The Eastport Series Blog: "Where do you get your words?"

"Where do you get your words?"

I recently did an author chat at Delaware Valley Christian Church in Media, PA. (Shout out to my homies.) It was a lot of fun and there were some great questions that evening. "Where do you get your words?" was one of them.

I had to think a moment - where DO I get my words?? I understood what the questioner was asking. She wasn't doubting my grasp on the English language, instead she wanted to know how I used words to differentiate speech between characters, and to paint pictures. So where does that all come from?

For dialog, I believe most of it comes from life experience and being around a variety of people. Regionally, people may speak in a similar manner, for example, Philadelphians really do say "Yo" and New Englanders really do say "wicked". But no matter the region, there's a vast difference between individuals. Some people's words are dressed in kindness while others are dressed for war. Some are blunt, some are opaque. Some have a lilt in their voice that you could listen to all day, others . . . not so much. As an author, I draw on those differences so that you, as the reader, can tell who's speaking even without the words "said so-and-so".

Here's a fun game. Who said this?

1. "Hmph."

2. "You gonna do this every day ol' man?"

3. "I'm not that young, just well-preserved."

4. "Nothing's going on, I'm fine."

5. "We all deserve a second chance."

You can only play the game if you've read both books in the series. The answers are below.

Descriptively, as when I write about the setting or what a character looks like, to choose the right wording, I close my eyes. That may seem counter-intuitive, but for me, it works. By closing my eyes, I rid myself of other visual distractions and focus my attention on the subject at hand. If I'm describing a sunrise, for example, it's not helpful for me to be staring at my computer screen or the pile of papers in my in-bin. Instead, I close my eyes. I see darkness at first, then faint rays hovering just above the horizon. I watch in my mind's eye as the sun reveals itself in all its glory, then I write down what I see.

Sometimes words come from conversations. Someone in my bible study a few weeks ago said she was a "professional forgetter". I loved it. Afterward, I asked for her permission to use that in a future book. Here's a few more phrases I've picked up recently:

• Has anybody seen my dignity?

• My mind has been boggled.

• Fish always see the bait, never the hook.

• We're similar in a lot of different ways.

Aren't those fun? (I can hear Mary, Emma's assistant, saying a couple of those.)

One final place I find my words is through inspiration from the Holy Spirit. I pray before I begin writing, I pray frequently while I am writing, (especially during those difficult passages), and I pray about my writing even when I'm not writing. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." That's my hope for my writing - that it will encourage and build others up. And I pray that God will give me the words to do just that.

Here's the answers for the game:

1. Frank

2. Chase

3. Iris

4. Ben

5. Emma