Desmond’s Drops: May Edition
By Desmond Hall | May 7, 2021 |
Welcome to our fourth edition of Desmond’s Drops! This month, enjoy three drops about:
- Research as Remedy for Clichéd Writing
- The Power of Opposites
- Delaying Your Inciting Incident
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Look for more of Desmond’s Drops in June. Have your own bit of wisdom to share? Drop it in comments.
Desmond Hall, author of YOUR CORNER DARK, was born in Jamaica, West Indies and then moved to Jamaica, Queens. His second novel, BETTER MUST COME, a fiercely evocative, action-packed YA thriller that examines that darker side of light-filled Jamaica, released in May, 2024. He’s worked as both a high school biology teacher and English teacher, counseled at-risk teens, and served as Spike Lee’s creative director at SpikeDDB. He’s also written and directed the HBO movie, A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE, which was nominated for the Gordon Parks Award. He’s written and directed the theater play, STOCKHOLM, BROOKLYN, which won the audience award at the Downtown Theater Festival at the Cherry Lane Theater. He’s also served on the board of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, and was a judge for the Addys, and the Downtown Urban Arts Film Festival. Named one of Variety Magazine’s 50 creatives to watch.
I love this series, Des, thanks. I especially love the tip to dig into research to avoid cliched writing. I’ve let research guide nearly every aspect of my stories, from the description-worthy details I might otherwise miss to finding just the right setting for a moment of character growth. I’ve never stopped to think about it, but mining in that way and homing in on things I find both interesting and spot-on for a character? They do also inoculate against cliches.
Thanks again. Looking forward to June’s drops!
Totally agreed! Thanks.
I really appreciate your posts because you share logical, actionable techniques to help me approach my wip at a little different angle. The third drop today definitely gives me a direction to go with the beginning of my story that has a little slower start. Thanks again and I look forward to next month’s drops!
That’s great. Seems that in today’s fast paced world we have to do more to “hook” our readers from the start, and it’s especially true for YA.
Desmond, I always take the time to listen and take notes. This addition looks amazing, thanks, Beth Havey
Thanks!
I look forward to this series every month. So much is said about the inciting incident in the first few pages, especially for YA, but I have found that character development doesn’t happen in one or two pages. Creating subplots for the narrative drive is helpful in keeping the reader interested and finding out more about the main character. Thanks for sharing your writerly wisdom.
Thanks for watching!
Hi Desmond:
Your posts have become required viewing for me, and the three offerings today are particularly fascinating and thought-provoking. Thanks so much.
Much appreciated!
Thank you. I love these writerly wisdom drops! They are informative and easy to understand.
Very kind of you. Thanks for watching!