How To Create Deep & Compelling Magic Item Backgrounds In Just 60 Seconds. Image via Wikipedia Give your magic item a quick history. Then use the history to tie a whole bunch of things together that will make you look like a genius. We’ll get into genius part in a sec, but let’s first create a simple background that you can do in just 60 seconds. To flesh out your item’s lore fast, give four questions a one line answer each: Lore Question #1: Origin Story Who made the item and why?
(And when?) We’re dealing with how the item came into existence. I’ve assumed the item was crafted on purpose by someone or some thing, but that need not be the case. Origin Ideas Some ideas for why the item came into existence: Date Stamp Next, give the item a date stamp. For example, is the item ancient or new? If you have a campaign management information system, like I do for my campaigns using My Info, then a date stamp also helps you log the item into it.
Example origins: Created by Servis, a humble village priest, to help protect his northern community from orcs 53 years ago. Examples: 60 Awesome Search Engines for Serious Writers. June 20th, 2010 Finding the information you need as a writer shouldn’t be a chore.
Luckily, there are plenty of search engines out there that are designed to help you at any stage of the process, from coming up with great ideas to finding a publisher to get your work into print. Both writers still in college and those on their way to professional success will appreciate this list of useful search applications that are great from making writing a little easier and more efficient. Professional Find other writers, publishers and ways to market your work through these searchable databases and search engines.
Writing These helpful tools will help you along in the writing process. Research Try out these tools to get your writing research done in a snap. Google Scholar: With this specialized search engine from Google, you’ll only get reliable, academic results for your searches.WorldCat: If you need a book from the library, try out this tool. Reference Need to look up a quote or a fact? Niche Writers. 20 Basic Plots For Story Generators - Software Secret Weapons. The 20 Basic Plots are collected by the Tennessee Screenwriting Association . After you come up with your own system for generating ideas, the next step is to put them in some recognizable story form (the basic plot idea), build your central conflict (the story premise sheet), then build your character and underlying themes (the thematic premise sheet). 1.
QUEST - the plot involves the Protagonist's search for a person, place or thing, tangible or intangible (but must be quantifiable, so think of this as a noun; i.e., immortality). 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. (Note: Sometimes #19 & #20 are combined into rags-to-riches-to-rags (or vice versa) of a Protagonist who does (or doesn't) learn to deal with their dominating character trait). Looking At People Through Their Words illustrates the use of artificial intelligence and data mining for text analysis. Kurt Vonnegut -- troubling.info. Eight rules for writing fiction: 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. -- Vonnegut, Kurt Vonnegut, Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (New York: G.P.
Kurt Vonnegut: How to Write with Style. Project #20. Story Starters & Idea Generators. One of the best ways to break through writer's block or stretch your writing skills is to pick a story starter and just start writing. Suggestions on how to use each generator are included with the generator. Caveat: There's always a temptation to keep looking for the "perfect" idea, but then you need to ask yourself...are you really just trying to avoid writing? Problem: You can't get a story started Solution: Archetype's Plot Scenario Generator What it is: This generator provides you with the event that gets the story rolling and a secondary conflict to keep you going! Problem: Your characters lack depth Solution: Archetype's Character Generator What it is: A quick character sketch filled with the kinds of little details that makes stories engaging: character gender, cardinal traits, weaknesses, and most prized possession.
Problem: Your characters don't feel like "real" people Solution: Archetype's Everyday Problems Generator Looking for something you don't see? Getting Yourself Started. Kurt Vonnegut's Tips for Writing Fiction. Write a Novel This Summer with NaNoWriMo.
The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations is a descriptive list which was created by Georges Polti to categorize every dramatic situation that might occur in a story or performance. To do this Polti analyzed classical Greek texts, plus classical and contemporaneous French works. He also analyzed a handful of non-French authors. In his introduction, Polti claims to be continuing the work of Carlo Gozzi, who also identified 36 situations. Publication history[edit] “Gozzi maintained that there can be but thirty-six tragic situations.
Schiller took great pains to find more, but he was unable to find even so many as Gozzi.” This list was published in a book of the same name, which contains extended explanations and examples. The list is popularized as an aid for writers, but it is also used by dramatists, storytellers and many others. The 36 situations[edit] Each situation is stated, then followed by the necessary elements for each situation and a brief description. See also[edit] References[edit] Phrase Thesaurus - ideas generator for writers | online thesaurus. Synonyms for | Synonym-Finder.com - StumbleUpon. Ambiguous Words. Section IV - Impressive Phrases. How To Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon.
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 Buy the book: Amazon | B&N | More… Here’s what a few folks have said about it: “Brilliant and real and true.” —Rosanne Cash“Filled with well-formed advice that applies to nearly any kind of work.” —Lifehacker.com“Immersing yourself in Steal Like An Artist is as fine an investment in the life of your mind as you can hope to make.” —The Atlantic Read an excerpt below… Tags: steal like an artist. DarkCopy - Simple, full screen text editing. How to Develop a Photographic Memory. My World and Welcome... Funny Pages: Handy Latin Phrases - StumbleUpon. Non calor sed umor est qui nobis incommodat. It's not the heat, it's the humidity. Di! Ecce hora! Uxor mea me necabit! God, look at the time! My wife will kill me! Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre? Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare. Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris. Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari? (At a barbeque) Animadvertistine, ubicumque stes, fumum recta in faciem ferri? Sona si Latine loqueris. Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes If you can read this you're over-educated Vidi Vici Veni I saw, I conquered, I came Vacca foeda Stupid cow Mihi ignosce.
Raptus regaliter Royally screwed Si hoc signum legere potes, operis boni in rebus Latinus alacribus et fructuosis potiri potes! Gramen artificiosum odi. Nihil curo de ista tua stulta superstitione. Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo. Nullo metro compositum est. Non curo. Fac ut gaudeam. O! Prettiest Words: All of Them. 23 Pages. Could Always Use More, Though - StumbleUpon. A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian. Wonk Tools - StumbleUpon.