R.M. Archer's Blog, page 9

I know some of you reading this aren’t looking to build a whole author career; writing is a hobby for you, or something you want to dabble in from time to time but not something you want to invest significant portions of your life into. That’s totally fine, and I do think that this post–this series, in fact, because I had too many points for a single post–will still be of value to you in helping you be as professional as possible with the projects you do release.

But if you’re one of many whose goal is to make a career out of writing (and/or writing-related endeavors), this series is for you. Creating a sustainable author career requires investment of many different kinds in many different areas, and this series will dive into what some of those areas are and how to invest well for the career that you want to build.

Today’s post is about some of the most foundational investments to make, which largely center around skill and polish. It’s important to note that your author career is built, foundationally, on two things: you and your books. This means you want to be as solid in your presentation of yourself and your books as you possibly can; you need to know your strengths and weaknesses, your interests, your values. And you need to be growing in your writing skill as an author. So let’s look at some ways you can invest in these areas.

Invest in Your Worldview

At first blush, this may seem like an off-topic item for this list. What does what you personally believe about the world matter for your author career? Well, it matters for a few reasons, actually. For one thing, your worldview shapes what you write about and how you write about things. Your values, beliefs, and interests color everything you do, and particularly creative work like writing. Your creativity draws from who you are, and that’s distinctive; you can’t write anything quite like someone else can, and your distinct worldview is a powerful trait to be aware of.

Your worldview is also going to help you find and connect with both the readers who want what you write and fellow authors with similar goals whom you can collaborate with and mutually spur on. I’ll talk more about investing in those relationships in a later post, but overlap in worldview is a huge piece of connecting with the right people in your author career and in life.

That’s why your worldview is important to have a grasp on, but how can you invest in that area practically?

In large part, your worldview will be shaped by simply living life and engaging with the world. The way that you respond to things and the way you filter information and experiences will tell you something about your overarching worldview; it’s just a matter of recognizing it.

But beyond that, dive into practicing what you say you believe. If you’re a Christian, take time to read your Bible and pray and fellowship with other believers. If you value community, invest in the people around you, reach out to make new friends, renew old friendships, introduce people to one another, support those around you in their endeavors, build community. If you value homemaking, lean into it; find ways to beautify your home, be hospitable, practice cooking and baking. If you value hard work, find places to volunteer, be diligent in your vocation, practice balanced rest so you can enjoy the fruit of your labor and be renewed for more work. These things may not sound like much, but living life and living it in a way that’s consistent with your values will provide you with experiences that will shape your creative work and the way you connect with others.

If you want something a little more directed, practice thinking through your worldview with specific topics and questions. Not only will this strengthen your understanding of these topics and enable you to defend what you believe, but the more you understand a variety of worldview topics, the greater variety of worldview topics you can confidently explore in your fiction.

Develop Your Writing Skills

In contrast to the previous point, this might seem like the most obvious item on the list. Of course, in order to build a stable author career, you need to be growing in the actual craft of writing so that the books you put out are quality stories told in an effective and beautiful way.

You don’t have to have “arrived” right away, and you’re not expected to; the best authors are always learning and growing even beyond the point where their work is considered excellent by readers. It is important for any author seeking to build a career and to become a great writer to have an attitude of humility, to be willing to learn and grow and explore beyond what they already understand. Pride stunts growth, which stunts quality. Even great writing can become boring if it becomes stagnant (which I’ve seen happen to authors before, particularly with long book series).

Once the attitude is right and you can acknowledge your flaws, you must identify your weaknesses in writing. Maybe you’re a perfectionist and it’s keeping you from finishing projects, or perhaps you’re too hasty and end up publishing before your books are really ready, or maybe your characterization is weak, or your worldbuilding is generic, your plot lines meander, or your pacing is choppy. (I’ve dealt with every one of those problems, and I’m still weak in some of those areas.) Only once we know what problems we have are we able to address them and become better writers.

This is part of why feedback is so important. Even when we acknowledge that we have weaknesses, it can be difficult for us to identify them ourselves. Trustworthy, constructively critical writing friends can point out the weaknesses we might have missed, enabling us to shore up those weaker spots.

But writing growth is also about identifying and leaning into your strengths. If your pacing is awkward but you have a great handle on prose, use your prose to fix your pacing. Or maybe your problem is plot, but you’re excellent with theme; make your themes the heart of your plot lines. Conflict is a struggle for you, but you have vividly detailed worlds? Look to your worldbuilding for natural conflict! Not only will your strengths help you work through your weaknesses, identifying them can also boost your confidence and give you something to focus on when you need a reason to push forward, and those strengths will still resonate with readers even if certain elements of your book aren’t as strong.

There are a lot of ways to invest in your writing skill, whether you’re investing time alone or time and money. First, of course, is simple practice. Write, and write a lot. Write a variety of things. Experiment. Finish drafts and set them aside. Remember that some books are just practice books and don’t need to be published (at least not in their first iteration), but they’re still valuable. Exercise different writing skills. Join a writing group and find someone (or multiple someones) you can exchange feedback with.

If you have a little more cash on hand, buy craft books to read (and apply). Enroll in writing courses (Story Embers has some great ones, and if your struggle is with worldbuilding then my Worldbuilding Toolbox might be for you). If you’re up for an even bigger investment, try a writing school like The Author Conservatory or The Company (formerly School of Kingdom Writers).

There are so many ways you can invest in your writing skill, whatever your circumstances, even if you’re only sneaking brief bits of practice into a busy schedule. Figure out the best investment for where you are right now, and put your energy there.

Professionalism: Quality Edits

The first half of this post was foundational; this second half will go into how to make your individual publications look polished and professional throughout your author career.

The first thing you need for a professional-grade release is quality editing. This means investing in your self-editing skills, learning to work with beta-readers, and finding a high-quality professional editor who understands the vision behind your work (if not two or three editors for different levels of editing).

Learning to self-edit should be part of honing your writing craft, so I won’t go into a ton of detail in this point. But learn story structure and scene structure, study theme, analyze and practice prose, etc. Learn how to build a strong story, and practice shaping your completed drafts to that framework. And don’t stop with just one pass! Editing requires persistence to work through draft after draft until your story is as strong as you’re able to make it.

Having people to exchange feedback with is also something I mentioned in the previous point, but beta-readers will be a more specific group. Critique partners may see snippets of your story, they may see short stories or exercises you write for practice, they might see the bulk or even the entirety of your early draft(s) in more of an alpha-reader capacity. But beta-readers will see a completed, self-edited copy of your book and look at it not only as writers but also as readers. They’re there to help you find the inconsistencies and the plot holes and the awkward sentences that will trip up readers. And then you get to take that feedback and edit again!

I have a whole post on the differences between alpha-readers and beta-readers and the functions of each, so check that out for more on that topic–as well as some good places to find such readers.

After that, it’s time to get a professional eye. If you’re publishing traditionally, these services will be covered by the publishing house. There should be no paying for edits out-of-pocket with a traditional publisher, and if you’re running into that, you’ve probably found a vanity press.

If you’re going indie, finding a good editor is going to be a bit more work and a lot more of a financial investment. When you go looking, there are generally three kinds of editors you’re going to find: developmental editors, line editors, and copy-editors or proofreaders. I’ve talked about each of these in depth before and why I think each is a worthwhile investment, so check out those links for more. But in short, a developmental editor is going to help you restructure the bones of your story so that it works at its best, a line editor is going to find all of the mid-size problems (inconsistencies, voice issues, lingering plot issues, etc.) and polish your prose to maximum effect, and a copy-editor/proofreader will find and fix all of the pesky typos and grammatical errors that have been missed in previous runs through.

If you don’t have the budget to hire out all three (which I would venture to say most of us don’t), my opinion is to prioritize line edits. I’m somewhat biased in saying that because line edits are where I focus as a professional editor myself, but I say it because a line editor is going to cover the most out of any of the options. A line editor focuses on the line-level–cleaning up your paragraphs and whatnot–but they’ll point out the larger problems that contribute to your paragraphs not working, and they’re liable to fix up your grammar and spelling in the process as well.

That said, prioritize according to your needs! If you really struggle with story structure, pacing, character development, etc. then you’ll want to prioritize hiring a developmental editor. If you really struggle with spelling and grammar, a copy-editor is a wise investment. There are reasons I recommend line edits highly, but you should always look for what your book needs.

