Category Archives: A blog about the topics of writing

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing thoughts

How are your books received by the readers?

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If you are fortunate to get positive feedback from people, it is a true win for you.

A few years ago, a grandfather bought volume one of my Jasper, Amazon parrot series. It was to be a Christmas gift for his grandson.

According to granddad, his grandson, after opening the gift, sat down and placed his electronic toy beside him, and began reading the book. He sat there and read it all in one sitting.

His grandfather asked him what did he think. The young boy asked for volume two.

Hearing that did make me smile in real life. I have been told over the years other stories of children who have enjoyed my book.

Writing a book is so much more than writing a book. I want the readers to enjoy it, to put the book down after, and just had a good time doing so. Interacting with fans is so important.

If your books are not being read or enjoyed, then a big part of writing is lost. For while it is wonderful to write, and we can write book after book, at what point do we say to ourselves, “What is the point?”

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing tips and ideas

Do you know the characters in your book from a to z?

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How well do you know the characters in your book?

Yes, you will give the readers a physical description as well as mental and emotional attributes. Well, hopefully, you do.

But how well do you know your character inside and out? If someone asked you about them, would you be able to answer them satisfactorily?

Creating characters in our books is not as simple as throwing lines against a wall and see how many, if any, will stick. We, as readers, need to be invested in them to keep the pages turning.

Creating personalities in one’s manuscript is part of being a writer. The better you are in tune with your characters, the better read it will be

I tend to talk to my characters as if they are real. I have conversations going back and forth, which map out things I might not have thought of before. It is odd, and I suggest you don’t do this in public but getting a good grasp of this imaginary human is vital. And unless you take the time to do this right, one can’t be surprised if people turn on the very same characters you say you love.

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing tips and ideas

Screenwriters are amazing but infuriating

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Screenwriters are a breed of writers that make us laugh, cry and get angry. They give us movies that will invoke all kinds of emotions.

But as you are watching a movie, do you ever wonder at some of the lines you hear?

One of my favorites is when someone hears a noise, and that person turns to their friend. “What is that?” to “Who’s out there?”

How in the blue hell do they know? Did you not come down from the same staircase at the same time? Is the villain going to say loud and clear, “It is I, the bad guy of the movie coming to kill you.”

I know you can come up with other lines that make you wonder.

Being a screenwriter is a bit different than other writers. You have to say so much that the actors will convey on film. But can you give the audience some credit that they have some sense?

I know my family is getting tired of me fussing at the TV when I hear a line or see a scene and have to say something.

There are times my mind can wrap the brain around a script and enjoy the movie. But if it is missing key components that stalls my brain in accepting all that is on the screen, my mind will wander. After that happens, I will start looking at the reasons why it does not work.

Movie tickets are not cheap. How about giving us a little more than worn-down lines that every genre in film leans on? How about doing a better job in writing it out? A good actor can make most films sing from the rooftop. But they can only do so much regardless of how talented they are.