Eneh Akpan Writes

Monday, September 17, 2012

6 Steps to a More Interesting Dialogue

Talk is cheap, they say. Do you believe this to be true of dialogue or do you think there’s more to all that fictional talk?

Let’s take a nice long look at six steps that push towards writing captivating dialogue. See if you think differently at the end of this piece.

1. In This Silence…

If you’ve ever listened in on two people talking over a sensitive issue especially, one punctuated by brief pregnant pauses, you would readily understand the power of injecting silence into the dialogue of your characters.

The sound of silence can work the magic in your dialogue if you stitch them into the right scenes and at appropriate intervals.

2. Color Dialogue with Emotions

You can’t not notice the sarcasm dripping in folk’s speeches when they engage uninvited salespersons; the anger and deep frustration when they cry out in despair if they can’t find the car keys and the utterance tinged with sadness when they relate a painful near-tragic personal story.

The speeches of your fictional characters become more real if it captures the emotions in the scenes. Make the words your characters speak reveal their frustrations, their fears and even their weaknesses without making it seem too obvious (or it may appear to the reader as if you’re using dialogue to pass on information which a good narration should handle effectively).

3. Resist Word-for-Word Recording of Speech

Face it; real people conversations are dry and lifeless. If you gotta write dialogue, don’t record real people’s speeches word-for-word. The reason is obvious: it’s boring! Too many things happen around people when they talk and they may put the main tête-à-tête on hold while they speculate on these. Sometimes, it’s just plain old distraction.

You don’t want to dump these erratic and unnecessary breaks into your story if you want to create dialogue that grabs your reader’s attention.

Courtesy: spinner.com

4. Let the Yarn Flow… It’s Only Natural

One of the best ways to get it right when creating dialogue is to avoid injecting big vocabularies into your people’s speech. It kills the connection. Every time a reader encounters a big word, it jerks ‘em out of the story and gets ‘em scampering for a thesaurus. Never indulge in this destructive exercise. Except of course, your character is a professor of linguistics or a show off whose primary purpose on earth is driving his listener nuts with extravagant words.

Keeping dialogue in your scenes flowing is about not allowing folks in your stories say stuff that isn’t expected of real people at least, under natural circumstances. It’s about writing it so it sounds like real natter.

5. Omit Needless Words

Having given this long lecture on what and what not to do in dialogue, I believe this part is relevant. You’ll find that some words are more meaningful than others and some are totally unnecessary.

If it does not give new information about the scene; if it’s something totally obvious like out there in the open, there’s no point having your character(s) say it. The reader would figure it out for themselves. Avoid having your character(s) repeat something you already stated in the narration in his/her dialogue.

6. Read Author Interviews

Actually, read any interesting interviews you can lay your hands on.

Reading interviews can be a good education in writing dialogue. After all, interviews are nonfiction dialogues.

This is one nice way to recreate dialogue almost word-for-word. Reading author interviews can give you deeper insight because sometimes, authors sound a lot like one of the fictional characters in their books.

And that’s all folks. If you can make your dialogues sound natural, you can get your reader lost in your stories and secure your future in the business of make-believe.

Keep your pen bleeding.

Akpan

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Random Writing: Beyond Freewriting

Okay, it’s payback time. Promised I was gonna speak a little more on this writing device in my last post. I stumbled on stuff in my journal worth blogging. Here it is.

Sometimes, influenced by a strong current of inspiration, a poet or writer puts words down without deliberation or careful planning which produces craft and often without a clear direction where the writing is going to come out.

Robert Wallace in his book, Writing Poems quotes William Stafford:

“Random writing – free associating, just putting anything down, however nonsequential or silly, like talking on paper.”

Often our mind grapples with a word, a phrase, an idea or an image-however minute or infinitesimal but usually, (and this is the blessing random writing offers) when we stalk our desks our mind (the part we are prone to manipulate) is a white sheet – a blank. Random writing can occur when a sudden gust of inspiration overwhelms a writer and we spill words on the page without deliberate control over the choice of words. They seem to appear completely out of thin air.

Photo credit: 123rf.com

However, the uniqueness of random writing plays itself out when we’re stuck in uncharacteristic dry spells.

Repeating the same sentence as we always do when we freewrite is not permitted. Pick a word, a phrase or a complete sentence. Take your time. Then, back the first words up with another. Don’t worry about making too much sense just yet. The words will figure themselves out, eventually.

There is absolutely no need to set a time limit during random writing.

This is not about getting the junk on your mind on paper so you can finally create a new piece. This is about getting the job done with or without the junk clogging the flow of your juice. The quality of what you set down on the page doesn’t matter at the time. You judge it later.

Freewriting is ambiguous words dumped on the page and forgotten. Good riddance to bad rubbish! Random writing is like a net making a good catch and a bad catch. The editing process will be about deleting the junk just like the fisher dealing with the bad catch later.

Random writing is simple: start with one word chase it with another and another and so on. If the next word or phrase don’t look right on the same line with the first, create a new paragraph.