Also, keep in mind that not all professional editors have the same level of skill, or the same interest in and understanding of your book. Look for an editor whose portfolio you respect (if possible) and an editor who is excited about your book and understands your intentions. You may find an excellent editor who just doesn’t understand your pacing choice or the voice of your prose or the theological angle you’re coming from. In some cases, you’ll need to consider whether they actually don’t understand or whether you’re holding too tightly to something that’s not really serving your story, but if you can take a less-biased look at your work and you’re sure it’s a matter of stylistic dissonance–and especially if you’ve gotten feedback from multiple people who do understand and appreciate a given choice or perspective–there’s nothing wrong with finding a different editor for the next book (or passing on an editor, if you’ve only done a sample with them). And sometimes the same editor will be a bad fit for one book but a great fit for the next! So consider quality, worldview, and taste when working with an editor, but build peaceable relationships in that space.

Once you do find the right editor for your work, however, you can often stick with them for your entire author career, making the investment to find them well worth the tradeoff.

Professionalism: Quality Cover Art

If you’re traditionally publishing, you don’t really need to worry about these next two points since your publishing house will handle cover design and formatting. This section could still be beneficial for informational purposes, but generally the house you’re working with will know what they’re doing and spearhead the design process.

Indie publishing, on the other hand, often gets a bad rap on quality for its cover design. In many cases, it’s really easy to look at an indie book and say, “Oh, that’s indie.” Why? Because covers on indie books are often less high-quality–at least as covers; some feature beautiful artwork that just doesn’t fit well as cover art–or don’t match with the book they’re trying to advertise. (And yes, your cover is advertising.)

Here are some things to consider as you’re designing a cover, hiring a designer, etc. if you’re seeking to build your author career with independent publishing.

A quality cover will have a cohesive look. The font or other layers shouldn’t look like they were just slapped on; they should flow together naturally. Stark lines can be useful in certain designs, but in many cases they’re going to contribute to this slap-shod look. The balance to this is that you don’t want your cover to become too blended together; it still needs to be legible, not only at full-size but also when readers are seeing a thumbnail in places like the Amazon search catalogue.

Your cover should reflect the story your readers are going to get, in both genre and content. An example I find particularly useful is the romance genre. There are, say, fantasy romance novels that are explicitly clean romance that I’ve overlooked because their covers too closely resembled the style of covers for “spicier” romance novels. Take a look at the covers of published books in your genre (indie and traditionally published), note some of the patterns, and maybe even look at the covers in genres you don’t want to match so that you can note patterns to avoid as well.

If you do get a cover designed, there are some options. You can buy a pre-made cover and have the designer plug in your book’s information (in my experience, the quality of pre-made covers can vary drastically, so know what you’re looking for). You can take a specific cover request to a designer and have them make it a reality (again, know what you’re looking for; check the designer’s portfolio, and also be aware that the image you have in your head might not translate as well to an actual cover design as you think). Or, you can go middle-of-the-road with someplace like 99designs and allow a variety of artists to put forward designs based on a more general vision you provide, which is what I did for Calligraphy Guild‘s cover. Any of these options can work really well (or really poorly), so go with whichever works for you, your book, and your budget.

Professionalism: Polished Formatting

Again, if you’re traditionally publishing then this section won’t be especially relevant to you. But if you’re indie-publishing, this is important!

Formatting seems like it wouldn’t be that important. Don’t you just put the words on the page and print them? Well, yes… and absolutely not. Unfortunately, it’s a lot more complicated than that to put together a professional-looking book. There are so many details that we take for granted or overlook in the books we read, and you have to think about all of them when you format your own book! Things like:

Page numbers, and making sure they skip front matter, back matter, and the first pages of each chapter but don’t start over the count with each new chapter.Chapter headers (not only the headers that go at the beginning of each chapter, but also the headers at the top of each page that show the book title, author name, or chapter title).Line spacing. Don’t forget to make your paragraphs single-spaced if you’ve had them double-spaced, but also don’t forget to remove extra space before and/or after paragraphs. (Been there, done that!)Justified text alignment (having an even line along the right side of the page makes more of a difference than you think).Proper paragraph indentation. Paragraphs that are too deep look weird and take up too much space.Margin size, and making sure it accounts for the inside edge where your pages connect to the book spine. Don’t make your margins over-wide or over-narrow; the former will look weird and the latter will make your book hard to read. (Again, been there, done that!)Overall page size (standard for a paperback is usually 5.25″ x 8.25″).Title pages. There are often two of these per book, one that more closely resembles the cover (using cover fonts, etc.) and one that is more basic (more standard font, etc.) It’s hard to describe, so I recommend picking up a published book to see what I mean.Table of contents, with page numbers.A dedication page.Acknowledgements and an “about the author page” (which can include website links, other works, and the like… or those can be separate pages as well).Oh, and don’t forget that you have to format before you can finalize your cover, since the formatted page count of your book will determine the width of your cover’s spine!

That’s just what I can think of now and/or have written down in the past; there may be other small details I’m missing. But the point is, it’s a lot more than you might think and it’s a sizeable undertaking. Formatting has always been the most frustrating part of publishing to me.

I recommend trying formatting for yourself at least a time or two to have the experience and to learn how to do it, since it is a useful skill for an indie author to have. But I personally hire out my formatting when I can because it stresses me out and there are others who have done it a lot more than I have. Thus far, that means I’ve hired out the formatting only on Calligraphy Guild (and I’m aware of formatting oddities/errors in some of my other published works; one’s author career tends to start on a tight budget!). But if you prefer to hire out that service, there are people to do it.

That is the advice I have for building a strong foundation for your author career and ensuring that your publications are polished and professional. Next week I’ll talk more about valuable investments for your writing education and resources to find. But for now, let me know which of these investments is next for you to make, or which one has paid off the most for you already!

If you’re looking to build a career as an indie author and you’d like a downloadable checklist for the self-publishing process, sign up below!

The post Author Career Investments You Should Be Making appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

The topic of hospitality is one I’ve wanted to touch on in a worldbuilding context for a while, and it seemed particularly appropriate to tackle now that I’m newly married with a home of my own that I’m able to invite guests into. So let’s look at homes, hospitality, and how these things can be portrayed and approached in fictional worlds.

The Physical Home

The first step to shaping hospitality in a fictional setting is to determine what that setting actually looks like. What is the physical context for hospitality in this culture? So we first have to look at what homes look like in your world, and there are a lot of details that can go into this depending on what your culture values and what sorts of resources they have at their disposal.

To get started, consider whether homes in your culture are separate by household or if they’re more communal–like duplexes or apartment buildings. Cultures emphasizing family might be more inclined to build large but separate houses where extended families can live together, with some space from other families in the community; while a culture with more of an emphasis on external community or one without a lot of extra physical space might lean more toward apartments or some other form of communal housing.

Another question to ask would be: what is the focal point of a home? Does the home center around a living room or parlor for entertaining guests? The kitchen where food is prepared, or the dining room where people feast together? Maybe there are religious rooms or shrines within people’s houses that form the centerpiece of a home. Or perhaps houses are built around courtyards, greenhouses, or gardens where residents can appreciate growing things and the natural world despite their artificial walls. There are a lot of different options for this depending on the values of your culture–and its individual members; not all homes must look alike–and these differences can have an impact on hospitality.

You might also consider whether everything is inside the main house or if there are necessary outbuildings attached to a property. Perhaps bathrooms or kitchens are kept separate, whether for sanitation or safety–or even distaste for a job like cooking, viewing it as less-than. Maybe those residential shrines are given a separate building that’s considered holy, while the house itself is too common to contain such a thing.

Some other questions to consider:

How many rooms are common to a home? Is everything in one room? Is there perhaps a common room/hospitality room and a bedroom? Or are multiple bedrooms prioritized for the sake of hospitality?What room(s) are guests expected to see and utilize? Are there living rooms/parlors? Are guests permitted in the kitchen? Is the dining room a place for hospitality, or are there multiple dining areas so that family meals can be kept separate? Are there special guest rooms, or are bedrooms used for whoever needs them at a given time?How are residences heated and/or cooled? Are certain rooms prioritized over others?How many floors does a residence generally have? And are these floors all residential or are there attached floors (or rooms) intended for business–e.g. apartments over top of a shop?Work & the Home

That last question brings us to an entire point I want to touch on, and that is to consider the relationship between work and the home. In some cases, perhaps work is wholly separate from the home, kept outside of it, in which case this will be less of a consideration (though, in that case, you may need to consider work hours and how characters working outside of the home are expected to interact with and take care of their guests according to those hours).

