The adjective that exists solely as decoration is a self-indulgence for the writer and a burden for the reader. … make your adjectives do work that needs to be done. —William Zinsser, On Writing Well
Writing Good Dialogue
“Bloated, chunky, dull dialogue is a five-alarm warning to the reviewer that you can’t write salable fiction,” says James Scott Bell in his book The Art of War for Writers.
Dialogue, like any other part of your novel, must move your story forward.
An important part of good dialogue is the distinctive voice of each character. Even if your characters grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools, they have different parents, siblings, and perspectives on life. Those things will affect the way they speak.
Discover your character’s voice by creating a voice journal, a stream of conscious writing you write from a character’s POV. Start your character’s journal by having her or him respond to the questions “Who am I and what do I want?” Then write for about 10 or 15 minutes.
I recommend creating a journal for each main character of your story. Utilize these journals throughout the process of writing your novel, especially when you feel stuck.
What tools do you use to create compelling dialogue?
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013
15 Keyboard Shortcuts to Make Your Writing Faster
I want to accomplish as much as I can when I’m writing, so I utilize keyboard shortcuts. Many of these MS Word shortcuts translate over to other word processing programs such as Scrivener (the one I use).
Here is a list of MS Word keyboard shortcuts to help you save time as you write your stories.
- Copy selected text = Ctrl key + C
- Paste selected text = Ctrl+V
- Cut selected text = Ctrl+X
- Save document = Ctrl+S
- Undo action = Ctrl+Z
- Redo action = Ctrl+Y
- Select all text within a document = Ctrl+A
- Move to beginning of next paragraph = Ctrl+down arrow key
- Move to beginning of previous paragraph = Ctrl+up arrow
- Move cursor to beginning of next word = Ctrl+right arrow
- Move cursor to beginning of previous word = Ctrl+left arrow
- © using Word = Ctrl, Alt + c ( symbol appears immediately), Alt+0169, using Scrivener (symbol appears after you release the Alt key)
- ® = Ctrl, Alt + r (Word, symbol appears immediately), Alt+0174 (Scrivener, symbol appears after you release the Alt key)
- Select a portion of text from cursor to wherever you point your mouse = Shift key+left mouse click
- Display Help = F1 key
Have some fun while in Word. Experiment with the Alt key and number combinations and see what you get.
Do shortcuts help you save time or just confuse you? Leave your comments below.
Use Art to Spur Your Creativity
Take a look at the picture above. What’s the first thing that comes into your mind? Danger? A bygone era? What ever your thought was, the fact is the picture triggered that thought. That is the creativity of your mind in action.
Now think about how you can use what’s in this photo in your work in progress.
- Can the building serve as a location for one of my scenes? Where is this, what is this, what did it used to be?
- Can your protagonist elude capture by climbing up the fire escape? Climbing down?
- Was your antagonist once trapped here as child? If so, how? As a kidnap victim? Was the building on fire? Was she/he homeless?
- What would your antagonist and protagonist think about this building? Spend 15 minutes writing in your voice journal for each character.
- How can I use this building to bring conflict to a scene and my characters?
When you’re stuck on a plot point or feel your story is dragging, step away from your writing and visit a local art gallery or do some web surfing to galleries. Use the pictures to inspire you and spur your creativity.
As you meander through the exhibits, ask yourself the questions above and anything else that comes to mind. What is the potential conflict this setting can bring to my story? Even what appears to you as the most tranquil scene can spark conflict in your character if he/she associates that scene with bad experiences.
Be sure to take along a notebook or digital recorder so you can record your thoughts. Who knows, you might even find the gallery you visit to be a perfect scene location.
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013
Should I Trademark my Blog Title?
So you’ve started a blog and are wondering if you should trademark your blog’s title.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a trademark is a brand name and includes any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination thereof that is intended to identify the goods or services of a seller. Like the © symbol, the registered trademark symbol ® is familiar to us all, as is the TM. But that’s where the similarities end.
Applying for trademark registration is more far more costly (approximately 10X more) and complex than registering your copyright. In addition, certain criteria must be met.
Attorney Tonya Marie Evans says “Anyone who claims rights in a mark may use the superscript TM or SM (service mark) designation with the mark to alert the public to the claim.” It isn’t necessary to register or have a pending application to use the TM or SM. So while there is nothing stopping you from using the marks, “your claim may or may not be valid.”
Use of the ® is illegal until registration has been granted by the USPTO. Before you apply, you’ll want to complete a search (for a fee) to determine whether or not your brand is already trademarked. (I told you it was complex and costly.)
For a brief foray into the complexity of trademarks, see the USPTO guidelines page: http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/index.jsp
For the fees involved, visit here: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/qs/ope/fee031913.htm#tm Paper filing $375, electronic $325. The USPTO encourages electronic filing.
