Great Fiction Writers Know Body Language

"Show, don't tell"....It's the age-old chant. Most of us understand the need to write action, as opposed to telling emotion. But how do we make it so?

Fiction writers, the answer is simple: Learn body language.

Body language speaks louder than words. And if, as a novel writer, you want your characters' actions to speak, then you must know what the body is saying.

For instance...Yes or no....?

A flick of the wrist: Is it a gesture of impatience or of anger?

A cocked head: Is it suspicion or flirting?

A dropped head: Is it shame or avoidance?

Dilated pupils: Did your character have one too many drinks or is he flirting?

Scratching his ear: Was your character bitten by a mosquito or does he not like what he's hearing?

The answer is yes (to every answer). Depending on the other "physical cues" that you write into your character's action, he may be feeling any of the above. You can probably see now that if you know body language, you can use that knowledge to your writing advantage.

"Tell me again...How do I use body language while writing my book?" If you know what a gesture means (how the body movement is interpreted), then you can write that movement into your character's movement. Many of us "catch" body movement "intuitively." Reading body movement in the character in your book has the same affect on our feelings toward a character as if the character were standing in front of us. Whether it's a character who seems right--but we want the reader to know that something is wrong--or a character who we want the reader to strongly empathize with, the desired outcome can be created by writing in body movements--movements that the reader can interpret.

To say that there is a huge body of information "out there" on body language is an understatement. Really. Quite a few books and web sites tout body language interpretation. The best part about it: This isn't "boring stuff" at all. Check out Kevin Hogan's web site. It's a fun read -- and full of tidbits that you can put into your writing.

Speaking of reading....Of the four or five books on body language that I own, I like The Definitive Book of Body Language by Barbara Pease and Alan Pease. I can assure you--the book is full of totally applicable info. You'll use what you read. (And I'm not getting a penny to say that.)

So brush up on your body language know-how. Then start writing movement into your character -- as she speaks, as she walks, and as she goes about her business. Your reader will catch some wonderful cues...and your characters will come alive.

Simply writing to simplify writing,

Erin

Writing Can Take Over Your Life...

Writing can take over your life. It did mine. (Again.)

I look at the date on the last post and cringe. What a gap (!). Where did the time go?

Well, I know where it went: It flew by while sitting in front of the keyboard, fingers whizzing, deadlines looming and running past, fingers whizzing some more.

I've been swallowed up by writing.

I venture to say that everyone is feeling it. Kids. Husband. And especially me.

I have to ask: Why do I do it? Why do I write at all hours and through the weekend? Then I have to answer bluntly (and there are two answers): sustenance (translated "I have to work to eat") and passion (translated "obsession").

I dream for the day when writing is only the passion-obsession part. I have a sneaking suspicion that then, it won't feel so strange at this particular moment of realization...if I have the moment, then.

In the meantime, I vow once again to try to balance my life to include some fun--which means going on a walk with the dog on a sunny day, going to a movie that isn't a late show, painting a picture with a child, calling that long-lost friend...and, yes, blogging.

And I vow not to cave to the deadline breathing down my neck.

This post is definitely for my benefit. But maybe you have been swallowed up by writing, too.

Breathe.

That's what I'm doing. I think it's a good move.

To you...and to me,
Erin

Glorious Deadlines

Deadlines are like caramelized garlic and onions dripping in olive oil and served with a pinch of oregano. That is, I’ve discovered that, much like a double-decker deli sandwich heaped with the concoction, deadlines leave a wonderful residual quality—lingering, pungent elements sticking with me long after licking the last finger.

What’s so glorious about deadlines? Deadlines are glorious because…

1. Deadlines drive time faster. If Superman is faster than a speeding bullet, time on deadline leaves Superman in the dust. In a meeting last night, I found myself saying to those present, “Where did March go?” Someone responded, “Into the writing and creation of this project.” Well put.