In other cultures and contexts, however, it may be more appropriate to have characters who work from home–or have a business attached to their home. In this case, the question arises of how distinct the two do or don’t remain. Are there established areas of a house where business is to be done? Do your characters have home offices or whole shops attached to their homes? Are they literally attached, or are they on the same property yet separate?

Then, of course, there will be those who work in the home for the home’s sake, whether stay-at-home wives, maids, cooks, butlers, gardeners, etc. Which of these roles are appropriate will depend not only on what your culture values–a culture with complementarian values may foster more women who tend to their own homes and see fewer maids and the like, while a culture valuing more industry or individualism may require more supplements to a home with wives expected to work as much as their husbands–but also on your class system, the culture’s view on servitude and slavery, and even the general size of residences. After all, it takes a lot more work to clean a mansion than an apartment!

I’ve talked about developing the vocational structure of a culture before, so check out that post if you’d like to dive into that topic more and pair it with what we’re discussing here about homes and hospitality.

Expectations for Hospitality

Once you’ve laid the physical groundwork of housing, you can turn to the foundational expectations for hospitality in your culture. In some cultures, maybe there is no such expectation; maybe some cultures are too individualistic to value hospitality, or at least to value personal hospitality, and thus it’s considered weird or at least excessively friendly to have someone over for dinner or board them for a night.

In other cultures, however, perhaps it’s a sign of status to board guests on a regular basis. For example (according to a Tumblr post I read, so I don’t claim to know for certain that it’s fact), the wealthy owners of large homes were historically expected to use their spare rooms for the sake of hospitality, to board both friends and people of influence who were traveling.

Beyond your culture’s overall attitude toward hospitality, consider how this might differ based on class. Are the rich expected to extend hospitality because they have the means (e.g. using their myriad spare rooms to put up travelers)? Or are guests foisted upon the poor because it’s seen as a lesser task to serve foreigners? How does this impact the economy and living conditions for whoever is responsible for housing travelers?

Ask, too, whether characters are expected to know the people they board or if it’s considered normal to house strangers. This, too, may differ based on context. But in general, are guests taken based on familiarity, status, need, or simply because it’s the right thing to do and/or the means are there? In the case of hospitality being frequently extended to strangers, what consideration is given to security, if any?

Expectations not only apply to what characters are expected to do, but also what they are expected not to do. Are there circumstances under which one could turn away someone seeking hospitality–or simply not extend an offer in the first place–or is that considered highly rude? Are there reasons considered inappropriate for turning someone away? Perhaps one can never refuse a family member wishing to visit or, as a means of curbing prejudice, it’s never permissible to turn someone away on the grounds of their belonging to a particular group. Perhaps it is permissible to turn someone away for bringing a pet–or perhaps that’s considered too petty a reason (no pun intended) to refuse hospitality.

These expectations can also differ depending on the duration of a stay. Perhaps it’s uncouth to turn away a friend with a dog if they’re only staying a night, but if their stay lasts more than a week it becomes permissible to ask them to leave. Perhaps a family member can’t be refused a visit of 12 hours or fewer, but if they overstay that welcome there’s no recourse. Perhaps it depends on the closeness of a relationship, the status of the guest, or the time at which they’re asked to leave. Perhaps you can turn someone away after a certain number of hours, but asking someone to leave after ten p.m. is considered rude as they then have to find lodging elsewhere in the night.

There are a lot of options when it comes to expectations and etiquette, so play around with it and see what works for your culture and your story. Have fun with it!

Communal Areas & Broader Hospitality

Personal residences aren’t the only place where hospitality can be extended. Let’s zoom out for a moment and consider how hospitality may work on a more town- or city-wide basis. First, your towns will presumably have areas that are open to the public: markets, courtyards, parks, gardens, etc. Are these areas welcoming to foreigners, or is this a culture that keeps to itself and is cold to visitors? The overall attitude of your culture toward outsiders will be reflected in these public areas.

Even if your culture doesn’t generally like visitors, however, it may have establishments specifically for the sake of hospitality–if only to keep foreigners separate from its own people. Taverns may be more hospitable to outsiders, inns might be established for the sake of giving visitors somewhere to sleep, campsites may be clearly established and marked, etc. Of course, a culture that isn’t fond of outsiders–or simply values profit more–may hike its prices for those visiting. In which case, consider the effect on personal hospitality; are more individuals called upon to board known visitors because they’re expected be more fair in their prices? Are there more welcoming individuals who open their homes voluntarily to grant visitors a cheaper option? Do these individuals have the means to open something like their own competing inn?

Hospitality may also be shown in workplace environments, though this will greatly depend on what sort of culture you’re building. In Calligraphy Guild, one of the characters doesn’t have a place of her own and is thus housed by the guild in a spare room of their guildhall. The community surrounding one’s work is highly valued in Virilia, leading to solutions for those who are lacking in housing or anything else. There may be similar arrangements within workplaces in your culture, or other characters in a similar culture to Virilia’s might instead join other coworkers as roommates in their own homes.

Long-Term Hospitality

As one last point, I want to talk about long-term hospitality–situations like that of rooming together, fostering or adopting, way-stations and halfway houses for those still finding ways to provide for themselves, etc.

First, think about what problems your culture does or doesn’t have that would lead to these needs. Is there a lot of parent death or abandonment, or a system that removes children from abuse in a culture where that’s common? Are there high crime rates handled with an eye for rehab and reintegration into society? Is there a shortage of residences, or are housing prices exorbitant?

For each issue, your culture’s attitude toward it and solutions for it will shape which of these long-term establishments are found in that society. For a society that doesn’t see these issues or doesn’t care, maybe street urchins are common and have to band together to fend for themselves, or criminals often relapse or even die in the streets, or there’s a high homeless population due to simple poverty. On the other hand, maybe your culture is aware of these issues and has constructed orphanages, boarding schools, halfway houses (which may be simple residences or may be more like ranches to work on, monasteries to learn in, workshops to craft from, etc.), boarding houses, boarder matching systems so it’s easier to find a roommate, etc.

As you can see, there are a lot of considerations and a lot of options when it comes to thinking about hospitality in a fictional culture, and I think it’s a pretty fun topic to look at. But I want to hear from you. What do you find most interesting or exciting about this topic? What intimidates you about it? Is hospitality something you’d thought about incorporating into your world, or was this a new consideration for you? Comment below!

Want to dive deeper into the culture of your world and establish a firm foundation in all the most important cultural areas? The FREE Worldbuilding Checklist mini-course will get you started on foundational cultural values, societal structure, government, education, and more!

The post Homes & Hospitality in Fantasy appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

Today, I want to focus some attention on a few of the authors I admire most, and aspire to emulate in my own life and work.

I put together a post like this a few years ago, and when I came back across it in the archives I thought it would be interesting to compile an updated version. My writing focus has shifted, I’ve discovered new authors and had my perspective change on others, but even so there’s a fair amount of overlap between this list and the one I put together all the way back in 2017.

But without further ado, here are my thoughts about some of the authors I admire most and how I hope to emulate them in my own writing life.

This post contains affiliate links, marked with an asterisk. Purchases made through these links earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you, and purchases made through BookShop support local U.S. bookstores!Nadine Brandes

Those of you who have been around for a bit will likely not be surprised to see Nadine Brandes at the top of this list. Ever since beginning the Out of Time series and joining her street team (I can’t remember which came first), Nadine has been one of my favorite authors–for both her writing and her values. My admiration for her has only grown as she’s released more books and as she’s shared about her journey as a mother.

The first thing I appreciated most about Brandes was how down-to-earth she is on her platform and how much she values connection with her readers. She’s lovely to interact with, super encouraging, and incredibly real about her writing and how her life impacts her writing rhythms. I believe she’s mentioned on my previous list primarily for this reason, as this was especially standing out to me about authors at the time–and I still hope to accomplish the same focus on connection and be as genuine to my readers.

Nowadays, I’m even more impressed by the way she builds her “work-life balance” and adjusts her writing to accommodate real life–and still manages to write excellent books and release them on a fairly regular basis. She prioritizes her family, her role as a homemaking wife and mother, and maintains her productivity as a an author as life seasons allow. As someone with the same values, a young woman who’s just become a wife and is seeking to both maintain a loving and joyful home as well as finish books, I hope to adjust and experiment and work with the flow of life that God gives me as effectively as Nadine Brandes seems to.

