same thing as yesterday. story snippet, character profiling, dialogue tip from Jeanne Zornes, etc
I almost posted to say I wasn't going to do what I'd intended. I've had a rather interesting day and it's left me feeling irritated/pissy. However, I am a writer! I must write and help my fellow writers out as best as I can! And it'll cheer me up, writing something more for Ryan and Torie. ^_^ Writing is such good stress relief!
First up, continuing with Torie's profile!
As I left off with physical attributes, I might as well add that Torie also has a tendency to dye her hair. When she and Ryan meet, she has blue and purple streaks throughout her golden locks. Torie also wears glasses. You can't get her to wear contacts. Like me, she can't stand the thought of things coming into contact with her eyes. (It's a psychological thing. You won't cure her of it, either.)
Torie is also a mood dresser. Most of the time, it's casual wear but every now and again she'll either dress up/cosplay or she'll dress goth.
Heritage: Torie is a good mix of Irish, Hungarian, and Dutch. There is also a bit of English, French, Native American, Scotch, Welsh, German, Norweigan, and Mongolian in her bloodlines as well. (And it is possible for someone to have that many distinct ethnic groups in the bloodline. As I've said before, Torie is patterned after me, and I am all of those!)
Religious practice: Wicca/Paganism. Torie comes from a rather uptight religious background that promotes tolerance while promoting intolerance at the same time (if you've come from a very religious family, you know what I'm talking about!). She likes the freedom that Wicca offers her.
Torie is a writer, if you haven't been able to figure that out from the first snippet. ;) She likes to draw but can't. She's into science fiction and fantasy books, going to movies, concerts, and conventions, and just having a grand time with her friends.
Quick note: Torie does not drink alcoholic beverages very often. It is quite possible she's allergic to the stuff.
Favourite pasttime: Watching Angels/Tigers games with Ryan and telling him that the Angels will lose.
Birthplace: Marquette, Michigan
Other likes: strawberries, skittles, baseball, role-playing, cosplaying, cartoons, manga, anime, and music
Dislikes: People who are really drunk, tomatoes, and needles (an odd thing since she does have a few tattoos)
As with Ryan, that's all I really have to say about Torie. The rest is classified information. Anything more and I may just have to kill someone. ;) J/K!!
And now for today's dialogue tip!
Avoid ping-pong dialogue. Spare your characters the burden of unbroken, back-and-forth conversation, as in this example:
"I love to write," he said.
"I love to read," she replied.
"I write, you read," he concluded.
"I read, you write," she went on.
Ugh! To cure such banalities:
* Scatter discreet attributions every five or six lines if you have only two people in dialogue.
* Put in "beats," or actions, between lines of dialogue, like this:
"I love to write," he said. He pulled open a crammed file. "Here are my published pieces."
She couldn't hide her surprise. "All those?"
"Yes," he said, selecting one of the folders.
"Any rejection slips?" She narrowed her eyes, wondering if he'd be honest.
He slipped the folder back in the drawer and met her gaze. "Thousands, but I burned them."
Just a reminder, the dialogue tips were written by Jeanne Zornes and published in Writer's Journal. Volume 24, Number 4. If you want to know more about what Writer's Journal does, please visit their homepage for the details.
For today's writing snippet, I'll be borrowing theme #17 from 30_smiles. Mischief. :)
"Ms Cronkhite, a word if you please?"
"Yes?" Torie replied, smiling as sweetly as she could.
Ryan shook his head as Sheena and Gloria immediately confronted his girlfriend with a hairbrush, wielded by Sheena, and a small camcorder, held by Gloria. The three were engaging in a mock interview, though for what reason, he didn't know. He didn't care, either. After hearing about the boobs and pickles and the adult anime conversations, he decided he was better off not knowing.
"Is it true that you don't give a rat's ass?" Sheena immediately inquired, somehow managing to keep a straight face and her tone serious.
Ryan nearly choked at the question, fighting to keep the laughter back. He knew what had prompted that question. Torie had not been having a good day. Her neighbours had decided, once more, that they didn't care who else lived in the building and started to argue with each other as loudly as possible at six a.m. Torie had gone to bed two hours before that. Her truck had refused to start when she went to leave for the day and she had received a rejection letter from one of the publishing companies. Overall, she was just having a lousy day.
She could have handled the rejection letter, he thought. He knew that she could. She often laughed when she got one in the mail and would proudly proclaim yet another defeat. If it hadn't been for the neighbours and her truck, she would have been all right.
