Telling Actions

So I went to this concert. I won't drop names, but here's a picture I took. :)

We had fabulous seats (not to brag or anything), so we had a great view. Both my husband and I love his music. I already know he's married with kids. Said to be a devoted husband. He's handsome. An amazing guitar player. And a great sense of humor.

How could I possible like him more? I found out at the concert.

He singled out all the kids near the stage and made a point of getting them one of his guitar picks. How awesome is that?

So what does this have to do with writing? Everything. When we create our characters, how do we show that our MC is who we say he is?

Something as simple as giving a kid some attention can add depth to make them believable and real. What have you done in your book to show your readers who your MC is?

Dear Grammar Nazi

Dear Grammar Nazi,

I am your biggest fan! I'm starting a fan club because you speak English so good. . . . or is it well? No wait, good, right? I think . . .

Dangit! Now I forgot my question.

You're 4ever Fan!

Johnny B. Good

Dear Mr. Good,

I'm honored. Truly I am. And that's a very good question you didn't ask.

That reminds me of a story I never told. About a good well that welled water well. So well, in fact, that the welled water tasted really good. Gooder . . . er . . . I mean better than water that wasn't from a good well. And well, that good well sold well when they put it up for auction because the welled water was so good. The owner made a good profit.

Is that as clear as mud? . . . Get it?!!! Mud?! Water?!! Cause the water in the ground would make mud?!!! Oh, I do crack me up.

Alas, for real help, I must defer to Grammar Girl again. She explains this concept well. And what with the explanations of linking verbs vs. action verbs . . . well, suffice it to say, you have it on good authority that it is okay to say "I'm good" when someone asks you how you're doing. You do not, however, have my permission to say "you speak good." Ever. And I mean that.

Most sincerely,

The Grammar Nazi

P.S. Upon reflection, I wish to modify my response. When a language is invented that is called "Good," then you may say "you speak Good." Until that time, please refrain.

Mystery Driver

Okay, okay, for all my old followers (like 10 of you), you know I have this fascination with personalized license plates. I keep seeing ones I'm dying to share with ya'll.

So I had this fabulous idea for a blog game. I will post a license plate, and we, the literary bloggers of the world, are going to solve the mystery of why they put that on their car. Build a characterization and back story. Fun, no?

The rules:

1. Only post ONE bit of information per comment (so the story can grow)
2. Try to build off previous posts where possible
3. Keep it clean (children's lit, right?)
4. HAVE FUN!

I'll try to pull it all together in a posting later in the week.

So here's an example:  WYLD ELF

1st comment: This is a girl. For sure!
2nd comment: She watched Lord of the Rings and developed an unhealthy fascination with Orlando Bloom.
3rd comment: Is there such a thing as an "unhealthy" fascination with Orlando Bloom? *sigh* Okay, okay, she has pointed ears.
4th comment: Her mother read "Where the Wild Things Are" to her as a child.

Well you get the idea.

So we'll see how it goes, and maybe this will fizzle, but all I have to say is CHINESE TAKE-OUT, baby!

This week's License Plate:   OHH MAN

(And yes, 100% authentic)

Pay it Forward

So Friday, I got this amazing wonderful surprise. Here's the story:

A week ago, B. Miller started this fabulous Pay It Forward Giveaway (that I so totally wish I had come up with). Go check it out if you haven't heard about it.

ANYWAY, Courtney, the Southern Princess, as a break-off from that, honored me with a Pay It Forward post. She listed 3 bloggers she would love to hang out with in a non-virtual way, and I was one of them! For those of you who haven't read my profile, she and I are fellow princesses after all. And royalty must stick together what with the paparazzi and everything. But what a lift in my day. So much more than honored. *insert cheesy grin.*

So I wanted to spread the love and choose three people that I would love to spend time with in a non-virtual way. Normally, I would list you all, but that would be a long post that no one would finish reading, so here we go with three:

Jenny Matlock: I have been rolling at her garage sale posts, and her big heart just shines through. Though we've never met, I wanted to pull up a lawn chair, pour a tall glass of lemonade with one of those little umbrellas in it, and chat about all the interesting people who stopped in. And she refers to her husband as Mr. Jenny. How can you not want to meet someone who does that?

