Wordherders: What Works, What Doesn’t Work

For our August 2020 discussion, the Wordherders brought examples from their reading – and their writing – to share with others as examples of what works for them in writing and what doesn’t. Rosann Ferris: Killers of the Flower Moon, The Osage Murders, and the Birth of the FBI by David Gran Jess Goodrich has been reading political essays. What didn’t work for her is when authors of essays meant to persuade the… Read More

Gestures, Expressions, and Movement Beats by Category

From Allen Johnson: I have been reading best sellers (Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Dean Koontz) and, all the while, keeping an eye on dialogue and motion/gesture beats. I’ve organized them into categories (e.g., anger, anguish, nervousness, joy, walking, sitting, etc.). My purpose has not been to plagiarize but to give myself some ideas for creating my own beats. I thought the list (now 16 pages) might be helpful for other writers in… Read More