Wisdom from a Writing Conferences: Essentials of Middle Grade

Jennifer Nielsen presented on the essentials of middle grade novels at the LDSStoryMakers conference.

What I Learned:

I can write middle grade. In fact my current WIP is a middle grade novel. The most important thing I learned is middle grade readers to not need to be talked down to or coddled. They can read about adult issue at a high reading level. Take for example that many middle grade readers are reading The Hunger Games.

How I Plan to Apply It:

I have decided to try my had at middle grade. It is a level that I kind of skipped over when I was that age. Of course that was probably because most fantasy and science fiction novels were in the adult section. I have read some middle grade novels recently and fell in love with it.

If all goes well - I may permanently be a middle grade writer :)

Wisdom from a Writing Conference: Writing YA Novels

Janette Rallison gave some tips and tricks for writing YA novels at the LDSStoryMakers conference.

What I Learned:

I don't write YA. Really - I did learn that. I also learned a lot of tidbits that can be applied to all writing. Like that the reader should care about the characters and that the hero has to have a problem.

Also - girls read boy books but boys don't read girl books. So if you write a boy book you can hit the whole market. Actually - I realized I should have known that already since I read many a boy books growing up - and still do.

How I Plan to Apply It:

My current WIP is a Middle Grade novel target at boys. I think that a lot of what goes into YA is the same that goes into MG.

Wisdom from a Writers Conference: The Hero's Journey

Annette Lyon presented the hero's journey as a formula for plot that can be applied to any genre (at the LDSStoryMakers Conference:

What I Learned:

The hero's journey has many parts and elements that when utilized as a plotting formula can create a varied set of story lines. Elements of the hero's journey can be find in most any story.

How I Plan to Apply It:

I currently don't have a "formula" that I follow for plotting. But by attending many sessions on plotting I am starting to develop my personal method for plotting. It will probably never follow a formula - but I feel that some day I will be able to quantify my method and apply to all my work.

Wisdom from a Writing Conference: Elements of Suspense

Rachelle J. Christensen presented on the elements of suspense at the LDSStoryMakers conference:

What I Learned:

There always has to be suspense. The stakes must be hide. The reader must have a questions - that keeps them reading.

I often think of when I was younger. I would be reading late at night when I should be sleeping. I would say to myself - one more chapter then I will go to bed. But then the chapter would end with such a feeling of suspense I had to read one more. I want to be able to write like that.

How I Plan to Apply It:

When plotting I will make sure that I have a clear questions/goal/problem that drives the story forward. During the second draft I will make sure that each chapter has the tension necessary to keep the reader interested.

Wisdom from a Writing Conference: Plotting Like a Sports Car

Kiersten White presented on plotting at the LDSStoryMakers Conference:

What I Learned:

Every scene should move the plot forward. If it doesn't - cut it. Do not do anything, or include anything, that slows down the flow of the story - aka back story. Trust your readers to be smart enough to pick up on stuff without you explaining it to them.

Even small things can help with plotting - for example dialog tags should not draw attention to themselves. Be selective with what details you include.

How I Plan to Apply It:

Basically - practice. I plan to not worry about many of these things during the first draft. But - starting with the second draft I will analyze everything and make sure that everything moves the plot forward. Or it will be cut!

Wisdom From a Writing Conference: Kevin's Elevan

Kevin J. Anderson spoke on 11 tips for increasing productivity at the LDSStoryMakers Conference.

What I Learned:

There are three essential elements to being a productive writer:
1. Write
2. Keep Writing
3. Find what works for you

How I Plan to Apply It:

I have always wanted to have a writing schedule and to write everyday. But that has never really fit into my life. So what I plan to do is try to write every day, at different times, in different situations and so on - until I strike on the best environment for me to write in. Then I will build my schedule around that.

Also, Kevin talked about the first draft requiring momentum. I am going to try to avoid doing things that would slow down my momentum when I am writing the first draft.

Wisdom from my Writers Group

I am a member of the local chapter of the League of Utah Writers. Due to circumstances outside my control I was not able to attend the February or March meetings. So this month I finally got to go again. Yea!

We got some really great advice from our chapter president from his college level writing class. Note: I am jealous of the knowledge he is gaining - but not of having to go to school.