This willingness to experiment and adjust appears to be reflected in what Brandes writes, as well. Though her published works all fall under the “speculative fiction” umbrella, she has written dystopian sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fantasy. She writes in the genres she enjoys, and it works. Her readers snap them up (myself included), and I would guess that each new genre expands her reach with new readers who enjoy that genre over her previous genres. This is really encouraging to authors like me who tend to veer a little all over the place and like to try slightly new and different things. You don’t have to separate all your different genres by pen name, set aside your “off-brand” projects to never see the light of day, or otherwise limit what you publish; you just have to establish your audience on something deeper than genre, which Brandes does very well.

To proceed on the point of establishing an audience, and to cycle back to engaging with that audience as well, Brandes’ social media feed and newsletter are among my favorite to follow. The visual style she uses is beautiful, the content is always meaningful and encouraging, and she points constantly back to God, Scripture, and biblical principles. “Enriching” is, I think, an apt word to describe Brandes’ online content. (And her books!)

To check out Brandes’ work, I recommend her Instagram, newsletter, and–of course–her books! My personal favorites of her published works are the Out of Time series and Wishtress*.

J.R.R. Tolkien

Obviously, at least one classic author had to make it onto the list, and probably J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis. (I believe they may have both been on my previous list, actually.) While I love both their work, Tolkien is the greater role model for my work and interests personally.

One thing I love to see about Tolkien is how varied his knowledge was. He knew a lot about a lot of things, he could engage on such a broad variety of topics, and he used that knowledge in his everyday interactions and the things he wrote. He was a Christian interested in his faith, a gardener, a philologist, a history buff, a poet, a father, and had so many skills and interests beyond the writing that he’s clearly known for. Having such a broad knowledge base is such a boon, not only in deepening one’s writing but also in deepening and coloring one’s life, and I would love to expand my knowledge as Tolkien did his.

But Tolkien didn’t only know things; he was invested in those things, and he put that knowledge to use. He had strong opinions about the topics he learned about and their application to the real world, as well as current events and the like, and he was invested in shaping the culture in a God-honoring and human-blessing way. These values and this interest in the trajectory of the culture he lived in influenced both his life and work, and his stories still carry pertinent themes to readers today, reminding us of cultural values we have lost or de-prioritized.

Some of the themes that Tolkien returned to again and again resonate with me as both a reader and an author. The themes of community, of appreciating the little things and natural blessings, of the importance of art and its relation to the real world, these are all themes that I am also passionate about conveying to readers and discussing with other authors. And Tolkien’s themes are couched so skillfully in the artistry and quality of his writing and storytelling, honed over years and years of practice and study of great past literature. His themes never steal the attention from his storytelling, nor is the reverse true, because he so highly valued both pieces. Though great themes may contribute, books do not stand the test of time for their themes alone, but for the excellence of their storytelling. Both are critical to invest in and practice and develop skill in.

As alluded to before, one of the things that made Tolkien such a great writer was that he was immersed in high-quality literature, both past and present. He loved great older literature, taught English, and was also involved in the like-minded writing community of his own day with fellow authors like C.S. Lewis. Tolkien read and understood great literature, and he learned from it to write his own. This is one of the reasons I think that reading classics is such a great benefit to authors today, especially as there are so many skills and emphases that we have lost in modern fiction but can learn to incorporate again as we read and study older works.

The last thing I want to touch on before I move on is that Tolkien spurred on like-minded authors–and was spurred on in return. The Inklings were an active group, and particularly he and Lewis were such supporters of one another, not only able to encourage one another and push one another to write but also able to critique one another and remain great friends. This sort of supportive community is something I have always valued and hoped to foster in things like my Discord server, and I believe that the writing community and particularly Christian authors supporting one another–even when we disagree on things–is such an important part of producing high-quality fiction.

Some of my favorite works by Tolkien are The Lord of the Rings* (of course!), On Fairy-stories*, and Leaf by Niggle*. And if you’d like to get to know him better as a person and an author, his letters* are a delight to read!

Andrew Peterson

Andrew Peterson is another author I would love to have the opportunity to meet one day, because I think he would just be great to talk with. There are a number of reasons for this, beginning with the awe he exhibits in his fiction, his nonfiction, his social media, his music… really every area of his platform. It is evident in all that he does that he has a great admiration for God’s creation (and creativity) and he faithfully practices wonder and worship. Since we’re talking authorship, I’ll mention that this is a great element of his writing and his worldbuilding; he does an excellent job of capturing that awe in his writing–particularly a child-like wonder in Anniera of The Wingfeather Saga, but also a mix of this same child-like wonder with an even deeper amazement in his nonfiction and his music. And all of it is turned to praise and rightly directed toward the Creator of all that we have to marvel at.

Another thing I admire about Andrew Peterson is how down-to-earth he is, and not only that but also how much he delights in his readers. Whether he’s showing off fan art, doing sneaky book signings in bookstores while on tour, or celebrating the success of the Wingfeather Saga show thanks to reader/viewer support, Peterson highlights the importance of his readers to his work and he delights to bless them in return. That reciprocal relationship between author and reader is so important, and so special when nurtured well!

Not only does Peterson highlight his readers, though, he also encourages and promotes other Christian artists. His Rabbit Room community brings together like-minded artists to share and sell and discuss their work–with patrons as well as one another. The Hutchmoot event he puts on brings together a very similar community in-person. He celebrates those involved in making collaborative projects a reality, collaborates often with other musical artists, incorporates visual arts in his books, etc. He has such a focus on community-building, which shows in multiple areas, and I admire his success in prioritizing that and actually building up that community.

As one last point, Peterson is invested in multiple forms of media and their impact for the Kingdom of God. He is personally both an author and musician, as well as a visual artist, and he celebrates Christians in all areas of the arts. The Wingfeather Saga is being adapted into an animated TV series, his brother is a playwright, his children are artists and musicians, he supports artists of all kinds through The Rabbit Room. Peterson understands the power of media in shaping the culture and edifying the Church Body, and he acts on those values.

I hope I’m one day as successful at prioritizing my own values of community and culture-building, so I might contribute to similar projects and, Lord willing, have a similar impact in the sphere of Christian arts!

I highly recommend all of Peterson’s published works: The Wingfeather Saga*, Adorning the Dark*, and God of the Garden*. If you’d like to follow him, his Facebook page is a great place to start!

Miranda Marie

Miranda Marie is the only author on this list whom I know personally, and she is such a lovely person as well as a skilled author. To speak merely from a personal standpoint for a moment, Mandy is such a faithful friend with so much wisdom to share–both in the domain of writing and on more “real life” topics. She’s one of the most faith-full people I know, one of the most selfless, one of the most encouraging, one of the most supportive–without compromising truth or wisdom. I am so beyond blessed to call her a friend. She’s certainly a role model for me in life as well as writing.

All of the qualities I mentioned above color her writing, as well. Her writing is both beautiful and truthful, the perfect balance of unwavering truth inside a story that sucks you right in and makes you feel like you’re a part of it. Between her beautiful prose (especially showcased in the Whispers of White duology) and the fact that all of her characters feel like real people you could sit down and have a conversation with, she’s so skilled at writing engrossing books.

Part of the reason she does this so well is because she takes her time, pouring as much energy and dedication into each book as it needs to be exactly what it’s supposed to be–even if this means going a few years between releases. While the wait itself may be frustrating for readers, the end result is an excellent book once it does release, making the wait well worth it.

Mandy’s two series, the Whispers of White duology* and The Fire Rain Chronicles*, are both excellent!

These are some of the authors I admire most, these days. Now I want to hear from you! Have you read any of these authors? What authors do you look up to and why? If you could meet any author currently living, who would it be? Comment below with your thoughts!

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For anyone who missed the memo, I’m getting married on the 8th! As such, I’ll be taking a hiatus for the month of July to enjoy the last bit of wedding anticipation, the wedding itself, the honeymoon, and adjustment to being married.

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The post July Hiatus – I’m getting married! appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

Thank you to M. C. Kennedy for offering a review copy of A Wolf’s Rose! It was fun to step back into the world of retellings for a bit (this book carries obvious elements of Little Red Riding Hood with some Beauty and the Beast vibes), and the allegorical elements were interesting. Reviews have been somewhat harder for me to write of late, with so much going on in my brain, but I’ll do my best to make this an effective review.

I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

What is A Wolf’s Rose about?

Can two broken people ever find redemption?

Roshien Cochall has one goal: appear before the Gwyns and prove that she can move beyond the mistakes of her past. Nothing seems to move her closer to that goal, however, and she is left feeling stuck.

