Writing

Name callers: Improve Your Insults AKA Fun With Words

To All Name Callers: Improve Your Insults (AKA Words Are Fun)

Lynette M Burrows

I’m tired of all the school grounds name calling that is done in the name of “discussing” politics and speaking up to protect us. Name calling is an attempt to bully or diminish someone with demeaning language. It is the least effect means of “discussion.” So I’ve decided to issue a challenge to all name callers: improve your insults. And because it’s unlikely the name callers will do research in order to improve their insults, I’m providing you with a choice of words. (In case you don’t get it—I’m not really asking you to improve your insults. I’d rather you don’t insult anyone. I provide this list because I love words and these are fun to say.) Suggested Words Acerbate—a bitter person Bedswerver—An adulterer Billingsgate—coarse or abusive language Bloviate—people who talk for a long time or who inflate their story to make themselves sound better Bumfuzzle—confused, perplexed, flustered Cacafuego—Swaggering braggart or boaster Contumelious — insolent; rude and sarcastic; contemptuous Dingus: A person regarded as stupid Discombobulated—Very confused and disorganized  Drate-Poke—One who drawls or speaks indistinctly. Flibbertigibbet—a silly person who talks incessantly Fopdoodle—Insignificant or foolish man Gardyloo—a warning shouted before slop bucket is dumped out the window Gobermouch—Prying person who likes to […]

If She Loves a Rag Doll, Is She Still Evil?

Lynette M Burrows

In My Soul to Keep, there is a character who is a murderous psychopath. She’s been purposely programmed to be that kind of person.  So how do you go about creating a story villain who’s truly evil but has some redeeming qualities? If she loves a rag doll, is she still evil? HOW Fortunately I had a mentor who knew how. How did he know? First, he’s smart. Second, he’s studied successful fiction and movies for a long time. What did he say to me that gave me a clue? He reminded me that a great story villain isn’t all villain all the time.. He also reminded me to look at the villains in books I’ve loved. For example, in Dean Koontz’s The Watchers there is a creature who had been created to be a destroyer, a murderer. He’s loathsome in appearance in and in deed. However, there’s a scene where the investigator-character discovers the monster’s lair. In the lair, the monstrous villain has treasured objects that include a collection of Disney branded toys and movies. It made this reader’s heart soften a touch toward the monster. And it made the monster more real, less one dimensional. WHAT I DID I […]

How I Found the Right Editor

Lynette M Burrows

It was more than luck. Creating a book takes a team. I spoke about how I chose my cover artist. How I found the right editor for My Soul to Keep was to search for the right one several months before I needed one. It took some work, some due diligence, and some patience. But it paid off. Which Type? The first step in my journey to find the right editor was to research the different types of editors. It can get confusing. When you search the internet there are folks who say there are four types, five types, nine types, and more! But for most freelancers, it boils down to four general types. Developmental editors who work with you on the structure and arc of the story. Copy editors examine your finished story for consistency, grammar, and flow. Line editors address the writing style, language, and content on a sentence level. Proofreaders are the nit-pickers who look for typos and misplaced words or punctuation. Each writer’s needs, every novel’s needs, are different. I had a mentor who had helped me with developing the story. But my weaknesses were grammar and consistency. So I needed a copy editor. But there […]