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Author Intrusion

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Author Intrusion

by Adam Huddleston

 

The literary device we will be discussing this week is: author intrusion. It is not commonly seen nowadays as it has fallen out of favor. It is defined as the practice of having the author cease telling the story and directing the prose towards the reader. This changes the perspective from first or third-person to second-person.

This technique may be used to reveal specific plot points to the reader that may otherwise be unknown to the protagonist. I personally have never used this device, but its inclusion in your writing may help change things up a bit.

Happy writing!

Meet the Author – Adam Huddleston

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Meet the Author

 

Since the creation of WordsmithSix as a critique group, we have evolved in many ways. While every member is like family and brings their own valuable insights to the group, sometimes there are changes. Some of our members have moved on in their life’s journey, however their contributions continue to influence our writing forever. Others have filled the empty chairs and have started their journey into the world of writing.

Each member of WordsmithSix is excited about our writing journey. For the next few weeks we will dedicate a Sunday blog to letting our readers know a little more about who we are. Each author will be asked a few questions to help you understand their desire to write and what motivates them. Maybe their answers will influence you in your writing.

This week we are excited to introduce our newest member of the WordsmithSix Critique group. His writing style is impressive with the ability to draw the reader into the creative worlds he creates.

Please welcome Adam Huddleston

When did you start writing?

I started writing (in earnest) about six years ago.  On a whim, I bought the book “Writing Fiction for Dummies”.  I devoured it cover to cover.

Why did you choose the Genre’ you write in?

I chose the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre because that’s what I grew up reading.  My favs were Stephen King and Michael Crichton.

What’s the best thing you’ve done to help your writing?

The best thing I’ve done for my writing career is joining our critique group.  Having honest feedback on my work helps out tremendously.

What’s your writing routine like?

The best time I find for writing is actually at work.  I often have a Word document pulled up on my computer desktop in the background and I work on it from time to time.

How do you reach that personal place that allows the writing to flow?

I tend to write better when it is as quiet as possible and I can just vomit the words onto the paper (or screen).  Once I get about a paragraph done, I go back and fix things.

Are you an outliner?

I’m not really an outliner, but I feel that if I strengthened those skills, my writing would improve.

What has been your biggest writing challenge?

My biggest writing challenge is trying to complete an entire plot without losing interest and jumping to another project.

What are you working on currently, future?

I am currently working on a middle-grade or YA fantasy story involving an orphan who discovers a “special” door in her bedroom.

What advice would you give to new writers?

My advice to new writers is what I suspect is usually given; write, write, write!  You won’t get a feeling for your literary voice until you really start churning out words.

What’s the most positive thing you could tell writers today?

The most positive thing I could tell writers today is that they should never be discouraged by the enormity of the writing world, but rather encouraged by it.  With e-books, blogging, self-publishing, traditional publishing, and the like, there are plenty of options available.

It Starts With a Song

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

It Starts With a Song

By Nandy Ekle

 

 

The way to start a story is with a song.

I have never claimed to be a musician. But I love music. I love country, rock, country-rock, opera, show tunes, instrumental, folk, seventies, zydeco, techno . . .

And sometimes, something I hear sparks a story.

Ballads, of course, openly tell their stories, and it’s easy to take their poetry and turn it into prose. Love songs also give us stories. Usually it’s easy to catch the meaning, but there a few you have to dig out. I’ve even ‘seen’ a story play out during an instrumental.

I love to listen to a piece of music with my eyes closed. I can feel beats and the notes. The words come to life for me and begin to act out the tale.

Some music inspires me by its melody. I’ve noticed a calming piece of music allows my imagination to open up as much as a story song. And bold sounds, along with fast beats will create adventure, danger, and urgency.

So the goal to writing stories while listening to music is to serenade my reader. I want to sing them my song of seduction, pull them in close to me and waltz them through the scenes. I want them to feel the change of atmosphere as the tones and beats change. And by the end, I want them tired, but willing to come back for more.

And this is the pay off.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

It Starts With a Picture

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

It Starts With a Picture

By Nandy Ekle

 

 

The way to start a story is with a picture.

I love photographs. I love to look back at my babies, all the homes I’ve lived in, cars I’ve driven, places I’ve been . . . Just different times in my life. We have wedding pictures, anniversary pictures, pregnancy pictures, pictures of illness, pictures of storms, mountains, oceans, clouds, pets, and snow. And we have pictures of children sleeping, playing, bathing, reading, fighting, and hugging. And each and every picture has a story.

Another kind of picture I like is something obscure in a magazine. I have never been there, I did not see it first hand, but it sparks my imagination. I can look deep into the glossy print and play-like I see myself running through the tall brown grass, dark clouds in the horizon and the sun behind me. Or maybe I’ walking the halls of a beautiful ancient estate looking for my lover. I wind my way through enormous trees following fairies and gnomes. I cringe under the cover of my giant canopy bed as the ghost tears its way through the room in the middle of the night.

So, as a writer, my job is to transport my readers to the same picture I’m seeing. I want them to live through the same adventure I’m having, and feel the same things I’m feeling. As soon as they turn to the first page of my story, I want to grab their hand and shout, “Come with me!” I want them to stay close to me and trust that I will get them through to the other side. And in this journey, they will want something, love something, lose something, learn something, and win something.

At the end, I gently drop their hand, kiss them on the forehead, and invite them to come again. And this is the pay off.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

It Starts With a Word

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

It Starts With a Word

By Nandy Ekle

 

The way to start a story is with a word. Can’t be just any word—it must be the absolute perfect word. Choose it carefully because it has to capture your reader and not let them go until they read the last word.

So you find your word and you know it is exactly the right word to start with. To this perfect word, you add another word, and to that, another. Soon, you have a sentence. And this sentence starts your story. At the end of this sentence, your reader should be so enrapt that walking away from your story is impossible.

But if you stop with one sentence, your reader will walk away after all. So you must put together another sentence. And then another, and another. Before long, you’ll have an entire paragraph.

Paragraphs are very important. For one thing, they are tools to give your story logical organization. Since a paragraph is a group of related ideas, it gives your reader a sense of what comes next, leading them in the direction you want them to go.

Paragraphs are also used to emphasize points. There are instances when you need an idea to stand out on its own. If you separate this idea away from other words and sentences on the page, your reader gets the sense of boldness.

Another thing paragraphs do is make the page appear more inviting. If you have a page of one sentence after another, no breaks, the reader feels like they have run a marathon. There’s no stopping place, no place to take a breath. This will cause them to get tired and give up before even getting to the end of the page.

So your paragraphs lead the reader through, building the story one paragraph at a time, one sentence at a time, one word at a time, you create a chapter, which has the same uses as paragraphs, but on a larger scale.

And then you have your book. And this is the pay off.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

Jump Start

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Jump Start

By Nandy Ekle

 

 

I was innocently scrolling through Facebook yesterday, minding my own business, and reading about everyone else’s business. I was taking a short fifteen minute break from my intense day job.

As I scrolled, I came across a short video. Now, since I joined Facebook all those years ago, I have seen tons of videos, I’ve read tons of memes, and I’ve even participated in one or two. But there have only been a few that have stuck to me as if they had glue on them.

There was once a video of two cats playing Patty Cake that I enjoyed very much. I also fell in love with a video of a wedding where the entire wedding party comes into the auditorium dancing like it’s the happiest day of their lives. I’ve had a lot of fun with some of the music videos, and, of course, pictures and videos of children and cats/kittens are always fantastic.

But this short little flick I saw yesterday was really not funny, unless you have a twisted sense of humor like I do. It was a 60 second story that ended with a scare. I watched it and broke out in giggles, which is what I do when I’m scared or nervous (I’m a total riot walking through a spook house in October). So I watched it again. And then again.

And that’s when it happened. A new story. I immediately had a plot, characters, scenes, and an ending. The biggest problem I had was deciding the best place to start. So I just put my hands on the keyboard and began typing. I was halfway through the second page when the title to my new project flung itself on the screen. The title was so perfectly diabolical that I sat giggling as much as if I actually was walking through a spook house.

The point of all this is that inspiration can jump out and attack you at the most unexpected times by the most unexpected things. Don’t be afraid to look at anything.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.