Just a little writing tidbit--Show, not Tell

A very good writer friend of mine pointed out to me this week that as writers, we must remember to show and not tell. This can sometimes be as simple as saying, "The color rose to her cheeks and she sniffed loudly before scratching her nose." --instead of flat out saying,"She lied." The color and the scratch to the nose will tell the reader that she is embarrassed about something. The other sentences in the paragraph will set the stage for the lie. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we are trying to tell in our story, that we forget to show until our faithful critique partner points it out and saves the day. The word "seem" is a definite no-no too. So if you are new to writing, and are ready for a great piece of learning, there it is: Show, not tell. But don't get so wrapped up in making it so perfect that you kill your story in the process. Tell your story first, then you can fix your tells, or grammatical errors in the editing process. I learned that from Kim Vogel Sawyer, a great friend and a great writer. Glean all you can from other writers. I haven't met a mean one yet!!

Love is in the Air

Thinking of Valentine's Day is fun for me because I am a hopeless romantic. Lace, pearls, velvet, ornate carvings, old letters, calligraphy, ruffles, anything victorian are things that I think of around this time of year. And of course, I think of Love. I was a love at first, or maybe second sight kind of girl. My husband asked me to marry him 12 days after we met. And I said "yes." We had a fairytale wedding, complete with the Cinderella dress, yards and yards of tulle, roses, and three tier cake. I even wore a crown. I think of all of the Valentine's Days since we met. Honey has done fairly well at romantic presents. My favorite was a pink flowering shrub. He kept telling me to water it, so I did, and it died. The internet said that I overwatered it. How's that for romantic? Then there was the time that he bought me a beautiful ring with money I had put back in a savings account that he found one day at the bank and thought it was money we forgot about. Yes, those are the moments. He also bought me some very good praise and worship CD's. So all is not lost. This year, he wants to "go on a date." I'm thinkin that's a definite plan. I like that idea. Of course my idea of a romantic movie would be something by Nicholas Sparks, and his would be more like Steven Segal. Still, Honey is fun to be with, and dates are few and far between with 5 in tow. So..... Love is in the air, and I'm breathing it in.