Random writing is not about how fast you can get words on paper but how you can keep writing meaningful stuff without worrying too much about style, theme or title. The imagery is of a raffle draw, you dip your hands in the box pick the first words that pop at you and so on and so forth. Each time you dip you get a different phrase. And everyone of ‘em, as you’ll find out all in good time is a winner!

If you ain’t careful, you’re apt to find yourself simply swept away, a stranger in a strange land with no clue as to how you got there.

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan

Thursday, September 13, 2012

7 Ways Random Writing Can Boost Your Output

Seeking the best technique to get you out of that uncharacteristically fallow period and boost your output a 100% more?

What you need, my friend is random writing!

This statement raises an interesting question:

What is random writing?

Random Writing is talking on paper.

It’s the process where the writer freely expresses his feelings and thoughts as he pours out the contents of his heart on the page without stopping to edit.

That sounds a lot like free writing but it’s not. Free writing is done in careless abandon and is a kind of prewriting process that helps you unclog your mind and get on with the real project. Random writing is the real project in draft! I’ll talk more on this later.

What I’m about presently, is how this writing device can boost your output.

1. Discover Something to Write

Random writing does not require a title or a theme. You put your pen to the paper and let the first words that appear guide the flow. Just keep on writing and you’ll be amazed.

2. Bust the Block

Do I need to explain this one?

One of the best ways to get your juice flowing when you’re stuck is to random write. Just talk to yourself on paper. Sometimes, a little rambling might be sufficient to give you a good wind but don’t let up if it don’t happen when you expect.

3. Stay Focused

You are either a writer or you’re not. Writer’s write, it’s as simple as that. Juggle your creativity, stay in the middle of the road with random writing.

4. Develop A Unique Writing Voice

One of the benefits of conscious writing is that it opens up your soul to soar. You are given wings to explore the details of the real self. The deeper you reach within you to splash raw words on the pages of your journal, the closer you come to carving a niche for your writing style. You ain’t writing to fulfill a specific writing structure and this helps you discover how you truly sound on paper.

5. Invent A Writing Style

When you lay raw, unedited words on paper, it’s not impossible to stumble on a new style of writing. Especially, if you do stuff like poetry. Because, this kind of writing is not planned, you might create a seemingly random pattern in your writing and come to adopt it as a personal style. It happened to me!

6. Stay Productive

Your mind is always talking. Capture those words on paper and judge ‘em later. You are always certain of stuff to write without the over thinking involved.

7. Conquer self-Doubt

Defeat the inner critic who keeps screaming, “You know you can’t write!”

Write anyway!

You write without thinking too much about what to write. Let the words flow one after the other. Don’t try to judge, put everything down. There’ll be time enough for editing.

You won’t need everything you write but the ones you do need will make all the difference.

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan

Friday, September 7, 2012

Writing Every Day: Steven Barnes

Well, look at this. We made it back again. I've had to change my blog template a little bit and the header. Hope you like it.

My writing schedule up until two or so years back was pretty much cutout; write every day, all day. I wrote every chance I got. I never did this to meet a specific word count; I just kept up my scribbling until something else came up or sleep took me.

The difference between my writing in recent years and the early years is this: These days, I write to a quota.

Back then, I wrote poetry and lyrics.

Over 400 newsletters, every one of ‘em teaching, urging, pushing me on writing and personal development have popped into my inbox courtesy of Steven Barnes (that’s the guy in the picture with his wife, Tananarive).

Steve re-introduced me to fiction and story writing. I was all over poetry and lyrics before I met him. For the past three years, I’ve had Steve’s famous words posted on my laptop desktop. The one that states,

“Write Every Day. Read Ten Times As Much As You Write!”

We have an interesting model for excellence in this business. This is the part three of the Writing Every Day series, and hopefully, the last of the whole business. Now, let’s concentrate on writing, shall we?

1. Write Like You Gotta –

“Don’t let false modesty make you retreat from your own excellence.” – Steven Barnes

There’s no humility or humbility (quoting Dickens) about this. You’re either aiming high, reaching for excellence in your writing life or you’re not. It’s just as blunt as it is. Putting your talent to use means the real you living lavishly legendary. Tell yourself this ain’t about besting somebody else, it’s not about making folks bow down to kiss the soles of your feet, either. Let nobody talk you out of your dream saying you’re overdoing it!

Every day, as you enter your writing space, come with the attitude that this is one thing you just can’t exist and not get yourself completely lost in. You’ll find that nothing and nobody can discourage you from coming into the fullness that awaits the consistent writer.

2. Write for Mastery –

“Any skill you wish to master must be addressed every day. Even if you don’t spend a huge amount of time at it.” – Steven Barnes.

Writing as a daily affair ain’t all about getting a certain quota of words on paper. It’s not even about proving to yourself or people that you can do it (although, sometimes this can act as incentive and get you going on particularly dry days).

Above all else, writing every day is for mastery of your craft. It’s probably the strongest reason why you don’t need to know where the damn things headed all the time.

