Kilauea in the News
By Annette Rey
Exciting action scenes capture the interest of readers. Kilauea is currently very active and aside from the human tragedy, as writers you may want to pay attention to this subject and practice writing these real life events. Eventually, you may elaborate upon them and include these pieces in a future work.
You can experiment writing about this from different points of view.
Another Four-Letter Word
By Annette Rey
Here’s another four-letter word that is over-used. You can improve your writing (and conversation) by giving this word more thought and substituting more colorful words in its place.
Use Fleshy Words Instead
By Annette Rey
There was a time when using an expletive lent drama and shock to a piece of writing. The script for the movie Gone With the Wind shocked the audience when Rhett Butler said to Scarlett O’Hara, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
Inclusion of the word damn was much debated, but the filmmakers decided to let it remain in the dialogue. In that era (1939), this word was explosive on film and powerful in the context of the scene. Since words such as those were rarely heard in broadcasting, the use of it had large impact on the listening viewers.
How writing has changed!
Details You Should Know
By Annette Rey
I hope it’s only a character you want to profile and that you have not been exposed to a narcissist in real life because they are highly destructive people for those around them.
Let’s look at a few points you can incorporate in your self-indulgent character.
Mode
By Annette Rey
Such a tiny word to focus on, you say? Mode? Everyone knows what that means. But, I discovered differently.
Opioid User
By Annette Rey
Opioid use and abuse is big in the news now. If you have a character in your story that is an opioid user, do you really know what the related terms are; what are the signs that you can see in a victim; what are the symptoms the victim experiences?
Generation Y
By Annette Rey
Since there is no distinct dateline for Generation Ys, it’s good to get some clarity on this group. You may have occasion to write something related to this subject. Either way, you may want to understand when you are exposed to the conversation.
An Audio Dictionary
By Annette Rey
Have you been taught to use words that are well-known to you? Do you look up definitions before you add an even slightly new word to your writing? These are must practices for writers. You don’t want to present work that shows you are not literate because you have incorrectly interpreted the meaning of a word.
Just as important as your written word is how you speak. The voice in your brain that you draw upon for your writing is the vocal voice you use in everyday speaking. So pronunciation is integral to both your oral voice and your mental voice.
Here’s a great site for setting your speech on the right path.
PCR
By Annette Rey
Are you writing a mystery, crime, drama, or other story where laboratories are required to process DNA evidence? PCR is an acronym you will probably need to know.
Writer's Block No More 