As humans we read signals all the time. If someone flips us the finger, we know that person is angry. If someone throws their arms wide and does a little dance, we know that the person is happy about something. We communicate every day without words. Gestures reveal so much about a character, and about a situation. Reveal is the important term here—reveal/show. It speaks to that old writing adage “show, don’t tell.” When we see certain gestures by characters … Read More »

We all want to write elegantly. That calls for tightening lines. One way to rid excess verbiage is to cut all unnecessary prepositions and prepositional phrases. I say unnecessary because, as writers, we are also concerned about how a line sings. Sometimes prepositional phrases are needed to keep a meter, portray the voice of a persona, or enhance the lilt of the line. Barring that, here are some ways to cut unnecessary prepositions and prepositional phrases. 6 Ways to rework … Read More »

In my FWA posting for last month we dove into the tetractys, a poetry short form from Greece.  This month let’s look closely at the pensee. The pensee (pronounced pahn-say) is a short syllabic form with specific attributes. But before we get into those let’s backtrack a little. The word pensee means a thought, or reflection, in French. When we speak of a pensee we are referring to a thought expressed in a literary way, such as the short form … Read More »

Go on … think of a poetry short form you know. Probably, the first one that comes to mind is the haiku, or maybe, the limerick. I bet that’s what would come to mind for most folks. Or, if you’re familiar with Japanese forms you might also think of the tanka, or haibun. For many American writers that’s about the extent of our short form poetry knowledge. But there’s a vast world of short forms from almost every continent. (Probably, … Read More »

Titles are so important. After noticing the cover and spine art, what’s the next thing a reader looks at? Maybe the author’s name, but certainly, the title. It’s got to catch the eye of the beholder. Which would you rather read: Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss or When to Use the Oxford Comma? Com’on, unless you’re a total punctuation nerd, you’ll head toward Eats, Shoots and Leaves. It’s a grabber. We don’t know if someone is shooting a … Read More »

Picture books are jewels in the world of literature; artistic, fun, informative, and full of heart-shine. One important aspect is that they are short. Many publishers insist on less than 500 words. Yet they must have characterization, plot, setting, theme, and mood—all the same things a 90,000-word novel has. The other thing they must do is grab and retain the interest of young minds. Those minds are racing at phenomenal speed. It’s a tricky business to get that young reader … Read More »