Dancing Word Writers Workshop

with Brandilyn Collins

 January 8, 2001

 

Hosted by: Anne McDonald

Dancing Word Publisher/Editor

*This chat has been edited for clarity

AnnieM: Shall we get started? Let's open in prayer. Lord, thank You for Your blessings. Please be with us tonight and guide our conversation. Bless Brandilyn as she teaches. In Jesus' name, Amen

Brandilyn will start with her lecture; then we will open for questions...

*AnnieM turns the floor over to Brandilyn

Brandilyn Collins:Thanks! Welcome, all! Before I start, I want to remind you that within a few days our wonderful moderator, Annie, will be posting the complete transcript of this workshop. So you don’t have to worry about taking notes.

For this month’s workshop, we’re going to discuss a few techniques mentioned in my upcoming book on writing fiction, Getting Into Character (which will be released next year by John Wiley & Sons). Most of that book deals with in-depth characterization issues, but let’s face it, once we have those characters all figured out, we’d better be able to write their actions in words that zing. So I’ve included a chapter on specific writing techniques.

With our time constraints here, I won’t be able to go into great detail of these techniques. I’ll just hit the highlights, so we’ll have plenty of time for questions. Often Q&A time is when a new concept can really sink in.

As writers have come to me for help with manuscripts, I’ve noticed a few issues regarding sentence structure that seem to crop up again and again. I’ll address three tonight. They are what I call (1) Compression, (2) Vividness and (3) Sentence Rhythm. By the way, if you haven’t heard my "Five C" definition of good fiction yet, I’ll lay it on ya: Captivating Characters Caught in Compelling Conflict.

In which C do these three writing techniques fit? Well, a little in each one, really. Because all three techniques have to do with getting that movie picture of action in your head across to the reader. How do you capture that movie? How to find the right words to capture the aura, all the swirling emotions of a scene, that reside in your own brain? How to capture these things so WELL that they survive the translation from your head to written page and then into the reader’s head?

Compression and Vividness go hand-in-hand. Often, when you acquire the first, you’ve done the second as well. But sometimes attaining Vividness can take a second edit. First, let’s talk about Compression.

In a nutshell, Compression means finding verbs, adjectives and nouns that burst with meaning. The right verb or adjective can often negate the need for an entire "telling" sentence or even sentences. Therefore, Compression keeps your writing from dragging. Compression is important both in narrative passages as well as in action sequences. Writing with Compression is undeniably harder than writing with a bunch of "telling" explanation. It takes time to find those just-right words.

Here’s an example of a book’s opening passage that needs Compression:

Sharri Moore had read her daughter’s diaries more times than she could remember.

That was because she had to, Sharri rationalized to her herself as she looked at Serena’s journal with the blue-flowered cover lying on the desk. Sometimes Sharri found important things in the diaries. Sure, a lot of the entries were just girl stuff. There were lots of entries about this or that girl who’d been kind to Serena only to turn around and be mad at her the next day. Serena would write about these girls with anger and confused betrayal. Other entries were about daydreams or all the things a teenage girl might want to have. But sometimes the entries helped Sharri see aspects of her daughter that Serena would never show her. Sharri thought these entries were like nuggets of gold.