“You look upset,” Sally said as she sat down on the deck. She wore a white shirt, her hair pulled back in a sixties’ style headband and a sleek summer tan. I sighed, stirring my frappucino. “I just had a difficult conversation with my son about his driving skills.” “Did you argue?” “No. And that’s the problem. He said everything right. It’s what he didn’t say that bothered me.” She frowned. “We were driving into town. He was riding beside me, his elbow out the window, when I broached the topic. I mentioned that we’d seen him driving in town recently a little too recklessly, and if he wanted to drive our cars he’d have to slow down.” “And?” “He said, ‘Sure, Mom. Whatever.’” “That doesn’t sound–” “He was scrolling […]
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MBT wants to help you sell your book!
Are you getting ready to pitch your book at a writing conference? Wow, we get that! Below is a video I taped about pitching…maybe it will help. Also, if you are interested, MBT is having a Pitch and Promotion seminar right before the ACFW Conference in Dallas. If you want to get your pitch in shape, and learn how to promote your book during and after the conferece, consider attending. Here’s a little shameless promotion and the link is below! Find out more about the Pitch and Promotion Scrimmage at: http://scrimmage.mybooktherapy.com! Hope to see you there! Have a great Independence Day! Susie May
Read the RestConversations: Subtexting and the flow of Dialogue
“My husband is driving me crazy.” Sally sat down on the Adirondack chair facing the morning sun, lifted her face to it, closed her eyes. “I just want to sit here and not talk.” I raised an eyebrow. “Did you have a nice visit to your mother-in-law’s house this weekend?” She opened an eye. “My husband and I rode home in two-and-a-half hours of stone silence.” “Ah,” I said. “Silence that speaks a thousand words. A form of dialogue in itself, which is what I wanted to talk to you about today.” “How is silence a form of dialogue?” “I’m certain you communicated, even if you didn’t use words, right?” She made a face. I laughed. “Great dialogue raises conflict and contains subtexting about the deeper issues of the story.” […]
Read the RestQuick Skills: Inserting the 5 Senses into your Storyworld
I am a “List and Schedule” girl – I like to have a checklist when I build a scene to make sure I’ve inserted everything into it that I can to give it the strongest emotional impact. One of those checklists, and something commonly missed are the five senses. To really draw your Storyworld, you need to use your five senses to engage the reader’s emotions. Sight. Smell. Sound. Touch.Taste. When you walk into a room, all your senses are a part of your understanding of that scene. Before you sit down to write, make a sensory list of everything you perceive in that scene. You’ll use it as a “cheat sheet” as you build the scene. Sight, of course, is what a scene is usually built on, but remember […]
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