2. Deadlines cause us to cherish free time. That’s because there’s so little of it. Yesterday, I decided to take a few hours and actually sit and read a book instead of write one (what a concept…especially on a Sunday afternoon, eh?). Just for fun, I devoured Patterson and Charbonnet's Sundays at Tiffany’s in one bite (that’s all the time I have for eating such delicacies). Knowing that I wouldn’t have another slice of time for at least a week, it made the experience delicious.

3. Deadlines bring us closer to others. The counter gal at Starbucks and I had a brilliant conversation on Saturday morning. No, really. It was honest, straightforward, even connecting. Makes me wonder how many of those brilliant conversations I miss out on, when not on deadline.

4. Deadlines raise our value of sleep. No argument here: Deprivation causes appreciation.

5. Deadlines drive us to perform or die. Something fantastical happens when we have to do it or lose. We actually produce. And, if there’s any hint of radiance in your work in progress, the gem comes out shining and dazzling…well, at least the core stone is discovered and dug out of the mud. No worries. We can cut and polish it up later.

6. Deadlines teach us about the value of immersion. “Immersion” means going down in. In our state of deep engagement, we’re baptized and submerged into our magically-developing idea. That idea plunges us into an amalgamation, a union of dreams and reality, a fusion within intense focus that pulls us aside, to the exclusion of all other moments. While in the eclipse behind our project, we engage in transit. Then, emerging from the intense baptism, we emerge—a physical creation in hand, born of internal, spiritual sweat. The intense effort pays, and pays big. Eventually. It will. Really.

7. Deadlines teach us about the value of emersion. Emersion is about rising out of—and is about you and me, rising out of our sea of ideas. In the heavens, emersion is the appearance of a heavenly body after being occluded, like the moon coming out from the shadow of the earth…and in our writing, emersion is the appearance of our work after the eclipse, the darkness, presenting a work finished and complete. It is only through immersion and emersion that authors and creators rise from obscurity or difficulties into success. Deadlines christen us into the whole process.

8. Deadlines drive and empower. And if we don’t take that attitude, sew it onto a flag, attach the flag to the tallest pole that we can find, and let that flag pop and ripple in the wind for all to see, then we’re truly missing out on the potential, the promise, and the empowerment of a deadline.

For fun (and for the tenth time), I watched the movie Alex and Emma last Friday night (a Rob Reiner must-see for writers). Granted, I don’t have two Cubans coming after me for cash, driving me to finish my book or die…but Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson’s characters have a way of bringing out sublime smiles that only writers can relate to.

And it’s those smiles that remind us that deadlines are indeed glorious.

'Till next time,
Erin

PS. Yes, I'm on deadline.

Dump the Muse Myth (a.k.a. forget the muse--I have work to do)

Enough of this "muse" stuff!

I'm convinced: The myth of the "muse"--that wonderful voice that visits you and deposits words, phrases, and books into your mind's lap and then skips happily off--was created by someone who didn't have a deadline.

Deadlines don't wait for muses.

Writing is work. That's the truth.

I've leaned on the Muse Myth too many times. After all, others talk about the muse not visiting...of the "time not being right to write." Foo foo and poppycock. "The time not right" means that I've decided to NOT sit down and work.

Take my friend, for instance...(who, by the way, is a friend that I rarely see any more). This person often talked about "sharpening pencils" and "arranging the desk" and "getting coffee" and other time-wasters as "prerequisites" to writing. She has a half dozen wonderful books in her head. And they stay in her head. Well, in all the years I've known her (over a dozen), she did eek out one book. But I'm convinced: the time waiting for the muse to show up could have produced the six.

Take me, for instance...(who, by the way, is on deadline for two books and a ton of materials that I have to have ready before speaking at a convention in May). I've made up ideas in my head that I need to have the time "just right" to write (at least two hours), at a certain place (Panera, perhaps), with certain conditions surrounding the writing (such as, "no kids in the house at that time"...an almost impossibility with six kids of 13 still living at home). Again -- foo foo and poppycock. I've been killing time when I should have been working.

Now the pressure is on. I'm running out of time. Have you been there, done that?

