I'm Just a Kid from Brooklyn. Writing Ergonomics: Top Tips for Proper Posture, Alignment, and Movement. Freelance writers and everyone who writes or works at a computer needs to pay attention to proper body posture/position, alignment, and movement — if you want to be a faster writer and be a happier writer, you must learn about ergonomics. Ergonomics is the science of work.
When specifically applied to writing, it addresses how you should position yourself and how you should move when writing so you maximize productivity, minimize physical discomfort, and prevent damage to your body. We’ve already examined how to minimize eyestrain when writing at the computer in a past post, so now we’ll look at the details of what else you need to do. Proper alignment and posture for a sitting writer working on a computer. (Courtesy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Your Writing Chair You want a high-quality chair that provides a cushioned seat, excellent support for your lower back, and the ability to adjust the height of the seat and the position of the backrest. Your Writing Posture 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Karen & the babes. Write Fiction that Grabs Readers from Page One. In your novel, the inciting incident is the first sign of trouble for your protagonist: it’s the catalyst, the chemical reaction, that sets the plot into motion. But the inciting incident isn’t only important for your main character.
Understanding how to harness it is also crucial to hooking your reader from the very first page and immediately investing them in the experiences, emotions, and personal struggles of the character. In this excerpt from Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton, you’ll discover that the inciting incident can be used as a trigger to focus the reader on the character’s journey and retain his or her interest throughout the rest of the novel. The Inciting Incident as a Trigger The inciting incident is the crucial event—the trouble—that sets the whole story in motion. Notice that this isn’t a point-by-point outline of a plot.
The story begins with a bit of necessary setup, giving a scrap of family history. Karen & the babes. Karen & the babes. Karen & the babes. 7 Ways to Use Brain Science to Hook Readers. Writing and brain science Story is universal. There isn’t a society on earth that doesn’t tell stories. It’s no wonder, because stories captivate us in a way nothing else can. And yet, until recently, story was primarily seen as a delightful form of entertainment. Sure, we thought, stories make life much more enjoyable, but they don’t play a necessary role when it comes to survival.
Wrong! It turns out story has been crucial to our survival from day one. In the same way that food tastes good so we’ll eat it, stories are entertaining so we’ll pay attention to them. Curiosity is the trigger. In other words, the desire to find out what happens next. This information is a game changer for writers. So, with that in mind, let’s explore 7 ways your story can hook the reader’s brain. 1. Surprise gets our attention by defying our expectations. That’s exactly how a story grabs the brain’s attention: by instantly letting us know that all is not as it seems – yes, beginning with the opening sentence. 2.
Karen & the babes. The Difference Between Good Writers and Bad Writers. The Writer's Guide to Overcoming Insecurity. “This is horrible.” “I’m just not cut out for this.” “Why do I even write?” Everyone who writes has that little voice in their head. It’s the voice of Mr. Insecurity – and if you aren’t careful, he’ll move in permanently with his annoying grandmother, Procrastination. Luckily, there are things you can do to overcome your writing insecurity and shut that voice up for good. Why You’re Insecure We’re insecure because we care about what people think of our work. If we didn’t give two hoots about it, then we wouldn’t be insecure. You want people to like you, to like your articles and to tell you that you’re awesome.
It’s all fine and good to want to be liked, but when you stop dead in your tracks if you don’t hear that you are… it becomes a problem. A big problem. What to Do About It You can overcome your writing insecurity. But you can learn how to deal with it. 1. Become aware of the voice in your head that makes you insecure. No, I’m not crazy – and neither are you. 2. 3. Let it flow uncensored. 10 Ways to Avoid Writing Insecurity.
5 Ways to Get Out of the Comfort Zone and Become a Stronger Writer. Writing is like anything else. To really get better, we have to push ourselves. We need to constantly reevaluate what feels comfortable…and then take it to the next step. This is the only way to get better, faster, leaner, and tighter. As I always say, it is a wonderful time to be a writer, but it is also a terrifying time to be a writer. Discoverability is a nightmare when we are competing against everyone with a computer and access to Smashwords. To Grow, Do More When I was in high school, I was on the swim team, and, when we were training for speed, the coach would make us wear a full sweatsuit to swim our laps.
When I began my career as a writer, I thought a 1000 words a day was a really huge deal. Be Uncomfortable If we are comfortable, we aren’t growing. Understand We Are Capable of More than We Believe Most of us underestimate what we are capable of if pushed. Seriously? But, I was all about at least trying new things so I went to a class (and thought I was going to die). 1. 2. 3. 50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Writing Skills. Advertisement Today, too many websites are still inaccessible. In our new book Inclusive Design Patterns, we explore how to craft flexible front-end design patterns and make future-proof and accessible interfaces without extra effort.
Hardcover, 312 pages. Get the book now! Effective writing skills are to a writer what petrol is to a car. Of course, effective writing requires a good command of the language in which you write or want to write. Further Reading on SmashingMag: Link We collected over 50 useful and practical tools and resources that will help you to improve your writing skills. 1. Use English Punctuation Correctly6 A quick and useful crash course in English punctuation. HyperGrammar7 An extensive electronic grammar course at the University of Ottawa’s Writing Centre. Grammar Girl8 Mignon Fogarty’s quick and dirty tips for better writing. English Style Guide – Economist16 This guide is based on the style book which is given to all journalists at The Economist. 2. Dr. 3. 4. 5. 6. 34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer. James Chartrand – Web Content Writer Tips Nice collection of tips! Some I agree with, some I don’t, but I think what is important to remember is that each one of us has unique tips and tricks to offer for better writing.Two tips: Online content writing demands concise business writing.
Forget the flowery prose; web content needs more succinct language. Drop the passive language. “Is being”, “Is used,” “that is being…” Gone, gone, gone. Outdated.