WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

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Sweeter Than Tea Writing Tips

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Hi everyone, I have SUCH a treat today! Some of my very good friends and writers that I greatly admire are releasing a short story collection, Sweeter Than Tea through Belle Books. When I found out I was all, Ahhh! and jumping around and stuff, and then I calmed down enough to ask if they might stop by and share with us a powerful Description Tip.

Many of the authors were able to be here today with Becca and I, and their tips follow.

Descriptive Tips To Give Your Writing A Boost

Kathleen Hodges:  There’s so much we want to tell our readers when we start a book so they understand our characters and their lives that we often fill the early chapters of the story with tons of backstory. After I wrote my first book, filled with purple prose and pages of backstory, I was lucky enough to have an experienced published writer look at it. She pointed to spot around page 62 in Chapter Three, and said, “Here’s your beginning.” And that started a writing exercise I used with most of my books after that. I would just write to my heart’s content, not worrying about anything except building my characters, and the beginning would find me. Then I would take the key elements of those beginning pages and filter them in slowly. Getting that backstory out of my system was essential to knowing my characters, but not necessarily essential for my reader. Visit Kathleen at A Writer’s House!

Martina Boone: When creating a setting or a character, put in one main, memorable detail that simultaneously builds-in active interaction opportunities. Incorporate that detail into the scene or story through action. Use it to show emotion. For example, the framed photo that a character smashes can tell us a lot about that character. What was the photo? When was it taken? What does it represent? How is it framed—in gold, in plain, cheap wood? Where was it kept in the room—among a lot of other photos on the mantel, at the back of a collection on the end table, by itself in pride of place? Choosing how you describe something forces you to concentrate on coming up with something meaningful and makes your description further your story as well as paint a visual. Visit Martina at Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing!

Deborah Grace Staley: Trust that you know enough to write well. Don’t get me wrong. You have to do the work. Read novels like a writer, finding something in that author’s writer’s toolbox that you might need in yours. Go to seminars and conferences to learn about the craft from professionals. Or take a class. But at some point, acknowledge that you know something, too. Enough to see you through writing the book. Trust yourself and your instincts. Most of all, trust that when you sit down to write, even if it’s an off day and you aren’t sure where you’re going with a scene, trust that it will come if you just sit and put fingers to keyboard (or pen to paper). Remember, as long as you have something on the page, it can always be fixed. It does not have to be golden. Visit Deborah at her Website!

Susan Sipal: Be precise and be strong! – One main reason why adverbs (and sometimes adjectives) get the bad rap that they do is because their overuse indicates weak description. If you choose a strong enough verb, you usually don’t need an adverb to qualify it. And if your nouns and adjectives are precise, your writing won’t risk tripping into purple prose. The foundation for choosing the most precise and strongest word is your imagination. You must first visually imagine the character, setting, action in your own mind, in vivid, active, and beyond-the-norm detail before you can convey that intriguing visual to your reader in black and white on paper or screen. This art of crafting engaging description is usually created through the work of multiple revisions. Enjoy! Visit Susan at Harry Potter For Writers!

Tom Honea: The secret, I think, is to know what the rules are and to be secure enough in what you do to stick to what feels right to you. Listen to the critiques of your group, your cohorts, but don’t feel that you are obligated to do it their way.

One other suggestion: read out loud what you have written, especially the dialogue. Or better yet, get someone to read it back to you. If it sounds good out loud, it most likely is good. If it is not good, it won’t sound worth a damn! Visit Tom on his Website!

Darcy Crowder: Word choice is a key element in writing description. When I’m in the creative stage of writing (as opposed to editing) my best method of creating description is to close my eyes and imagine myself as my character -in the moment. What does she see? What colors, shapes, textures are she experiencing? What sounds? The drum of a steady rain, the soft drone of insects? What smells? Freshly mowed grass, spaghetti cooking on the stove? The trick is to get the words on the page as quickly as possible. But that’s only the beginning. The magic happens in the editing. My best writing tip is to create word lists. Whenever the moment presents itself; a quiet walk alone, a crowded outdoor festival, a boat ride, a rainy day….you get the idea, take out your trusty pen and handy 3 x 5 index card (I carry some in my purse or pocket) and make a word list. Let the experience flow over you and note as much as possible, using the best words you can. Then, going back to that story you’re editing, pull from these lists. Your words will be fresh, first hand and more fully in the moment.Visit Darcy at It’s Only A Novel!

