Silent Joe

by T. Jefferson Parker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I know of no author who writes such unique characters as does T. Jefferson Parker. Joe Trona (the protagonist in Silent Joe) is yet another in Parker’s stable of main characters that I loved getting to know. He is the 23-year-old adopted son of a politician who spends his entire life thankful to the father who saved him from a family-less life–picked Joe from among all other children in the Home despite the acid burns that covered half of Joe’s face. From that day forward, Trona hones his body to a level of strength that will defend him from future attacks and trains his mind to seek out danger to his father. But, early in the story, he fails and his father dies. Joe makes it his job to find the killers and bring them to justice.

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I write techno-thrillers, so I’m always reading about computers, technology, the Latest Stuff. Here are some of my

Geeks come in all sizes

favorite Geek Speak words (Computer nerds are so neologistic):

1. alpha geek–the most technologically savvy dude in the company
2. amazonned–amazonized, means you’ve lost a chunk of your business to a dot-com.
3. back hack–when you get hacked, you return the favor
4. beta baby–child born to a high-tech pro after 1995
5. code 18–Used by tech support to disguise when they’re calling a technical issue user-caused. They’re so PC
6. cyberterrorism–terror on a computer
7. digital jewelry–any hi-tech stuff you wear around your neck–ipods, phones, etc.
8. edress–an electronic address (IP, IM, email, etc.)
9. idea hampster–Someone who always has his/her idea generator running
10. inner geek–the techie deep within each of us

Face

Can you describe body parts without being boring?

I got a lot of feedback on my post on physical descriptors for characters, A Nose by Any Other Name. Here are a few more that will jog your inspiration:

• Brush of make-up and light touch of lipstick

Mouth, neck and chin

• Square chin
• Strong chin
• hanging jowls
• slack, hanging mouth
• long neck
• Adam’s apple
• Neck muscles were drumhead tight
• Beard gone to white
• Thick brown mustache gone to gray

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Tech Tips for Writers is an (almost) weekly post on overcoming Tech Dread. I’ll cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have shared. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I’ll cover it in a future Tip.

Q: I’m copy-pasting between a Word doc and an Excel doc on my computer. I know how to do that, but here’s the problem: I have three Word docs open. I don’t want to close the other two because I’ll need them soon. It takes a lot of time to click down to the taskbar, bring up the Word group and find the correct Word doc. Is there an easier way?

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When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know you’ve done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer’s tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make the adjustments.

Today’s tip: Finish what you start

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A Catskill Eagle

by Robert B. Parker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It doesn’t matter which Spenser novel you read–I suggest you start with the first one, Godwulf Manuscript. They all draw you into the fascinating, quick-moving world of Spenser, the PI. They’re all short, easily read in a few days (in no small part because you won’t want to stop). The early books introduce we the reader to the world of Spenser the PI, where he makes the rules, is honest and caring, but razor-edge sharp, where he was kicked out of the police force because he didn’t take direction well, but as a PI, gets along well with his local police.

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You want to be a writer–have lusted after this golden ring since … forever. You took writing classes, attended seminars and conferences, read a whole bunch of books. You did NaNoWriMo, NaNoBloMo, entered contests. You finished a novel, sent it out–and nothing. It’s like the Void. No answer. No fireworks. No welcoming arms, lauding your achievement. No excitement over the fulfillment of a decade of work.

No biggy. You know from talking to friends that it’ll be up to you to write, market, sell, and write some more.

But how do you do that?

You build a brand. You create a name so when people see you’ve written a book, they rush out to buy it–or at least, check it out.

How do you do this? By writing. A lot.

I have 110 published non-fiction books. You’d think by shear weight, I’d be famous. Anyone who’s published that much must be. Truth? No one would know me if I didn’t (constantly) work the marketing. Because I do, if you Google ‘tech teacher’, I’m on the first page (often above the fold). If you Google ‘Ask a tech teacher’ even without the quotes, I’m above the fold on the first page. If you Google ‘KidPix’ (a popular drawing software for K-5, one that gets tens of thousands of daily hits), I’m on the first page.

Voice/Words

Are they dancing or fighting?

No, you can’t simply say mouth. When you look at someone’s face, their mouth (or eyes, or noses–you understand) do stuff. They twitch, glow, wrinkle, any number of movements that as an author, will add detail and intrigue to your story, as well as define your character. Here’s a list I’ve culled from books I read. As with all of these lists, don’t use them verbatim; adjust them with your author’s voice, to suit your situations.

And, add your own in the comment section. Share with the rest of the community:

• His voice trailed off; the conclusions was inescapable
• Spoke in a hoarse whisper
• Said with weary resignation
• Hollow voice
• Voice low and gravely
• Voice thick with conviction, guilt, etc
• She asked between bites of calamari
• Voice cracked and raw
• Speaking in quiet tones
• Hadn’t realized she was holding her breath
• Breathy explosion of words
• Tone weary, but cheerful
• He dropped into topics she cared passionately about, but she didn’t comment
• He wondered briefly
• Segued to a different topic,
• Voice low, tone uncertain
• Something like a sigh
• Words were slurred and lisping
• Mouth turned up a fraction of an inch
• Spittle on his lips
• his grammar and syntax were good
• She digressed
• His voice hardened as he spoke
• Her words seemed to lead me close, in hopes I’d provide my own answers
• The comment wasn’t a question
• His thin voice took on a pedantic tone
• The babble of talk died at his entry. He blinked as his eyes adjusted.
• I sense a but coming
• Meaningless gibberish
• Breath came in ragged gasps
• Anger crept into his voice
• Bark out critical info in short sharp yelps
• Tight-lipped
• Looked left and right before starting
• Sam waited until he grunted back
• Elvis fished his name out of the fog of conversation

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Tech Tips for Writers is an (almost) weekly post on overcoming Tech Dread. I’ll cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have shared. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I’ll cover it in a future Tip.

Q: I’m supposed to find a tool on the toolbar, but there are so many and I have no idea what they are for? It’s just as bunch of pictures to me. Is there an easy way to figure this out?

A: To figure out what a tool does on the toolbar or 2007/10”s ribbon, hover your mouse over the tool (place the mouse above it without clicking). A tool tip will appear with a clue as to what it’s for.

This works in any program with a toolbar or ribbon–MS Office, the internet, Photoshop, and more.

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When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know you’ve done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer’s tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make the adjustments.

Today’s tip: Be careful of your word selection.

Don’t use a unique word more than once. If you use convoluted or plethora more than once–in the book–readers will notice. The first time, they’ll like it. The second time, they’ll wonder about your writing skills.

Conversely, don’t be afraid to repeat the unimportant words, like coffee, desk.