"Of course, I don't give a rat's ass," Torie deadpanned, her smile growing wider. "Have you any idea as to how expensive a rat's ass can be? You can't just give one to anyone on the street. A rat's ass has to be for a special someone for a special occasion! They are specifically designed, you know."
This time, Ryan laughed. Now was the time for some fun and a little mischief. Torie certainly needed it.
Okay, I've been playing with that idea all day. Thank goodness for that mischief theme!
Ryan and Torie actually meet each other in Chicago first, at a concert at the House of Blues. A few years later, they meet again but this time it's in Philadelphia and through a mutual friend. Things get interesting from there. :) You'll have to wait for my novel to be published to find out more. (Pray for it!)
No pictures today. Tomorrow, I'll find kitty and concert pictures. :) That should cheer everyone up. Or I could . . . yeah. We'll see.
Yep, this is one mentioned in the snippet! ^_^
I'm someone who likes to mix cultures a bit. It's something I hope you've noted with Ryan and his Irish-Japanese heritage. :)
Sheena is not Japanese. Last name alone indicates Spanish blood. Her father is third generation Spanish born in the U.S. Her mother is second generation Egyptian.
Full name: Sheena Marie Hernandez
Birthdate: October 18
Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada
Physical attributes: Long, dark, wavy hair (think Rachel Weisz(sp) from The Mummy and The Mummy Returns) and dark eyes. stands about 5'3"
Sheena has a very playful personality and is quite flirtatious. She gets along really well with Torie and the two women have often joked about being the other's lover. The two women also live close by to each other, Sheena at the Hoopskirt Factory and Torie at Bank Street Court (both are located in Center City, Philadelphia).
How Sheena met Torie: a music appreciation course at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It was friendship at first sight.
Sheena's major: Dance and theater
Sheena's goal: To be like Torie. In some ways. ;)
And here's where I leave you wanting to know more about Sheena. Again, everything else is classified information. You'll just have to wait for me to write more to find out about her. :)
A quick formatting tip: When getting ready to submit a manuscript, make sure you've done the following: underline everything you want italicized. Do not italicize it yourself.
Why this is, I'm not entirely sure. And I can't remember where I read that but that's what you're supposed to do when you want italics/emphasis on something.
And now I'm going to commit myself for tomorrow's entry. Here's what's coming up:
Dialogue Tip #4
Story snippet: the theme will be plucked from my own community, 30_caresses. look forward to #21, coffee and espresso; sodas and italian sodas
Character profile: Gloria Jensen
Possible picture(s)
That's it for today! Enjoy!
First up, continuing with Torie's profile!
As I left off with physical attributes, I might as well add that Torie also has a tendency to dye her hair. When she and Ryan meet, she has blue and purple streaks throughout her golden locks. Torie also wears glasses. You can't get her to wear contacts. Like me, she can't stand the thought of things coming into contact with her eyes. (It's a psychological thing. You won't cure her of it, either.)
Torie is also a mood dresser. Most of the time, it's casual wear but every now and again she'll either dress up/cosplay or she'll dress goth.
Heritage: Torie is a good mix of Irish, Hungarian, and Dutch. There is also a bit of English, French, Native American, Scotch, Welsh, German, Norweigan, and Mongolian in her bloodlines as well. (And it is possible for someone to have that many distinct ethnic groups in the bloodline. As I've said before, Torie is patterned after me, and I am all of those!)
Religious practice: Wicca/Paganism. Torie comes from a rather uptight religious background that promotes tolerance while promoting intolerance at the same time (if you've come from a very religious family, you know what I'm talking about!). She likes the freedom that Wicca offers her.
Torie is a writer, if you haven't been able to figure that out from the first snippet. ;) She likes to draw but can't. She's into science fiction and fantasy books, going to movies, concerts, and conventions, and just having a grand time with her friends.
Quick note: Torie does not drink alcoholic beverages very often. It is quite possible she's allergic to the stuff.
Favourite pasttime: Watching Angels/Tigers games with Ryan and telling him that the Angels will lose.
Birthplace: Marquette, Michigan
Other likes: strawberries, skittles, baseball, role-playing, cosplaying, cartoons, manga, anime, and music
Dislikes: People who are really drunk, tomatoes, and needles (an odd thing since she does have a few tattoos)
As with Ryan, that's all I really have to say about Torie. The rest is classified information. Anything more and I may just have to kill someone. ;) J/K!!
And now for today's dialogue tip!
Avoid ping-pong dialogue. Spare your characters the burden of unbroken, back-and-forth conversation, as in this example:
"I love to write," he said.
"I love to read," she replied.
"I write, you read," he concluded.