Jane Forest:  Several of us got to talking about creativity during a quilting retreat I attended this past weekend. I decided that some people make things, and some just . . . don’t. The makers versus the takers. Those of us who create often have a finger in every crafty pie out there. We have whole rooms in our houses devoted to craft. We don’t simply sew or quilt, we write and make ornamental metalwork, we dye fabric and crochet and knit; do photography and woodworking and cooking and grow veggies and flowers—the list is endless.

I also work in a public library. When I’m helping people get their first email address, I chat with them to find a memorable password. “You don’t want to use your children or pet’s names, that might be easy for someone to guess,” I’ll say. “Do you have any hobbies?” I’m astonished by the vast number of people that don’t do anything but chat on the phone or watch sports on TV.

So melding together these two perceptions, I’ve come up with my tip to all those who want to be more creative, skillful writers: Get out there and make things. Be a creator, not a consumer. Watch less television, hang up the phone. Take some classes and stretch your brains. The more you experience, the more things you discover, the better you will be able to describe them knowledgeably in your books. You never know when some skill you’ve learned will useful to one of your characters—and having done it yourself, your descriptive writing will have a recognizable bite of reality. Visit Jane at Forest Jane’s Designs!

SWEETER THAN TEA: Family dramas, comic mishaps, sentimental remembrances and poignant choices illuminate these thirteen stories by new and established authors. There’s something for every reader: The gritty realism of a hunt for wild boars, the gentle grieving for a home now filled only with memories, the funny battle between a woman and her recipe for deviled eggs, and much more.

Come sit a spell on the front porch. Prop your feet up, sip a cold glass of sweet iced tea, and lose yourself in a way of life that’s as irresistible as pecan pie and as unforgettable as a chilled slice of watermelon on a hot summer day. Welcome to a place that exists between the pages of How It Was and How It Might Have Been—just a little bit south of the long path home.

Seriously, doesn’t this sound like the type of book you want to read this summer? I am a sucker for Southern Stories, and very excited to read this one.

***ALSO, Becca, my partner in mayhem, is at Courage 2 Create, a Write To Done’s Best 10 Blogs for Writers winner. She’s doling out Research Tips for All Writers so please stop in and check it out!***

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Claudette Alexander-James says

    WOW! Congratulations
    I have enjoyed my purchase of Emotion Thearus and it has certainly helped me in breathing more actual emotions into my characters.
    WeitersDigest.com has plenty of very helpful blogs which has been beneficial in my writing life.
    Sure I could do with a Kindle plus 10 books so pull my name from the batch

  2. Leslie S. Rose says

    This fab post is a workshop in itself. My family is from the south so I had to buy this collection right away. I’ll fry something up and get right to reading it.

  3. Misha Gericke says

    Awesome tips. I love Jane’s advice about being a maker rather than a taker. It’s so true. And even when people get as far as writing as their only art, I suggest they pick up something else as well, because writing empties one’s creative resources. Doing another art refills it. That’s what I found, anyway.

    Would have loved to enter the competition, but I’m South African.

    🙂

  5. James W. Lewis says

    I love Susan’s advice. Some writers use adverbs way too much and try to “fluff” up their prose. In most cases, using to-the-point, stronger verbs is better than using a weak verb with an adverb. For example, instead of “talk loudly,” you can simply say “yell.”

  7. Poppy Herrin says

    I was born, raised, and still reside in rural Mississippi. I love to read and I love sweet tea. Sounds like the book for me. Please enter me in the giveaway.

  10. Yvette Carol says

    Thanks for the tips. I identified most strongly with Kathleen Hodges tips. Mainly because that’s exactly the stage I’m at with editing my WIP. I’m struggling with the sheer weight of backstory I’ve loaded into the first two chapters. This gives me something to chew on!! 🙂

  12. Becca Puglisi says

    I love Kathleen’s tip on just letting that backstory flow in the drafting stage. I always start my stories in the wrong place and hate having to go back later and move everything around. But I like Kathleen’s advice of embracing it and getting it out of the way.

