Themes & Things To Keep In Mind When Writing Fantasy Stories and Adventures « Daily Encounter. This list is far from complete.
It’s not even trying to be complete. It knows better than that. It just wants to be helpful and provide some inspiration here and there; you know, offer little suggestions that might lead to bigger ideas. (Especially by using the words offered as Wikipedia searches!) Feel free to make suggestions in the comments! Weather. A Simple Novel Outline – 9 questions for 25 chapters « H.E. Roulo. Just as every tree is different but still recognizably a tree, every story is different but contains elements that make it a story.
By defining those before you begin you clarify the scope of your work, identify your themes, and create the story you meant to write. At Norwescon 2011 I sat in on a session called Outline Your Novel in 90-minutes led by Mark Teppo. I’ll give you the brief, readable, synthesized version. Answer 9 questions and create 25 chapter titles and you’re there.
Here are the 9 questions to create a novel: 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions. All creative tools. Check Spelling, Style, and Grammar with After the Deadline.
Internet Resources - Writers Resources - Writing Links & Writers Links for Writers - Fiction Writing. Fifty (50!) Tools which can help you in Writing. Character building. Fantasy fiction: The problems with prophecies. Bohemian Word Werks - Writing blunders. Story Structure & Plot - Novel Writing Tips.
Conflict and Character within Story Structure The Basic Three Act Structure The simplest building blocks of a good story are found in the Three Act Structure.
Separated by Plot Points, its Act 1 (Beginning), Act 2 (Middle), and Act 3 (End) refer not to where in time in the story they lie but instead fundamental stages along the way. In the Beginning you introduce the reader to the setting, the characters and the situation (conflict) they find themselves in and their goal. Plot Point 1 is a situation that drives the main character from their "normal" life toward some different conflicting situation that the story is about. Writing Genre Fiction: Structure Chart. Fight scenes. A Way With Worlds - Entire Column Listing. Spice Up Your Writing With Dialogue.
By Judy Cullins Does your chapter sound like a report?
Does it go on and on with past tense sentences that tell, rather than show? To spice up your self help, non-fiction or fiction book and even promotional writing, you need to use much more dialogue. Why? Because dialogue presents your story through your characters' hearts and minds. Writing Realistic Injuries. Quick Contents Introduction General remarks What's normal?
Reactions to injury - including emotional reactions, fainting and shock. Minor injuries - such as bruises, grazes and sprains Head injuries - from black eyes to severe concussions Broken bones Dislocated jointsCutting and Piercing - for various locations, including blood loss symptoms and figures. Blunt trauma - getting hit, internal injuries.Burns - including electrical burns Hostile environments - such as extreme cold and heat, oxygen deprivation and exposure to vacuum. References - useful websites. Introduction Characters climbing cliffs with broken arms or getting knocked out for an hour or so and then running around like nothing happened, bug me. Patricia C. Wrede's Worldbuilder Questions: Index. Index About This Page This page is not Patricia Wrede's web site.
So far as I know, she doesn't have one. CALLIHOO Writing Idea Generators: The 37 Dramatic Situations. The Thirty-six (plus one) Dramatic Situations Georges Polti says that all stories boil down to just 36 dramatic situations and takeoffs of those situations.
Somebody else out there added #37. If you're stuck for a situation, try this. A situation appears below randomly (in bold print). How to Finish A Novel. The problem with novels is that you can’t sit down in one day and complete one from start to finish. (At least I can’t. If you can, you have my undying envy.) Novels are long. Generally, a salable length is between 90,000 and 150,000 words . . . and that, fellow writer, is a lot of words. The Ten Mistakes « Holt Uncensored – Pat Holt on Books, Book Publishing Industry, Reviews.
Like many editorial consultants, I’ve been concerned about the amount of time I’ve been spending on easy fixes that the author shouldn’t have to pay for.
Sometimes the question of where to put a comma, how to use a verb or why not to repeat a word can be important, even strategic. But most of the time the author either missed that day’s grammar lesson in elementary school or is too close to the manuscript to make corrections before I see it. So the following is a list I’ll be referring to people *before* they submit anything in writing to anybody (me, agent, publisher, your mom, your boss).
From email messages and front-page news in the New York Times to published books and magazine articles, the 10 ouchies listed here crop up everywhere. They’re so pernicious that even respected Internet columnists are not immune.