Recommended reading: Literary Law Guide for Authors: Copyright, Trademark, and Contracts in Plain Language by Tonya Marie Evans.
Now is not the time to apply, but now is the time to think about your brand. Next week’s Tuesday Tip will take a look at developing brand strategy.
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013
Protect Your Work from Copyright Infringement
Copyright infringement concerns many creative people, be they writers, musicians, movie makers, or otherwise. A complaint I hear from many beginning writers deals with copyrights and whether publishers will steal their stories. Having a rudimentary understanding of the law will put your mind at rest.
An idea is not copyright protected. According to attorney Tonya Marie Evans and author of Literary Law Guide for Authors, your idea submitted in a book proposal or screenplay pitch “may be protectable under state law.” Once you put your idea into a tangible form, i.e. a manuscript, your work is protected.
Whether or not your work carries the copyright notice (© symbol, year, name), it is protected under the law. However, displaying the notice negates at least one legal argument: “I didn’t know it was copyrighted,” aka innocent infringement.
You cannot file a copyright infringement suit unless your work has been registered with the Copyright Office. In other words, you can’t sue someone for using your material if it isn’t registered. For bloggers this does present a problem, but not an impossibility. Your blog content can be registered.
Registration within 3 months after publication has its benefits, both legally and financially. I registered my book Help! My Husband Has Sexually Abused Our Daughter as soon as I had the galley proof from my POD publisher. Information on copyright.gov is extensive and can answer many of your questions.
For further reading:
- Lorelle on WordPress, http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/04/10/what-do-you-do-when-someone-steals-your-content/
- Copyright Office: http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-infringement.html
- Photographers: http://asmp.org/tutorials/enforcing-your-rights.html#.UZsjp7WG2Io
How to Get Permission to Use Copyrighted Material
Before you can request permission to use copyrighted material you must know one very important item: who owns the right to grant permission. That right does not always belong to the author of the work. With books, it is often the publisher who holds permission rights. The info is generally found on the reverse side of the title page where all other copyright information is listed.
In today’s Internet world, many publishers now include how to ask for permissions along with what they consider fair use (word count varies widely). Some sites include tabs directly labeled “rights” or “permissions” or both. In other cases you may have to do a bit of searching on their site to find the information, and in other cases you will have to contact the company to gain more information. When what I’m looking for isn’t obvious, and a search yields no results, I often have success by referring to the “Contact Us” page.
Here is a list of information permissions grantors will need (please realize this is not an exhaustive list of the information you may be required to supply, and varies from publisher to publisher):
- Who you are
- Title of work you want to quote
- Author of work
- Copyright year of book
- Page quote appears on
- Word count of the quote
- Your intended use, i.e. online, book, greeting card, etc.
If your intended use is in a book, they’ll want to know:
- Title
- Author
- Publisher
- Date of publication
- List price
- Estimated print run.
If your intended use is on the Internet, at a minimum they’ll want the web address.
All these things determine the permissions fee. (Yes, there is a cost to using someone else’s material.) If you do not expect monetary gain from your use, tell them. It may lower the permission fee.
So you can get a better idea of how all this looks, here is a link to Baker Publishing Group’s online permission request form.
If this seems too overwhelming to you, and you have the money to spare, you can find assistance from the Copyright Clearance Center or from freelance permissions consultants.
Does online research intimidate you? Leave a comment below.
Debar L. Butterfield © 2013
How to Register a Copyright for Your Work
There are a number of businesses that offer to help you obtain your copyright registration—for a fee, of course, and often an exorbitant one.
The process is not difficult, not costly, and generally not that time consuming either. You can accomplish it either online (costs $35) or by submitting paper forms (costs $65).
Here’s how:
- Go to copyright.gov
- At the center top of this page is a link titled “How to register a work.” This link leads to a page that explains the benefits of filing online, and offers links to further info such as acceptable file types, tips, FAQs, and tutorials.
- To register online, you will have to establish an account with the electronic copyright office (eCO). Click on the eCO login link on the home page. You’ll find it directly below “How to Register a Work.”
- Once you have your account established, you will be directed to the home page for your account. This page includes a number of links for tasks you may want to complete, including registering a copyright.
- On the left of the page are three sections: Check Registration Case Status, Copyright Registration, and Additional Copyright Services. You will find “Register a new claim” under Copyright Registration. Click this link and follow the instructions.
And you’re done! You’ll receive your Certificate of Registration from the Library of Congress. Current processing time for online filing is 2.8 months.
- To register via paper forms, you’ll find the correct form on the “How to” page. There are different forms depending on the type of work, i.e. literary, visual arts, sound recordings, etc. Download the file and follow the instructions. Processing time for paper filing is 5.5 months.
Do you have a question about this process? Submit it in the comments and I’ll do my best to find an answer it.
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013