The Time My Sister Had A Seizure

As you may know, about two weeks ago, I told you I would be going to NYC for a few days and wouldn't be able to post. I WAS going to New York, until my sister had a seizure the night before we were supposed leave.

A seizure is a very scary thing, everything you stand to lose is put right there in front you, warning you to be very careful. My sister, who is in a wheelchair, was going to the table for dinner when my family's new puppies walked over to her. Instantly, I went to tell her to sit back as it had become a very annoying, very bad habit. After a split second, I realized she was shaking. All I remember next was my mother shouting for me to get her a change of clothes and being told to get my father.

I ran up the stairs screaming "Daddy, daddy", words I had not used for my father in a very long time. I remember crying and feeling incredibly guilty for having snapped at her moments before, something she would not remember. An ambulance came and took her away, leaving my two other siblings and I, scared and unsure of what to do.

She came home the next day, making a full recovery. Even now, weeks later, they still don't know what had caused it. Anxiety and dehydration are what my family assume caused the first seizure my sister ever had. She is leaving for UMASS Amherst in a week. It could have also been my sister's Cerebral Palsy, a disability that gives her no use of her arms and legs.

I think the main reason I'm telling you this is because I'm leaving for NYC tomorrow, so I won't be posting until Monday. It also could be that life can sometimes get in the way of things. It might even get in the way of your writing, but you shouldn't let that stop you.

New Blog Design!

If you've visited this site before, you may notice it looks very different. I gave the blog a makeover! A new color scheme, fresh fronts, and a clean side bar later, and voila! It's bee-u-ti-full! Hope you like it!

Showing Instead of Telling

Showing instead of telling can greatly improve your writing and your word count. If you look through your writing, and find that you could be more descriptive, chances are, there is too much telling. How do I fix it, you ask? It's not hard if you put your mind to it.

Here is an example of telling,
Laila walked across the room and looked out the window to see a creepy fog over the harbor.

Here is how to show that same scene,
Laila glided across the dark room, watching out the window as an eery fog descended over the harbor.

There's definitely a difference, right? In the first example, you get a general sense of the scene, but it's not enough to make you feel there. However, in the second example, you see things more clearly.

You never want to tell emotions, either. Don't say Sally is sad, show it. Don't tell the reader David is angry, show it.

To fix scenes like this in your story, use richer adjectives and more descriptive verbs. Adverbs are okay, but using too many can become annoying for a reader.

 This doesn't mean to overload your sentences with adjectives, TOO much description isn't okay either.  Here is an example of using too much description:

Paul nervously approached the cherry red front door and shakily jolted the gold knocker as his hand shook.

See how this is too much? I was adding adjectives, just to add adjectives, not to help the story. Readers need a little freedom to imagine. Adding adjectives can also become repetitive. For example, we already know that he was shaky as knocked on the door, so why do we need to know his hand shook? Here is the same sentence, but with a more controlled use of adjectives:

Paul's whole body shook as he approached the cherry red door. His sweaty palms tightened as he used the gold-plated knocker to aware the house of his presence. 

We still know he is nervous, without being repetitive.  There are now two sentences, but it's necessary to explain the situation with it becoming a run-on sentence.

Dialogue can also be a form of telling. If a character knows another character knows something, they shouldn't tell that character what the other character already knows. (This is a bit confusing, and a tongue twister, but I can't think of another way to explain it!) It is possible to weave in the information though. For example, if Fred knows his friend, Bob wants a scooter instead of a bike, he shouldn't ask Bob if he wants a bike.

I hope this post will help those who are a little unclear. If you have any more questions, comment them below!

I'm Back!

You may have noticed that there hasn't been a post in a while, sorry for that! My computer started acting up a few weeks ago, so I brought it to the Apple store and they replaced the screen under warranty, but when I brought it home, it wouldn't start! It took some time to fix it, so I had zero access to Blogger.  I'm back now, and itching to write!