Tip Tuesday #149

Tip Tuesday features writers' tips on craft, research, querying, blogging, marketing, inspiration, and more. If you'd like to send in a tip, please e-mail me at agentspotlight(at)gmail(dot)com.

Natalie here today. Today we have a tip from Sherry Soule who is a published author (a blurb about her book is at the end of her tip) and blogs at Fiction Writing Blog. Be sure to check out her blog.

So here's Sherry.

I write a popular series on writing description for my Fiction Writing Blog, and I’ll share one of those tips today.

One of my pet peeves is the overuse of dialogue and action (gestures and facial expressions) tags that get used so much they've become stale and cliché. Use your imagination and try to be more creative and limit your use of certain gestures and expressions that are commonly abused in fiction. You may not even be aware of them, but I bet you will be now.

One method that helps, and you may feel silly doing it, is to act out the scene. Think about how you personally would react. Remember, that women are more expressive and animated than men, and most men are reserved and less emotional. Women talk with their hands and generally, men do not. Writers can SHOW the reader more effectively what’s going on or even what’s not being said by including a significant percentage of dialogue beats in their scenes, as long as they are original. Or turn common generic tags into fresh ones. Hope my advice helps!

Here's a blurb about Sherry's book, BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN:

Thirteenth Daughter. Heritage Witch. Demon Slayer.

They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Whispering Pines. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse. . .

Sixteen-year-old Shiloh Ravenwolf is a heritage witch from the Broussard family, a family both destined and cursed. After she takes a summer job at Ravenhurst Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan. But Trent may be the next victim on the supernatural hit list, and Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him.

Complicated much?

After receiving cryptic messages from a creepy wraith, and then frightening threats from a demon, Shiloh finally begins to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist. Now Shiloh must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.

Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.

And you can find Sherry at:

Official Author Blog

Twitter @WriterSherry

 

Official Website