested!?" she screeched, arms trembling at her side. "You mean gambled!"