Lorcan Mactire has been waiting patiently for nearly ten years to seize a cochall’s magic ring. Taking Roshien’s grandmother hostage, he lures Roshien to his fortress, confident that he will soon uncover the ring’s secret.

Is this Roshien’s opportunity for redemption? Can she somehow convince Lorcan to let her go—and maybe even take him with her? Or is this the beginning of her ultimate failure?

Review

From the outset, this is clearly a Little Red Riding Hood retelling–it has the hood, the grandmother, and a “wolf”–but it doesn’t shove those retelling elements in your face; it’s very well-done in its subtle clarity.

The first introduction we have to Roshien is well-immersed in the world that Kennedy has created, and it raises immediate questions about some of the workings of the world. The writing carries the detail it needs to raise those questions and create a vivid impression of the world, though it’s maybe a little info-dumpy at the outset and not all of those questions are deeply answered in the book. We do come to understand the pieces that we need to understand for the book, though the pacing of that information felt a little choppy in places. The world does seem interesting, and I hope it’s explored further in other installments of the series–including the upcoming A Bird in the Snow which I will also be reading and reviewing soon.

The characters were the next hook for me personally, as Roshien is one of three siblings. The dynamics among them were great in the first few chapters, and I was disappointed that Ean and Orla had so little role in the story–even in Roshien’s thoughts–throughout the book. I would have liked to see more of how their absence impacted Roshien and how she felt about the way she was separated from each of them. I am glad that Ean gets a chance to shine as the main character in A Bird in the Snow, since he seems like a really dynamic character, and I look forward to reading more about him.

Spoilers ahead

Grandmama was interesting. I liked her in the beginning, and her firm politeness. I never disliked her, but her advice toward Roshien in later parts of the book weren’t what I expected and I’m not sure how I felt about it. It seemed like such a peculiar mix of grace–toward Roshien and others–and the encouragement of extreme measures.

Spoilers over

Lorcan was an interesting character. I enjoyed the chapters from his POV and the conflict we see there. I would have liked to see more of that in his interactions with Roshien, and more to set up their softening toward each other. The development of their relationship in the latter portion of the book didn’t feel natural, it felt like it went too far too fast, and (More spoilers:) the enemies-to-lovers plotline fell flat for me. The romance element didn’t feel necessary to the story, and I would have liked for the focus to be on the redemption itself without attraction distracting. (I also wasn’t quite clear on the age gap, and while I’m not inherently opposed to large age gaps, it did feel a little weird and inconsistent. Lorcan didn’t act as old as he was said to be, which made their relationship feel less weird but also made the age gap feel weirder.)

Sorry there are so many spoilers; you’re good again.

Roshien was fine as a main character. A little angsty, but called out on it. Pretty average, intelligence-wise, which is pretty standard for an MC. She didn’t feel like anything special. I wish her backstory had played more of a role in her behavior throughout the book, both to add depth to her character and to tie in more thoroughly when it did become relevant. But generally I felt as ambivalent toward her as I usually do toward a (particularly, female) main character and I know that’s just a personal trend of mine.

I did like Braich. He was a good gruff mentor sort of character, and the character who seemed the least emotion-driven. (Another personal trend: I don’t connect with emotion-driven characters as well as others.) I’m glad he played a central role.

Then we come to plot. I love the redemption theme in this book, and I think overall it was done pretty well. There are some things I think could have been tweaked to make it even stronger, but it was effective as it was and, in fact, probably the strongest part of the book. The plot is a little lengthy for the theme, the book probably a little longer than necessary, but it didn’t feel too drawn-out or draggy. And the writing itself is overall pretty strong, making it easy enough to read from that standpoint.

Overall, there are a number of developmental things I think could have made this book stronger, but it’s still an enjoyable read with a strong and important core theme. A solid three-star read, I think, with a bonus quarter star for its thematic strengths.

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The post Book Review: A Wolf’s Rose by M. C. Kennedy appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

Last year, I read two books back-to-back (Wishtress and Once I Knew) in which God or the allegorical God figure speaks directly to the characters. (Actually, I’m not sure I’ve read a Nadine Brandes book in which this isn’t the case.) As such, this topic was near the top of my thoughts and I mulled over it quite a bit because the idea of God speaking directly to characters in a work of fiction is something I always wrestle with to some degree or another when it comes up.

This post might sound familiar to those who follow my social media or are subscribed to my newsletter, since I wrote out my thoughts sometime last year, but I wanted to compile and expand on them here as part of my “How should Christians write about…?” series. As always, these posts are intended as food for thought and your conclusions should be guided by Scripture and your conscience, not my musings here.

When and how does God speak?

The first thing I want to establish is that I do believe God speaks audibly and directly in some cases to some people. Have I ever experienced this personally? No. But I do believe it happens. We don’t serve a silent God, He is the Word, and He has spoken to His people throughout history; of course He speaks. Because of this, I don’t think it’s strictly unrealistic for authors to portray God (or a figure representative of God) speaking to characters.

On the other hand, I don’t know that this is a particularly frequent occurrence. God is the Word, but He also gave us His word in Scripture and it is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17) We’re also told in Proverbs 25:2 that “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” God doesn’t often make it easy for us by speaking directly; He desires that we earnestly seek Him in His word. That doesn’t make the two concepts mutually exclusive—He gives us guidelines for testing new revelation by His existing inspired word—but both are pieces to be considered.

To speak from personal experience, much of what I’ve “heard” from God in my life has been through Scripture or through thoughts that popped up unexpectedly, were in line with Scripture, and had some sense of peace and/or prompting attached even though they’ve seemed to naturally arise from my own thoughts rather than obviously being from outside myself in their delivery. (I hope that explanation made sense.) They’ve required discernment, and some thoughts along these lines have proven to be genuine God things and some have proven to just be my own wishes.

Some of the God dialogue in books I’ve read has seemed along these lines, though often being obviously presented as the God figure speaking. In many of these cases, these thoughts are questioned by the character and they have to determine where the thought originated, so the differentiation of portraying it as God’s speech is almost more for the reader than the character. This is the portrayal that I’m most comfortable with and that seems the most relatable to me. (It would be interesting to see more books that do this without clarifying for the reader, so the reader wrestles alongside the character, but at that point we almost leave the present topic altogether.)

Of course, I think the primary way that God speaks today is through His written Word: Scripture. This has more or less bearing in a fictional setting depending on how the religion of the world is set up. In a world where there is no Bible or equivalent, it makes a lot more sense to show a personal God by way of direct dialogue. When the Bible is around, it makes more sense (to me, anyway) to make use of Scripture and the characters’ study of it and use direct speech more sparingly. (Which I should acknowledge Nadine Brandes largely does, if I’m going to mention her books as an example.)

But I think generally the question of how we should translate these principles into a fictional setting are matters of personal preference. I think that all of these methods–characters who hear directly and clearly from God/a God-figure, characters who experience the prodding of the Spirit, and characters who rely on God’s written Word–are biblically sound and make sense within particular fictional contexts. The question in a “secondary world” is which of these make sense within the constructed allegory/spiritual parallel built into the world.

Concerns with God-speech in fiction

Something that makes a difference in how I personally see God-speech in fiction is whether the book talks about God Himself or an allegorical figure. I’m generally more comfortable with an allegorical figure speaking directly (as in Wishtress) than with God speaking directly (as in the Out of Time Series or, arguably, Once I Knew) because there’s a bit less concern of putting words in God’s mouth that way. It’s still something that should be taken seriously, of course, because that allegorical figure is representative… but with less of a direct tie it feels like the stakes are a little bit lower. (I could see an argument being made that even direct portrayals of God in fiction are allegorical because we know they’re representations of God and not truly the real thing… That’s not an argument I’ll get into within this post, but it’s another angle that could be considered.)

Putting words in God’s mouth is my primary concern with direct dialogue from God or a God figure in fiction. We are warned not to add to God’s Word (Proverbs 30:6). Maybe the concern is misplaced, since I know authors who portray these dialogues give it a ton of thought and prayer and research into Scripture, and in the end it’s all weighed against Scripture anyway. It just makes me a little wary of it. I think as an author you take on a lot of responsibility to be true to Scripture when you go this route, and you come under stricter scrutiny for it. Which might even be a good thing, both from an author’s perspective in portraying truth carefully and from a reader’s perspective in reading critically and testing things against Scripture.

An easy way to avoid this concern is to base dialogue from God or the God figure heavily on Scripture (as is almost entirely the case in Once I Knew), which is often safer but then runs into the question of why it should be direct speech instead of a study in Scripture (again, in a setting where Scripture is available).

