Tag Archives: Writing Tips

Writing Tips – Hiding in Plain Sight

A couple summers ago, we went blackberry picking. Er, well I should say I was the “camera toter” and “bug spray applier”, not the “blackberry picker” in this adventure.

Along the way, we had to pass a few uninterested bystanders. They were a bit white-faced that we had the audacity to invade their territory, but hey, I was a bit white-faced, too.

Ah, the fresh smell of cow patties… Phew!

Much fun was had and tons of blackberries were picked, despite the prickles! Before an ominous thunderstorm rolled in, I snapped some fun photos. And of course, being the one behind the camera, I never seem to be in any photos.

Well, unless they turn out like this. :roll:

There really is a writing lesson buried in this text, promise.

Many writer friends and I have talked about the unconscious muse phenom. What we’re talking about is when we’re working on a current book and down the road we discover that some innocuous item we’d added much earlier in the story–just to give some authenticity or because we wanted to further flesh out a setting–turned out to be pivotal in the storyline later. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN!?! And even though it has happened often enough to lead me to believe my own muse sometimes runs in the background in my subconscious, there is a lesson to be picked up here. One that I can consciously implement into my stories and so can you!

There’s an expression in the screenwriting world called “Laying the Pipe” (er, I believe I have the correct expression (someone correct me if I’m misquoting it), and NO, it’s not that meaning. Git yer minds outta the gutter :lol: ). The basic gist behind this idea is that as the story unfolds you want to plant items early in the storyline that will have an impact on your story later, but you do this by integrating those items in such a way that the viewer/reader doesn’t KNOW you’re planting them. It’s done this way so that later on in the storyline when it’s important that your audience “recalls” the small item they missed before and how it relates to the big reveal now, then they’ll nod their heads and say, Oh, yeah, I get it now. 

So, what does blackberry picking have to do with this fun writing tip above? Check out that first photo again. What do you see?

Do you see the praying mantis? If you saw it the first time, good for you! This insect’s body is MADE for camouflage. He was there all along, hiding in plain sight. That’s what you’re doing with your story. When you layer little items in so that they are a seamless part of the story, give them more of a reason for being there than just to support a reveal later. How do you do that? One way is to make them a true integral part of the character or storyline. Like Nara teaching herself Latin in BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS. Um, if you don’t know how that ties into this writing tip, hopefully it’ll click with you if you read Nara and Ethan’s story.  8)

 

Writing Tips – Worldbuilding

Brainstorming BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS's world!

On a message board I’m on, someone asked about worldbuilding, ie how do you do it.

I’ll admit, world building can be both fun (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!) and intimidating (MY WORLDS AND PLOTS GROW LIKE KUDZU, AND THERE I AM BLITHELY SPRAYING MIRACLE GROW ON THEM. Of course, after the fact, I can be found pulling my hair and wandering around the house mumbling, “How am I going to get all this into one book and the romance, too”), but I did try to find a way to answer the question that might help things click into place.

You know me…I gotta make it visual…well, at least relate it to something one can visualize. :wink: So here goes.

The Puzzle of Worldbuildlng

Try to relay tidbits of the world in the natural course of the story…via characters discussing things or visiting places or events happening where the world building can be woven in seamlessly piece by piece.

Maybe one way to think of laying out the mythology in the story is to do it the same way you would approach working on a 500 piece puzzle. For instance, the bits of your worldbuilding you DO know–the basic framework of your world–would flow easily early on in your story and should be slipped into place without much effort. Consider this first layer of worldbuilding like the puzzle’s outside pieces, where that one straight edge helps you form the main border.

Once all the outside pieces are placed, you then work your way inward, using the picture on the front of the puzzle box to help you decipher the colors and shapes stamped on the pieces, turning them until they all finally come together in a completed puzzle and overall picture. You do this secondary part of your worldbuilding via creative dialogue, action/fight scenes, flashbacks, dream sequences, a hunt for something/discovery of something, etc…anything that flows into the natural unfolding of the story. This deeper level of worldbuilding happens throughout every scene, even down to the last few pages.

P.T.

Writing Tips & More BKoD Reviews!

