Posted on by Alexie Linn

Dialogue. Who Gives a…?

Dialogue. Who gives a …?

What’s most important to satisfy when you’re writing dialogue?

  • The Story
  • The Audience
  • The Character
  • The Scene

It’s all the above. But one item in particular is critical to reader success. Did you choose the second item on the list? The audience?

Dialogue is what drives the story forward.

If the reader can’t pronounce the words or has to read with an open dictionary at their side, the story gets lost. It won’t get read. People who read encyclopedias for entertainment exist but are far and few between.

The big book is the dictionary. You can’t see the book she’s trying to read.

If you’re writing to stretch the reader’s vocabulary, there’s a quick and easy fix for that. Include a scholarly character that other characters tolerate because they’re so brainy. But throw in another character who can translate.

Stretch their vocabulary…

For example. Mary Linn, the young gravestone hunter, is interviewing a psychologist (the scholar). The interview is for the bully smashing videos she and Valinda are producing.

Psychologist: “Drawcansirs are narcissists on steroids. They subdue others to make themselves feel exceptional.”

Mary Linn: “Drawcansir? What’s a drawcansir? You lost me. Is there a simpler way to say that to first graders?”

Psychologist, chuckling: “Sorry. Big words come with the territory. Drawcansir is another word for a bully or a tyrant. Narcissists are selfish people who are in love with themselves. They’re egomaniacs.

Mary Linn: “So, if we are explaining bully’s behavior, we can tell them that ‘Bullies don’t say ‘One for all and all for one’. They say ‘All for me and me for me’. And that bullies are show-offs on Tony-the-Tiger fuel. They scare you to make themselves feel superior or smarter than you. They’re not.”

Psychologist: “Yes.”

To double-check the readability of the dialogue, I use a fast and easy editing software called Hemingway. Hemingway analyzes a block of text and gives the grade level of the text as well as other faux pas you need to be aware of. It was a free download if you don’t need all the bells and whistles. But it’s less than $20 if you choose to buy it. This article is at a 4th grade level, according to Hemingway.

One note to be aware of: Copy the text to Hemingway to check for readability. But make corrections on your original. If you copy and paste from the app, you’ll lose formatting, like spacing and bullets. And you’ll have a strange background to remove.

And… at this writing, Hemingway is not an affiliate of mine. But it might be someday.

To summarize, write dialogue and dialects to fit the audience first, then the story, the character, and the scene. In that order.

Happy dialoguing,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow me on Facebook. New posts should post on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my chin right… 😊

If you only want updates of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. Then you’ll know to check with your favorite retailer.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Shapeshifting Phenomenal Characters – Part 2

Shapeshifting Characters – Part 2

Often a character will reinvent themselves along the way. What I thought was a kohlrabi will morph into an ear of corn – slim with silky hair. I’ve even had them change from blonde pale-skin to a dyed blonde black-skin.

You were a Kohlrabi in the beginning…

I have learned to let them shift, nestle into themselves, and become who they really are. The hard part is editing their character from the beginning when they pull shenanigans like black to white – or white to black. I only hope that they do it soon instead of waiting until the story is ¾ of the way through.

And, since I have to literally become each of these characters, the question my other half asks at the door is… “Who are you? What have you done with Alexie?”

This shapeshifting is so fresh in my mind because two of the individuals in my current work in progress have stolen Chapter 23.

I thought Jerry was a body building blonde displaced surfer… but then he tells me he’s a body building black man from the Watusi tribe that dyes his hair blonde. Then he hints that he might be Ralph, the big, burly, gruff café owner’s lover. Yikes! What’s a writer to do?

Let them have their way. It’s their story. Personas have to be allowed to improv as they see fit lest they lose their dimensional qualities and become flat. You, the writer, are committed to working it in and flex around their quirks.

High quality writing is so much more than throwing words on paper. The words have to ebb and flow according to the people, the story their showing, and make perfect sense. It all could – and often did – happen.

Happy Character Building,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow me on Facebook.  New posts should post on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my chin right… 😊

If you only want updates of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Shapeshifting Characters Rule

Shapeshifting Characters Rule

As a reader, how do you connect with characters in a story? What pulls you into the chat, the treasure hunt, or the car careening down the mountain with no brakes?

Characters are shapeshifters

For me, character description plays a part. But less is more.  Too much detail all at once will prevent me from participating in the story because I’m trying to picture the character instead of holding the ladder for his or her escape.

Here are the rules I use.

Add physical description details if:

  • It will further the story – You’re making a police report on a culprit or missing person
  • It emphasizes a quirk of the character – the empty space where there should have been a finger had to have been a challenge when he shaved his head daily to keep it shiny.
  • It sets the mood – I focused on the moon reflecting from his shiny head, not the black circles around his demonic eyes. That’s how I played dead.

Work the shapeshifting details in when it’s appropriate to give your characters dimension.

A private eye might list the height, weight, hair color (or none), clothing, and stature. But have you ever met someone on the street and walked away with a detailed physical description? If you do, that’s your quirk. Write yourself into a story!

Physical description can be worked in with memories.

 ‘I pictured the limp, the flowered cotton dress that swayed and flounced with every step. It drags the ground on her short body. I shivered at the cleaning nightmare for that dress. When I saw the dress dragging the ground, it blanked out the hairdo that looked like she’d stuck her finger in a light socket.’

Flesh out the character’s physical description through the actions – the limp, the dragging dress, and the unruly hair. The physical description, detailed relevantly, adds to the rounding out of a character’s personality.

And there you have the next crucial step to building a character readers can connect with.

Happy tales and trails,

Alexie Linn, the Author

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow me on Facebook. New posts should post on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my chin right… 😊