Another risk with direct speech is that of alienating readers. This can be a lesser or greater concern depending on the author and their purpose for a particular book; alienating readers is actually not always a bad thing, as it can challenge them or simply turn away those who are not your ideal reader. But the direct speech of a God-figure can be a divisive topic for Christian readers (as is the case with most of the topics I discuss in this series), and you can jolt certain readers out of a smooth reading experience if they’re the sort to stop and question the direct speech of a God-figure.

Context is important

I’ve already talked a bit about context in this post–certain portrayals of God/a God-figure’s speech make more or less sense depending on the context of the setting, and whether your God-figure is actually meant to be God or meant to be representative plays a role–but perhaps no topic I’ll discuss in this series is more affected by the genre in which you’re writing. I, of course, tend to tilt these posts toward fantasy writers since they’re my target audience, but I know that I have readers who write in other genres–perhaps especially readers of this series–so allow me to get into the question of genre expectations and the context of God-speech within them.

Fantasy, I think, offers the most flexibility on this topic. Even those who question the supernatural in the real world let down their guard and appreciate the transcendent in fantasy worlds. If your God-figure speaks and that is established as part of your world, you’re less likely to alienate readers than a contemporary author doing the same thing. And the way you choose to portray this speech can make a difference, as well; does it come in the form of a disembodied voice or does the God-figure visit and speak in an embodied way? Do they receive the God-figure’s guidance while asleep or awake? These sorts of details can shape your reader’s perception of the topic within your story.

Historical fiction authors, too, will be working with different reader expectations than authors portraying God’s speech in more modern eras. Readers will excuse in biblical fiction what they won’t believe in post-apostolic historical or modern fiction, because even cessationists accept that God tells us that He spoke in those times.

Contemporary authors run the most risk of alienating readers, because the cessationism debate is such a big dividing line today. Contemporary fiction has the least degree of separation between the reader and the story’s setting, which means readers let down their guard the least and read things much more personally. This has its strengths, but you must be aware of its consequences in both directions.

Conclusion

This will probably be the most “neutral” post in this series, the one I have the least solid conclusion on for myself. Portraying a speaking God in fiction is complicated and I haven’t figured out a solid personal rubric for it yet. I don’t do it in my own writing (though that could change down the line); I have mixed feelings about it in books I read. But hopefully these points have given you something to think about and the building blocks to construct your own personal conviction on the matter.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Were any of these points things you’d thought about before? Do you have a solid stance, or are you still trying to figure it out? Comment below and let’s discuss!

The post How Should Christians Write About… How God Speaks appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

This book was on my list of most anticipated 2022 releases, I got it as a birthday present last August, and I finally got around to reading it last month when my fiancé said I needed to read something for fun to break up my for-work reading. (He was right.) A Forgery of Roses was a good choice for the purpose!

What is A Forgery of Roses about?

Myra Whitlock has a gift. One many would kill for.

She’s an artist whose portraits alter people’s real-life bodies, a talent she must hide from those who would kidnap, blackmail, and worse in order to control it. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone.

But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor’s dead son. Desperate, Myra ventures to his legendary stone mansion.

Once she arrives, however, it becomes clear the boy’s death was no accident. Someone dangerous lurks within these glittering halls. Someone harboring a disturbing obsession with portrait magic.

Myra cannot do the painting until she knows what really happened, so she turns to the governor’s older son, a captivating redheaded poet. Together, they delve into the family’s most shadowed affairs, racing to uncover the truth before the secret Myra spent her life concealing makes her the killer’s next victim.

Review

Rating: 4.5 stars

A Forgery of Roses was a pleasant surprise. While it was on my “most anticipated releases of 2022” list, I’d been disappointed by enough mainstream books (and enough mainstream books off of my 2022 list) to be cautious in my optimism.

Let’s start with my biggest initial concern: When I picked up this book, I wasn’t sure how far the romance would go. I was hoping based on reviews that it would stay tame, but it was of a genre and had such language in the blurb that I wasn’t sure if that was a trustworthy expectation or if I would have a paragraph or two to skip. Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about! The most graphic A Forgery of Roses gets in the romance department is one particularly detailed kiss.

I was surprised by the level of violence/gore, however. While it wasn’t quite beyond my tolerance, A Forgery of Roses does have more horror elements than the blurb suggests. Once I realized that, I could adjust and enjoy it for the way it was written, but I want to include that as the warning I didn’t get, lol.

Content out of the way, let’s start with the world in terms of story elements. The magic system in this book is really neat. I love arts-based magic systems, and Olson delivered what she promised! I would love to see more exploring this world and maybe some variations on what we get to see in A Forgery of Roses. (See spoilers in my Goodreads review where I could hide them, lol.)

The characters were all great! Myra was a compelling protagonist, not too proud to ask for help, and driven by loyalty to her sister. (Strong family ties. I love to see them.)

August was also awesome, well-rounded and charming. His struggle was believable, as was his relationship with Myra. Overall I thought his anxiety was handled well, though the theme of “your anxiety doesn’t need to be fixed” was maybe a little heavy-handed. I would have liked a bit more nuance, showing that mental illness doesn’t make you less-than and does lend its strengths, but it is still an illness and it’s not wrong to try to “fix” it or wish it weren’t a struggle.

Now, I did think that Lucy was written wonderfully. She was determined, disciplined, mature for her age by necessity and yet still possessing a childlike innocence. Her chronic illness is handled exactly the way I wish August’s mental illness had been. Her strengths are not overlooked, she is valued, and the drive and strength that has come from her illness is highlighted, but the difficulty and wrongness of her illness is also acknowledged and she and Myra are both happy to seek ways to heal her.
As someone whose best friend is studying to be a doctor and whose mom has a chronic illness and does tons of medical research, I would be remiss not to also mention that Lucy’s interest in medicine was both really cool and very fitting for the context of her character.

Victor was compelling, also, and I didn’t totally hate the brief love triangle in there. It read as a realistic conflict, it didn’t take up too much space, and it was excellently tied in with the main plot.

Overall, a great read!

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margin: 0 0 20px 0; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4 { color: #000000; font-family: 'Lato', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0 0 10px 0; text-align: left; word-break: break-word; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p { color: #000000; font-family: 'Lato', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px; margin: 0 0 10px 0; text-align: left; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol { color: #000000; font-family: 'Lato', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol { list-style-type: lower-alpha; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol { list-style-type: lower-roman; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a { color: #000000; text-decoration: underline; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group { text-align: left!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label { margin-bottom: 5px; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Lato', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;; display: inline-block; line-height: 20px; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child { margin: 0; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form { margin: 0; width: 100%; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow { margin: 0 0 20px 0; width: 100%; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow { float: left; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 20px 0; width: 100%; height: auto; float: left; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow { margin: 0 0 10px 0; width: 100%; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item { margin: 0; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal { margin: 0; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input { background-color: #ffffff !important; color: #333333 !important; border-color: #cccccc; border-radius: 4px !important; border-style: solid !important; border-width: 1px !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px !important; height: auto; line-height: 21px !important; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; padding: 10px 10px !important; width: 100% !important; box-sizing: border-box !important; max-width: 100% !important; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder { color: #333333; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder { color: #333333; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder { color: #333333; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder { color: #333333; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea { background-color: #ffffff !important; color: #333333 !important; border-color: #cccccc; border-radius: 4px !important; border-style: solid !important; border-width: 1px !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px !important; height: auto; line-height: 21px !important; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding: 10px 10px !important; width: 100% !important; box-sizing: border-box !important; max-width: 100% !important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before { border-color: #cccccc!important; background-color: #ffffff!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type="checkbox"]{ box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0; position: absolute; z-index: -1; opacity: 0; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: -1.5rem; overflow: visible; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before { border-radius: 4px!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e"); }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e"); }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before { border-color: #84a478!important; background-color: #84a478!important; color: #ffffff!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after { top: 2px; box-sizing: border-box; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after { top: 0px!important; box-sizing: border-box!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after { top: 0px!important; box-sizing: border-box!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after { top: 0px!important; box-sizing: border-box!important; position: absolute; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 1rem; height: 1rem; content: ""; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before { top: 0px!important; box-sizing: border-box!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before { position: absolute; top: 4px; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 16px; height: 16px; pointer-events: none; content: ""; background-color: #ffffff; border: #adb5bd solid 1px; border-radius: 50%; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after { position: absolute; top: 2px!important; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 1rem; height: 1rem; content: ""; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before { position: absolute; top: 4px; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 16px; height: 16px; pointer-events: none; content: ""; background-color: #ffffff; border: #adb5bd solid 1px; border-radius: 50%; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after { position: absolute; top: 0px!important; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 1rem; height: 1rem; content: ""; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after { position: absolute; top: 0px!important; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 1rem; height: 1rem; content: ""; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after { background: no-repeat 50%/50% 50%; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after { background: no-repeat 50%/50% 50%; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control { position: relative; display: block; min-height: 1.5rem; padding-left: 1.5rem; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input { position: absolute; z-index: -1; opacity: 0; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label { color: #000000; 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You’ve read all the dialogue tips, you understand the concepts that make for strong dialogue, but your characters’ conversations are still coming across flat on the page. It could be that you don’t fully understand your character’s voice, or it could mean you just need more practice! These exercises are intended to help you focus that practice and experiment with different types of conversations (and for you to have fun with in the process). Enjoy!

