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How To Write a Novel in Logical Steps. ImpishIdea: How Not To Write Female Characters. There are already a lot of articles around on how to write female characters.

ImpishIdea: How Not To Write Female Characters

That’s all well and good, but I think it’s a lot less restrictive to have an itemized list of things you shouldn’t do. It also might be easier to digest than lengthy essays. Also, this list is intended for people with more testosterone, but since I’ve seen young female authors screw up their own young female protagonists, estrogenites are perfectly allowed to read this too. Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language.

Translate emotions into written body language We are always told to use body language in our writing.

Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language

Sometimes, it's easier said than written. I decided to create these cheat sheets to help you show a character's state of mind. Obviously, a character may exhibit a number of these behaviours. How to Start a Story. Trying to start writing a story is a daunting prospect.

How to Start a Story

Whether it’s a short story or a novel, sometimes it’s putting the first few words on the page that’s difficult. If we aren’t careful we can end up just staring at a blank screen because we don’t even know how to start the story. I used to have the same problem. Now people say, “Where do you get so many ideas from?” Five crime writers reveal their secrets for creating suspense. 8 Unstoppable Rules For Writing Killer Short Stories. 25 Rules And Formulas For Writing Irresistible Headlines.

There is an art to writing post headlines and bloggers have to learn this art in order to better attract visitors.

25 Rules And Formulas For Writing Irresistible Headlines

Your potential visitors are busy people. You are competing to get their attention and a share of their valuable time, and you compete against many other things. Their work, their family and friends, their social network, their interests, all the other media and websites and many more factors. To attract visitors and draw them in you must write powerful, relevant and eye-catching headlines for your posts. Your headlines must be sharp, they must make people curious and prompt them to click on your link no matter the distractions and the competing choices in their news feeds. Behind the Spark: "You Can't Do That in Short Fiction!"

This post is part of the new “Behind the Spark” series in which Spark contributors and editor Brian Lewis explore and discuss work that has been featured in the anthology.

Behind the Spark: "You Can't Do That in Short Fiction!"

Here are three things, in no particular order, which you can’t do* in short fiction. Flashbacks.Narrative in third-person present tense.Flashbacks when the narrative is in third-person present tense. * By “things you can’t do” I really mean “things which are impossibly difficult to do well.” Let’s talk about this. Writing Advice. My eyes usually glaze over whenever I see somebody saying something as artsy as “go into yourself”.

Writing Advice

But this is Rilke. And it’s worth getting past that. You are looking outward, and that above all you should not do now. Nobody can counsel and help you, nobody. There is only one single way. Using Excel To Outline Your NaNoWriMo Novel: Defeating the sprawl. We're smack in the middle of NaNoWriMo and, I hope you're faring better, but my novel has grown a mite cluttered.

Using Excel To Outline Your NaNoWriMo Novel: Defeating the sprawl

I did have an outline when I began (really, I did!) And I have followed it ... more or less ... but my characters had ideas of their own. I've ended up adding new scenes and modifying old ones. 5 editor's secrets to help you write like a pro. I do a lot of copyediting, both of books and advertising collateral.

5 editor's secrets to help you write like a pro

I’ll let you in on a secret that still surprises me, although I’ve seen it hundreds of times now. If you looked at the raw work of most professional writers, you’d be pretty underwhelmed. Professional writers get work because they hit their deadlines, they stay on message, and they don’t throw too many tantrums. Get Rid of Ugly Wordiness: How to Cut Your Novel Down to Size. My friend Leigh Spencer has a new book of poetry called Tequila and Cookies.

Get Rid of Ugly Wordiness: How to Cut Your Novel Down to Size

With a title like that, you KNOW you want to read it. Article by Lillie Ammann. 11 Stupidest Writing Mistakes. Sales Tips >> Browse Articles >> Proposals and Presentations Professional writers often worry that their work is unnecessary.

11 Stupidest Writing Mistakes

After all, can’t anyone with even a basic education write? The answer: no, they can’t. Even college graduates don’t seem to be learning composition basics. Of course not everyone is going to be the next Mark Twain, but career success does depend on not looking stupid. Avoid these 11 mistakes and get the job, make the sale, and write better! Constipated Clauses Reporting on the feats and foibles of the Red Sox, a writer for South Coast Today notes: “It goes without saying that these exploits take a tremendous amount of skill.” If it “goes without saying” then don’t say it. “Obviously, the sky is blue.”

