July 2nd was the book launch of Afterthoughts, a compilation of writings by veterans with ties to Rhode Island. Having resided in that small state for most of my life, I was eligible to participate. I found myself knee-deep in a writing program run by the West Warwick Public Library (WWPL) that would give me a platform to publish on and help hone the skills I have been so focused on these last several years.
The librarians and assistants at the WWPL led virtual classes designed to massage our writing muscles. Whether we were new to the craft or life-long learners, the course was intended to speak in general. More often than not, there was a lot of discussion about the rules and systems of grammar, which led to some in-depth conversations about the mistakes many of us fall into as writers.
Working on dialogue was a huge undertaking for me. Like my creative hero, James Cameron, I use dialogue as a vessel for exposition, which often spits directly in the face of "show, don't tell." Learning to structure dialogue and action tags properly and trusting the reader to fill the gaps took patience and humility. Also, who the hell can expect to remember all the nuances of grammar and punctuation in dialogue? I used to be better at it, but as my writing has veered off into other directions (non-fiction, scripts, etc.), there typically isn't a need to abide by those rules. Like anything else, repetition, practice, and analysis are key to building (or rebuilding) that "muscle memory" associated with said nuances.
I hope you're interested in supporting this book, small presses and publications, and veteran writers! You can get an e-book or physical copy on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
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