The most important thing for writing good dialogue is to make it sound natural, and reading it aloud is the way to find out if what you've written sounds natural or not. But really clever dialogue, dialogue that speaks far more than the words and that deepens the characters, uses subtext. This post follows on from 4 tips for writing dialogue. Subtext in dialogue People don’t actually say everything they think. In dialogue, less is often more, and is usually more realistic. If you want the reader to know what a character is feeling, you can write the character’s thoughts as thoughts, if you’re in their POV—they don’t have to express them to the other character. Of course, if you’re not in the POV of the character whose thoughts you want to communicate, then you don’t have the option of writing out their inner thoughts; but in either situation, you can use their expressions, actions and gestures to communicate how they ‘really’ feel about the conversation. I say ‘how … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Lake Never Tells, Alex Tully
The Lake Never Tells by Alex Tully is a young adult book that deals with universal themes. It's about two kids from different backgrounds. One is a reserved rich boy and the other is an outgoing girl from a caravan park, a trailer park, which is on the side of a beautiful lake - hence The Lake Never Tells. The people who live in the caravan park think those who live in the resort are stuck up, and those who live in the resort tend to look down on those who live in the trailer park. Normally people from different backgrounds like this wouldn’t meet, but in this instance they do. Add a murder mystery and other secrets and you have the makings of a great story. Watch the video for the full review. It has subtitles if you don't want to listen. And please subscribe to the channel. https://youtu.be/0QK4ZQtICgU The blurb Zoe has lived in Sunny Shores Trailer Park her whole life and she knows what the Memorial Day weekend brings—snobby rich kids who serve as a constant reminder … [Read more...]
Limited-edition, Collector’s Item NFT Ebooks Available Now
Journey to Diamond Peak, the limited-edition, digital collector's item NFT ebook of the complete 'Diamond Peak Series', is available for purchase now on the BooksGoSocial NFT marketplace for NFT ebooks which opens today. Only 25 copies of my NFT will be sold. It's among the first NFT special-edition books in the world. As an NFT, it marks a moment in digital art history and can be sold later for a profit. The data package for Journey to Diamond Peak includes the personal story behind the story and an explanation of the #Buddhist symbolism of this #visionaryfiction #contemporaryfantasy tale. This additional, never-before-published section is quite personal, which is why it will never be available in any other format and is in a limited release package. It and the section on symbolism will be of most interest to those who've read my book Fallout: Recovering from Abuse in Tibetan Buddhism. Other than that, this series marked the beginning of my journey (and my daughter Rose's journey) … [Read more...]
Contemporary Fiction Book Review: For all She Knows – Jamie Beck
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CP93-XmjIYN/ For All She Knows is contemporary literary fiction by Jamie Beck, a reliable author, who writes a lot of great books. This is the third in her Potomac Point series, and they're all very good books. The story’s about two friends, Grace and Mimi. They have different parenting styles with Mimi much more relaxed about things than Grace, but they’re great friends despite their quite different personalities. Their relationship is like sisters, and they don't think it could ever be broken. Mimi provides Grace with inspiration and the kind of flamboyant fun that Grace wouldn't have in her life otherwise, whereas Grace provides Mimi with a kind of stability she doesn't have in her own life. And they both have different kinds of relationships. Mimi is a solo mother, who doesn’t have a great relationship with the father of her child, and Grace has a solid marriage until her teenage son is badly injured. Mimi’s son has a … [Read more...]
Crime Noir Review: Shooting Messengers – Kevin Berry
An entertaining who done-it with a quirky sense of humour. If you're looking for a light read with a solid mystery that keeps you turning pages, characters with heart and even a touch of ethical questioning - around the role of the media - then you'll enjoy this. I especially recommend it for anyone who lives in NZ, especially if you know Christchurch, as I do, because Quake City is Christchurch after the earthquakes, and what's really delightful is how the author has renamed the street names and suburbs with words that suggest quaking or the damage done by the quakes - for instance Cashmere becomes Crashmere. This entertaining quirk gave me many laugh-out-loud moments. If you don't know Christchurch, you won't get the joke, but the place names still give an interesting quality to the setting, the sense that Quake City is falling apart and abandoned by the authorities, this all adds to the crime noir feel. As well as the fedora! Free on Kindle Unlimited I say more about it … [Read more...]