How Can You Become A Better Writer. “Write 50 words. That’s a paragraph. Write 400 words. That’s a page. 9 Storytelling Blunders That Make You Look like an Amateur. Image from Dark Uncle You may be a grammatical black belt, leaping big vocabulary words in a single bound. But take care: you could still be making elementary mistakes that’ll leave your readers cringing, eye-rolling, and yes, even face-palming. Protect your writerly reputation! George Orwell: 6 Questions/6 Rules. Writing Secrets of Prolific Authors. Do you want to be a prolific writer? Isaac Asimov, one of the big three science fiction writers of the twentieth century, published over 500 books including novels, short story collections and non fiction, making him one of the most prolific writers of all time.

How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point Arc. By Ali Hale - 3 minute read One of my favourite “how to write” books is Nigel Watts’ Writing A Novel and Getting Published. My battered, torn and heavily-pencil-marked copy is a testament to how useful I’ve found it over the years. Although the cover appears to be on the verge of falling off altogether, I’ve risked opening the book once more to bring you Watts’ very useful “Eight-Point Story Arc” – a fool-proof, fail-safe and time-honoured way to structure a story. (Even if you’re a short story writer or flash fiction writer rather than a novelist, this structure still applies, so don’t be put off by the title of Watts’ book.)

The eight points which Watts lists are, in order: StasisTriggerThe questSurpriseCritical choiceClimaxReversalResolution. How to write well. 50 Articles to Improve your Writing. Checklist of Fiction Faults. Main Character: How To Kill Your Protagonist. There are many reasons writers decide to kill off their protagonist. The trick is to do it for the right reasons and in a way that won’t make the reader stomp off in a huff. Five Weak Words that Make Your Writing Less Effective. - StumbleUpon. How to Design a Fictional Town or City. A Way With Worlds - Entire Column Listing. How to build a fictional world - Kate Messner.

The world building strategies of popular books like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter have been analyzed in great detail by writers and critics alike. The NPR piece “At Home in Fantasy’s Nerd-Built World” continues the conversation, taking a look at the magical creation of George R. Free Writing Pacemaker Creates Custom Writing Schedule. The 7 Types of Short Story Opening, and How to Decide Which is Right for Your Story. Four Ways to Cut Your Novel's Draft (and Make Your Story Stronger) Image from Flickr by adrperez. 25 Things You Should Know About Word Choice. 1. The Secret of Writing Funny. Kurt Vonnegut's Tips for Writing Fiction. CreatingMinds - tools, techniques, methods, quotes and quotations on all matters creative - StumbleUpon.

World Under Snow in 12 Magical Photos. Winter in Krakow, Poland. Photo by: Marcin Ryczek Walking in the snow is fun. 12 Useful Websites to Improve Your Writing. By Johnny Webber. Internet Resources - Writers Resources - Writing Links & Writers Links for Writers. 23 Writing Websites to Improve Your Writing. Useful Sites for Beginners to Creative Writing. Questionnaires for Writing Character Profiles. Character Creation Made Easy, Pick a Personality-Method 6-MBTI Profiles. Building Fictional Characters Building fictional characters. Character Chart. Character Questionnaires - Get to Know Your Characters.

25 Things You Should Know About Character. 25 Ways To Fuck With Your Characters. Checklist of 17 Character Qualities — Fiction Notes. 10 Days of Character Building: Wrap Up. Character Chart for Fiction Writers - EpiGuide.com. Wow! Women on Writing - An eZine for women writers, authors, editors, agents, publishers, and readers. The Character Workshop — Designing A Life. Character and Characterisation in the Novel. Setting the Scene - Four Ways to Put the Reader in the Picture. Poem Starters and Creative Writing Ideas. Three Ways to a Killer Opening Line. The Almost Totally Random Writing Exercise Generators.

- StumbleUpon. How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method. A Simple Novel Outline - 9 questions for 25 chapters « H.E. Roulo. Write a Novel. 3 Steps to Writing a Novel with Unforgettable Characters.

Kurt Vonnegut explains drama. 6 Ways to Hook Your Readers from the Very First Line. Common Themes in Literture. CALLIHOO Writing Idea Generators: The 37 Dramatic Situations. The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. Tension. Hero's journey.

Plot. Writing Tips: Plot, How to plot a novel. WATCH: New GoldieBlox Ad Has Amazing Twist at End. The Beginning Writer: Layering Your Story Line Using Braiding. Beginners' four faults. The Top Ten Mistakes New Fiction Authors Make. 3 tips to avoid writing a cheesy, shallow romance. How To Bullshit Your Way Through Any Essay. How to Write an Essay Like the Pros (Infographic) Writing a research paper.