Gender -- Voice -- Dialogue -- Drafts
I belong to a few non-writerly forums as "Rob" (which is actually what my Mom and brothers call me), various last names ;). Anyway, I hardly ever try to sound male, and unless I've been writing male POV for a manly man like Cratag, I have a suspicion that I come across gay.
Which is fine by me.
But I do take into account the speech patterns of guys when I write them...or females, too. For instance writing Del is proving to be a challenge. She doesn't analyze her emotions much, especially for a woman, or a heroine of my books. She's a practical woman and just goes forward...not like Alexa who I think is like Harry Potter who rushes forward impulsively, ready to do what needs to be done, almost fearless.
So Del speaks in short sentences and I've tried to keep the internals to a minimum. It might be a good exercise, to SHOW all her feelings in dialogue or interactions, even from other POVs...but that does take time and brainpower, the kind of thinking that can wear you out when writing it. So maybe this will be a revise-a-lot book, a book written in layers
Usually when I finish a first draft, it's all there, everything I have. I'll polish it some more, of course, and if Beta readers point out problems, I will fix, but I don't rush a draft through then go back and layer in stuff. Just not how I work.
That's the musing on writing for today. ;)
May you enjoy your work and play today, and keep an ear out for dialogue.
Robin
Which is fine by me.
But I do take into account the speech patterns of guys when I write them...or females, too. For instance writing Del is proving to be a challenge. She doesn't analyze her emotions much, especially for a woman, or a heroine of my books. She's a practical woman and just goes forward...not like Alexa who I think is like Harry Potter who rushes forward impulsively, ready to do what needs to be done, almost fearless.
So Del speaks in short sentences and I've tried to keep the internals to a minimum. It might be a good exercise, to SHOW all her feelings in dialogue or interactions, even from other POVs...but that does take time and brainpower, the kind of thinking that can wear you out when writing it. So maybe this will be a revise-a-lot book, a book written in layers
Usually when I finish a first draft, it's all there, everything I have. I'll polish it some more, of course, and if Beta readers point out problems, I will fix, but I don't rush a draft through then go back and layer in stuff. Just not how I work.
That's the musing on writing for today. ;)
May you enjoy your work and play today, and keep an ear out for dialogue.
Robin
posted by FantasyAuthor RobinDOwens | 12:01 AM
3 Comments:
A reader ......Sounds like fun to see a couple where she is a practical, down to earth, doer and an actor always "on" listening to himself and posing! and being younger! She'd find it very difficult to take this boy seriously!! Fun, fun to make it work but difficult, to do it in a way that wan be believed. These types rarely blend/mix together well even as friends!
Can't wait to read it.
A reader... please excuse the mistakes. This new way of leaving a note doesn't allow for editing. Sorry!
LOL, I never care about mistakes. I make them myself (in my last post I had to retype my own NAME a couple of times).
He's acting like a man, mostly, at 28 and she is 36, so it is working. I'm enjoying their time together.
Robin
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