"I read, you write," she went on.
Ugh! To cure such banalities:
* Scatter discreet attributions every five or six lines if you have only two people in dialogue.
* Put in "beats," or actions, between lines of dialogue, like this:
"I love to write," he said. He pulled open a crammed file. "Here are my published pieces."
She couldn't hide her surprise. "All those?"
"Yes," he said, selecting one of the folders.
"Any rejection slips?" She narrowed her eyes, wondering if he'd be honest.
He slipped the folder back in the drawer and met her gaze. "Thousands, but I burned them."
Just a reminder, the dialogue tips were written by Jeanne Zornes and published in Writer's Journal. Volume 24, Number 4. If you want to know more about what Writer's Journal does, please visit their homepage for the details.
For today's writing snippet, I'll be borrowing theme #17 from 30_smiles. Mischief. :)
"Ms Cronkhite, a word if you please?"
"Yes?" Torie replied, smiling as sweetly as she could.
Ryan shook his head as Sheena and Gloria immediately confronted his girlfriend with a hairbrush, wielded by Sheena, and a small camcorder, held by Gloria. The three were engaging in a mock interview, though for what reason, he didn't know. He didn't care, either. After hearing about the boobs and pickles and the adult anime conversations, he decided he was better off not knowing.
"Is it true that you don't give a rat's ass?" Sheena immediately inquired, somehow managing to keep a straight face and her tone serious.
Ryan nearly choked at the question, fighting to keep the laughter back. He knew what had prompted that question. Torie had not been having a good day. Her neighbours had decided, once more, that they didn't care who else lived in the building and started to argue with each other as loudly as possible at six a.m. Torie had gone to bed two hours before that. Her truck had refused to start when she went to leave for the day and she had received a rejection letter from one of the publishing companies. Overall, she was just having a lousy day.
She could have handled the rejection letter, he thought. He knew that she could. She often laughed when she got one in the mail and would proudly proclaim yet another defeat. If it hadn't been for the neighbours and her truck, she would have been all right.
"Of course, I don't give a rat's ass," Torie deadpanned, her smile growing wider. "Have you any idea as to how expensive a rat's ass can be? You can't just give one to anyone on the street. A rat's ass has to be for a special someone for a special occasion! They are specifically designed, you know."
This time, Ryan laughed. Now was the time for some fun and a little mischief. Torie certainly needed it.
Okay, I've been playing with that idea all day. Thank goodness for that mischief theme!
Ryan and Torie actually meet each other in Chicago first, at a concert at the House of Blues. A few years later, they meet again but this time it's in Philadelphia and through a mutual friend. Things get interesting from there. :) You'll have to wait for my novel to be published to find out more. (Pray for it!)
No pictures today. Tomorrow, I'll find kitty and concert pictures. :) That should cheer everyone up. Or I could . . . yeah. We'll see.
Yep, this is one mentioned in the snippet! ^_^
I'm someone who likes to mix cultures a bit. It's something I hope you've noted with Ryan and his Irish-Japanese heritage. :)
Sheena is not Japanese. Last name alone indicates Spanish blood. Her father is third generation Spanish born in the U.S. Her mother is second generation Egyptian.
Full name: Sheena Marie Hernandez
Birthdate: October 18
Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada
Physical attributes: Long, dark, wavy hair (think Rachel Weisz(sp) from The Mummy and The Mummy Returns) and dark eyes. stands about 5'3"
Sheena has a very playful personality and is quite flirtatious. She gets along really well with Torie and the two women have often joked about being the other's lover. The two women also live close by to each other, Sheena at the Hoopskirt Factory and Torie at Bank Street Court (both are located in Center City, Philadelphia).
How Sheena met Torie: a music appreciation course at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It was friendship at first sight.
Sheena's major: Dance and theater
Sheena's goal: To be like Torie. In some ways. ;)
And here's where I leave you wanting to know more about Sheena. Again, everything else is classified information. You'll just have to wait for me to write more to find out about her. :)
A quick formatting tip: When getting ready to submit a manuscript, make sure you've done the following: underline everything you want italicized. Do not italicize it yourself.
Why this is, I'm not entirely sure. And I can't remember where I read that but that's what you're supposed to do when you want italics/emphasis on something.
And now I'm going to commit myself for tomorrow's entry. Here's what's coming up:
Dialogue Tip #4
Story snippet: the theme will be plucked from my own community, 30_caresses. look forward to #21, coffee and espresso; sodas and italian sodas
Character profile: Gloria Jensen
Possible picture(s)
That's it for today! Enjoy!