Adventures of a Writer

Writing good dialogue is a skill that needs to be mastered by writers. Through dialogue one can reveal character and story elements, dramatic conflict and much more. However, there are some common dialogue mistakes that need to be avoided. Author Pamela Todd-Hunter shares some of these... Read on... Dialogue is essential to any story. It’s used to move the plot along, reveal something important about the characters, and keep the pace, but I’ve found that it’s not as easy to write as it seems. Here are several mistakes that can make or break a story.   Cover too much territory Dialogue between characters is the easiest way to move the story forward and give information to the reader but be careful of how much you reveal. We’ve all been warned against info dumps. Usually these occur when the writer is describing the backstory and gives too much information at once, but dialogue can also cause this. Conversations between characters are one of the easiest ways to disseminate informati...

Welcome to Week F of Authors' Tips: A to Z of Writing. If this is the first time you are visiting this blog, here's a quick recap. In this series authors share their tips on writing fiction - and each week we share our insights on various aspects of writing. So for Alphabet F, let's talk about Flaws.  Have you met the Perfect Human who doesn't have a single flaw -- no matter how small? And I'm not talking about 'looks' here, but traits. Well, that would be well-nigh impossible. Likewise, in fiction too, we can't get away by creating the Perfect Protagonist. Why? a) Because a man/woman who doesn't have any flaws or imperfections is simply too good to be true. And fiction has to be believable. b) It would be extremely boring for a reader to read about a man/woman who is well, just too perfect! As they say, there's no such thing as a perfect diamond. So too, with your characters. The 'flaw' is what makes your character reac...

Welcome to Week D of the A to Z Writing Series. My post for the week is 'Deus Ex Machina'.  Did you say, what the heck is that? So, here's a little definition. Deus ex Machina is a Latin term which actually means 'God from the Machine' . The term originated in Roman and Greek Drama where at a certain point in the climax of the story God would drop down from the sky (via a crane, and hence the reference to machine) to provide a resolution to the story.  In modern story telling using the Deus Ex Machina - or divine intervention - is considered to be poor writing. While it may be argued that in life, coincidences and random events do happen, when you're telling a story, use of such a device to resolve the protagonist's dilemma or crisis can often leave your reader dissatisfied. Whether your story is a romance or a thriller, your protagonist is the one who drives the story with his/her choices. To keep the reader engaged and turning the pages, the ...

Photo by Tanja Heffner on Unsplash.com Life imitates art. Or does art imitate life? Whichever way you may look at it, you can’t get away from the fact that in life and in art, there is conflict.  While in real life you do your best to avoid conflict, if you did the same in your writing, your story would be dull, drab and downright unreadable or unwatchable.  Imagine a movie where all characters live happily and there is no conflict.   Or a novel where page after page is a no-conflict-zone?   Boring, right?  Conflict in your story ENGAGES your reader/viewer. That’s the top reason why you need conflict in your story.   It keeps them watching the movie or turning the pages.   It gives them reason to root for your hero, fear for him and hope that he will be able to bring down the villain or triumph over the obstacles.  Different types of conflict Having conflict however does not mean that every scene needs to be a ‘fi...