Here are some of my favorite points from our discussion:

- You learn more when you fail
- Use your words more effectively
- Adjectives don't make your writing good - active verbs do
- Learn to write to appeal to all five sense (a note on this below)
- If you don't know grammar - learn it!
- Have a consistent writing schedule - that involves writing multiple times a week
- Find people who hate your writing - and listen (a note on this below)
- Make time to read the good stuff - it will make your writing better
- Don't get tied up in all the rules during your first draft

A note on learning to write to appeal to all five senses: I used to think that you had to describe with all three sense. Sight, and so on. I was reading the work of a fellow writer and one of his characters sniffed the air. I was like - what the?! It seemed weird to me. Then again - I don't have the best sense of smell.

But in our discussions our chapter president suggested a different way of doing this - choose words that invoke more than one sense. For example: the word rattle - you can see it, here it, even feel it. This is something I am going to experiment with in my own writing.

A note on finding people who hate your writing - Okay - so I took a little poetic license with this one. And I don't really mean literally. But the point is that if all the people who are critiquing for you are giving you positive feedback - you are learning or growing. Also, it was mentioned that having critique-rs that don't usually read your genre can point out things that others will miss and make your story stronger.

Do you have any other writing nuggets of gold? Did any of these make you stop and think?

Emotion in Writing, Part 4: Conflict and Connection

In Part 1 of this series I talked about the power of emotions and why they are important in writing. In Part 2 I talked about Pain and Joy. In Part 3 I went over Love and Hate.

Today we will be discussing conflict and connection. I know that these are probably not the first things that come to mind when you think of emotions. But all emotions lead to one or the other - a conflict or a connection. And some emotions, like love, can even lead to both.

Conflict

Conflict is the driving force of a story. Without conflict there is not story. Would you read 200 pages about someone who has a perfect life? No. Why - because it isn't possible. It isn't believable. And it is down right boring.

Lot's of things can cause conflict in our writing. For me the most powerful ones are conflicts born of emotion. Take a moment and think of your favorite book - the one you read over and over again. What is the conflict? Keep digging deeper until you find a conflict tied to emotions.

My favorite book is The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. The main conflict begins when the hero - driven by an emotional force he does not understand - kidnaps the heroine. The following conflicts ensue because the heroine starts to fall in love with the desert people and of course - with the hero.

Emotional conflicts fall into two major categories. There is a conflict because of opposing emotions. (For example, Bella and Jake from Twilight have different emotions towards Edward - which creates a conflict between them.) Or the emotion a character has is in conflict with what they have to do. (In The Blue Sword the heroine loves the hero but must go against him and risk loosing his love to save the day.)

Connection

I wrote and entire series on Emotional Connections with Characters. What I want to discuss here is emotional connection between characters.

Let's address the obvious first - love. When two characters love each other (on whatever level) they become connected. I laughed in Harry Potter when he broke up with Ginny because he did not want to put her in danger. When will heroes learn that just because the aren't with the person they love the bad guy won't still kidnap them.

Back to Harry and Ginny. He breaks up with her to keep her safe. However he still loves her. And guess what - Voldemort knows that. Gasp. So even if Harry wasn't with Ginny - Voldemort would still come after her to get to him.

Hate can also connect to characters. Take for example Harry and Voldemort. They hate each other and that is a powerful part of what binds their fates together.

Can you think of other connects between characters that are formed because of emotions, such as fear, hope, respect?

In summary, emotions are the tools we use to create conflict and connection in our writing. They give depth and detail to a story.

What do you think? What are some emotional conflicts and connections you have come across in your reading or writing?

Emotion in Writing, Part 3: Love and Hate

In Part 1 of this series I talked about the power of emotions and why they are important in writing. In Part 2 I talked about Pain and Joy. Now I would like to talk about the two emotions that bind people and characters together - Love and Hate

Love

In my opinion - love is the strongest emotion out there. Under its influence people do the most amazing things. There are many different levels and kinds of love. Family love, romantic love, friendship, caring.

Love forms a bond between two people. I also think that once this bond is formed - it can never be broken. Although it might change its nature.

Love is a very powerful tool in writing. It can cause the pain or joy in our characters lives that draws are readers in. It is also an excellent motivator. Take Harry Potter for example - can you think of how he was motivated by love even in the first book?

I will give you a second to think about that.

Okay, times up. Harry felt unloved. In the new world that opened to him in Hogwarts - he continually tried to fill that void in his life.

Hate

Hate is second only to love, in my opinion. In fact, when love sours it turns into the most intense kind of hate. Going back to love forming bonds - if there is a love connection of some kind between to people and that turns into hate - the bond is still there it is just different.

Think of what kind of story you could build around that. Take two mortal enemies and trace their story back to the point where they once loved each other. This is not a new formula - it has been used many times. But the possibilities are still endless.

Often, we (or at least I) tend to think of hate being ascribed to our antagonist. They are the bad guy after all. But just like love is a powerful motivator - so is hate. Hate can drive a person to do many things. I bet you can already think of several examples in books you have read.

How do you use love and hate in your writing? Have you read anything that utilized these two emotions in a surprising way?

Emotions in Writing, Part 2: Pain and Joy

In Part 1 of this series I talked about the power of emotions and why they are important in writing. Now I would like to cover two of the most basic and powerful emotions we can inject in our writing: Pain and Joy.

Pain

All the most interesting characters in fiction experience pain at some point. It is why we care about the story, it is what draws us to them.

In The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès suffers the pain of being falsely accused and loosing everything he cares for.

In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo must bear the heavy burden of the ring all the way to Mordor.

In Harry Potter, Harry is an orphan who feels unloved and out of place.

In The Hunger Games, Katniss sacrifices everything for her own survival and that of those she loves.

Pain gives us something to identify with. We identify with Edmond because we have all felt betrayed. We identify with Frodo because we all have burden's to carry. We identify with Harry because we have all felt alone. We identify with Katniss because we can imagine giving up so much to save what we love.

We can inject pain into our writing by giving our characters something tragic in their past and having them face difficult circumstances and set backs in the course of the story.

Joy

On the other side of pain is joy. After travelling with a character through their journey we learn to take joy in what they take joy in. We celebrate their success and find home in the victories. Some stories, by design, lack joy. But for me a fulfilling story always has one ray of joy shining at the end.

But the joy most worth having comes at a cost. It is by pushing through the pain to find the joy on the other side of the trial that our characters overcome. They turn the pain into joy.

In most stories the joy comes at the end. Some endings are happy. Some are bittersweet. But both will linger.

What stories with pain and joy have you read lately? Do you prefer a happy ending or a bittersweet one?

Emotions in Writing, Part 1: The Power of Emotions

My husband and I have a running joke about emotions. You see - women are emotionally complicated, so much so that we can feel two conflicting emotions at the same time. Men, on the other hand are simple. They have four emotions, happy, sad, hungry, and sports. Anyway, this got me thinking about how important emotion is - especially in writing.

Recently my mother in law suggested I read Chinese Cinderella. It was an amazing story based on the true story of the author. It was stuffed full of emotion. Yep, went through about a box of tissues reading. Needless to say I really enjoyed it.

On the other hand I have read some books - can't think of any right now which shows how memorable they are - that have little to no emotion in them. Not so enjoyable.

And on to the point - I thought I would do a series on emotions in writing and how we can use it (without using it). Or, my thoughts on the subject. First I would like to discuss the power of emotion.

The Power of Emotions

Emotions are how we connect with, experience, and react to the people and events around us. This is why I think emotional writing strikes a stronger cord with us. Especially if it is an emotion that we can identify. For example, in Chinese Cinderella she felt awkward and like she did not fit in. I think most of us can identify with that on some level. Which made the story have more of an impact.

One of the main reasons why I read is to experience a story along with the main characters. This is why my favorite types of stories to read are character driven. I like characters that I can identify with - or at least empathize with. I recently started a new WIP and have been thinking lately about using emotions in writing to make it more powerful. I want my characters to be real, the situations they go through to be memorable, and for their story to make an impact.

How do you use emotion in your writing.

Leadership and Writing, Part 2

In January my husband took a leadership training class. Two of the things they listed as being essential for a leader were having someone you trust completely and knowing yourself.

The very next day I read Cherie's post about Live What You Believe which struck a similar cord with me.

So, I am sharing my thoughts on trust and self in writing. I discuss Trust in the first part.

Self

When I was a teenager I read the What I Wish I'd Known In Highschool books by John Bytheway. One of the things he discussed is that self-esteem is a myth. It does not exist. I found this discussion fascinating because I was struggling with low-self-esteem.

