Words: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

What makes a good book? Yes, there must be character development. Yeah, yeah, and don't forget an interesting plot that sucks readers in and won't let them escape. But what about the little things? The words. I want you to imagine a story is a living, breathing animal. Words are the cells, pages the body systems, chapters the body parts, and the story is the whole being. What if the cells of an animal are all discombobulated? Then everything else will be off. Likewise, if the individual words in a story are tweaked the wrong way, everything else will be wrong. I don't want that. For anyone. So! Listen up! Here's the good, the bad, and the butt ugly words you should/shouldn't use.

First of all, the number one rule of writing is to NEVER make your reader work (besides figuring out who done it). They should never struggle to understanding the point you're trying to make. Always keep the number one rule in mind. If you brake it you louse readers.

Also to keep in mind, stories are to be shown, not told. You can read more about this in my Don't Tell Me, Show! post. In the 1800's, everyone wrote stories in a tell fashion. Things have changes and no one wants to read a story that's told. With this said, there are several words you should never use in your writing. Telling words such as adverbs (-ly words) and present participle (-ing words) are sappy writing. Don't say "they slowly walked down the road" (which everyone seems to do and I don't know why!). Instead, replace "slowly walked" with a word that is precise and, in a way, tidy writing: "they strolled (sauntered, patted, trudged, moseyed, lingered, etc.) down the road". Adverbs are unnecessary and lead to sloppy writing. Yes, you get the point across and an average reader will not see a problem. However! Because you want to be the best writer you can ever become, you will not use adverbs! You will replace them with more effective words! Please! And besides, it’s fun to find words that deliver the point the best.

As for -ing words, avoid them the best you can and replace them with past tense words (-ed). Sometimes I have to use them (because I can't think of anything else or I'm plane lazy). Don't use it often, though.

Dialogue Tags (this is fun stuff here)! Dialogue Tags are the "he said" "she said" phrases. I have been told different tactics about Dialogue Tags and know that every writer has their own method. I'll tell you the three methods I've heard and you find your way. First, spice Dialogue Tags up with, occasionally, using words other than "said". Words such as asked, yelled, cried, screamed, muttered, whispered, snorted, laughed, and a host of others. Readers get bored with seeing "said" every time someone speaks. Change it up. Second, don't use Dialogue Tags at all. Instead of using them, put a character's action in its place, either before or after the dialogue itself. It can be the character's gestures, where they look, if they clear their throat, body language, and so one. Third, have a combination of the two (which is what I do now). Use Dialogue Tags once every 4-5 times an indication of who’s talking is needed. Otherwise, describe the speaker's actions. Make sense? Good.

Last, there are a lot of words and phrases that are just weak sauce. There's several in the sentence you read a second ago. Can you see it? Let's start with the weak words. There are two.

It is "just" and the second "that". WEAK! If I took them out of the sentence, you would still understand my point. Now, the weak phrases. There are two.

"There are" and "a lot." Its weak and I don't need them. Here is how I would rephrase the messed up sentence: "Lastly, curtain words and phrases are weak sauce." Is it easier to read the second sentence version? Most of the time, a sentence needs to be broken down and reshaped to be perfect. Rule of thumb, if a word is not needed, get rid of it!

To clear the air, I follow these rules when I write stories, but not in my blog. I write my blogs as though we're having a conversation. Speaking of how I talk, words used in dialogue is another realm of discussion (which I will share in a future blog).

I hope this helps! Happy writing!

Exercise:

Pick one of the topics I touched on and select one of your written works. Correct it according to the rules you've learned and see how it turns out. Please tell me what you think! I love feedback!         

Epic Writing Music!

I like to listen to music when I write. That's just what I do and I think others are the same way. The hard part is finding music that 1. does not jumble your thoughts so that it's impossible to create, 2. long enough to not be bothered by looking for another song, and 3. something inspires you to make new realms and adventures.
I thought I would share some of my favorite music selections. The first four are at least one hour long, if not more, and the last six are some of my all time favorites. I hope you enjoy them and, PLEASE!, share some of the things you listen to.

