Some examples of melodrama that annoys, from The Master’s Artist. My favorites:
Coincidences that supposedly matter.
Courtroom confessions.
Trite sermonettes that ignite weepy epiphanies.
The judo chop to the neck that drops the villain.
Author: Stan Shinn (Page 109 of 112)
Joel Miller–senior editor at Nelson Current–just posted an entry called, “Book Publishing and the Market.” In it he says,
Because I have so few publishing slots, I’m supposed to be the king of cynics, the Simon Cowell of books, e.g.: “I’m sorry, but it’s really bad. Really, really bad. Honestly.” Sentiments to that effect are communicated all the time. I’m nicer than that, of course. But book proposals are many, actual slots on the list are few. My job is similar to Cowell’s; I’m supposed to filter through the many to find the few. But it’s right at this point where everything gets difficult.
This from Thomas Nelson’s President Michael Hyatt’s blog, on WestBow Press publishing “More Innovative Fiction”:
Thomas Nelson’s WestBow imprint is quickly gaining a reputation for publishing more innovative CBA fiction. Launched in late 2003, WestBow’s intention from the start was to raise the bar. “Our primary goal isn’t ‘edgy’ fiction but stories with a real, authentic voice that are entertaining, culturally relevant, and God honoring,” said publisher and industry veteran Allen Arnold. “When we find those voices, we don’t shy away from the edgy elements—or sugarcoat them.”
Read more on the From Where I Sit blog.
There are two Christian writers events that are particularly relevant in the industry–the Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing (held in Grand Rapids, Michigan), and the Baylor Art and Soul Festival (held in Waco, Texas).
The faculty, the workshops, the atmosphere—these are the places where writers meet to encourage one another, and contacts are made between the people that write and the editors that want to publish them.
I’ll be attending the next Baylor Art and Soul Festival starting Thursday, April 7th. I’ll be working a booth in my capacity as managing editor of Fire By Nite.
If you’re going, drop by and say ‘Hi’. If you’re not going, drop by swshinn.com where I’ll be posting updates live from the Festival.
For more information, visit the Baylor Art & Soul Festival Web Site.
Movie makers have many cinematography options available to set mood and tone — from the tight camera angle used to create fear and suspense, to the musical score playing in the background, to other elements such as lighting and cross-dissolves.
In writing, you’re usually restricted to black characters on a white page, with only bold and italic characters to highlight your phrases. There are many other elements the writer can use to set tone and mood, and to convey to the reader the emotion you want to represent on the written page.
One technique is something I call the ‘offset phrase.’ Imagine having the page queue a dramatic crescendo of music, or adding a yellow highlighted underline to a word or sentence. We don’t have those elements, but we do have the ability to offset a phrase.
Like this.
When you want to make a point or highlight words, don’t let them dangle, lost at the end of a lengthy paragraph. Add in the paragraph break and put the few words, often a sentence fragment, all by themselves on a new line that is a standalone paragraph.
Take this phrase from my short story, “The Glass Kiss”:
Even after identifying the body and fighting the shock and tears, she couldn’t come to grips with the awful truth. Kevin was dead and wasn’t coming back. Ever.
So she’d thought then.
At which point the reader’s imagination cues the Norman Bates’ shower scene shrieks made famous by Alfred Hitchcock.
Dicehaven Podcast
Dicehaven is an actual play podcast featuring various tabletop RPGs. We’re currently playing Imperium using the Traveller RPG (Mongoose 2nd Edition).
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Hello and welcome to Dicehaven! We are a game club in the DFW area who play tabletop roleplaying games. Check out our RPG podcast and our musings and resources on roleplaying.
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