This is when another myth pops up: "I work best under pressure." Or try this one: "I procrastinate so that I can be more brilliant with the end result."

Say it with me, nice and loud: "Foo foo and poppycock."

Forget the muse. Get to work! You have it in you--and I have it in me. Sit down. Get the fingers moving. Produce what's in there. Coax it, push it, pull it, or pound it out. Just do it. I'm talking to me, and I'm talking to you. Then you and I will both feel better, won't we?

You see, hard work never hurt anyone. In fact, you and I both know that hard work produces results. Simple math.

Time to do it.

All best, 'till next time,
Erin

The Music of Writing

I had an epiphany today. It was an epiphany that could help me--and you--to write with magnetic, musical style.

I was meeting with Rachel, one of the teens I coach in our Young Authors' Fiction Writing group. Rachel is writing a fabulous fantasy story that, when published, will be sure to have a dedicated throng of followers. While critiquing the chapter in front of us, I noticed a sharp shift in the voice of that particular section.

"This part sounds a bit different, doesn't it?" I said.

"Oh yeah," said Rachel. "I wrote that part of the chapter some time ago."

I nodded my head. "When you wrote it, you must have been in a different mood. The tone is different. The sentence lengths are different. And even the rhythm and placement of the words are different."

Rachel agreed.

"But mostly," I said, "the style--which is made up of all those things--feels stuck. Let's read this sentence out loud...."

And we did. We spent a few minutes reading the sentences one by one. Then we chose new words, arranged new orders of words, and crafted new sentences.

Now, I must tell you, Rachel is not only a talented young writer, but she's also an accomplished musician: a harp player. Music is something that we have in common; my first career was in music, and I spent many hours in the studio and on stages. So as we put new words into the sentences and read along together, we found ourselves "moving to the music" of the sentences. It was something else. We both felt it: The emphasis--the accents in the syllables--and the pitch, rising and falling, made music. And being musicians, the non-musical parts jumped off the page and screeched at us as clearly notes played out of tune.

If the "musical line" felt awkward, we changed a word--or changed the arrangement of the words in the sentence. The result: a style and tone that flowed.

"Listen to the sound of these words together," I said. "The music of the line is particularly satisfying." It was as if we'd heard a fine musical line.

The epiphany rang loud and true: There's music in our writing.

Have you ever thought about the "music" of your writing? Read your work out loud, and you'll see what I mean.

** Listen to the percussiveness of the p's, t's, k's, and b's. Their sounds, coupled with the syllables, can drive a phrase forward. Use the "music" of percussive words and syllables to build tension into your writing.

** Listen to the soft, smooth line of the l's, m's, and n's. Listen to the vowels /o/ (as in hot) and /e/ (as in red). The sounds, coupled with equal-time syllables, rock us like gentle waves against a rowboat on a hot summer's afternoon. Use the "music" of smooth consonants and vowels, along with steady syllables, with description to set a tone. Make your reader feel the calm before the storm...because every good story has the storm a' commin'.

** Listen to the length of the sentences. Abrupt sentences (and fragments) jolt the reader. Use short sentences, coupled with percussive words, to show anger, fast action, and anxiety.

** Finally, read your sentences out loud--and make the lines drip with drama. Listen to the flow of the sentences. If your tongue stumbles or your breath runs out, then there might be something wrong with "the music" of it all. Re-write with a rise and fall that runs smoothly and pulls your reader in.

What? You say that you're not a musician? You don't have to be a musician to hear the music in your writing--and purposefully create a voice and style that captures your reader's soul. You can be a listener to music...then try to hear the musical line in your writing. And you can read other great writers' works...and hear the musical line in their writing. Both are ways to "tune your ear" to excellence in music--and writing.

Yours 'till next time,
Erin

P.S. The music of writing isn't just for fiction works. Music flows through all writing: non-fiction, articles, commentary, copy writing, and more. Listen for it. It's worth our while to listen well.