Lydia Kang at The Word is My Oyster: When I found out she's an Internal Medicine Doctor, I felt that instant she-knows-what-I'm-going-through connection because my husband is on his first year of his Internal Medicine Residency. She does this fabulous post called Medical Mondays, and her posts are always thought-provoking and fun. I'm never disappointed when I visit her blog. Plus, she's working on the secret to getting 25 hours out of a day. I so intend to be around when she learns it as I'm sure she will!

Vicki Dixon at Ron Empress: Okay, maybe I'm cheating a little on this one because we have met before, but she is that wonderful. First, her writing is beautiful. Like, I'm-green-with-jealousy-because-my-writing-will-never-be-that-beautiful beautiful. Next, I always hear about the coolest contests from her. And finally, It's from her encouragement that I started a blog at all. She has been a huge support to me in this endeavor we're on. Go visit!

So what catches your attention on a blog and makes you want to go back? What makes you feel connected to a blogger you've never met?

"Oops!" in Context

A single word can say a lot. Take the word "oops." By itself, we know that somewhere a mistake was made. Something happened that the speaker didn't want to have happen.

But add a little context to that single word, and OHHH the meaning that can result. For example, I was cutting my husbands hair last night. "Oops!" What do you think the word says now?

I'm handwashing my finest china. "Oops!" Have a picture in your head?

A doctor in the middle of bypass surgery. "Oops!"

A circus performer on the tightrope. "Oops!"

The possibilities are endless. The word never changes, but give a little context and you hardly need to say anything else. The reader gets it.

Go on . . . share your own "oops" context.

Note: My husband's hair grows fast, so no worries!

Dear Grammar Nazi

Dear Grammar Nazi,

I always have trouble deciding when to use lay vs. lie. I've almost given up on the issue. Please help me!

Yours truly,
[name redacted]

P.S. You would LOVE Larry the Cableguy. Git R Done!

Dear [name redacted],

As far as 'lay vs. lie' goes, I would be lying if I said the misuse of these didn't concern me. I have lain awake many a night worrying about it. When I received your question, I lay there for hours wondering how best to lay down the law. I laid my pen and paper next to me in case inspiration hit. It didn't.

Lucky for me, Grammar Girl already laid out the rules. In the end, I highly recommend you purchase "Grammar for Dummies" as even Grammar Girl confesses to looking these words up every time she uses them. Tonight, I can lie down in peace, knowing there is one less person in the world misusing these words.

Sincerely,

The Grammar Nazi

P.S. Larry the Cableguy is a favorite of mine . . . an unending source of material!

Do you have a question for The Grammar Nazi? Send them to rjljohnson [dot] janet [at] gmail [dot] com.

Chinese Take-out

I have this thing about Chinese. When I love it, I LOVE it. And when I don't, buy yourself some earplugs, because I am not afraid to express my opinion. Needless to say, I'm always a little reticent to try new places. More often than not, I'm disappointed. So instead of eating Chinese, I dream of the good stuff from where I grew up.

The thing is, my husband doesn't have my reservations. To him, it's all more or less the same. He's happy with whatever, he'd just like something.

So, tonight, I gave in. Called a few friends, got a few recommendations. And gross. Blah. Blah. Blah.Yicky. Picky. Snort.

"I'm sorry I even suggested it," my husband said.

And then the epiphany came. From my own mouth even: "Well, you never know if you don't try."

I know, you're all probably thinking, 'Well duh!'

I wonder how many things I've not tried because I didn't want to be disappointed. Learning a new skill. Sending off the next query. Taking risks with my characters. Bidding on that full manuscript critique over at Do The Write Thing. Whatever.

How about you? Is fear of disappointment holding you back?