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
Exposition
“Show, don’t tell.” Narration is telling; exposition is showing. In trying to learn more about how to use exposition well in writing, I’ve found two perspectives particularly helpful. First, Jennifer Paros, in an essay, “The Ol’ ‘Show Don’t Tell’ Thing” counsels that authors should allow their reader to “enter a world, instead of just hearing about it.” Granted, this is just a different way to say “show, don’t tell” but in a… Read More