Effective August 6, I have moved my blog to DebraLButterfield.com on WordPress. You can certainly read through previous posts here, but I will no longer post to this site.
Please jump on over to my new site and follow me there.
Debra L. Butterfield
Author and Speaker
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Chicken Soup for the Soul Workshop
If you're interested in breaking into this market, here is a workshop to help. I'm attending and know it will give me what I need to complete a story I am working on for submission in August.
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Friday, July 20, 2012
Creating Memorable Characters, Part 11
Intercultural Differences Summary
In our
diverse society, adding ethnicity to your story is natural. But by all means, AVOID
STEREOTYPES. You can’t willy-nilly throw in characteristics about your story
people because readers from that culture will spot your errors. If you
have a Portuguese character that interacts with your bad guy, know whether
Portugal is an individualistic or collectivist society. Is their communication
direct or indirect, low-context or high-context?
Search on
these words to discover the cultural differences of other countries:
“intercultural communication [country of interest].” Or start with this site to
learn more about the concepts I have discussed here, plus more: http://www.via-web.de/
Do the research and know the culture you
are targeting.
Debra L.
Butterfield © 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Creating Memorable Characters, Part 10
Space Invasion
An aspect of culture of which most people are aware is personal space. In America, our space bubble is big in comparison to cultures like India where there are so many people. To give you a visual, the population density of the US is 84 people per square mile. In India, it is 954 people per square mile. How might population density affect one’s personal space bubble?
An aspect of culture of which most people are aware is personal space. In America, our space bubble is big in comparison to cultures like India where there are so many people. To give you a visual, the population density of the US is 84 people per square mile. In India, it is 954 people per square mile. How might population density affect one’s personal space bubble?
Depending on
the situation, a person who invades our space can make us feel uncomfortable in
the least and terrified at worst. Even if there is no cultural difference
between your protagonist and antagonist, you can use the concept of personal
space to your advantage.
For a fun,
1:40 minute video that illustrates personal space, visit here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecDH5uqsKLA.
Be sure to watch all the way to the end to see how one man resolved having his
personal space invaded. It may just give you the idea for which you’ve been looking
for that scene that’s giving you fits.
Personal space invasion. Use it to your
advantage.
Debra L.
Butterfield © 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Creating Memorable Characters, Part 9
The writer's
challenge was fun, and I've been busy writing--everything but this blog. It's
time to get back to the creating memorable characters series. As a reminder,
we're discussing intercultural communication differences.
Body
Language and Slang
If you close
your eyes during a meeting, what message are you sending your colleagues? Is
that message universal? For a fun 8-question, eye-opening quiz visit http://archive.business-spotlight.de/doc/14952.
I hope you
took a look at the quiz because it makes my point: body language meanings vary
from country to country. Misinterpreted body language opens the door to
miscommunication. For the fiction writer, this means the opportunity to advance
the conflict between your protagonist and antagonist.
Slang
suffers the same difficulties. I’m a big fan of British TV. Their slang for
many activities is different from the slang in the US, as Harry Potter fans discovered. Slang also changes with the
times. For example, in my younger days, the word “pimp” meant a
prostitute’s boss. Nowadays pimp means to take something that’s plain and make
it stylish and customized, as in "Pimp My Ride." When my son uses slang, I ask for clarification.
So why are
body language and slang important?
Communication
is sending messages, and there is more to the message than just words. If we
misinterpret body language or slang we misunderstand the message.
Add spice to your story and new avenues of conflict by including characters from other cultures. But be sure to give your
dialogue and characters authenticity by knowing cultural communication differences.
Step
outside your culture and have some fun.
Debra L.
Butterfield © 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
It's Over
Today is the last day of Jeff Goins'15 Habits of Great Writers Challenge, and I'm a bit bummed. Besides being extremely helpful, this was fun! Will I be able to stick with these productive writing habits? There will be days I fall short, no doubt. But I am committed to moving forward and sticking with it.
The most helpful habit for me was establishing a set time to write. Getting up at 5 a.m. was hard. After an hour of writing, my head was just getting clear. After two hours, my brain was creating faster than my fingers could produce. Many times I kept writing when time allowed. When quitting did time arrive, I didn't want to stop. Now comes the time to follow through. To continue writing, to prioritize and finish what I started and move on to the next project.
What part of the challenge resonated with you? If you didn't participate, what part of writing is easiest or hardest for you? Share in the comments.
I am a writer.
You are a writer.
Let's encourage each other along the way.
The most helpful habit for me was establishing a set time to write. Getting up at 5 a.m. was hard. After an hour of writing, my head was just getting clear. After two hours, my brain was creating faster than my fingers could produce. Many times I kept writing when time allowed. When quitting did time arrive, I didn't want to stop. Now comes the time to follow through. To continue writing, to prioritize and finish what I started and move on to the next project.
What part of the challenge resonated with you? If you didn't participate, what part of writing is easiest or hardest for you? Share in the comments.
I am a writer.
You are a writer.
Let's encourage each other along the way.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Lip-Reading Mom
Shanna Bartlett Groves |
Shanna Bartlett Groves is on mission. A mission
to bring words into the world of the hearing impaired.
Shanna
is deaf. She began to lose her hearing after the birth of her first child. She
now has three children, and just as her family has grown, her hearing loss has
also progressed. She wears aids, but not the typical kind. Even with those
aids, Shanna read lips or uses closed captioning when possible.
Much of our society is oblivious to the struggles of the hearing impaired. Why? I think it is because
the disability is invisible. We see when someone is missing a limb or in a
wheelchair. We visibly recognize that person has limitations. However, we can't see hearing loss. I may eventually notice
someone wears hearing aids, but I've made the erroneous assumption that aids
negate the disability. That's just not true.
Yes,
hearing aids help people hear better. In other words, even with the use of
aids, hearing isn't perfect, and there are still challenges. My father wore
hearings aids in both ears. He hated going to restaurants—all the background
noise made it nearly impossible to understand the conversation taking place at
his own table. My mother complains of the same thing. She also says her own
voice sounds like she's at the bottom of a well. Yes, all of today's technology
makes life better for those who struggle with hearing loss, but it does not
remove the challenges.
Through her blog
and speaking ministry, Shanna is ministering to those with hearing loss,
bringing greater awareness of the challenges, and campaigning for change in
arenas that have not been responsive to the needs of those with hearing loss.
Thank you, Shanna, for your tireless work.
Read Shanna's
blog: http://lipreadingmom.com/
Read about and
join her campaign to bring closed captioning to the Internet: http://lipreadingmom.com/lipreading-mom-captions-campaign/
Debra L. Butterfield © 2012
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