This one's AMAZING! Long, good vocals, and a music that makes you want to take on the world!

This one's more upbeat, more in your face, more WILD! And, it's 5 whole hours long. Epic. 

Here is a selection of calm music, good for poetry, happy writing scenes, and editing.  

Have you ever heard of Two Steps From Hell? If you haven't, then you've never lived! Click on the link to check out their YouTube channel. All of their music is amazing because they make songs for movie trailers (aka the songs are so inspiring they make you jump right off your feet and go on an epic quest to a distant land!) 

Below is a list of songs that I love. They're all from Two Steps From Hell. Listen if. . . .

 . . . you want to run headlong into battle.

 . . . be a knight on a mighty steed!

 . . . dance to the sound of triumph.

 . . . write with a peaceful, joyful mind.

 . . . feel hope and acceptance.

 . . . pee your pants. 

Enjoy and don't forget to comment on what songs you write to!

Sliver Me This!

At my work, there are a lot of harp, hazardous things just for a clumsy person like myself. Though I make pizzas, all the topping must be cut fresh that morning so there are a lot of knives and tools to dice the snot out of everything. I get cut all the time! (Half the reason is I don't care and the other half is, well . . . I'm always writing in my head and have trouble remembering I'm at work and not in one of my stories.) 
The other day, I opened a can of pineapple and, when a removed the lid, a sharp pain stabbed my thumb. I grimaced, looked at my thumb, but saw nothing. I shrugged and continued with my work. When I grabbed something, the pain pricked again and I looked even closer at my thumb. There, embedded in my skin, was the smallest, metal sliver you could imagine. 
I stared at the sliver for a long moment in awe. What a small thing! That little thing kept me from working! Yes, I could have worked the rest of the day, but my productivity would be hindered by an item barely visible! Needless to say, I yanked the sliver out and continued with my work, but kept thinking about it. 
Sin starts small. It doesn't take much to get it embedded in our lives. We might not see it at first it’s so small, but it’s still there. With every prick and stab, our work on earth is hindered as we struggle with the pain. How do we remove it from our lives? We don't. God's really the only One who can see the tinny, sin sliver and He along can remove it. It's just a thought I had. 
Wanted to share. What do you think? Please comment below! 

When the Words Won't Come: Writer's Block

Writers block is the devil. I hate it and am pleased to say I don't get it that often.

But what do you do when you have writer's block? Are there ways to wake up the brain and reopen the imagination channels? I am happy to say there are. If you are going through writer's block right now, don't freak out like I usually do. Stay calm. The brain doesn't work very well under pressure so take a deep breath.

First, find the reason why you have writer's block. Is it because you are fed up with the project and can't see it going anywhere? What if the light bulbs in your head have stopped turning on and now you just sit in the dark, waiting? Are you afraid? Fear can do it. The fear of failing. Fear of people rejecting your work or you even not liking it. Are the words not coming as easily as before? Figure that out first, then you'll more easily find a way to wake up that creative genius within you.

Once you've figured out what is blocking your writingness, here are a few things that wake up the brain. Fresh air. Whenever I need to clear my head, I take a walk. The fresh air, coolness of the day, and nature calm my racing thoughts and give me a change to breathe. Then again, I love nature and that's what relaxes me, so find out what relaxes you. A romantic movie? Hanging out with friends? Going for a run? Talking to your cat? Whatever it is, no matter how odd, do it. You're head needs to be clear to let the words flow again. 

Another way to wake up the brain is by tapping along nerves in your collar bone, tempos, and wrists. I'm serious! Just do it! It's like giving your brain a fresh cup of coffee. (Trust me. Do it.)

One reason for writer's block is that you've stressed your brain out too much. You've been looking for that perfect word, that genius, new idea that will make your story the best, or overcome a little problem within the plot of your tale. The brain can freak out, just like you can, when it's under too much pressure to perform. Give it a break! It's trying! You won't think of anything by telling yourself, "Come on, think! Think of something!" That doesn't help at all. So what do you do? Stop thinking about ____. Do something else. 

