The Writer's Mailbag: Installment 164

The dialog question was superb and of course your answe! The post office may not be in healthy shape, but business is booming with your mailbag.

Another helpful article. Thanks, Bill.

There's always new information for me to discover in the Mailbag. Thanks, Bill.

Glad to see business as usual at the Mallbag:-)

Oh, what a helpful article, I love it. I have that problem with genre, too; some of my books could be in several at once. I also don't stick to writing in one particular genre, as some writers do. They're probably more successful, but for me, as the writer, variety is more interesting.

Get mailbag!

Hi Bill

I always benefit from reading the mailbag. Today I've learned that my book may also include an author's page. As my editor I suspect you will be including this in future assignments. Yes?

May I take this time to thank you for your patience and expertise as you help me spread my wings and fly.

Love

Audrey

I aim to please. :D

One more interesting mailbag with good questions and worthy answers. I have never tried this dialogue-style of writing. I would like to do it. Can you give some tips on how to bring the characters into dialogues? How to create scenes for dialogue in any story telling form? You may do it in the next mailbag.

I so glad Pam asked this question. I often like a court reporter writing down everything the characters say. My son has commented that it sometimes reads more like a screenplay in need of a director to guide the emotional delivery and impact of the dialogue. I'll use your tips in future and see if that gets me a better review. lol

Now, what about times when a character has a lot that needs to be said. Perhaps in the case of a confession or an emotionally-charged moment? Would your advice still apply?

On a different note, how do you make time flow? How do you let your readers know that a certain amount of time has passed? Do you tell them outright or do you leave clues? I have problems with this.

Hi Bill,

Thanks for answering my question.

The question about picking a genre is an interesting one and you're right, it can be difficult to know which category to choose as they overlap.

I'd like to ask another question, if I may. Although you may not be able to answer it, maybe your readers will. It is about collaboration between an artist and author.

Can this arrangement work on a 50-50 basis or in your opinion would it be better just to pay the artist and be done with it?

Have a wonderful week.

As always, Bill, more good stuff to jumpstart my Monday - oops! I mean Tuesday. Thanks for taking my question, and I enjoyed the videos, as well. Thank you for also taking on Pam's dialogue question. I tend to have the same problem.

Bill I think this time, late summer is always interesting around here. You can hear the echoes in the empty hallways. So speaking of such, like the release of movies do book releases have best times of year?

And likewise, does your freelance client writing slow down?

I know I know about dog days of summer and that it just relates to a constellation but it sure is sluggish for me.

Another good installment. Thanks for the information! Have a great week!

Hi Bill - I see the copyright question, is a question that keeps on giving. The question about genre is much tougher. I look at those list to see if anything I write fits well, then just guess. Good to hear that you will get to devote some time to writing at the end of September.

Hi Bill. The questions may have been few but they were very interesting and new. You are correct about stolen content, the time it takes to investigate and then do something about it means most of the time I just let it go. This is as you said, just what they are counting on. Great job, have a wonderful week.

These are some goodies this week, Bill. I got tickled at Bill's question, albeit a serious one. I could tell when an HP article of mine was stolen along with my personal photos that I published with it. LOL I'm sure he didn't mean that, but as the phrase goes, "you can't copyright an idea, but you can copyright your version of it." Hope you enjoyed the eclipse in your neck of the woods. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't so spectacular as to inspire me to write about it. Just another day standing sweating in the sun, but at least I wasn't baying at the moon.

As you said Bill, totally new questions this week, even though there weren't many. I found them all very interesting. Good job.

Thanks to you Bill, and to your readers for the new information shared in the mailbag. Off to check Virily!

I always enjoy the mailbag and I thank you for that.

Thank you, bill!

Ann :)

Thanks Bill.

You've probably figured out that I'm taking a break from here as best I can. I wanted to return to do a prose piece on Love and hope, which I mention because your opening piece reminds me of it. We need so much Love and empathy at this time! At all times, yes, but perhaps even more so now.

Yes, the frustration and hate is immense. We can do so much to inspire the downtrodden; those who fear or feel lost. Concern, Love ... doing unto others as we would like for ourselves ...

Great questions and excellent response. Why the sadness in Rasma's life? Has she lost someone?

I like your take on Beverley and your books. Just brilliant!!

So long my brother. We are doing our best to send out healing vibes. Let us continue ... let us continue. Praise be!!

P.S. I note the advice to you about the eclipse. Be very, very careful. I wouldn't look, even with those special glasses.

Very interesting read this week, Bill. Thanks for the coverage. I hope you're enjoying the eclipse!

Hey Bill, Go out and see the eclipse. They don't happen all that often around here so it's a cool thing to see. I remember the first one I saw on the school yard as a 4th grader. Perhaps I should write it into a story... Thanks for another great mailbag.

Blessings,

Denise

Yet another great mailbag! The genre question is interesting and very apt; I often wonder what to choose for the topic of my hubs as they often overlap. If I haven't had many visits, then I change the topic and it often works. Sadly, you can't do that with a book though.

Thanks for the nudge in your intro, bill. We do need to write in order to do something about this situation which is worsening throughout the world. Trouble is, anything remotely akin to the political is regarded as fair game for those who want to make horrible remarks, severely criticise or worse. I suppose they reflect the problem.

I am, however, going to try to pen something which I've been mulling over lately. In an effort to make it effective, I run the risk of not making an impact. However, there's no harm in trying!

Now there's a question! How do you remain effective on sensitive points without offending? No matter how hard one tries it's still possible to offend someone because some just want an excuse to be offended! What do you think?

Sorry if I've put you on the spot; you don't have to include it in the mailbag if you don't want to!

We have a melodiously mind-soothing Monday here, full of sunshine at last. Have a good one, bill!

Ann :)

Great installment. Dialogue can be quite challenging but I love the challenge and enjoy writing it. I'm on the Gig Harbor waterfront housesitting. It's Misty and the sun is amazing.

Great mailbag as always, Bill. Very intutitive to talk about various subject matters. I tend to write thrillers and romantic suspense for my fiction niches. Nice book collection in the photos too.

Happy Monday Bill! Great mailbag to read on this "historical" Monday! I don't know if you will be able to see the eclipse or not (MN doesn't get much of a view, plus might be cloudy) but I'm sure I can watch it on tv...lol

Have a great rest of the week!

Good Eclipse Morning!

Re: Author's Page. For heaven's sake, writers, include it! Doesn't have to be your entire life story. Just what make you relatable and interesting. Most of the manuscripts I get to review do not include an author's page. What's even funnier is that many of these authors say they're writing a nonfiction book to build their authority and business' sales. So... how do they expect readers to connect without author info included? Marketing, marketing, marketing!

Re: Genre Choosing. This is tough, but essential, for both fiction and nonfiction. What I suggest authors do is go to Amazon and find some similar books to yours (yes, there are other books like yours out there). See how the author and/or Amazon has categorized them in the Product Details section. If you want to be in the good company of these works and competing authors, then that's a genre or category to choose.

Since we won't be in total darkness here in Chicago with the eclipse, I'll just keep on working. Have a terrific week!

Bill, it doesn't seem that this mailbag will expire any time soon, and for that I am thankful. I look forward to Mondays just because of you! Great question and response about Virily. I had not heard of it, but like you I assume it will fizzle out and go the way of Niume (too bad).

Dialogue in a novel--Jody Picoult does a good job with this part of writing. Your friend Pam should take a look at some of her books.