VOICE - A to Z CHALLENGED

Each post for the A to Z Challenge is the challenge I set for myself.

V is for VOICE

Communication involves tone,
gesture and eye contact;
the writing has a lot to get across

V is for Voice which is – theoretically – a representation of how you would normally speak. My normal mode of speech involves a lot of gestures, eye contact, body position and TEETH. It’s a struggle to get that onto the paper in a form my MG/YA readers could follow ;) The foundation of writing is communication. All the best advice is to keep the writing simple.

HAL LONGLEAT AND THE TROUBLE WITH TRUTH

“I see you’re keeping out of the way.”

“Edith!” he said, quickly. He darted a look around. He hadn’t heard the kitchen maid arriving over the noise in the castle courtyard. “I don’t want to watch.”

She smiled. “Delicious food and a warm bed instead of leftovers and straw in the stable – I’d settle for worries like that.”

“All I know is how to work horses.”

“Sure. And, that will come in handy.”

“Maybe.” Hal gripped his sore thumb inside his fist.

“If I were you, and a boy, and a knight wanted to make me a page in his household, I’d be interested enough to see if it happened.”

Could YOU have been gifted with the ability to identify and eliminate weak and brittle phrases from your work? To the uninitiated, these interlopers look like quality imagery.

CLICHÉ RAIDERS: REWRITE!

•           vanish into thin air

•           variety is the spice of life

•           vested interest

•           vicious circle

•           vote with their feet

FOR V, I CHOSE VOICE. WHAT IS THE SUBJECT OF YOUR V POST?

UNRESOLVED ISSUES - A to Z CHALLENGED

U is for 
UNRESOLVED 
ISSUES

Each post for the A to Z Challenge is the challenge I set for myself. 

For pages learning the art of 
combat, training works best when 

both students were evenly matched.

U is for Unresolved Issues although all the main elements of the plot must be satisfactorily resolved some threads could be left frayed because the reader – using their imagination, and the clues you have sown - can be trusted to see how these might work out.

HAL LONGLEAT AND THE TROUBLE WITH TRUTH

Hal lingered by the stable. He wondered if his stay in the castle was going to end. No one had noticed the day the Master of the Horse brought him in. It seemed everyone was going to notice him now, whether he stayed or left.

Could YOU have been gifted with the ability to identify and eliminate weak and brittle phrases from your work? To the uninitiated, these interlopers look like quality imagery.

CLICHÉ RAIDERS: REWRITE!

•           unavoidable delay

•           unconscionable liar

•           under a cloud

•           under the weather

•           unequal task

•           university of life

•           unsung heroes

•           untimely end

•           untold wealth

•           up to scratch/not up to scratch

FOR U, I CHOSE UNRESOLVED ISSUES. WHAT IS THE SUBJECT OF YOUR U POST?

TENSION - A to Z CHALLENGED

T is for TENSION

Each post for the A to Z Challenge is the challenge I set for myself.  

Generally, it takes two to create tension
 but three is even better.

T is for Tension because without it the reader turns pages. Every scene needs a source of tension. Tension is created when the sentences are short. The dialogue is confrontational. And, when time is running out.

HAL LONGLEAT AND THE TROUBLE WITH TRUTH

Down in the courtyard, the weary warrior was replaced by a steely soldier. After gripping his chest and bending his head, the knight prepared to take his shot. What must it feel like to be a knight… to know the arrow you fire could hurt another person? Hal shivered. The knight was ready, his arm bent back behind him. The bow tensed. As a light breeze shifted the edge of his white cloak, the knight remained still.

Could YOU have been gifted with the ability to identify and eliminate weak and brittle phrases from your work? To the uninitiated, these interlopers look like quality imagery.

CLICHÉ RAIDERS: REWRITE!

•           take it with a grain of salt

•           thankful for small mercies, be

•           that’s life

•           tighten our/your belts

•           time flies

•           time waits for no man

•           tired and emotional

•           tomorrow is another day

•           torrential rain

•           trials and tribulations

FOR T, I CHOSE TENSION. WHAT IS THE SUBJECT OF YOUR T POST?

SUSPENSE - A to Z CHALLENGED

Each post for the A to Z Challenge is the challenge I set for myself.

A squire looked after
the knight's sword
and shield.

S is for SUSPENSE,
squire, sword and shield

S is for Suspense. You don’t have to reveal everything at once. The reader’s empathy for the MC is the basis of suspense but, they only know what the character knows so write intense action, and real danger to heighten the emotional connection. You can offer insights through foreshadowing or withhold details by contrasting the action with what the MC appears to be thinking at that time.

