The Big Three Questions Of Media Analysis: What The Author Wanted To Say, What They Actually Said, And

No character is going to live unscathed.

We writers seem to be an expert at getting our darlings bashed up, beaten and abused (sometimes to the point of insanity). That' great, and let's make sure we are doing it right.

Cuts and Scrapes

The area will immediately begin to swell up.

Blood rushes to accelerate the healing process, and that makes the skin around the wound look red and swollen, and it will feel warm (though not hot).

Most wounds wouldn't bleed too much, unless it's a head injury.

Try to give indications of how severe the wound is.

How wide is the injury? How far does it stretch across the character's body? Can bone be seen? Is blood seeping into their clothes or pooling underneath them?

Is it a clean slice, or is it torn open? Have parts of the flesh been pulled away?

How much does the wound frighten the injured character?

Bruises

When the injury is first sustained, it will look swollen and red.

Over time, the bruise will darken to a shade of blue, purple, or black.

After that, it will gradually turn yellow or green. Then it will turn brown and eventually fade away.

The word choice matters!

Describing a bruise as a "contusion" creates a violent connotation, while "blemish" doesn't sound so harsh.

Describing bruises as "discolored" or "shadows" comes with a more melancholy connotation.

How They Feel

An injury from blunt trauma, such as a bruise, is going to feel dull, and like it's throbbing.

It will feel stiff and firm from the swelling, and it may sting if touched.

As the bruise ages, it may feel tender and sore, but only when pressure is applied or the area is moved.

A wound from a sharp object, however, is likely to feel hot, tingly, or numb.

The pain may be delayed, but after the initial rush of adrenaline wears off, the pain from this type of injury will be fairly constant.

Scrapes tend to feel hot and itchy, and the scab from a nasty scrape can cover a wide area. It will also get itchier as it heals, motivating the character to pick at it and delay healing.

Healing Duration

The time it takes an injury to heal is going to depend on the severity of the injury.

As a general rule, however:

Bruises take about 2 weeks Scrapes take about 1 week

Minor cuts take about 2 weeks

Surgical incisions and sutured wounds take about 4-6 weeks

A bad wound that doesn't get stitches could take up to 3 months

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Summer Memories

a kiss on the wrist unravels

summer waters sharp 

memory fragments 

four dreams in a row

a night and a boat

ꜱᴡɪᴛᴄʜ ᴜᴘ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴠᴇʀʙꜱ (ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴛᴡᴏ) ~

love admire adore cherish yearn for fancy treasure

laugh chuckle giggle snort crow chortle guffaw cackle

shout cheer screech scream bark call yell

move run walk back away sprint turn jump duck

look glance focus eye survey study sight spot

whisper murmur mutter breathe intone hiss mouth

Making Fight Scenes Sound Nicer

Euphonics is all about how the words "feel". By incorporating certain sounds, you can influence the mood of the passage.

Mood: Foreboding

use words with 'ow', 'oh', 'ou', 'oo' sonds. These are good for building tension before the fight.

moor, growl, slow, wound, soon, show, show, grow, tow, loom, howl, cower, mound.

Mood: Spooky

use words with 's' sounds, combined with an 'i' sound.

hiss, sizzle, crisp, sister, whisper, sinister, glisten, stick.

Mood: Acute Fear

use word with 'ee/ea' sounds, with a few 's' sounds.

squeal, scream, squeeze, creak, steal, fear, clear, sheer, stream

Mood: Fighting Action

use short words iwth 't', 'p' and 'k' sounds.

cut, block, top, shoot, tackle, trick, kick, grip, grab, grope, punch, drop, pound, poke, cop, chop.

Mood: Speed

use short words with 'r' sounds

run, race, riot, rage, red, roll, rip, hurry, thrust, scurry, ring, crack

Mood: Trouble

use words with 'tr' sounds to signal trouble

trouble, trap, trip, trough, treat, trick, treasure, atroscious, attract, petrol, trance, try, traitor

Mood: Macho Power

If you wan to emphasize the fighters' masculinity, use 'p' sounds.

pole, power, police, cop, pry, pile, post, prong, push, pass, punch, crop, crap, trap, pack, point, part

Mood: Punishment

If your fight involves an element of punishment use 'str' sounds

strict, astride, strike, stripe, stray, strident, stroke, strip, instruct, castrate strive

Mood: Defeat

use 'd' sonds

despari, depressed, dump, dig, dank, damp, darkness, drag, ditch, drop, dead, deep, dark, dull

Mood: Victory

use 'j' and 'ch' sounds

joy, cheer, jubilant, jeer, chuck, chariot, choose, chip, jest, jamboree, jig, jazz, jive, rejoice, rejoin

In print, the effectiveness of such euphonics will be very subtle, and it can only serve as an embellishment to what you already have.

Don't use or replace words for the sake of achieving euphonic effects, but this can be something to keep in mind when you are editing your draft!

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sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

Buddie Countdown to Season 8b:

8 days.

MANIFESTING

“I’ve been on the other side of dying for a very long time.”

“You mean the wrong side?” Derina’s voice teases and then leans in closer to murmurs, “This one’s much more fun.”

Her voice drawls on the last word, and Laila retorts, “Is that your plan? Die, resurrect, seduce an innocent man to depths of the ocean?”

“Hardly. You’re not a man, Ms. Kivris, or innocent for that matter.”

By the spirits, she’s an incorrigible flirt and probably responsible for a dozen stereotypes about sirens. Laila leans back to look at Derina better, the blood in her face running hot and keeps her mouth shut. She doesn’t trust her tongue enough right now.

The corner of Derina's lip curls up knowingly, her eyes wild and tipsy as they focus on her. Laila wets her lips and whispers, “What are you playing at?”