What John Bytheway suggests instead - is that we should respect ourselves. We should have self respect. I can't remember all the details but this concept changed my life. It was then that I realized that nobody's opinion of me (save myself and God's) mattered and started a journey of self discovery. This is when I started 'settling into my own skin.' It was not until college that I really became 'comfortable in my own skin.'

No I have a strong sense of self that stands up to most bombardments. It does not mean that I don't change. My self is flawed and when I find a flaw I work on removing it. But it means that I understand the core of who I am and I stay true to it.

So a great lesson for life - but how does that apply to writing?

My Self = My Writing

Because we as writers put so much of our personality and who we are into our writing - we must know ourselves before our writing can truly be great. Our self and our perception of our self affects our voice, the content of our writing, and the overall tone of a piece.

Do you have a strong sense of self? How has it helped you in your writing?

Community

Being part of a community is important with pretty much anything we do. I think it holds true for writers.

Writers need support from other writers, but being part of a writing community can also be educational and fun.

Support

Who understands writers better than other writers? The answer is no one. I admit I have friends and family that do "get me" as a writer and offer wonderful support. But I can't turn to them when my plot is laying shambles and I just need to talk to someone who understands.

Being part of a community of writers gives you somewhere to turn when you suffer from writing woes. It also gives you a fan section for celebrating your success.

Educational

I have learned so much since I have joined my local writing group and the online writing community. Most of this has come from learning about how other people write. What their process is, what they struggle with. I do not necessarily adapt everything I learn - but it still helps me grow.

You can also learn about trends, programs, tools, conferences, contest, and yourself by being part of a writing community.

Fun

What writer does not like to discuss writing? Well there may be some - but I am not one of them. I love getting together and spending time with other writers. I often disagree with their methods or opinions - but the great thing is I have found that most writers are very open and understanding. So despite our difference we can come together on the one thing we have in common, we are writers.

I would also like to mention one more thing: courage. By become part of a community you have to put yourself out there - and sometimes you will get burned. But after being burned you will heal and be stronger for it. Being part of community can help build your personal strength and courage.

How has being part of a community help you as a writer?

Skeptisim

Lately on Saturday's I have been posting under the lose topic of tools for writers. Basically I try to think of something that has helped me with my writing - and share. Sometimes it degrades into ranting, or is totally off the wall.

But today I would like to discuss something that I feel is a really good tool for writers: skeptisim.

Skeptisim: an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object.

Before you hyperventilate from gasping at my words - let me explain. I do not think that we should be doubtful or incredulous towards ourselves. But we should look at everything around us - including our work - with skeptisim.

Why? Because by scrutinizing everything, by questioning everything, we can uncover the greatness lying beneath the surface.

Remember that movie IQ - where Meg Ryan's character is analyzing a formula. The hero in the story has told her to question everything. It is only by questioning everything - even the truths that she took for granted - that she discovered the real truth behind the numbers. The formula was a fake.

Skeptisim as it leads to unavailing truth - can help writers in two ways.

Ideas

Next time you are watching the news, listen carefully to the stories and approach what you hear from the point of view of a skeptic. Do not believe anything. Then, begin framing the story in such a way that your inner skeptic cannot punch any holes in it - and tada! - you have an air tight plot.

This works in reverse to. Take a story that is one hundred percent believable, turn on your internal skeptic and ask what would make this story totally unbelievable. Add it to the story and see where it takes you. Now of course you will eventually have to find a way to at least explain what you have added but that is not a job for the skeptic.

Improvement

Self editing is hard. I am very hard on my own writing in certain areas, and in other area's I am too lax. I have several critique partners that help me sift through some of the muck. But I personally believe that for the very reason that the writer is closer to the work - we must be our own hardest critics. That is how we polish our skills to become the amazing writers we are.

Be skeptical - question everything! Now I do not mean over edit. Not at all. What I am referring to is looking at your work in a way that will let you see past the surface and inside to expose the plot holes, the inconsistency and so on.

Now that I have beaten this dead horse to death, I have a question for you:

How do you use skeptisim? Or do you think it has no place in your writing?

Definition

When do you consider a novel or short story to be finished?

I never feel like my work is finished. Because I can always see a way to improve it. So for me - I have had to define finished as being complete and polished but not perfect. Otherwise I would never finish anything :)

Writers, especially of fiction, often deal with grey areas. There is not set definition of when our works it complete. How to go about completing our work. Or any defined standards that we are held to. Even identifying which genre to label our writing with can be difficult.