Wash your car, do the dishes, fold laundry, anything that is a task you have to focus on, but not enough to be a challenge. Give the brain something else to do, something not creative, so that the creative side can peacefully work out the problem without you getting in the way. And then, when you least expect it, the light bulb will turn on and the answer will plop down in your lap. 

Another thing you can do it sit down and write the first thing that comes to mind. No, it doesn’t have to make sense (and I don't think it's supposed to). Just write. Forget logic and forget about clarity, and let your mind control you pen and scribble whatever it wants. It’s weird at first, but, after a page or so, it’s real fun! Let your imagination simply be without any guidelines and boundaries. That's the best type of imagination anyways.

I hope this helps!

Don't forget everyone goes through writer's block (the key word is through). It's a common stupid thing everyone must figure out how to conquer. And you'll conquer it. 

Happy writing! 

Slugs of the Soul

"You are the salt of the earth" ~ Matthew 5:13a

Jesus said that during His Sermon on the Mount (an uber big lesion about several life topics). I have heard that verse many times and I've never understood it. I've always thought it had something to do with salt's strong taste, like Christians were to stand out among all the other people (or flavors) of the world. Well, tonight during a Bible Study, my friends and I discovered there is more to Christians being salt then meets the eye.

What's the opposite of salt? No, not pepper. It's sugar (or at least we’ll say it is for now). So, let’s compare the differences between salt (people who follow God) and sugar (people who don't follow God).

The first thing that comes to mind, for me at least, is salt has a twang to it that enriches flavor. Sugar always tastes good, every time, all the time. But. It makes people sick and the body technically doesn't require any sugar at all (besides the natural sugars in fruits). Truth enriches the soul, like salt, but if someone always "sugar coats" everything there will be no depth, no spiritual growth, and no progression to greatness. 

In the Bible, yeast is a metaphor for sin because it only takes a pinch of yeast to affect an entire batch of dough; aka one pinch of sin can affect a life. Sugar (ungodliness) helps yeast (sin) to grow and reshape more and more dough (one's heart).

Salt is a preserver. Before refrigerators, things were salted to keep them alive. Sounds like God’s word, don’t you think? Salt also kills germs and, in ancient times, salt was put into wounds to clean them before medicine was applied. What if they put sugar in wounds instead? What about sugaring meat to keep it preserved? I don't think that would work.

Taking a closer look, salt's form is a cube. It is sturdy. Firm. Every salt piece is like that. Sugar, on the other hand, is crystallized, sporadic, easily broken, and does not have a predictable pattern. With God there is an orderly way to look and act for every believer. Without God, there are no rules and someone’s life can look like the nonsensical spikes of sugar.

Sugar causes cancer. It kills the body! Salt use to be a means of payment in ancient times because people knew without it, they would die.

There are hundreds of other salty Christian metaphors, but here was some off the top of my head. So, if Christians are the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13a) then Christians are to enrich their and others lives through God’s truth, preserve the soul, kill diseases that infect out inner self, and we are to be constructed in a sturdy, consistent pattern that God designs.

The next time the slugs of the soul come crawling in, remember Godly salt and kill ‘em good!    

    

How to make Unrealisticness Real

Most likely, the stories people write are epically unrealistic (because who would want to read a story that's about common, every day events?). And that's so cool! I love stories that could never happen and take me places I have never been before! However, I find that most unrealistic stories are not written in a believable way. What do I mean, you may ask? I'll tell you. There is a way to make a tale that is so out of this world appear it could happen. Think about it. Who's the best superhero? If you said Batman or Iron Man, you are correct (I'm right about this, trust me. Spiderman and the rest are cool, but. . . .) They are the only heroes who are not mutated, aren't from another planet, and don't have some crazy DNA alteration. People like them because they are the most realistic superhero and there is hope people can be like them. (Technically there isn't, but people like to think that anyways.) If you disagree with me, that's fine, but why would Iron Man and Batman have several movies while the others might have one?

My point is, you can make the craziest story real by adding realistic elements. There is a fine line between fiction and truth and writers must become experts at coming right up to the line, but never straying to far from one side or the other. But why? Why would you want to give your story a believable twang even though the tale could never happen? Because it is easier for the reader to relax, sink into, and become apart of a story they can relate to. And that's what you want, a reader who mistakes the act of reading as a personal experience. 

So, the question of the hour, how to make an unrealistic story real? Easy. It doesn't matter what happens in a story, what matters is how the characters respond. Have your reader relate to the character as much as possible. How? Make your character real. I think characters have become this distant, lofty life form that is never afraid, can get horribly wounded but still press on, don't stammer or have strange quirks, and have the best ever creepy laughs. Have you met anyone like that in real life? Neither have I. 

To make a character real is to know the human psyche (which is easier then you think because you are human).Keep in mind, the more outlandish your story is, the more the reader must be reminded the characters are real people. Below is a list of personality options to give characters. They will help give them life so that the reader can relate (thus making a story real):

• Give them fears that is odd; afraid of the dark, too much sunlight, water, running out of air, open spaces, etc.
• Give them quirks; hiccup when they are nervous, scratch their ear all the time, loath the color green, always think tall buildings will fall on them, never eat cold pizza because it looks like skin, etc.
• Make them geniuses in one area, but very stupid in another; good at marshal arts, but can't throw a ball to save their life.
• Give them a stammer or filler word.
• Have them, briefly, talk about stupid stuff. In real life, most conversations are about nonsense and no one simply cuts to the chase. Have the characters talk about their dog's limp, the runny nose they’ve had for tree weeks, complain about the weather, and so forth now and then. BUT don't to it too much because the story must continue and not get stuck on characters talking about the coolest video game or the latest manicure.
• Make them act illogically when distaste falls. People do stupid things; your characters should mirror that.

Try this out. Experiment. Yes, it will be work to make characters real, but, once you've given them life, your story will never be the same. 

Happy writing!

Exercise:

During your work, classes, errors, or whatever you do with a lot of other people, be on the lookout for quirky, realistic things people do around you. Write them down as soon as you can. Once you have a good amount of strange, human-like oddities sit down and write any scene of your choice. Include your findings to make the characters appear real. Let yourself to think differently and allow your characters to be themselves. Once you've finished, have someone read it and ask if the scene was believable. If it was, awesome! If it needs some work, then work on it until it becomes real. Don't give up. I promise you, you'll find that line between truth and fiction.    

Judging God

I'm going to be brutally honest right now, so this is serious.

When I was twelve, I went through a really dark time. I thought no one truly cared about me and God was so disgusted with me, He left. I felt alone, abandon, and helpless. That last for an eternity! (Okay, maybe a little less than a year). God healed me in the end and taught me a lot. Most of my issues were straightened out, with God's help, but still I held onto something. I was bitter God left me. Now, I know He didn't actually leave me, but it felt like it. That cold emptiness in my heart, that He was supposed to fill, made me mad, and confused, and afraid. Most of all, I became hesitant to trust God. 

Recently though, He has gently taught me and helped me realize something. 

The other day, while I was reading the Bible (which everyone should do every day) I asked God something. I asked Him to tell me what He was doing when He felt so far away. I know God always has my best interests at heart, but still I had to know what He was up to. He asked why I was curious. I told Him I wanted to judge for myself if His actions were worth my pain and, based off my human judgment, I would decide if He had been righteous or not. 

I stopped everything and blinked, my eyes wide. God sat there and stared at me without saying anything. "Oh," I mumbled. "That's not how it works, is it?" He shook His head. He reminded me it’s not my place to decide if He does the right thing or not. It’s not my place to question Him. It’s not my place to even know what He's doing. 

"You believe I have your best interests at heart," He asked? I nodded. "Then hold onto that. Faith. It's called faith. You don't have to know what I was doing when you were twelve; believe I was doing something good for you because I was." 

So now I do. I believe He "will never fail me or abandon me" (Hebrews 13:5) and He has plans for me that are "good and not for disaster, to give me a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). That's my God. He cares and even when He feels far, He's not. Not ever. 

Hold onto that and don’t let it go. He hasn't left you. He will always be by you.