The Scribes, Comprehensive Writing Services
Box 368 V0P 1N0 Quathiaski Cove, BC, Canada

A new post on the blog The Writers' Study looks at why details matter and how to unleash their drama in both fiction and nonfiction. You'll find intriguing examples of how emerging writer Marilyn Clements made concrete details do double-duty: http://thescribes.ca/blog/

One of my entrenched writing habits is to fall into a 'passive' voice that suggests, instead of tells, the reader what's happening. That may pass unnoticed in conversation--but it clogs up a piece of writing with too many words and an indirect sense of what's afoot. Take a look at examples of passive sentences spiked up into their active form in a post from the Writers Study Blog ~ http://thescribes.ca/write-clear-bold-sentences-in-the-act/

Writing about people--which is at the heart of any piece, whether it's fiction or nonfiction--requires details. If that real or imagine protagonist is a fuzz in your imagination try writing a chronological list of his or her life facts to see what emerges. Take a look at the current Writers' Study Blog Post for an example: http://thescribes.ca/blog/

Creative Writing Primer Oct 15 & 29, Nov 12 & 26, & Dec 10 (includes Remembrance Day weekend) Sundays 1:30 - 4:00 p.m. Museum at Campbell River, BC... Instructor: Jeanette Taylor (author of River City and Tidal Passages) Fee: $165 The research is done and you're ready to write that memoir, biography, family history or fiction, guided by story crafting tips, instructor feedback and interactive discussion. You'll complete a short story or chapter during this workshop, which includes in-class and homework assignments and a comprehensive binder of how-to articles. Topics include: story planning, finding focus, characters, settings, scenes, writing craft, voice, writer's block, self-motivation and publication options. The workshop is suitable for newcomers to creative writing and those looking for a tune up to get set for the writing season ahead. Call the museum at 250-287-3103 to register, or Jeanette at 250-285-3651 for more info. Seats are limited, to allow for an interactive class.

Sometimes a mystery from the past just gets more convoluted the deeper you dig for the facts. The deaths of Reverend Harpur Nixon and his daughter-in-law Margaret, of Twin Islands, BC is yet another example! See http://thescribes.ca/blog/. (Photo here is courtesy Museum at Campbell River, #5442.)

'Show' readers what's happening, instead of simply telling them. Give them the details, spiced up with a few lively quotes, to let them build their own images and draw their own conclusions. Do that and you'll have readers fully hooked! For examples of ways to improve a passage to engage readers see the blog post: http://thescribes.ca/write-a-more-convincing-scene/'

Does one of your central characters--in a novel or nonfiction--seem flat, rather than fully alive and believable. Maybe you don`t know enough about her. Pose these questions to broaden your background knowledge: http://thescribes.ca/blog/.

The setting can be a live force in both fiction and nonfiction. Use it to flesh out the theme of your piece and to mirror the unfolding drama, as described in http://thescribes.ca/writing-a-setting-into-the-story/

In the absence of direct accounts about pioneer women in BC, their circumstances are all we have as clues to their inner lives. Check out this blog post about two such women, one of whom settled on remote Harbledown Island in the Broughton Archipelago in the 1890s: http://thescribes.ca/blog/ Photo: Charlotte Gower Galley & her daughter Alte, c.1862, Victoria. BC., courtesy the late Elaine Langlois.

Does family history have the drama needed to attract a wide readership? The answer lies in the writer's ability to step back from the material, to find its universal appeal. "The Jugglers Children," creative nonfiction by Carolyn Abraham, and "Postmark Bayou Chene", a novel by Gwen Roland, do just that. Check out the premise for both these award-winning books on our current blog post: http://thescribes.ca/blog/. Photo: Gwen Roland, writer of Bayou Chene, in her Louisiana garden.

Boost your creative writing impact! It's the specific details, invoking the senses, that draws readers in, making them believe in the reality of a piece. This is when the writer--of both fiction and nonfiction-- 'shows' readers what's up, rather than simply 'telling' them. For those new to creative writing, 'showing' requires thought and practise. Try Alice LaPlante's camera trick, described in The Scribes current blog post: http://thescribes.ca/lifelike-writing-to-engage-readers-mi/