I've only killed a character twice. The first time I almost cried (cause she was a sweet, little girl). The second time I was glad to see him go. He got what he deserved!

Glad you've enjoyed the interviews, Christproclaimer! I've been enjoying reading through them as I prepare to post. And thanks for commenting!

Interviewee #10, Gathmandis is up on the blog! http://annamittower.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-10-gathmandais.html

~Anna

I wrote a very short story wherein the main character eventually died. I didn't write her actual death scene, and it was in a good cause, but i still felt kinda sad about it. Didn't cry, though.

There have been a few stories, now that i think about it, that led up to the death of a character or included the death of someone, but rarely anyone important.

I have a question.

All the writing blogs lately are advising people to use only the word "said" when referring to who's talking. As in "'This is a nice day,' she said." And that we should never use things like: "She whispered", "She called", "She shouted", "She replied". I can understand that we should cut down on those if we overuse them... but cutting them out entirely? Doesn't that seem like an over correction?

They also say we should never use adjectives or adverbs. Again, I know we shouldn't use too many... But adjectives and adverbs are extremely useful for describing things. Not everything can be shown instead of told, no matter how mcuh we'd like them to be.

I've also heard that publishers are taking this same view and rejecting manuscripts that go against it...

Thoughts?

~Riella

Not heard about publisher rejecting manuscripts like that. It is true that using words other than 'said' in dialogue is frowned upon, but sometimes you need it. The reason why 'said' is so encouraged is not about 'monotone' or 'lack of creativity' but more because it flows better. But there are times where you need to put a whisper in there or a shout. But that along with adjectives is the common writer's phrase 'saying more with fewer words'. It's not that the adjective is wrong, but that there might be a better word to use. Use 'dashed' or 'sprinted' rather than 'ran quickly'. That is pretty much were these bloggers and speakers are coming from in this regard.

I don't see any problem with them if they are used sparingly. Use them like seasonings in cooking. A pinch here and a pinch there. The reason 'said' is advocated is not really that it flows better though. It's because it disappears into the text and doesn't call attention to itself like "whispered" or "shouted" do.

Personally, I find it fun to see how long I can go without using any dialogue tag and have it still make sense. When I need to establish who's speaking, I don't say "she said". Instead I describe an action of theirs "she turned towards me" or "she walked into the room" or "she laughed" (which btw, laughed, grinned, etc. should never be used as dialogue tags). Same result as with dialogue tags except that it's moving the action forward in the story.

~Anna

(which btw, laughed, grinned, etc. should never be used as dialogue tags).

I've actually never heard this rule before. Out of curiosity, why do you say that?

(Disclaimer: This is a minor soapbox speech that isn't really directed at anyone in particular. )

Rules in writing are tricky things. I've heard some people say you should never use the word said; other people say you should use it all the time. Where is the line? I'm learning that I just have to take it by a case-by-case basis. I think publishers look for people who have a unique voice more than people who follow every single rules. I'm not saying you shouldn't follow the writing rules, but don't let the rules get in the way of who you are as a writer.

(which btw, laughed, grinned, etc. should never be used as dialogue tags).

I've actually never heard this rule before. Out of curiosity, why do you say that?

Because you can't laugh and say something at the same time (and even if you can you'd probably be describing it a little differently) and using those tags is reminiscent of mass-produced and/or inferior writing of earlier eras. We like to think we're classier now than then, so it'd be 'he said with a grin' or ' "That's great news!" She laughed.' etc.

That's the way that particular rule was explained to me.

An excellent explanation, Meltintalle! Basically, don't use a dialogue tag that doesn't make sense. How do you laugh something? Or say actual speech by grinning? It's just plain common sense.

But yes, Mountie, most rules can be broken. There's a lot of 'never's that aren't really absolute. Just make sure when you do break them you write well enough to justify it (make it interesting).

Interviewee #11, Gymfan15, is up on my blog for reading! http://annamittower.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-11-gymfan15.html

~Anna

Is there a place online with a list of "never"s, as well as other writing tips, that I could read? I do my best to learn about writing through experimentation and reading the works of others, but it'd be good for me to read something that also outright teaches about writing and technique as well.

~Riella

Like Mountie, I've never heard the "don't say "she laughed, she grinned" in dialogue" rule, but I see its practicality. I find "replied" versatile though I probably overuse it. So... is, for example, "she said with a laugh" taboo or no?

I think the biggest problem for me is adjectives and adverbs, and I tend to rebel against that rule because I love reading descriptive things that have poignant imagery, so I like writing with adjectives and adverbs (not to imply that my writing always has poignant imagery; I guess writing with adjectives makes me think it does? ) However, I'm learning the effectiveness of powerful verbs and nouns instead of simply tagging on an adverb or adjective, giving the sentence a weaker effect. I wish I knew more verbs.

Ithil, I don't think there's one place online with a list of 'never's. It's just referencing most writing tips which have several 'never's listed. So you find them hodge podge all over the place.