HAL LONGLEAT AND THE TROUBLE WITH TRUTH

Hal gripped the ladder and dug his fingers into the space between the blocks of stone. He held his breath. What could the knight do that was better than Lord Courtney’s shot? “Please,” Hal whispered. Even though he had no idea what he was hoping for. “Please.” He shook his head.

Could YOU have been gifted with the ability to identify and eliminate weak and brittle phrases from your work? To the uninitiated, these interlopers look like quality imagery.

CLICHÉ RAIDERS: REWRITE!

•           safe and sound

•           salt of the earth

•           see how the land lies

•           shape or form, in any

•           share and share alike

•           simmering hatred

•           skin of his teeth

•           slowly but surely

•           so far so good

•           strike while the iron’s hot

FOR S, I CHOSE SUSPENSE. WHAT IS THE SUBJECT OF YOUR S POST?

WEEKEND WRITING WARRIORS - 8 SENTENCES ON SUNDAY

If you are interested in follow this link: WWR

As I am a weekend-only writer of romance, Darrah is still having trouble ignoring Hale.

Balanced on an outcrop on the ridge, some distance away, the overlapping tiles on the soles of his shoes curving to provide effective grip, Hale watched Darrah track through the trees.

Like a natural predator, she moved swiftly, stealthily, without disturbing the habitat. Had she always been this skilled in the forest? Was this the area of her training she had excelled at?  Is this why they had selected her to find heir apparent, Erishden?

He wondered at the easy finger that stroked the bark of the tree, and he smiled at the dexterity of her friend who jumped away when she spun to face him raising her short bow and deadly arrow in one deliciously smooth action. He heard her Factor whispered, “Koman, Darrah? Is something wrong?”

READING - A to Z CHALLENGED

Each post for the A to Z Challenge is the challenge I set for myself.

Merlin, probably making sure
he is written into the tales of
King Arthur and the
Knights of the Round Table ;)

R is for READING

R is for Reading! 

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”      

both quotes from Stephen King

HAL LONGLEAT AND THE TROUBLE WITH TRUTH

Hal hid in the shadows by the stable door when everyone else crowded forward to get a better view. He was quick, and thin as a whippet, and ready to dart back inside if anyone came to find him.

All day, the wind had cut through the courtyard and bitten at Hal until hands were red and raw. When shaking didn’t work, he cupped his hands and blew to warm his fingers. Then he chewed on his a nail, rubbing the jagged edge against his tooth.

“I see you’re keeping out of the way.”

“Edith!” he said, quickly. He looked around. There was no one else there. He guessed he hadn’t heard the kitchen maid arriving over the noise in the castle courtyard. “I can't watch.”

Could YOU have been gifted with the ability to identify and eliminate weak and brittle phrases from your work? To the uninitiated, these interlopers look like quality imagery.

CLICHÉ RAIDERS: REWRITE!

•           raining cats and dogs (and hailing taxis)

•           read my lips

•           reinventing the wheel

•           resounding silence

•           right as rain

•           rings true

•           risk life and limb

•           rotten apple in a barrel, one

•           ruffled feathers

•           ruled with a rod of iron

FOR R, I CHOSE READING. WHAT IS THE SUBJECT OF YOUR R POST?

QUEST - A to Z CHALLENGED

Q is for QUEST

Each post for the A to Z Challenge is the challenge I set for myself.

A destrier was the best-known
warhorse in the middle ages

Q is for the Quest because where heroes come in different genders, shapes, and sizes, but the quest remains constant whether the journey takes place in a world we recognise or one we discover along with the MC.

HAL LONGLEAT AND THE TROUBLE WITH TRUTH

Hal’s hand tightened in the mane of the small horse. The grey pony stamped at the straw scattered over the cobble-stoned yard. His heart thumped. When he grabbed them up, his hands slipped on the supple leather reins. He had seen the knight, de Moreville, and his party arrive but he’d paid more attention to black destrier.

Could YOU have been gifted with the ability to identify and eliminate weak and brittle phrases from your work? To the uninitiated, these interlopers look like quality imagery.

CLICHÉ RAIDERS: REWRITE!

•           quality of life

•           queen for the day

•           queer the pitch

•           quick and the dead

•           quiet as a mouse

•           quid pro quo

•           quiet before the storm, the

•           quit horsing around

•           quit while you’re ahead

FOR Q, I CHOSE QUEST. WHAT IS THE SUBJECT OF YOUR Q POST?