Shortlisted
in the Picture Book Section of the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards for
Children and Young Adults for
The Three Bears (Sort Of) Illustrated by Donovan Bixley
The Three Bears (Sort Of) Illustrated by Donovan Bixley
The more you read good writing, the more you will get a feeling for what
works and what doesn’t. You might want to keep a notebook, and if you come
across a really striking sentence or clever simile, jot it down.
Then – practise. You don’t have to write complete stories when you
practise your writing. Paragraphs, or even sentences are fine. What you want to
do is re-craft your work to make it as interesting as possible. Character or
scene descriptions are a good starting point. Observe people around you. How
would you describe them in a few sentences?
Many writers like the phrase “Show, don’t tell,” and so do I! How much
better it is to write: “The man’s skin was wrinkled like discarded tissue
paper, and as he shuffled forward I imaged I could hear his tired joints
creak…” rather than “The man was old…”
Okay – now it’s your turn. How would you describe: a crying newborn baby,
a rough looking criminal, a busy young mum?
From: Too Good to Miss Volume 2 May 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment