Tuesday, December 18, 2007

I Am Writer, Hear Me Roar

Danette over at Summer Friend has given me a Roar for Powerful Words award. Thank you, Danette! I'm honored you feel that way!



As part of the award, I am asked to (a) name three things that make for powerful writing and (b) award the Roar to five deserving bloggers.

So, three things that I feel make for powerful writing (and I'm going to focus on fiction writing here):

1. Strong, believable characters. The best plot in the world won't hold my attention if I don't care about the characters.

2. A distinctive voice. Writing needs to have personality and rhythm. I read everything "out loud in my head" so I pick up a nuanced voice right away. Without it, writing falls flat.

3. Solid mechanics. To write well, we need to write well. This means good grammar and punctuation, yes, but it goes beyond that to include smooth transitions, effective dialog tags, strong verbs, etc. A compelling idea, put to paper in a well constructed sentence, can be a powerful thing indeed.

Now, onto the five awardees. I read lots of great blogs, so this tough. But here goes:

Sara Lewis Holmes
Sam Riddleburger
Adrienne Kress
J (a newbie to blogging, but she packs a punch!)
J.K. Mahal

You can accept your awards over at The Shameless Lions Writing Circle. I'll see you there, assuming we all make it past the paparazzi in one piece!

10 comments:

Stephanie, PQW said...

First, I'd like to thank the little people...oh wait, wrong speech. Thanks Linda for the vote of confidence and the boost of encouragement. What a pleasant surprise.

Sara said...

The Shameless Lions...what an awesome name. Thanks so much! I mean, ROAR!!!

Sam said...

Thanks, Nut!

I'll take gladly accept the award, but I can't think of the last time I wrote anything "powerful." And I'm a big-time user of weak verbs.
But like I said, I'll take it -- and pass it on...

LindaBudz said...

No need to thank me, J, Sara and Sam. You earned it! Thank YOU for your powerful writing.

And Sam, are you kidding? Qwikpick is powerful for all three of the reasons I named.

Adrienne said...

Wow. Uh . . . I'd like to thank the academy . . .and everyone who's helped me along the way . . .and . . . who am I kidding! I thank no one, I'm fabulous, I so deserve this!

(seriously though, thanks linda so much, that is really flattering!)

LindaBudz said...

Hi, Adrienne! You just go on with your fabulous self ... but, stop hogging the red carpet! Some of us little people need some camera time, too!

J.K. Mahal said...

Wow! I'm so honored... which in red carpet land means I'll be tripping in my high heels and falling over any minute now. *g*

Thank you so much.

LindaBudz said...

Just remember to keep a smile plastered on as you fall and you'll be fine!

Danette Haworth said...

Linda,
I'm so glad you made it past the paparazzi! Your gown was lovely.

LindaBudz said...

Thanks, Danette! Though of course, you stole the show in that Santa cap!