Tiffany Amber Stockton Blog Tour

Sorry to have been away for such a long time. It’s been over a week since I last posted. I know I promised I’d post more frequently, but I haven’t done very well lately.

Today, I have a special treat. It is my pleasure to introduce Tiffany Amber Stockton, a writer friend I have come to know through my membership in American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

Tiffany Amber Stockton is an author, online marketing consultant, and web site designer who lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart, and their baby daughter in Colorado. They also have a vivacious Border Collie mix named Roxie. Amber has sold eight books to Barbour Publishing with more on the horizon. Other writing credits include five short stories for Romancing the Christian Heart, and contributions to Grit for the Oyster and 101 Ways to Romance Your Marriage. Her goal in writing is to convey the message that God is always present, even during the most difficult circumstances. Read more about her at her web site: www.amberstockton.com


Avoiding Repetitive Tags

Hi! My name is Amber Stockton, and Pat has invited me here to speak on a topic which plagues her quite often. It’s also a common problem for many writers. What is it, you ask?

How to avoid using repetitive tags in your writing.

Now, to start, for those who aren’t familiar with this, a “tag” is associated with both dialogue and action. For either, it precedes, follows or comes in the middle of dialogue. The most common dialogue tag is “said” as in “he said” or “she said.” But there are many others such as exclaimed, shouted, cried, bellowed, hollered, etc.

It’s common for a lot of authors to use these tags to add punch to their dialogue, but it’s also considered an “easy” way out. Many best-selling authors have advised that you shouldn’t rely on tags to tell readers the emotion they should be feeling from the characters in any given scene. Instead, you should let your characters words and actions speak for themselves.

This is where action tags come in play.

An action tag is assigning an action to the character speaking. It can be as simple as describing a character’s facial expression to as complex as detailing everything a character is doing while he/she is speaking. You can even go so far as to delve into the internal thoughts of the character in between the dialogue. Not only does this add depth to the paragraph, but it also identifies the character and lets you skip the dialogue tags.

Now, since a picture is worth 1000 words, here is an example of a dialogue tag changed to an action tag with some added dialogue to show rather than tell the emotions of the characters.

BEFORE

“I suppose,” Raelene said in disgust, “you will now find some way to connect this analogy once more to God.”

“If you take your nose from air,” Gustaf seethed, “you will see your great blessings.”

AFTER

Raelene took the apple and rolled it back and forth in her palm. A lecture again. “I suppose you will now find some way to connect this analogy once more to God and tell me that He employs the world around me to show it’s possible to persevere and prosper despite hardship.”

He clenched his jaw. “If you take your nose from air and look at world where you live, you will see your great blessings.” He turned in a half circle with arms spread wide then stopped and faced her once again, his expression one of sorrow mixed with contempt. “But, you judge all people you meet. You put them on one side of scale. Your life in England is on other side. That is life you cannot have right now.”

As you can see, the second part is full of so much more than just dialogue and a tag. It holds emotions in both the words and the narrative, and you also have the added bonus of seeing what each character is doing as they speak.

So, the next time you’re tempted to simply put a tag at the end of dialogue, take a moment to re-read the paragraph or the line and see where you can replace the dialogue tag with an action tag, or where you can insert internal thoughts mixed with the dialogue.

Thank you for sharing your writing experience, Tiff.


BOOK INFO

Promises, Promises
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 1 of Liberty's Promise (HP #784)
At Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1597899399/eagledesigns-20
At Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/ISBNInquiry.asp?EAN=9781597899390
Release date: February 2008
ISBN-10: 1597899399
ISBN-13: 9781597899390

-- Raelene Strattford believes God has forsaken her, but her neighbor proves just the opposite while giving her a voice in a world where women have none. --

Has God forsaken Raelene? What kind of God would take a girl's family and leave her alone in a wild land where women have no voice? When Gustaf Hanssen promises Raelene's dying father that he will take care of her, he finds himself bound to her happiness, her success, and her well-being in ways he never imagined. To keep his word, must Gustaf really oversee all of Raelene's affairs, find her a husband, and maintain her farm, while she does nothing but scorn him? Can God reach through Raelene's pain and self-centeredness and give her the love that awaits, if only she will accept His will?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/ppexcerpt.html



Quills & Promises
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 2 of Liberty's Promise (HP #803)
At Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/160260049X/eagledesigns-20
At Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/ISBNInquiry.asp?EAN=9781602600492
Release date: July 2008
ISBN-10: 160260049X
ISBN-13: 9781602600492

-- Separated from Madison when he leaves to fight the French and Indians, Elanna Hanssen must choose between her heart and her head, especially when Madison's integrity is questioned. --

Innocence paired with wisdom beyond her years--With these traits, Elanna Hanssen unwittingly captures the attentions of Major Madison Scott. Her honest desire to understand the war fascinates him, and he resolves to get to know this perspicacious young lady better. When he is called away to fight the French and the Indians, they begin a correspondence, cautiously baring their hearts to one another. Elanna has never known emotions like these before, but she is drawn to the integrity she sees in her major. When a writer for the first newspaper in the colony questions the major's credentials and activities, however, will she allow her heart or her head to rule? Can true love grow over such distance and around such obstacles?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/qpexcerpt.html