Aslanisthebest, "She said with a laugh" definitely isn't taboo. Personally, I'd skip the "she said" part and just put "she laughed" (as it's own separate sentence). If it's obvious she said the dialogue then I find it redundant to put "She said" along with the laugh.

As for the verbs, try a thesaurus?

Interviewee #12, hogglestock, is up on the blog!
http://annamittower.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-12-hogglestock.html

~Anna

I think the only time I've cried for a character's death was when I killed off a 2-year-old in her sleep. Not that I was sorry to see her go, but her father certainly was. All part of the plot...

I use the word 'said' a lot in my writing, which is why I sometimes try to substitute others (grinned, asked, shrugged) for it. I know that said is the favorited word, but as Menelve said ( ) above, it's a matter of seasoning, and I don't want to be serving up a bland dish. I'm more concerned about my overuse of the word 'looked' than anything else. I made a wordle of one of my novels, and the word 'looked' was bigger than some of the character names. Eek!

I do use phrases like 'he grinned' as dialogue tags, mainly becuase I have some characters who grin a lot. I can grin and talk if the present company is funny enough. I hope that doesn't mean I'm bad...

Do y'all have any favorite writing guides or writing books? I love browsing the writing section in bookstores; it's a great way to hone your craft.

And I went and posted the first chapter of my novel on my blog. If anyone wants to take a look and let me know what they think, I'd be appreciative.

http://cossetteo.blogspot.com/2012/01/chapter-one.html

Interviewee #13, Lucy of Narnia, is up on my blog! http://annamittower.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-13-lucy-of-narnia.html

~Anna

Do y'all have any favorite writing guides or writing books? I love browsing the writing section in bookstores; it's a great way to hone your craft.

38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes: (And How to Avoid Them) by Jack M. Bickham
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card
Character and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card (I haven't read it yet, but I plan to. It sounds really good.)

As for the writing rules discussion, I have learned that the best writers learn the rules so they can know how and when to artfully break them to prove a point or for style. The "said" rule is a very sound rule. But, as has been pointed out, once you learn and can apply that rule, you can break it when needed to help improve your writing. The rule is there so we don't get writers that have stuff like this:
"I don't know what to do," he disclosed.
"I'll help you," she alleged.
"I don't know what I'd do without you," he articulated.
As you can see, it starts getting really messy when people try to avoid "said" and have to break out the Thesaurus. Jack Bickham has a really good chapter about this in his book (see above). It's called "Don't Be Afraid to Use the Word 'Said.'" I'd quote it, but my book is at home and this chapter isn't in GoogleBooks.

Do y'all have any favorite writing guides or writing books? I love browsing the writing section in bookstores; it's a great way to hone your craft.

38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes: (And How to Avoid Them) by Jack M. Bickham

I read a little bit of that one, but didn't pursue it further because I thought it gave too much bad advice.

For example, it said that real authors never "make excuses" by letting tiredness, a busy schedule, writer's block, or lack of inspiration stop them from writing every day. Which is ridiculous. It's one thing if a person never writes at all, and keeps making excuse after excuse and never does anything... But saying that writer's block and lack of inspiration should never get in the way? And that, if it does, you'll never be a true author? No. C.S. Lewis battled writer's block for ten years before he was finally able to sit down and write the Narnia books. I often take months -- even year-long -- breaks, due to lack of inspiration; yet I've still completed 105 books in my lifetime so far.

Another thing Bickham wrote in his book is that you'll never make it as an author if you sneer at any published works, or if you think classic literature is somehow superior to modern titles. I guess we should all pay homage to Twilight then, and treat it with the same respect we do works by Tolstoy and Victor Hugo. He seems to think that if it's published, then that means it's automatically good -- and if anyone looks down on it, they must think they are above everyone else and will write down to their readers. But the classics are called "classics" for a reason. Literature (just like everything else in this world) goes down in quality with the passing of time. I like classic literature, but dislike most modern works because of the lack of quality and substance. That's why I prefer to use the classics as more of a guide than any of the newer works by current authors. I don't see how disliking bad books on the market, or favoring the classics, dooms you to be a snob who can't write.

Other bad advice from Bickham: "A book can only have one viewpoint character." "Every scene must start with a stimulus/response -- and a character choosing to act does NOT count as a stimulus." "Every scene should end in a 'disaster' that puts your character further into trouble." "Beware of late-blooming ideas that seem to come from nowhere during your writing of the project".

I can name countless, amazing authors who break his... rather strange rules. The book also says to never describe sunsets. We can place Tolkien in the list of "bad authors", then.

What I would find really handy is not a writing guide that lists formulas and step-by-step guides on "How to make a story the way it's supposed to be". Such formulas box in authors and usually end up producing fiction lacking in imagination. And one-size-fits-all approaches will cause authors to abandon a lot of great ideas. What would be really nice to have is a book that simply provides some tips. Like the rule about the word "said". That isn't a formula or step-by-step guide, but merely a helpful hint. Those are the things that really aid in writing -- or at least, it always has for me. Especially the very subtle things I wouldn't normally think of.

Does anyone know any of those sorts of books?

~Riella