Books -- reading and writing.
Home, cooking, the weather.
And whatever connections I can make between these chapters of my life.

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Writing Lesson: Talking to Yourself

This morning I thought I would organize old emails. 
But you can't read and delete something that piques your interest, can you?
Instead, I ended up on Janice Hardy's "Fiction University" website.

See what she says about INTERNALIZATION.
Or talking to yourself. 
Which I find my characters do a lot...

Check your internal monologue and see if it fits your character. Read it aloud, of course. Delete the unnecessary. Delete the stilted language. Delete the overthinking.


The "Bob" examples (in blue, below) really crack me up.


 
(From Janice Hardy)
Writing Internalization
 
Internalization takes the general and makes it personal. As you study your own work, look for opportunities to show how your characters feel about their worlds and situations. Show their opinions and beliefs, let them think about what it means on a variety of levels. Are there places to show world building? A moral belief? An aspect of the character growth?

Sometimes a few words is all you need, especially if they're judgment words.  There's a difference between "It was Bob" and "It was just Bob" and "Crap, it was Bob." A little attitude can go a long way.
While not every detail needs to be internalized, they are opportunities to deepen your story and connect your reader to your character.



In case you're wondering, this is kind of what I'm saying to myself right now.



(Shout-out to my friend Eileen Harrell whose Facebook posts are full of these gems.)

3 comments:

Rosi said...

I do love Janice's posts. They are always worth the time to read them. I also like your grocery quote. Yup, it's time to go to the store.

Carol Baldwin said...

I like the line that "A little attitude goes a long way." I talk to myself all the time--now I'll listen to my own attitude so I can give it to my characters too! Thanks.

Augusta Scattergood said...

I had a friend once who described another friend as "slinging attitude." It wasn't a compliment, but I always liked the way that sounded. Go for it, Carol! And sock it to your characters.
Thanks for stopping by.