“Just a dance. We’ve got plenty of time until Marty kicks us out.” Derina tugs her hand but makes no motion to get up, brushing her thumb across Laila's knuckles.

10 Best Books About Writing Fiction

Someone recently asked me for some fiction writing book recommendations, so here they are!

Some fiction writing teachers try to steer their students clear of books about writing. While it’s true that there’s a lot of bad or dubious writing advice out there, my philosophy is that more information is always better. Over the years, I’ve read voraciously about fiction writing–upwards of 50 books about the writing life, plot, fiction craft, dialogue, character development, you name it. While I got a little something from each one, here are the 5 star gems that are worth sharing. Enjoy!

Best Books About the Writing Life

Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott

It’s a classic for a reason. Lamott’s trademark humor makes for an effortless read as she shares her wisdom into the process of writing. Equal parts technical help, encouragement, and brutal honesty balance throughout the book, keeping the reader engaged and in good spirits from start to finish.

From Where You Dream, Robert Olen Butler

Butler’s ideas about the process of writing fiction are not necessarily unique, but I’ve found no other book that discusses the writing “trance” as thoroughly as this one. The exercises in this book teach how you to access the writing “dream state” that good stories often come from. The book can be a little esoteric at times, but it’s worth the patience it takes to understand what Butler is getting at here. Especially recommended for writers who have intrusive inner critics, and those who have strong ideas but find that their writing feels lackluster and flat.

The Writing Life, Annie Dillard

This is a short read, so I’ll just provide a titillating quote and you can go pick it up for yourself: “One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now… Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.” -Annie Dillard

Best Books About Fiction Craft

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Rennie Browne and Dave King

Hands down, this is the best craft book on the market. It’s written for beginning writers, but is layered and subtle enough to be useful for advanced writers as well. I’ve read and re-read this book at many different stages of my learning process and taken away something new each time. Unlike the cover suggests, this is not a book about grammar. It shows you how to edit for flow and syntax, to properly tag your dialogue, the basics of show-don’t-tell, as well as providing helpful exercises where you get to try your hand at editing once you’ve learned the techniques.

Stein on Writing, Sol Stein

Make no mistake: Sol Stein is a pompous asshole. But he’s also super, duper smart. I consider this to be an advanced craft book, just because of the level of detail he goes into, but I think a beginner would get a lot out of it as well. Another classic, which means it’s almost always at the library.

Writing Fiction: A Guide to the Narrative Craft, Janet Burroway

Yes, this is a text book. Thick. Heavy. Teeny tiny print. But it’s good. And because it has a million editions, you can get an old version used on the internet for like $.04. Especially nice are the full-length short stories that are supplied as examples in the back of every chapter.

Best Book About Dialogue

Writing Dialogue, Tom Chiarella

Chiarella doesn’t bog the reader down with his own set of hard rules about dialogue, instead he skillfully and humorously persuades the reader about what works and what doesn’t. Busting such myths as “dialogue sounds like real speech,” he gives dozens of creepy-writer-stalker tips like “crowding” and “jotting,” which is basically where you eavesdrop on people and write down what they’re saying. I now carry a notebook on my person at all times specifically for this purpose. I think this book might be out of print (yet 50 Shades of Gray makes millions… is there no justice in this world?), but you can still get it on the internet for a decent price. Do it now before it’s too late!

Best Books About Plot

Plot Whisperer, Martha Alderson

Stupid title, great book. Alderson talks about the idea of the “Universal Story,” which is the process of struggle (conflict) and transformation (climax and resolution) present in most stories. These “energy markers,” she says, are so inherent in our lives, and in the very idea of story itself, that they can be found in almost every plotted novel. She then proceeds to go into insane detail describing these markers and how to incorporate them into your own writing in order to make a plot that resonates with readers. From time to time she also drops some wisdom a la The Artist’s Way (which she calls, I believe, “The Writer’s Way”), helping writers to overcome the hurdles of writing a book. While Alderson is not a writer herself, she has been studying plot and assisting writers with plot struggles for over a decade, and her knowledge and credibility shine in this book. I came away with a much deeper understanding of the purpose of plot and how to wield it, and highly recommend this book.

Wired for Story, Lisa Cron

The sensational subtitle (“The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence”) makes it sound like one of those smarmy write-a-novel-in-30-days books, but don’t be fooled. This the best book on plot I’ve read. It’s devoted to the idea of ‘story’–what makes a story, what people are ‘wired’ to look for and want in a story, and how to satisfy those cravings in your fiction. The 'brain science’ part is presented in a very accessible way, and Cron only gives us enough information to make her point, never overloading the reader with jargon. She talks a lot about the brain’s unconscious impulse to track patterns, make connections, and look for cause-and-effect, and how to translate that into good storytelling. Her definition of 'story’ alone is more valuable than 200 pages of most fiction craft books. There are endless gems in this book, and now my copy (that I purchased! with money! that’s saying a lot already) is completely marked up with pencil and sticky notes. I know this is a book I will refer to time and time again. Highly recommended.

Writing Fiction for Dummies, Randy Ingermanson

If you’re looking for advice about craft, the finer points of good prose, or syntax, look elsewhere. But if you want help with your plot and structure, how to organize scenes, when to cut a scene, how to analyze your characters, keeping your story focused, and what order to do it all in, Ingermanson might just blow your mind. His “Snowflake Method” of plotting is loved by thousands, and is discussed in length all over the internet for free. If it resonates with you, you might want to do what I did and buy the book.

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@theliteraryarchitect is a writing advice blog run by me, Bucket Siler, a writer and developmental editor. For more writing help, download my Free Resource Library for Fiction Writers, join my email list, or check out my book The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers.