I have quite a few pet peeves. I can’t stand
overly poetic descriptions of weather, scene settings and characters.
When I’m read a novel and come to an entire page of description I find
it excruciating to read and will in all likelihood put that book down. I
find it annoying when a writer has to describe every little thing in
great detail so nothing stands out.
Another
pet peeve one is writing in the passive voice. It makes the writing
boring and removed. For example: The Bloody Mary is being drunk. This
is dead space. Much better to write, “Gina drinks the Bloody Mary in
one gulp.” The active voice makes the words more exciting and clarifies
who is doing the action. Too often writers fall into the passive voice
and soon the story comes to a screeching halt.
I
also get peeved when a writer has to mention what the character is
thinking about and what's about to happen and how this pertains to
his/her past. This dumping of the stream of consciousness detracts from
the story. It’s much better to show than to tell.
Here are a few other pet peeves:
Too many metaphors.
Repetition with words.
Too many curse/swear words so they have no impact
I
saved the worst one for last: coincidences. I can’t stand contrived
coincidences. I hate it when Uncle Guido shows up near the end of the
novel to take care of the ‘situation’ or when the newspaper falls into
the characters hand with a photo that provides a key piece of
information to solve the mystery. Maybe you think it’s just luck. I
don’t think so. It’s just lazy storytelling. Coincidences do happen in
real life, but in a novel if it isn’t organic then it simply doesn’t
work. These contrived coincidences are highly improbably and the events
are simply disguised as happenstance. Destiny doesn’t happen this way.
When coincidences in a story don’t ring true the reader will feel duped
especially when they are used as major plot point. It breaks the
unwritten contract with the reader.
Thank
you for the opportunity to discuss my journey with you. I hope you
enjoy reading The Bloody Mary Club and come away with an appreciation of
all things financial!
You can keep up with me by visiting my website: www.DebbieDyke.com, or dropping in on my blog: http://debbiedykebooks.
Debbie Dyke, Author, The Bloody Mary Club!
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Check out Debbie's book, The Bloody Mary Club:
A Fiscal Thriller Set in Historic Old Town Alexandria, Virginia Stock market meltdown. United States housing bubble. Global financial crisis. Chief executives cooking the books. Who can you trust for financial advice? Gina Van Story, a savvy 40ish investment advisor to the rescue. She can spot a trend on the market and jump on it like a cat. She dreams of grabbing the bull by the horns and is on the hunt for one final big score. Gina and her three best friends form the Bloody Mary Investment Club and come face-to-face with corruption in a David and Goliath struggle when their stock portfolio turns deadly…literally. Over made-to-order Bloody Mary cocktails at historic Gadsby’s Tavern, Gina takes her friends under her wing and teaches them the ins and outs of the stock market. Trouble begins when, following Gina’s bullish advice, they become majority owners in the local bank and then stubbornly turn down a lucrative buyout offer. Not only will money and greed challenge their friendship, they will have to get smart fast and figure out how to turn the tables on the charmingly seductive, yet evil, banker who wants control of their stock by any means necessary – including murder!
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Debbie
Dyke is a novelist and businesswoman from Alexandria, Virginia, and has a
background in military intelligence, the stock market, executive recruiting and
writing. An Army brat, she’s lived in
Turkey, France, Germany, Italy, Albania and Holland. She graduated from the American
High School in Naples, Italy then attending University of Maryland, Munich
Campus. She graduated from Georgetown University
and holds a Bachelors of Science and Masters degree in National Security. Debbie has two grown children, Lisa and
Jordan and has been married to Michael for over thirty wonderful years. Debbie
has written 5 screenplays, one Wall Street calendar and two novels.
1. $10 Amazon gift card
2. Bloody Mary Gift Basket (US only) OR
3. Three winners will receive a copy of The Bloody Mary Club**
2. Bloody Mary Gift Basket (US only) OR
3. Three winners will receive a copy of The Bloody Mary Club**
Too many metaphors - that is one of mine as well!
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