You’re training your senses to switch in and out of the zone at the snap of your fingers.

3. You Need Guts! –

“The world needs your stories, and you must have confidence to serve that need.” – Steven Barnes

If you thought this was all about you, think again. God gave you something to do. It’s the guiding light your world has been waiting for.

Every day as you write or when you feel you ain’t up to it, remember somebody out there is waiting for your story. That’s one sure-fire way to get you scrambling out of bed and scrawling till your fingers ache.

4. Write with Passion –

We’ve been talking about writing every day but what exactly does one write about? Steven Barnes answers that question with these words;

“What are you must passionately interested in?

What imagery pops into your dreams most regularly?”

Making a commitment to come to the pages of your journal every day could be a trifle intimidating. Thinking about all those blank pages waiting to be filled can throw a jump into the most courageous of hearts.

‘What the hell am I supposed to write?’ Anything you damn well please. Just let the words flow from your heart. Don’t worry about making a lot of sense. Let the words figure themselves out. Your job is to be present at your table and take the dictations from your muse.

5. Unlock Your Creativity –

“You also need the clearest, most direct and open channel to your creativity that you can find.” – Steven Barnes

You’re mining deep into your subconscious for the hidden self. Writing every day unlocks and develops your writer’s voice. That’s the reason you need to let the words flow naturally. It may sound stupid sometimes but you gotta keep writing if you want to meet the guy on your inside face to face!

Forget Not To Remember…

“

Write every day. Read ten times as much as you write. Unless you are doing this, forget all the fancy lessons…

1,000 words a day for three years would take you to the magic “million word” mark, at which you are operating in a completely different space from those who have never imposed such discipline. – Steven Barnes

”

Imagine how you would feel three years from now and one million words to your credit. Now, take that feeling and explode off the page. I’ll be seeing you around in three year eh… sorry, I mean soon.

Keep your eyes locked on the dream and you know how to do that, don’t you? Of course,

… Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Writing Every Day: Stephen King

Stephen King is a prolific writer who has authored close to seventy novels and short story collections. A man operating such a high-octane version of literary genius ought to have a lot to say about churning out hundreds of thousands of words round the clock. I think we can trust him to drop the payload right into our bosom.

King’s thoughts on the issue follows closely on the heels of Ray Bradbury’s tips and that incidentally makes this post the Part Two of the Writing Every Day series.

“Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life,” said Stephen King. But, I’m not gonna use this as the first tip. Just telling you to keep in mind how the ideas to spur you on are supposed take shape and evolve. That was dessert. And now, the main course for the evening:

1. Write in a Serene Environment –

“If possible, there should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or video games for you to fool around with. If there’s a window, draw the curtains or pull down the shades unless it looks out at a blank wall.” – Stephen King

The life of the writer (the writer who takes his job to heart) is a solitary life–a life haunted by aloneness. It ain’t enslaved by loneliness but rather strengthened and sharpened to spear points by it. The writer learns to strip to his birth suit in front of the world (that’s what you do when you shed your soul on the pages of your journal) and yet, be totally unashamed about it.

2. Write to a Schedule –

“Your schedule–in at about the same time every day, out when your thousand words are on paper or disk…”

“Your job is to make sure the muse knows where you’re going to be every day from nine ‘til noon or seven ‘til three. If he does know, I assure you that sooner or later he’ll start showing up.”

“Basically, mornings are my prime writing time.”

3. Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough –

“You need a concrete goal, as well. The longer you keep to these basics, the easier the act of writing will become.”

“I like to get ten pages a day, which amounts to 2,000 words. That’s 180,000 words over a three month span…”

“

As with physical exercise, it would be best to set this goal low at first, to avoid discouragement. I suggest a thousand words… I’ll suggest that you can take one day a week off, at least to begin with… Resolve to yourself the door stays closed until that goal is met. – Stephen King

”

4. Get a Writing Space –

“(It) can be humble (probably should be) and it really needs only one thing: a door which you are willing to shut. The closed door is your way of telling the world and yourself that you mean business; you have made a serious commitment to write and intend to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.”

“You need the room, you need the door, and you need the determination to shut the door.”

5. Are You Having Fun, Yet? –

You should. This is best when it feels like a ball. Don’t get too serious with stuff such as these or it feels like work. And when it starts feeling like work, that’s the red light–you’re throwing in the towel soon.

“Writing is at it’s best–always, always, always–when it is a kind of inspired play for the writer.”

“When I’m writing, it’s all the playground.”

“My writing and the pleasure I take in it has contributed to the stability of my health and my home life.”

“When you find something at which you are talented, you do it (whatever it is) until your fingers bleed or your eyes are ready to fall out of your head.”

License to Explode into a Million Seeds from the King!

“If you feel you need permission to do all the reading and writing your little heart desires, however, (four to six hours a day, every day) consider it hereby granted by yours truly.” – Stephen King

There you go you got your ticket handed to you on a silver platter, if there ever was one. Now dig into the toolbox of the imagination, explore all the details of the genius within and remake your world every day, one word at a time!

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan