Q & A with D.G. Kaye

Q & A with D.G. Kaye, featuring Kathy Steinemann – The Writer’s Body Lexicon

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Welcome to my Q and A where today I’m featuring author/blogger and grammar guru Kathy Steinemann  with her new release – Writer’s Lexicon series – The Writer’s Body Lexicon.

 

Author Kathy Steinemann

 

About Kathy:

Kathy Steinemann, author of the popular Writer’s Lexicon series, is a bird-loving grandma and retired ex-editor from the land of Atwood, Shatner, and Bieber. She loves words, especially when the words are frightening or futuristic or funny.

 

 

Blurb:

Ordinary writers describe the body in order to evoke images in readers’ minds. Extraordinary writers leverage it to add elements such as tension, intrigue, and humor.

The Writer’s Body Lexicon provides tools for both approaches.

Kathy Steinemann provides a boggling number of word choices and phrases for body parts, organized under similar sections in most chapters:

•Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations
•Adjectives
•Similes and Metaphors
•Colors and Variegations
•Scents
•Shapes
•Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
•Nouns
•Prompts
•Clichés and Idioms

Sprinkled throughout, you’ll also find hundreds of story ideas. They pop up in similes, metaphors, word lists, and other nooks and crannies.

Readers don’t want every character to be a cardboard cutout with a perfect physique. They prefer real bodies with imperfections that drive character actions and reactions — bodies with believable skin, scents, and colors.

For instance, a well-dressed CEO whose infrequent smile exposes poorly maintained teeth might be on the verge of bankruptcy. A gorgeous cougar with decaying teeth, who tells her young admirer she’s rich, could spook her prey. Someone trying to hide a cigarette habit from a spouse might be foiled by nicotine stains.

Add depth to your writing. Rather than just describe the body, exploit it. Build on it. Mold it until it becomes an integral part of your narrative.

“… a timeless resource: You’ll find advice, prompts, ideas, vocabulary, humor, and everything in between. But more importantly, it will make your characters stand out from the crowd.” — Nada Sobhi

 

Review from Amazon.ca:

“Books 1 and 2 of The Writer’s Lexicon series already reside within easy reach as I write, and I’m pleased to say that book 3 has joined them as a ‘must have’ reference book. If you’re an author (new or veteran), pick up a copy of the series — you won’t be sorry.” ~ J. I. Rogers

 

My 5 Star review:

DGKaye
5.0 out of 5 stars Every Writer’s Resource Guide for Anatomy Description

Reviewed in Canada on July 31, 2020

If you thought you knew words, you’re in for a big treat with this almost 500 pages of action-packed book full of alternative words and phrases to make your characters come alive and help readers create believable characters. How many ways can we express body parts, gestures, prompts and humor? Steinemann will arm you better than any thesaurus.

The author expanded her blog post of lessons for writers and created this absolute must-have resource guide, aiding in better descriptive writing in this 3rd and comprehensive book in her Lexicon series for writers. We’ll also find words that keep the action going as well as idea replacements for similes and metaphors that AREN’T cliche, with loads of examples under each body part heading. Steinemann helps writers to choose appropriate adjectives and verb tenses – eg: If you say your character has tanned arms while the setting takes place in winter, you’ve used the wrong adjective unless a reason is presented for the tanned arms. The author demonstrates how to eliminate unnecessary words with suggested word replacement. Plenty of prompts are also given as well as: opinion words explained, hyphen use, how to incorporate color, use of props for description, use of word variation pertaining to the character’s description – example: you may use the word ‘porky’ for a bully, but the word wouldn’t go over well if a husband were to refer to his wife with such word.

This book is a fantastic edition to describe all parts of the body from head to toe, also offering ideas to set up a character chart to list all attributes of characters, ie: shapes, appearance, flesh tone, etc. Each chapter begins with descriptions, examples of word usage. Steinemann also talks about caveats, eg: perception of the writer’s view needs to be made clear for readers. The writer may know what she means to relay being privy to the character’s thoughts, but make sure the reader is informed too.

The Writer’s Body Lexicon is succinctly written into sections for each body part, covering verbs, variegation of color, shapes, idioms, cliches, metaphors, similes, comparisons and more. A must-have resource guide for all writers!

Now that you’ve had a little sampling of Kathy and her amazing writer resources, let’s get to know more about Kathy and get her opinions on writing rules, self-publishing and more!

 

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

The urge to write was always a part of my life.

As a child, I created stories and accompanied them with pictures.

In fifth grade, I won a contest sponsored by an agricultural college. I can still remember the opening sentence: “Calling all cars, calling all cars.” Vague recollections of how the police tracked down weeds come to mind, but the plot has disappeared after all this time. And no, I won’t say how many dec— years have passed since then.

During secondary school, I placed in a couple of speaking contests, wrote for the high school newspaper, and submitted a weekly high school news column to the local paper.

D.G. – Wow, to think you began with writing for the school newspaper. But so not surprised.

Do you agree with the general consensus that writers are loners?

Yes.

It’s difficult to retain focus or get any writing done if a myriad of activities takes writers away from their writing cave.

However, savvy authors must interact with the world. How can they write about what it feels like to travel by air if they’ve never boarded a plane? How can they describe the scent of churros in the air at Disneyland if they’ve never been there?

But time away from writing is never truly time away. An active mind is always thinking about the next story idea, the subplot of a WIP, or a way to make X or Y happen.

D.G. – I totally agree Kathy. A writer’s mind never really sleeps.

What’s your opinion on self-publishing?

The good: Self-publishing provides unprecedented opportunities for writers who might otherwise be unable to find an agent or swing a book deal. In fact, some famous authors have switched to this platform or a hybrid model.

The bad: The ease and speed of the process often results in poorly written books with a surfeit of plot holes, typos, and formatting inconsistencies. This has given self-publishing an unsavory reputation.

Fortunately, most online sales outlets allow potential buyers to read the first part of a book before they order.

Tip: If you want to support brick-and-mortar sellers, evaluate books online first. You’ll know what you like and what to avoid before haphazard strolls through local book stores.

D.G. – I couldn’t agree with you more. Also, I think since the stigma of shoddy Indie work began, many want-to-be writers are learning how poorly shoddy work reflects on their work, and are taking in the advice.

Do you have any advice you can share for new writers?

Yes! Learn the rules. Understand why they exist before you make a conscious decision to break them.

Stephen King doesn’t like adverbs — but he uses them. Occasionally.

Mark Twain detested exclamation points — but they appear in his work. Often!

Kurt Vonnegut loathed semicolons; however, he used 41 per 100,000 words.

Stephen King’s opinion of adverbs: “If you have one on your lawn, it looks pretty and unique. If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day … fifty the day after that … and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely, and profligately covered with dandelions.”

Mark Twain’s take on italics and exclamation points: “But the teller of the comic story does not slur the nub; he shouts it at you — every time. And when he prints it … he italicizes it, puts some whooping exclamation-points after it … All of which is very depressing, and makes one want to renounce joking and lead a better life.”

Kurt Vonnegut on semicolons: “They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.”

There is one incontrovertible rule, however: Sloppy punctuation and grammar makes writing difficult to understand. Difficult to understand = lost readers.

D.G. – Loved all these quotes from some of the greats. I’m a firm believer in the first one: we must learn the rules before we can acceptably break them.

 

What are your writing goals for this year?

I released The Writer’s Body Lexicon at the beginning of July. Based on what readers found there, a couple of them have asked me to publish a color lexicon. Putting the cart before the horse, I designed the cover already. Now for the research.

I also have a sci-fi anthology in progress, and I’d like to write more short fiction and poetry for literary journals. My overarching problem is always lack of time. There never seem to be enough hours in a day to get through my to-do list. Maybe I should try to clone myself or discover a wayto survive without sleep.

Any inventors out there?

D.G. – Hello! I hear you loud and clear! I think all us writers could use a clone, lol. And fabulous you are already working on the next installment for the Lexicon series.

 

Who is your favorite author and why?

My favorite author changes occasionally. Right now, it’s James Dashner, writer of The Maze Runner series. His narrative is imaginative and easy to read, without purple prose or excessive backstory. Short chapters and regular scene breaks make his books convenient to devour in spurts — a plus for anyone with a hectic lifestyle.

I finished the Maze Runner books first and then watched the movies, which weren’t as good as the books. Are they ever?

Diana Gabaldon is a close second with her Outlander novels. I prefer less sensory detail than she provides, but the storylines are riveting. And the writers of the Starz Outlander TV series deserve their own kudos.

D.G. – I’ve heard so much praise for Outlander series. In fact, I’ll be reviewing a book this Sunday that many reviewers tout reminded them of that same series! And I have to say, my favorite kind of reading is short chapters too.

 

If you weren’t a writer, what else do you think you would do?

I’d love to work as a CGI artist, to boldly go where no CGI artist has gone before, to create worlds for shows such as Star Trek, Game of Thrones, and Maze Runner. And what could be better than to travel to another planet, solar system, or galaxy for ideas? Impossible, at least for now, but a person can dream.

Second best: Create colorful word pictures that transport readers to new galaxies and realms of imagination. Earth is where I am, and where I’m likely to stay. It’s not a punishment, and I enjoy my hectic life as it is.

D.G. – Sounds ambitious. But I think you can sign up now for a trip to Mars? 🙂

 

Visit Kathy at her Social Sites:

 

A serial comma fan, she provides word lists, cheat sheets, how tos, and sometimes irreverent reviews of writing rules at:

KathySteinemann.com.

Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/kathysteinemann

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KathySteinemann

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathySteinemann

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KathySteinemann

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/kathysteinemann

 

©DGKaye2020

bitmo live laugh love

 

55 thoughts on “Q & A with D.G. Kaye, featuring Kathy Steinemann – The Writer’s Body Lexicon”

  3. Thank you! I loved all the remarks by the ‘greats’ with reference to punctuation….It sounds an excellent book, Debby. When I had my only novel published, I had a few good reviews, and then one which said: “Too many exclamation marks. By the third chapter, I gave up and stopped reading the book.” (There really were not many…) That quite upset me, but that’s taste for you. And…I watch out for them now! Hugs xx

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    1. Hi Joy! Yes, I too enjoyed the quotes by the greats. Buy oye! That review was kind of cruel. I think question marks are oh so tempting. I used to go a bit wild with exclamation marks too, lol. I’ve cooled my jets, but can’t do without some of them. What’s an overly expressive person to do? Lol 🙂 ❤ xxx

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    2. I splash exclamation points liberally throughout texts and comments, fewer in emails, and hardly any in creative writing. Sometimes that little punctuation mark packs a punch that can’t be conveyed in words. Thanks for stopping by, Joy!

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  4. This is a great interview, Debby. Kathy’s advice is wise and helpful and it is good to meet her here. Thank you for the introduction. I hope you do manage to dip into the CGI art world, Kathy and have a go. ❤

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  5. Kathy’s book sounds like an exhaustive work on the topic. Body language can be compelling or not, depending on how careful the writer is to slow down and let the reader hear/see/feel characters’ emotions. This is a book I will definitely check out. Thanks for alerting me to this amazing author and reference tool.

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    1. Thanks Marian. Kathy’s books are a great resource for writers of all genres. You’ll never be stuck for a word with the Lexicon books by your side. 🙂 x

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  7. Thanks, Debby, for your blush-provoking review and the opportunity to share my thoughts about a number of topics.

    Looks like I’m late to the party — and it’s not even 9 a.m. where I live.

    Your website provides excellent resources for writers. We need more enthusiasm and joy like yours in the world! (Exclamation point intentional.) 😉

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  8. A wonderful interview thanks Debby and Kathy. The body is an amazingly complex wonder of nature and deserves to be described with words that reflect that. I like the idea of your alternate career choice Kathy. The ability to create worlds and beings visually rather than just with words would be amazing. Will press tomorrow.. thanks both of you ♥

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  9. An awesome interview, Debby and Kathy. I’m a follower of Kathy’s blog and am always intrigued by her writing tips and suggestions. The book sounds like an amazing resource and one I could use for those moments when the brain shuts down. I liked the answer about learning the rules before breaking them. The examples made me smile… of course these famous authors break their own rules. Adverbs, exclamation points, and semicolons exist for a reason. 🙂 And I agree with the points about lazy writing and sloppy grammar. Those choices make me close a book.

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  11. Great to learn more about Kathy. I’ve read fantastic reviews of her series and her words are wise (and humorous). Thanks very much for this wonderful interview and good luck to Kathy with all her projects (I’m always on the lookout for any time-expanding discovery, so I’ll keep you posted).

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  12. I remember reading your review of this book, Debby. Nice to find out more about Kathy. I loved her quotes by famous writers and I also agree with her view that you must learn the rules before you can break them.

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  13. Pingback: Q & A with D.G. Kaye, featuring Kathy Steinemann – The Writer’s Body Lexicon | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

  14. Thank you very much Debbie! I also think its a fantastic book. Could push me to a higher level of vocabulary knowledge too. 😉 I apologize for the long delay in heading over from Sally’s blog. It seemed like i had to walk the distance in real. Lol No, the internet connection was gone done, because the most people in our village had watched a soccer game via streaming. 😉 Michael

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    1. Hi Michael. Thanks so much for trekking over here! Lol. Please, never apologize, nobody is late, we all get there. I’m glad you enjoyed learning about Kathy’s book and glad you found it interesting. 🙂

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  15. As always, plenty of details to justify recommending what seems to be an excellent resource. Don’t know how I will ever find time to make use of the many DG and others have offered but I just must get a round TUIT. LOL.

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  16. Fascinating (!) I was going to buy the Kindle versions but have decided that I’d rather have the paper ones because they’re easier to navigate when you want to refer back to something. Saving up the pennies!

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    1. Hi Trish. Thanks for dropping by, and great idea. I know I need my writing reference guys handy and quick. I find it so much easier to refer back to a page, and that I can dog-ear too, lol. Yes, I highly recommend the paperback. 🙂 x

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  18. I bought this book as soon as it was published, to add to the previous ones I already use extensively. I’m about to delve into this one as I get deeper into my current WIP, as the fourth book about many of the same characters, some fresh descriptions will be very welcome!
    Great interview too – it really did sound like a report of you two having a chat!

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    1. Thanks for the great compliment Deb. And I too have Kathy’s other books. This will be a great addition – especially for fiction writers like you. ❤

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