WRITING TIPS: VERMILLION

Vermillion is this bright red color that looks like a fresh brick or how we’ve imagined the planet Mars for so long before a rover landed on it.

It’s a very specific red. It feels like it has teeth.

If you told me a character showed up in a shiny red car, my expectation would be a regular sports car–or just a new car. But if you told me he showed up in a shiny vermillion car, now I’m imagining something classic, something expensive, and the person stepping out of it might very well be hazardous to my health.

When reading, we pass over words we’ve seen a lot. They are unconsciously absorbed and exchanged for the next word. Words like ‘the’ ‘a’ ‘is’, they hardly register. And really you want those words to just serve their function, but when it comes to describing a scene or setting a mood, we need words that will trigger a response.

Basic colors like ‘white, brown, black, green, red, gray, blue, yellow, orange, purple’ will hold little sway in invoking the kind of imagery that wakes a reader’s mind and strikes them with that visual that transports them from written word to your scene.

Try using specific shades rather than sticking to the parts of the color wheel we all learned in kindergarten.

Of course, if you overuse those specific colors, they’re likely to lose their impact.

FREE SHORT STORY: SPIDERFACE

Dear Potential Reader,

The following short story a gross one. Told to gross out. Your mileage may vary.

CLICK HERE TO READ

This was a bedtime story told a bit briefer one night . . . and then was requested a second night. Either way, it’s never as great once it’s put to paper and the audience of an interested child or two isn’t there to make it feel like you’ve mastered storytelling.

Hope you enjoy.

All the best,

DAN JIRE

WRITING TIPS: SECLUDE YOURSELF

I can’t imagine writing in a coffee shop. But we see that in movies and TV shows all the time. it’s different for different people, but I believe I write best alone.

Purchasing a laptop really helped, although having an office and a desktop where you can close a door is great too. But for me, the laptop allowed me to write away from an internet connection in my car where no one would bother me.

Go somewhere you can tune out your surroundings. Find a time when distractions aren’t likely. Put the smart phone away and any other temptations.

If you make writing time about writing, you’ll be able to write, and the further away you can get from all the things you need to do around the house, the easier it’ll be not to procrastinate.

FREE SHORT STORY: ENGIRIL

Dear Potential Reader,

The following short story is one about the power of names, and how they can give shape to the fears we would otherwise be unable to describe. There’s something very troubling once a fear takes form, even if it is just a name, it becomes singular and motivated in . . . ENGIRIL!

CLICK HERE TO READ

ENGIRIL was written all the way back in 2012. That year I’d purchased my first laptop—been a desktop guy for the entire of the existence of personal computers until then. It allowed me to write in my car on my lunch break and was part of my first real writing challenge. I had set a goal to write a short story every week. In the end, my goal of 52 stories reached 84! Of which, ENGIRIL was story #40 from week 21! You could say I got on a roll around May and never looked back. Which is often the case when writing every day. There’s a momentum gained, like training for a marathon, my writing muscles increased.

Prior to 2012, I would write when the whim struck me. I wouldn’t force, and I often wouldn’t finish. But in 2012 I was determined.

Not every story was good. Somewhere, I reflected upon which of the 84 stories were worth sharing with the world. And perhaps, ENGIRIL is not up to the same standards I would hold myself up to today.

This wouldn’t be my last writing challenge. They are great to set, but like most goals on January 1st, so many times more often are they abandoned.

Hope you enjoy.

All the best,

DAN JIRE

WRITING TIPS: CONVINCING ARGUMENT

I’ve heard a lot of metaphors for storytelling, but the one thing we’ve all experienced prior to fiction writing is Essay writing.

Think of your story as an essay. Remember you’ll need details and facts to convince your reader of not just what is unfolding but where and when it unfolds.

If you present a convincing argument, you’ll put your reader exactly where you want them to be.

Remember the best tips for essay writing?

Start with a great hook.

Stay on topic.

Provide examples.

Prove your argument.