1. Distinction

I know I got this particular exercise from somewhere else, but I can’t find it now to give due credit. I think it’s a common enough suggestion that it’s reasonable to include anyway. For this exercise, distinguish two characters by only their dialogue. No tags or actions. Just the way they speak. Keep in mind their background (educational, cultural, etc.) as you shape their vocabularies, speech tics, and dialects.

The trick with this exercise is to work at shaping unique voices without going overboard on speaking quirks, accents, etc. By all means, use those tools, but try not to overuse them. A good way of testing the balance is to read the exchange aloud and adjust the places that sound stiff or ridiculous.

Looking to boost your character voice? Explore the values that inform your character’s behavior and speech with the character voice questions!

2. Silence speaks volumes

This exercise is perhaps better labeled a communication-writing exercise than a dialogue-writing exercise, since the point with this one is to use as few spoken words as possible. Have your characters communicate without speaking for a whole scene, or as close as you can get. Give them a reason they can’t speak, or just create a context in which they don’t have to use words but do still communicate with one another.

You could approach this exercise from a perspective of characters who use a non-verbal language, but the point of the exercise is more to play with body language and behavior as communication devices.

3. “…But then I’d have to kill you”

Give one character (or both/all characters) a reason they cannot make their point directly. Choose the goal your character has in the conversation and then prevent them from talking in a straight line to get there. Maybe there’s someone in the room for whom the conversation would be inappropriate, or it would spoil a surprise, or the character has been threatened with harm if they achieve their goal, or their position in the group or society doesn’t allow them to speak candidly.

Explore the subtext and movement that the character would employ in order to accomplish their goal.

4. The real McCoy

When working to create realistic dialogue, look to reality. For this exercise, transcribe a real-life conversation. Capture the words, tone, and movement involved as best you can (without being creepy!). When you’re done, look over what you’ve written and make note of accents, speaking patterns, body language, etc. Some of these things can be used elsewhere, some can be adapted, some you won’t use at all. The idea is to get a feel for real conversation and to expand the range of tone and movement for your characters. This is a great exercise to try if you find your characters nodding and shrugging too often! (Trust me, I have the same struggle, lol.)

Another benefit of this exercise is to compare real-world dialogue with fictional dialogue. While we aim for realistic dialogue, we don’t want it to be so real that it’s boring–or annoying. If we wrote “like” as often in our characters’ dialogue as we say it in real life, our readers wouldn’t stick around long! Take the conversation you’ve dictated and strip it down, removing the fat, so to speak, without losing the character of the exchange.

5. Balance in all things… or not?

As authors, we can sometimes be too nice to our characters–and that can crop up in the way that our characters treat and talk to one another. We like to think of conversations as an equal back-and-forth, but sometimes they’re not–all the more so in fiction which is so often driven by conflict.

In this exercise, play with imbalance. Put together a talkative character and a quieter one, or put one character in a position of power, or have one character attempt to control the situation through intimidation or manipulation of the other character(s)–whether or not they succeed.

Explore the imbalances that would naturally crop up, as well as how the characters would react–accepting the imbalance, resisting it, operating in complete ignorance of it, or even pretending not to notice while they resist it subtly and maintain control of the situation and/or themselves. There are a lot of fun dynamics to play with, with this one.

Now I want to hear from you! Which of these exercises interests you most? Which sounds the most difficult?

Want to give your character voices an extra boost? Don’t forget to grab the character voice questions!

The post 5 Dialogue-Strengthening Exercises appeared first on Scribes & Archers.

I recently had the privilege of reading J.E. Purrazzi’s latest release, The Legend of Tawhiri! This book has been in the works for a while—originally as a blog serial that I never managed to make the time to read despite my interest—and I was super excited for the chance to read and review an ARC copy. (As always, opinions are still fully my own.)

What is The Legend of Tawhiri about?

There is a legend in the Archipelago. Long ago, the ocean grew weak, and feared for his heart. He took to the form of man and walked among the people.

Tawhiri was a gift from the ocean. Plucked from the waves as an infant. The people of the Islands know that the Ri, spirits of the ocean, abandon unwanted half-breeds on the shore. These demigods are destined to return to the sea and leave ruin in their wake. It has happened many times before.

Tawhiri has no interest in spirits or ruin. He loves his village, but as long as the elders forbid him from entering the ocean he cannot pass the tests which will allow him to be seen as a man and a full member of the tribe. When Kai’Ali, a friend whose twisted foot has held her back along with Tawhiri, passes the test and leaves him behind, the seeds of longing begin to grow in Tawhiri’s heart

Then the ocean begins to call to him.

Review

Rating: 4.5 stars

There is a lot to be said for The Legend of Tawhiri, but perhaps what stood out to me most was its internal consistency—especially when it comes to the coming-of-age rites of the world. It’s not often that a fictional world takes its coming-of-age rites this seriously and is consistent in its treatment of those who have passed through and become adults vs. those who have not and are therefore still considered children, but that is what we see in The Legend of Tawhiri. Tawhiri’s restriction from his culture’s rite of passage not only withholds him from the privileges of adulthood but also exempts him from some of the behavioral expectations; he is allowed to act like a child despite his age

Not only do we see this consistency clearly, but we also see the shift that happens when you stop thinking of yourself as a child and begin to behave as an adult. So perhaps my favorite thing about this book was the way that the coming-of-age theme was handled and the way Purrazzi tied it intrinsically to the world and culture she designed.

The language, too, was consistent with the culture, utilizing Polynesian and south pacific island vocabulary and trading modern colloquialisms for phrases tied to the ocean and islands (e.g. “Now they were back on the same current” referring to characters coming back around to a tired topic).

But consistency wasn’t the world’s only strength. Purrazzi has clearly drawn from cultures and experiences she has intimate familiarity with, and the knowledge and love she has for the Polynesian- and south pacific-inspired setting. The settings are described in vivid detail that place the reader right into the wonder and peace of the characters’ surroundings, which not only makes for a lovely reading experience but also reflects perfectly on Tawhiri’s own love for the ocean and his island.

Moving on from the setting, the characters were all well-drawn. Though they fell into some easy tropes in certain ways, they were all thoroughly enjoyable to read and the cast was filled out well. Ooma was a great grandmotherly character, Kai’Ali’s relationship with Tawhiri was excellent all the way through, and Ihaka and Solbat both had perhaps surprising nuance.

Tawhiri himself was a compelling main character, torn between the life he knows and the life he both is drawn toward and fears. I admired his values from the outset—I can’t remember the last time I read about a male MC who was motivated by a desire to get married and provide for a family, and I think we need more of that—and the beginning and end of his arc came beautifully full-circle.

My biggest complaint with the book is the pacing around the middle of Tawhiri’s arc. While Tawhiri’s character arc started and ended consistently, I didn’t feel like the flow of his journey to get from one to the other was quite as smooth as it could have been. The first third of the book takes its time establishing the world, Tawhiri’s thoughts and values, etc., but the last two-thirds felt like they rushed through Tawhiri’s thoughts in places, not leaving the reader time to be as fully on-board with the shifts in his motivation as he seemed to be. That said, my “biggest complaint” is not really that big; I still quite enjoyed the whole book, even where it felt choppy.

Overall, this is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year and I highly recommend checking it out!

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margin: 0 0 20px 0; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4 { color: #000000; font-family: 'Lato', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0 0 10px 0; text-align: left; word-break: break-word; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p { color: #000000; font-family: 'Lato', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px; margin: 0 0 10px 0; text-align: left; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol { color: #000000; font-family: 'Lato', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol { list-style-type: lower-alpha; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol { list-style-type: lower-roman; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a { color: #000000; text-decoration: underline; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group { text-align: left!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label { margin-bottom: 5px; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Lato', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;; display: inline-block; line-height: 20px; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child { margin: 0; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form { margin: 0; width: 100%; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow { margin: 0 0 20px 0; width: 100%; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow { float: left; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 20px 0; width: 100%; height: auto; float: left; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow { margin: 0 0 10px 0; width: 100%; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item { margin: 0; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal { margin: 0; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input { background-color: #ffffff !important; color: #333333 !important; border-color: #cccccc; border-radius: 4px !important; border-style: solid !important; border-width: 1px !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px !important; height: auto; line-height: 21px !important; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; padding: 10px 10px !important; width: 100% !important; box-sizing: border-box !important; max-width: 100% !important; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder { color: #333333; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder { color: #333333; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder { color: #333333; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder { color: #333333; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea { background-color: #ffffff !important; color: #333333 !important; border-color: #cccccc; border-radius: 4px !important; border-style: solid !important; border-width: 1px !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px !important; height: auto; line-height: 21px !important; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding: 10px 10px !important; width: 100% !important; box-sizing: border-box !important; max-width: 100% !important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before { border-color: #cccccc!important; background-color: #ffffff!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type="checkbox"]{ box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0; position: absolute; z-index: -1; opacity: 0; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: -1.5rem; overflow: visible; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before { border-radius: 4px!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e"); }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e"); }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before { border-color: #84a478!important; background-color: #84a478!important; color: #ffffff!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after { top: 2px; box-sizing: border-box; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after { top: 0px!important; box-sizing: border-box!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after { top: 0px!important; box-sizing: border-box!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after { top: 0px!important; box-sizing: border-box!important; position: absolute; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 1rem; height: 1rem; content: ""; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before { top: 0px!important; box-sizing: border-box!important; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before { position: absolute; top: 4px; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 16px; height: 16px; pointer-events: none; content: ""; background-color: #ffffff; border: #adb5bd solid 1px; border-radius: 50%; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after { position: absolute; top: 2px!important; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 1rem; height: 1rem; content: ""; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before { position: absolute; top: 4px; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 16px; height: 16px; pointer-events: none; content: ""; background-color: #ffffff; border: #adb5bd solid 1px; border-radius: 50%; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after { position: absolute; top: 0px!important; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 1rem; height: 1rem; content: ""; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after { position: absolute; top: 0px!important; left: -1.5rem; display: block; width: 1rem; height: 1rem; content: ""; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after { background: no-repeat 50%/50% 50%; } #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after { background: no-repeat 50%/50% 50%; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control { position: relative; display: block; min-height: 1.5rem; padding-left: 1.5rem; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input { position: absolute; z-index: -1; opacity: 0; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0; }</p><p> #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label, #mlb2-5035206.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label { color: #000000; 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When I wrote my series on crafting emotional resonance, I promised a future post on crafting effective dialogue. This is another element of your writing that will elevate your scenes and emphasize the emotions your characters are feeling. So let’s get into it.

Character

The most crucial piece of believable dialogue is to ensure that your characters talk like themselves. This comes down to a number of factors, most of which I’ve covered in my post on character voice. But to keep it brief, a character’s voice will have elements relating to the words they use and elements that influence how they use those words.

Elements relating to your characters words will include dialect, any accent, pet words, whether or not they use curse words, and the general size and bent of their vocabulary. (Do they know big words? If so, do they use them? Do they know advanced terminology only in certain fields? Etc.)

Your character’s background, interests, and overall character will also color the way they speak. Different characters will highlight or avoid different topics, use different metaphors, and simply speak more or less than other characters might.

It’s hard to divide these two categories, because they feed into each other quite heavily when used correctly. A character’s background and interests will shape their vocabulary, as well as how much they speak and with what tone, and a character’s dialect and vocabulary can tell a lot about their upbringing and values.

If you’re having a hard time with this piece and want to strengthen your dialogue, consider finding ways of listening to people from a similar background to your character, journaling from your character’s POV, or simply experimenting with different voices until you find the one that fits.

Subtext

Having your characters speak in their own voices makes your dialogue believable; making sure your characters are using subtext makes your dialogue feel real.

People don’t always say what they mean, whether that’s intentional or not. Subtext is the art of communicating between the lines—whether to the reader or between characters within a scene. This can be accomplished through tone of voice, movement (both of which we’ll get to shortly), silence, or dialogue that doesn’t say what it means.

If your character cares about how they’re perceived—or is hiding something—they may put a spin on the things they say in order to shape another character’s opinion of them. They may omit information, direct the conversation toward topics in which they’re confident, exaggerate events or traits (their own or others’), or simply lie.

A character who’s slow to trust might be reticent to talk at all, or they might veil their words intentionally. If someone hits a sore spot, they might deflect the conversation. In writing, you can communicate a lot about a character by what they don’t say, not only what they do.

Tone of voice

A character’s tone can say a lot about their emotional state, their attitude, and their character. Tone can also differentiate among characters, if it remains consistent enough; your soft-spoken character can contrast naturally with the more brusque, rowdy character. And, speaking of contrast, a character with a consistent tone can be contrasted with themselves for emphasis—if that ever soft-spoken character suddenly yells about something, that ought to turn some heads.

Tone can be shown, of course, through dialogue tags. “She whispered,” “he hissed,” “he bellowed,” “she purred.” But it can also often be shown through the dialogue itself and surrounding action. It can be expected that a character sneaking around a haunted castle is speaking softly… unless, of course, her friend winces and looks around to make sure she hasn’t started a ghost every time she talks. Being specific with your prose and action, and establishing your characters early on, will give your reader the tools they need to fill in the blanks in your character’s tone without an excess of tags.

You can add interest and subtext to a scene if your character’s tone doesn’t match their words.

“I’m fine!” Her voice was high as a chipmunk’s, and her eyes were nearly as crazed.

Clearly, whether she’s aware of it or not, this character is not fine. How can you tell? By the surrounding description of her tone and appearance. This makes the character wonder why she’s saying she’s fine. Is she unaware of her madness? Is she trying to convince herself she’s fine? Is she trying to deflect concern from others? Thus we have the subtext and interest that help to drive the scene forward.

Of course, tone and dialogue can match, and emphasize emotion in doing so. If a character is practically floating on clouds, you might emphasize their bouncing movements, include their words of encouragement to every character they pass, and let us know that their voice has a musical lilt. When matching, however, ensure that the description is necessary and adds something to the scene. If the reader can infer the character’s tone themselves and there’s no need to over-emphasize their emotion by making it really really clear, describing your character’s tone becomes redundant and annoys the reader.

Movement & body language

Some of you have probably picked up on this by now, but dialogue cannot operate effectively in isolation. Without motion, your characters become nothing more than talking heads. The reader loses their moorings in the setting and can’t latch onto the forward movement of the scene. They become disconnected from the characters, breaking the emotional connection you’ve tried so hard to build—even if only temporarily. That’s the storytelling reason for movement and body language amidst your dialogue.

The reality-based reason is that we humans communicate a lot without speaking—both consciously and, even more so, subconsciously. This, too, should differentiate your characters. High-energy characters might gesture a lot with their words; insecure characters may close in on themselves, crossing their arms or hugging one arm close to their body; frustrated characters may set their hands on their hips or wag fingers. All of these movements—not to mention the way characters direct their eyes, angle their bodies, and any other subconscious cues (several of which I discussed when I talked about showing characters’ repressed emotion)—give your readers insight into what your characters are thinking and feeling, and help moor your readers in the scene and setting (particularly when your characters interact with the setting around them, as they ought to).

Of course, there is a balance. Just as you don’t want to overuse tags, you don’t want to flood the reader with actions that interrupt the flow of a conversation, either. This is where it can help to read a stretch of dialogue aloud, offer it to beta-readers, or (if the flow is still a problem after rounds of edits) get a professional editor’s opinion.

Still finding your character’s voice? Sign up for my free list of character voice questions to help you develop their background and sound

There you have my most critical principles for crafting dialogue. I may write a couple more posts on dialogue, one looking at how to format and punctuate dialogue properly (a common fix throughout editing projects I’ve worked on) and one offering exercises for strengthening your dialogue. Let me know in the comments if either of those posts would be helpful or of interest to you!

And let me know which point you found most helpful in this post. Do you enjoy writing dialogue, or is it a struggle? I’d love to chat with you!

The post Crafting Effective Dialogue: Writing Between the Lines appeared first on Scribes & Archers.