12) NaNoWriMo day 3!

Alright, so we are three days into NaNo... everyone still breathing? Check your pulses. Stretch your legs. Brace yourself for more... MoMoWriMo (More More Write More?)

Anyway, I fell a bit behind due to Halloween. Derek needs more pressure into starting, I think he is scared, so tweet him words of encouragement! @derekdyer_WF

Now go forth, and forge your story!

-Matt

Let us know how your WriMo is going! Leave a link to your author bio below! We'd love to hear about it! If you liked this post, and like the blog, help us grow! Like, comment, share, tell everyone you know about this great blog and be part of a growing writer community. Follow each of us on Twitter! (@MattTaylor1776 and @derekdyer_WF)

6) Midweek Madness! NaNoWriMo ALERT! /*Writing Prompt*/

As some of you may know, November is the National Novel Writing Month, or, NaNoWriMo!

The website is here: http://nanowrimo.org/ (go check it out.) (seriously...) (do it.)

The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words or more before November ends. This year, we here at Wordsmith's Foundry, will be taking up the challenge! (I will definitely, I'm pretty sure Derek will be too... go comment on his stuff and tell him he best be doin' it. Wow I sound bossy today.)

The website is cool because it will show you writing groups in your region, give you a progress tracker, and when you finish you get a little pat on the back and a rah rah rah email (something cheery and encouraging, like a, YOU DID IT!)

I recommend that as November approaches, you start world building, or any outlining, now. By getting all of that out of the way, you will make the job of actually throwing 50k words onto paper a hell of a lot easier.

If you are interested, you can join us in this challenge. Visit the website for more details. If you like this post and this blog, comment below, and share. Let's nail NaNoWriMo, get your friends involved, your dog, your hamster, your mailman, everyone.

Now go forth beloved readers, and forge your story!

Matt

(Follow Derek and I on twitter! @MattTaylor1776 @derekdyer_WF)

/*Writing Prompt*/

Start world building for your NaNoWriMo project!

2) Tasteful Dialect in Dialogue /*Writing Prompt*/

There is a time for all writers where we will encounter a new territory with new speech patterns. Be it from putting our beloved characters into a foreign country, or a made up area of our choosing in which we are not familiar with portraying through dialogue. If yer in the South 'er the midwestern part of the U.S. , or quite possibly in the fertile green rolling fields of Great Britain which are an absolute beauty to behold, there is a possibility that you are emphasizing your characters dialect in such a strong manner that the reader can find it annoying, or even humorous. I am very much a firm believer that dialect can be overdone and is only necessary to include under very specific guidelines. If yer character is a doggone good fer nothin' pistol tootin' outlaw found anywhere but where you would expect to find him, (and we all know where we would expect to find him) then you should have built your world and setting adequately enough for the accent to be implied to the reader. That is, hopefully the reader is already hearing their voice in their head with the correct accent. However, Small dribbles of dialect can actually add to your setting. For the example of the southerner, somethin' a bit lighter may be of better service. There are times as writers where we will do exactly this. We will blow our characters completely out of proportion. We will ignore all laws of literate speech and put our characters somehow above what is considered an acceptable form of communication, and send our dear readers into a fit of cacophonous laughter until they close the book and admit defeat. (hopefully your book won't collect to much dust until finding the hands of a reader who enjoys this kind of thing.) Much like a steak is seasoned, it is important we are mindful of the seasoning of our character's individual dialect.

With all this being said, I do still believe that as writers we are inclined to make our own choices as to what is appropriate, and what is not. Such is the beauty of writing. This is not a rule, but an observation based on what MY personal palette prefers as a reader. (and how I personally like to write) Think of it as constructive criticism. If you fall into the category of blowing dialogue out of proportion, (akin to Michael Bay's use of explosions) then go ahead, let this be your style.Just make sure you are comfortable with it. Find your scope, find your perspective, sprinkle in as many dialects as you see fit, and for God's sake go forth and forge your story!

-Derek

Do you agree or disagree? Don't forget to comment below and follow/share! Twitter : @derekdyer_WF

/*Writing Prompt*/

Write a scene three times using a character with an accent other than your own. Once with a conservative amount of dialect, again with an absurd emphasis on their dialect, and a third time somewhere in between.