Fiction Writing Focus: Creating Vivid Characters

Dear Fellow Fiction Writers,

How vivid are your characters?

We all want characters with depth, who everyone's simply dying to know...characters who we love to love--and love to hate...the characters that everyone reader wants to spend time with...and to follow into the next chapter. And next book. And through the whole series.

Character prompts help us to craft such a character. A thorough write-up of your character's qualities and quirks gets us into the character's head, heart, and actions. We absolutely NEED to know our characters intimately. After all, if we don't know your characters intimately, then how can we write our character's lives and thoughts vividly?

Here's a list of items to use for developing your characters:

Character's Name:
Age:
Height:
Weight and build:
Movement/gait:
Color of hair:
Color of eyes:
Special physical characteristics/traits:
Gestures:
What others notice first when meeting character:
Education:
Educational experience, overall:
Sexuality:
Place of birth:
Family ethnicity:
Family history (dark and light):
Best friend, growing up:
Best friend, present:
Enemies of the past:
Enemies of the present:
Favorite food(s):
Favorite drink(s):
Favorite clothing:
Clothing quirks:
Eating habits:
Sleeping habits:
Work habits:
Living quarters:
Family members:
Family peculiarities:
Significant past event influencing character:
Inner needs that have not been fulfilled:
What drives your character, positive:
What drives your character, negative:
What your character will typically do, when put in a hard place:
The worst fear:
The highest motivation:
Lifelong dream:
Strongest positive personality trait:
Strongest negative personality trait:
What makes my character smile:
What makes my character laugh:
What makes my character rage:
What makes my character cry:
Core spiritual worldview:
Political awareness and "bent":
What character does in his/her "down time":
If my character had a free day, he/she would:
What he/she does when alone for more than an hour:
Greatest fear, physical event:
Greatest fear, emotional:
Most passionate about:
What he/she would do with unlimited resources:
Injustice that he/she would "right":
When the worst thing happens, what will my character do first?
When the worst thing happens, what will my character do next?
When the worst thing happens, what will my character finally resolve to do?
Single sentence describing the character:
What readers will feel about this character:
Character arc: change that will take place in the character's inner thoughts:
Character arc: change that will take place in the character's outer actions:

Keep a notebook section filled for each character, and refer to your notebook often. Add new thoughts when they come; refine your thoughts as you go. Make sure that your character is well-defined, and you'll be able to strongly convey your character's "reality" to your reader....building a fondness that draws the reader into your story with passion and connection.

Together, writing with passion and skill --
All best,
Erin

Why write better emails?

What do your emails look like? We spend a lot of time writing emails. Stop and think: What are your emails "saying" to others? I'm not just talking about content. There's much more to it.

Your emails send messages in three ways:

1. Your tone. Your email may be "curt": too short and business-like. Emails that have no opening and no personal words can sound cold, uncaring, and stand-off-ish.
The fix:
Add a "Hello, Kim"; add a warmer beginning line ("Enjoyed your presentation yesterday") and then jump into business; add a send-off ("Appreciate your time"). Those three simple pieces turn you into a compassionate person that connects with others.

2. Your competency. Any spelling, punctuation, wording, and grammar errors send a message about you...and believe me, it's a message that you don't want sent.
The fix:
Use Spell Check--each and every time; read your email out loud before sending; and, for longer emails, place the text into a Word document, to see if those little green squiggly grammar-check lines pop up. The few extra minutes to do so are worth it, for your reader's belief in your competency.

3. Your worthiness of respect. Any off-color comments; any added links to off-color jokes, YouTube postings, and web pages; any forwards with questionable content; any quotes or signature lines with questionable intent; any negative comments about another person (from a hint all the way up to back-biting)... all of these throw doubt on your character. Those reading your emails want to respect you; content that makes the reader think twice is content to leave out of your email.
The fix: Write with honor. Always.

Whether your email is for business or pleasure, use these simple tips, and you'll find that your reader will connect with you, appreciate you, and want to follow your lead.

All best until next time,
Erin