Deceptive Promises
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 3 of Liberty's Promise (HP #823)
At Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1602601895/eagledesigns-20
At Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?EAN=9781602601895
Release date: November 2008
ISBN-10: 1602601895
ISBN-13: 9781602601895

-- Living during the American Revolution and the formation of a new nation, Margret Scott gets involved with a spy and a life of deception that could endanger herself, her family and the man she loves. --

Is deception fair in wartime? Margret Scott finds she must deal with this question as she becomes attracted to the enigmatic Samuel Lowe. As the tensions grow between the colonists and the British soldiers and loyalists, Margret struggles to determine where Samuel's loyalties lie, despite his reassurances that they lie with the colonists. Samuel's duties have him working for both sides of this war, and he is often torn between what is right and what is wrong. He promises Margret she can trust him, and Margret promises him she does. But can promises born in deception be trusted? Can relationships built in uncertainty survive?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/dpexcerpt.html



Liberty's Promise
Amber's first 3 books repackaged into 1 volume
Romancing America collection
Barbour Publishing
Available for Pre-Order!
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1602607990/eagledesigns-20
Christianbook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1152452&item_no=607996
Release date: March 2010
ISBN-10: 1602607990
ISBN-13: 9781602607996

Publisher's description: Relive the birth of a new country as three women battle for determining to whom they can entrust their hearts. Raelene is all alone, but is there peace in following the wishes of her deceased father? Elanna is intelligent for her young age, but will her love for an older man turn into a passing fancy when his integrity is questioned? Margret's loyalties are torn when the colonists rebel, for how can a relationship with a British soldier built on deceptions survive? Will each woman find her place of freedom to embrace her faith and trust her heart to love?



Copper and Candles
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 1 of Michigan historical series (HP #843)
At Christianbook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1152452&item_no=603405
At Amazon.com: http://http//www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1602603405/eagledesigns-20
Release date: April 2009
ISBN-10: 1602603405
ISBN-13: 9781602603400

—A young lady of means discovers that keeping secrets, no matter how noble the intent, demands a price that she and a refinery worker, with all their resources, might not be able to pay.—

Society teas and garden parties, shopping, gossip—Life as a young lady of means may be fun, but Felicity wants to do more. Unfortunately, she finds that her position and wealth can sometimes hinder her efforts to help those around her in need. Thus, when a charity case falls ill and cannot work, Felicity determines to go to work as a commoner in Detroit's dangerous factory district. Relationships become complicated, however, and she soon finds herself falling in love with a worker from the copper refinery next door. She knows her family would never accept him as a suitor, but what's a girl to do? What she doesn't know is that Brandt has his own secrets and hides his identity just as carefully as she. Brandt and Felicity soon discover that deception—no matter how noble its intent—demands a price that even they, with all their resources, may not be able to pay. Can they survive the storm when truth is revealed?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/ccexcerpt.html



Hearts and Harvest
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 2 of Michigan historical series (HP #867)
At Christianbook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1152452&item_no=605760
Release date: September 2009
ISBN-10: 1602605769
ISBN-13: 9781602605763

—A destitute young man fights society's mores to win the hand of his privileged sweetheart.—

William's is a true riches to rags story...Once members of Detroit's elite society, the Berringer family lost everything they had in the financial crash of 1893. From a life of influence and privilege, they now find themselves working a potato patch alongside immigrants and other destitute folk on borrowed land. William's resentment toward his current situation—and mostly toward God for allowing it—simmers barely beneath the surface. All it takes is one charitable visit to the fields from a lovely society darling to burst his façade of acceptance. Annabelle Lawson, convicted by her pastor's admonishing words, begins delivering food and water to the workers on her father's donated land. But as she learns the stories of the people who work there, she becomes increasingly drawn to their plight. Especially that of the inscrutable William Berringer. Can Annabelle and William overcome the stigma placed upon his family by a society that once embraced them? Will her parents remember their own meeting or forbid this budding romance altogether?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/hhexcerpt.html



Patterns and Progress
Barbour Publishing/Heartsong Presents
Book 3 of Michigan historical series (HP# )
At Christianbook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1152452&item_no=606876
Release date: December 2009
ISBN-10: 1602606870
ISBN-13: 9781602606876

—A farmer's daughter would rather turn back the hands of time than accept the fact that advancement in technology could be in God's plan.—

Shannon Delaney was right. Every time she might consider changing her stance on what other people called progress, something bad would happen and she would be proven right again. Take the day Jacob Berringer almost ran her over in that new Model-T, for instance. And he had the nerve to suggest she'd been daydreaming? Or the Titanic. A marvel of modern invention. Look where that got them. Or how about the new tractor her brother insisted they try out. What did he get from that? A broken arm. Why can't things just stay the way they are—the way they should be? Jacob's got his work cut out for him, proving to the stubborn but beautiful Shannon that just because he works for the Henry Ford Company, he isn't evil incarnate. But something about her tells him she's worth the effort, and when Jacob puts his mind to something, he doesn't turn back. But will either of them look to God for direction?

Read the first chapter here: http://www.amberstockton.com/excerpts/pnpexcerpt.html