    Thank you, contributors, for your excellent advice! And best of luck everyone on the giveaways!

  13. Barbara Rae Robinson says

    Great tips! And Belle Books is a wonderful publisher. Can’t wait to see the book.

    Barb

  14. Sandie says

    Can’t wait to pick up a copy. Looks like something I would enjoy reading and not put down until I’m to the end.

  15. Anonymous says

    Yes, please enter me! I’d love to read this collection. And thanks for the writing tips—the most important one I needed to hear right now is “trust your gut and write!”
    -Emily
    emily_reynolds(at)hotmail(dot)com

  16. Stacy Green says

    Tons of great tips here! I’m bookmarking this post in my writing links, and I would love to be included in the giveaway. Thanks! stacy(dot)whisenand(at)gmail(dot)com.

  17. Baldbull05 says

    I’ve known Jane for a while. She always gives great advice. For sure I will read the book… book giveaway will start my reading a lot sooner 🙂

  21. Yellow Rose says

    “Be a creator, not a consumer. Watch less television, hang up the phone. Take some classes and stretch your brains.”

    This is so true. I’d also add get off the computer!

  23. Icchic says

    As a Southerner I have a special affinity for sweet tea, and a special bonus for me is that I know one of the authors!

  24. Susanne Drazic says

    These are great tips. Thank you to all of the authors for sharing them.

    Sweeter Than Tea sounds like a wonderful book. I like the cover.

    smdrazic(at)yahoo(dot)com

  25. Traci (aka the Bookbabe) says

    What a great post! I work in a public library, too, and have never thought about suggesting someone’s hobby as his/her password – great advice! Also, I would suggest to anyone who is a writer or has aspirations of writing – READ. Read as much as you can, and definitely read genres that are outside of your comfort zone. That’s a great way to get ideas!

  27. Ann says

    Knowing one of these authors personally, I’d love to have a copy of this book! Being raised by a couple of southerners(even though I was moved around a lot since Dad was military), I have a love of Sweet Tea! I sip sweet tea quite often while I sit and read a good book! Can’t wait to read this one.

  31. Jackie Rod says

    Thanks for the great writing tips. We can never get enough info on “How to Write a Better Story.” All wanna-bees look to you for guidance as you generously pave the way for us. You’re awesome and so is sweet tea. 🙂

  32. Angela Ackerman says

    Thanks everyone for the comments–I absolutely agree, summer tea and a good book outside overlooking the garden or backyard is the perfect combo 🙂

    Angela

  36. Trish says

    As someone who loves sweet tea (!), I just know I would enjoy reading this book! Even those of us who DO create things with our hands need to take a break every once in a while to exercise the brain by reading a good book! 😉

  39. Darleen Madsen says

    Lots of good tips, I am a big fan of Jane. Please include me in the giveaway. Thanks!

  42. Suzanne Lucero (sulewlu at yahoo dot com) says

    Angela, if you take these tips, add your and Becca’s Emotional Thesaurus, and shake well, I believe you will have the basic recipe for writing a story, whether long or short. Then, of course, each cook (writer) will add his or her “special ingredient” to make the story one-of-a-kind. Couldn’t be simpler, right? *I stand accused of crass oversimplification. I plead the fifth.*

  43. Kelly Staley says

    I may not have been born in the South but my heart still belongs there. kelly_anne_staley@ yahoo.com

  44. SP Sipal says

    Angela and Becca – Thanks so much! Your blog is such an inspiration to so many writers. Loved reading all the tips from everyone! 🙂
    — Susan

  47. LTM says

    What awesome tips! I love Martina’s about the memorable detail; I need Deborah’s about trusting myself; Tom’s so right about reading dialogue aloud… These are all great tips! Thanks, guys! Thanks, Angela! :o) <3

  48. Birgit says

    Is there anything better than books & tea? I think not! Please count me in if this giveaway is open worldwide (I live in Europe)!

    danaan at gmx dot at

  49. Natalie Aguirre says

    Such great tips. Thanks for sharing them. I’m so excited for everyone, especially Martina. Love the title of the book.

    Don’t enter me in the contest. I’m already getting this.