In this somewhat daunting world of flux I have found it useful to make a definition. Like with being finished - if I am struggling with something in writing - I define it.

For example. I write Science Fiction and Fantasy which are two genre's that are very closely related. So when I am writing something how do I know if it is Science Fiction or Fantasy? Well - I defined what the two terms mean to me. Science Fiction is (most often) scientifically plausible and futuristic in nature. Fantasy usually has a medieval feel and involves magic, is not scientifically plausible and so on.

Now - these are not necessarily other peoples, or even the industries, definitions of Science Fiction and Fantasy. But having defined these terms for myself - I find it easier to categorize my work.

What definition's have you made in your life to help you with writing?

How Do You Pick a Character Name?

I love, and hate, coming up with character names. With some characters the name just comes to me. Sometimes it is a common name that you could hear anywhere. Sometimes it is a name that is totally fictional.

But most of the time I struggle to come up with names for my characters. It is so hard. I feel like a characters name embodies who they are. So picking a name can be very difficult for me.

So where do I find my character names? (The ones that don't just come to me, that is.)

Baby name books and websites.

When I was in... oh I was young. Let's just leave it at that. When I was young I went to the book store and purchased two baby name books. I remember being in the story and having this lady look at me weird. Because I was a teenager. It was so annoying I actually called her on it and told her what I was buying the books for. I don't think she believed me.

I digress, back to the topic: When I create new worlds for my fantasy novels, I often have an existing culture or group of cultures that I base it off of. So when I go to name characters I want something the embodies that existing culture. For example, if my fictional kingdom is a mix between Celtic and Chinese culture - I want a name that sounds both Celtic and Chinese. This is where the websites come in handy. I just do a Google search for "Celtic Names" or "Chinese Names" read through a few and the choose, or alter a name.

I have even used this same method for naming places.

How do you find names for your characters?

Critique Partners: A Writers Tool for Success or a Certain Doom

I have five excellent critique partners - and just because I love them that much her is a shout out to each of them:

J.A. Bennett
Roseanne
Terron James
Alexander Bennon
and Christina Cook - whose blog is under construction right now but you can go ahead a follow her :)

I just recently started this whole critique partners thing and I have already learned so much. But I have also been lucky to find great critique partners that help be grow as a writer. I have heard that not all critique partners are made equals.

Tool for Success

I do believe that a good critique partner (or a few of them) can be a great tool for success in your writing. First because their feedback helps you identify and correct the weakness in your story and writing. There is a lot that I don't know about grammar and it is really helpful when my critique partners correct me on that. Also, as the composer of a work you have a lot of content knowledge - so when you are readying you may not realize that some sections don't make sense. Critique partners can help identify area's of confusion and plot holes as well.

Certain Doom

That being said - a bad critique partner could spell certain doom. Imagine being a new writer who has crafted a story that needs a lot of polishing but has merit. Now imagine giving that story to a mean spirited, spiteful, arrogant, self centered critique partner. (Hint: this example ends with you, the new writer, losing hope and giving up when you really could have written a wonderful story.)

That is not to say that as a writer you can be sensitive about your work. No, the opposite is true. You need a think skin to survive in the world of publishing. When I talk about bad critique partners I mean ones who are overly critical and are not looking at your work with an eye to helping you improve the story and your writing skill.

What Makes a Good Critique Partner

So what makes a good critique partner? That depends on what you want to get out of the process. Avoid people that enjoy making you feel bad, those are not good people in general and would certainly not make a good critique partner. Also, keep in mind that the word 'partner' infers a partnership. Which means you are not just critiquing their work and getting nothing in return.

Ultimately it is up to you to decide what qualities you think would be good in a critique partner.

Do you have critique partners? Have you ever had to drop out of a partnership because the other person was too harsh?

Learning the Craft of Writing

I first fell in love with writing when I was in elementary school. From then through high school I worked on finding my voice and learning the craft. Back then I read several books on writing, several of them stuck out in my mind and really helped me.

Now that I have come back to writing I am re-reading many of those books. I have also added many more to my 'To Be Read' list. I think that taking creative writing classes, reading books on writing, and of course - writing - are excellent ways to learn the craft.

So, I thought that I would share with you my old favorites and some new that hope will become favorites.

Books I have Read

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card
This is an excellent resource for anyone who writes Science Fiction and/or Fantasy. And although geared to speculative genres - I think there are nuggets of good advice for all writers. If you write Science Fiction, Fantasy, or anything like unto - I suggest this book.

Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
Yes, I like Orson Scott Card. Plus he gives some excellent writing advice!
This book is for all fiction writers and it deals specifically with characters and viewpoint. This is a must read, in my opinion, for writers of all genres. Orson Scott Card helps you build compelling characters and 'preform' them powerfully on the page.

Writing the Short Story by Jack Bickham
Although the approach that Bickham sets out in this book is geared toward short story - it can be applied to novels. And there is a lot of good advice about writing in general. It is a very 'hands-on' program. And although I do not follow Bickham's exact approach - I have adapted many of his suggestions into my own writing routine. Another good book about writing.

The Writer's Idea Book and The Writer's Idea Workshop by Jack Heffron
The Idea Book is a plethora of writing prompts and exercises to get your creative writing juices flowing. And the workshop helps you craft your ideas into a story. Very excellent reads - and they are next up on my list to re-read as far as books on the craft go. Disclaimer: there is a section in this book that covers... intimate scenes. I skip over that section since I never write those kinds of scenes.

Books I Plan to Read

Scene and Structure by Jack Bickham
This book goes into more detail about Bickham's 'Scene-and-Sequel' plotting method meant to help with scene by scene outlining. I am looking forward to reading this book and it is next on my list to read.

Description by Monica Wood
This book covers everything about description from detail, plot, and style to word selection and point of view. Since all of these are areas I think that I could improve in - I am totally excited to read this book.

Plot by Ansen Dibell
Now I am not saying that plot is something I particularly struggle with. I mean - I can come up with ideas for plots, and sub-plots. And I am a planner which means I map, or outline my story before I begin writing. But plot is such an important part of writing that I think ti would be good to be always trying to improve.

Other Books

There are a lot of books out their about the craft. I found all of these either in my local library or on Amazon.com. So, if you are interested in reading up on the craft - there are plenty out there for you to choose from.

Do you know any other good books on the craft? What would you suggest? Have you read any of the books I have mentioned here?

Character Voice

My current WIP has three main characters all of which will take turns being the viewpoint character. I wanted the narrative to reflect the personalities of each of the characters. That means varying my writing voice to match the character's. At first I thought - oh that will be simple.

I was wrong.

Luckily I have the the internet :)

Here are some great resources that I found for helping to develop individual character voice:

Character Voice Writing Exercises by Jennifer Jensen
This post gives some great exercises that not only help you develop character voice, but help you get to know your characters and their relationships to others. This has been very helpful.

Getting Into Character: Fiction Writing Exercises by Melissa Donovan
This post gives some tips on how to 'get into character' right before you write. I plan to use these when ever I switch narrators.

Character Development Exercises by Kathy Page
This post has a questionnaire that you can fill out 'in character.' It focuses mostly on the development of your character - which of course affects the voice.

Exercises for Story Writers
This page has some information about narrative and point of view.

How to develop character voice by Whitney Carter
More on developing deep rich characters.

I have not fully explored all the resources listed here - but what I have reviewed of them has helped in my writing.

Do you pay attention to character voice when you write? What are your tricks for 'getting into character'?

Dialog Punctuation

I admit that when it comes to grammar and punctuation - my skills are lacking. I have thought about taking a grammar class but need to find the time and place to do so.

So... most of my writing life I have done dialog like this:

"Hello." He said.

"Hello." She replied.

My critique partners pointed out that they thought this might be wrong - but were not sure. I did some research on the internet and in the library but was not able to find something useful. So I asked a friend at work who is a technical writer by profession and he corrected me.

It should be:

"Hello," he said.

"Hello," she replied.

When a dialog tag follows dialog there should be a comma, and the next word should be lower case - unless it is a proper noun and would be regularly capitalized. Of course, if the dialog ends in a question mark or an exclamation point - then the following word is still lower case, as in:

"Hello?" he said.

Now, if the text following the dialog is not a dialog tag - it would follow the usual conventions.

"Hello." He held out the morning paper.

"Hello." She took the paper and sat on the bench next to him.

I looked through several published books to verify this. Gosh, I had it totally wrong - but I hope I have it right now. If I don't feel free to correct me.

You may think this is a silly thing to post - but I did not know and could not find it on the internet. So here it is.

Having good grammar and punctuation as writers is very important. But it is a bad thing that this does not come naturally to me?