The Sparrow's Nest

Today I have a guest, Scarlett R. Algee, a fantastic writer and editor coming to you with some seriously good tips on writing dialect. Let me cut to the chase so you can learn and enjoy! Scarlett’s Tips: Thoughts on Writing Dialect Oh, dialect. An excellent way to add color and dimension to your characters’ speech, but so very hard to write well, and so easy to write badly/offensively. Let’s take a short look at what dialect is, what it isn’t, what some examples can look like, and what you can do to use it more effectively. What Dialect Is, and Isn’t Dialect is the set of grammatical and verbal distinctions that sets speakers of a language in one region apart from speakers of the same language in another region. It’s why your relatives in Maine may have a somewhat different vocabulary than your relatives in California. It’s why speakers of British English tend to say “got” as the past tense of “get,” rather than the “gotten” of American English. It’s why we have not-at-...

They say a writer's life is challenging and frustrating, but seriously, for a real writer, writing is an escape. For a writer, escaping to another world isn't limited to books written by other people. A writer can escape any time and go anywhere. Rejection letters always suck, brains get hurt, and we go dark for weeks at a time and don't see people. That's okay, though. Most writers can't stand people for too long. In fact, it's the people AROUND us that makes life frustrating. 1. Loser: "What do you do?" Writer: "I write." Loser: "Don't you have a real job?" Writer: "I thought you were a real person. Never mind." Seriously, what IS that supposed to mean? 2. Loser: "You're a writer?" Writer: "Yeah!" Loser: "How much do you get paid?" Writer: "I get paid in knuckle sandwiches. Do you want one, nosy?" What kind of an impertinent question is that? Have ...

I was scrolling through twitter and I was suddenly answering interview questions by Tina Silvens, the author of "The Mysterious Soldier." It's a fantastic fantasy book which I read in a day and thoroughly enjoyed. Click on over  right here  to check out Tina Silven's books! Come read my interview  here . It's a pop interview, because it was sudden and struck like lightning! Only it was more enjoyable because it was a writing interview and not that abominable thing called MATH, or ECONOMY. Happiest D+ I ever had.

"Robert" was my first story inspired by a poem. The poem is called "Mariana" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. I read it because I wanted to know what poem Professor Higgins was making Eliza recite when she had all the marbles in her mouth. I thought the poem was gorgeous, but what was it saying? I interpreted it as some girl pining after her lover and being freakin' annoying about it. Some people think the main character isn't very likable, but I never meant her to be. I enjoyed watching her descent into madness. You can read "Mariana"  here .

This past weekend, Piggy died. His funeral services were held in the bathroom, March 17, 2018, where he was flushed away. pic by Aaron Huber Poor Piggy. He was an eating machine who sometimes preferred to slide on his belly while he ate. In true Piggy fashion, he was found with his face smashed into a pile of food at the bottom of the tank. Not many people knew Piggy's real name. It was Malerick, named after the killer magician in Jeffery Deaver's book "The Vanished Man." Piggy was no killer, though. He was pink and he loved to eat, hence his name Piggy. Piggy's cause of death was not the "ick" which had plagued him, for he was finally cured of that. It was the chlorine in the water. The Tribe has been dumping chlorine into the already clean water, more than is necessary, and more often than necessary. No amount of drops in the tank could remove the chlorine. They poisoned Piggy. pic by Pietro Jeng In our mourning for Piggy, let's not...

Female characters, especially in movies, have been butchered. Do you want to make a good female character? It's a delicate operation. Remember five things. 1) She's not a sex object. The moment a female character gets naked, or her privates are described, she's a sex object. Sensual hints turns her into a plaything for sickos to fantasize about. If you don't describe a man's privates, then you certainly don't describe a woman's. 2) She's not a man. Making her act like one actually makes her annoying. You can't turn red into green. If you try, you end up with something muddy. Women are physically weaker than men. If there is a physically strong woman, there is always a man somewhere who will be stronger. It's a fact of life. Example 1: Vasquez from "Aliens." Vasquez is badness unleashed without having to say so. You don't have that stupid conversation of "You need protection," and "I don't need pr...

Today I have decided to share a story with you that is now out of print. It was first published in Snapping Twig Magazine, which is now dead. Since this story has the infamous mark of "previously published" stamped on it, I figured why not put it here for your viewing? What's it gonna hurt, right? Carrina Triumphant by Julia Benally The clock’s red light glowed 7:59 A.M., but the Arizona heat was already creeping into the semi-darkness of the room. A thin ray of blinding gold pierced through a crack in the cream-colored blinds and shined on Carrina’s eye. With an irritated frown, the six-year-old rolled over. The stream of sun followed, as if it had glitched like a video game. She covered her head to keep it away, but the blanket heated up like an oven. Groaning, the girl threw the blanket off and sat up. Bushy raven hair popped out in all directions and poked her coal black eyes. Everything seemed as brown as the desert she lived in: the carpet, her b...