I thought I’d start posting writing tips. I’m going to try to make it once a week, though in the Future it’ll probably be on Thursdays.  Sometimes it’ll be something I’ve written. Other times it’ll be an awesome tip I found while surfing the web.  Whether you’re an aspiring author or a reader curious how I approach writing, I hope you enjoy them!

It has been a while since I’ve written one of my “visual” writing posts. I’ve written several under my other writing name so I’ll be bringing them over to this blog and adding new ones as time permits.  Why do I focus on the visual? For me, I learn and retain lessons best when I have a visual representation. So I thought I’d incorporate those in my blog.

COLORING IN THE DETAILS!

Today’s post is about bringing your writing to life, coloring in those details in such a way so that readers can “picture” or “feel” the scene.

Check out this picture below (yes, this does relate to writing, promise. 😉 )

It’s a neat picture, right? Nice color. It has cool composition with the sun only hitting the tops of the trees, lighting them on fire while the tree trunks remain shrouded in dark shadows. Like it? Yeah, me too…LOL…since I took it. :wink:

But ya know, once I downloaded this picture to my computer screen, I was disappointed. Why? Because the colors looked washed out and dull compared to what I had seen while I was happily snapping away with my digital camera. What I saw was flashes of fire in the leaves, like nature had lit them ablaze. I loved the vivid stormy blue sky behind those fiery leaves and how it set such a stark and breathtaking contrast!

So what did I do once I downloaded it to my computer?

I went in and put the color back in…the way I’d “seen” in through the camera’s viewfinder.

And here is the result.

And what in the WORLD does ALL this have to do with writing, you ask…

Okay, here’s how you can apply this to writing.

Once you’ve written your scene, step back and read it. Think about the two pictures above. Think about how you reacted to each one. Consider how the first one was a fairly good picture all on its own, well, until you saw the next one. LOL!

The point is…you wrote a good scene. Now go back and make it better. Make it POP!

How do you do that?

If it’s an emotional scene, then take your characters’ emotions deeper. Really dig into your main characters’ internal conflicts and how that particular scene effects or changes the character’s perspective on things. Get in there and make the reader “feel” what the character does. Use those five senses, too!

If it’s a fight scene or an action scene, beyond the actual hand to hand “fight” actions or playing out of the action scene, make sure that you’ve done a thorough job employing the five senses here as well. I’m sure you’ve already shown us what your character sees, but what does your character hear? What does he/she smell? What does he/she feel?

Going back and adding in these additional layers will help make your scenes come alive, giving them that “extra” memorable impact and painting a vivid picture for your readers.

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MORE AWESOME REVIEWS for BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS!

5 Stars! “… Brightest Kind of Darkness is a fresh, thrilling and compelling read. It’s almost got a Final Destination feel to the book but P.T does make this book her own. I can’t help but ask myself, why isn’t this book been picked up by a publisher? Publishers…..seriously you’re missing out. I so want this book sitting on my shelf and I for one am thankful this book was bought to my attention because like I said, it’s not one you want to miss out on…” Donna, Book Passion for Life  (Click here to read the entire review)

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5 Stars! “… Exciting, atmospheric, action-packed, and intensely mysterious BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS is the best self-published work I have read to date. Michelle’s writing is so good it was easy to lose myself in the pages and forget the time, something few books can do. I can hardly wait for the next book to be released and will definitely be adding Michelle (and her alter ego Patrice Michelle) to my list of authors to watch. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy Stacey Jay or Richelle Mead’s writing styles and for fans of Jordan Dane’s intensity.”  Rhianna, RhiReading (Click here to read the entire review)

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5 Stars! “… The chemistry between Nara and Ethan could have set my Kindle on fire! With very few words or actions they were able to speak volumes. They had that type of connection where each little touch gives you goose bumps. Sometimes Ethan would just speak a few words and I would blush like mad. 

Brightest Kind of Darkness brings up an interesting idea–can you run from fate? This book is full of twists and turns and it is impossible to not care about these characters. If you want a spooky paranormal tale with a sizzling romance inside, grab this book!  I am already stalking P.T. to see when the next book in this series is coming out! ”  Jessica, Confessions of a Bookaholic (Click here to read the entire review)

HUGE thank yous to Donna, Rhi and Jessica for such wonderful reviews of BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS and being so supportive!