The Sorry Tale of Jason’s First Book
When we write our first book, we're driven by inspiration and enthusiasm. As this cartoon publishing video shows, it's easy to have stars in our eyes, dreaming that our book might just be the next big seller. But many first time authors know nothing or very little about the publishing industry, or even about writing, and that ignorance can lead to them rushing into signing up with the first publisher who shows an interest in their work. Making uninformed choices can not only cost them thousands of misspent dollars but also leave them terribly disappointed, their dreams shattered. It is indeed a sorry tale and, unfortunately, all too common. Jason's story does have a happy ending, however. https://youtu.be/Lk8yii2BC30 What's the moral of this cautionary tale? And why does it have a happy ending? … [Read more...]
4 Tips for Writing Dialogue.
Writing dialogue well is an important skill for novel authors because it carries so much characterisation and drives much of the story. Stilted or unnatural-sounding dialogue is something readers will quickly pick up on, and they'll also quickly put your book down. Writing dialogue is more than writing down spoken English. The important thing to understand about writing dialogue is that we don't speak the same way we write. Written English and spoken English are different, and we have to write our dialogue as spoken English, in the way that people actually speak. But at the same time, we have to prune it back a bit, because no one wants to read lots of 'well's and 'um's. Or all the little things people say in introductions, like, 'Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?' In a novel, we want the dialogue to be on point, not to wander off into general chattiness. So start by writing exactly what your characters might say, and then cut back anything that doesn't move the … [Read more...]
How Book Publishing Works
If you’re looking to publish a book, you’ll need to know how book publishing works, so you can make informed decisions. First you'll need to know what publishing options are available, so if you aren't aware of all the options, take a look at my article How to Get a Book Published. If you take the self-publishing route or try for a hybrid publisher who gives you some control of your book's publication – like AIA Publishing – you’re what’s known as an independent author. It’s vital that independent authors thoroughly understand the basics of how book publishing works. This is not only for your own edification, but also because dodgy operators in the publishing world take advantage of those without knowledge of—yes, you guessed it—how book publishing works! If you decide to self-publish, you'll need to do a lot of research to understand all the details of successfully publishing a book. But no matter which route to publication you take, even if it's the traditional route (good … [Read more...]
Historical Fiction Review – Katharina: Deliverance by Margaret Skea
I wouldn't have picked this book up from the cover, given the harsh expression on the woman's face; but then - apart from a few notable exceptions like the Mona Lisa - portraits from centuries past, be they painted, sketched or photographed, are mostly formal with the subjects wearing stern expressions, so what does it matter that I think the woman looks unappealing? What's important - especially since once you're reading an ebook, you never see the cover - is what's inside the book, and in this case, I found the contents surprisingly good given my initial expectations. This is a brief review, less than 5 minutes, and it includes some hints for authors attempting to write historical fiction. https://youtu.be/lg-sR1Z46Dk … [Read more...]
How to Find a Narrator for an Audiobook
Today I share a guest post by Stewart Storrar from Voquent, an online voice-actor hire service. Simple audio book concept Given the online book marketplace, most authors will eventually ask themselves whether they should produce an audiobook. With audiobooks growing in demand, the question 'how to find a narrator for an audio book?' has become increasingly relevant. When looking to get an audiobook produced, you will need to find the perfect narrator voice to work with to make your book a success. However, finding that voice and creating the final audio file is no easy feat. One option, of course, is to voice the audiobook yourself. This option may seem attractive to those just beginning to break ground into the audiobook market, but without the right equipment and computer applications, creating a successful, high-quality audiobook can be challenging. The high cost of professional equipment and the computer applications that one would need to create a professional … [Read more...]
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