Inside Creative Writing. Stranger-Than-Fiction. 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. R. Martin’s world in Game of Thrones.If you’re ready to create your very own fictional world, it’s great to start by reading lots of examples – and read like a writer, studying the craft of world building.
Pay attention to the details and ask yourself why the author might have made the choices he or she did. The International Reading Association Beyond the Book feature “Let’s Build a World Together” will give you lots of ideas for where to start.When you’re ready to move forward, you may want to use author Kate Messner’s world building worksheet as a guide. Part I takes a look at the basic setting for a work of futuristic fiction.
McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. A Copyright-Friendly Toolkit. However fabulous Creative Commons and Public Domain content may be, sometimes you really need to use copyrighted material. Say you plan to comment on popular media or current events. For instance, you may be planning to critique the portrayal of Native Americans in commercial films. You are going to want to “quote” some commercial films like Pocahontas, Lone Ranger, and Dances with Wolves. If you are reviewing a book, you may want to share its cover art. You may use copyrighted content without asking permission if you believe that your use falls under the doctrine known as Fair Use. Fair Use is a little complicated. In general, when you transform original content, repurpose it, and add value to it in your own remix, you may be able to claim the use fair. According to American University’s Center for Media and Social Impact, these two tests or questions help you plan whether to use the copyrighted work of others without asking permission: American University.
DRAFT - Opinionator. John Wells and I have been together a very long time. If you haven’t heard of Wells, he’s a C.I.A. operative who plays the starring role in a series of espionage thrillers that I started writing a decade ago. Random House published the first, “The Faithful Spy,” in 2006. I planned to kill Wells off at its end, a la John le Carre’s Alec Leamas. But my editor told me I couldn’t end with a fade to black, that I’d have to have a funeral. I found I couldn’t write the scene. Since then, Wells has proven too tough to die, or maybe too mean. I’ve lost track of how many men he’s killed, but it’s well past two dozen. Wells predates my wife, Jackie, and our daughter, Lucy. All of which is another way of saying that John Wells has markedly enriched my life — an impressive feat for a man who doesn’t exist. Creative Nonfiction | True stories, well told. The Online Community for Writers.
Character Chart for Fiction Writers - EpiGuide.com. If you're a fiction writer -- whether you're working on a novel, short story, screenplay, television series, play, web series, webserial, or blog-based fiction -- your characters should come alive for your reader or audience. The highly detailed chart below will help writers develop fictional characters who are believable, captivating, and unique. Print this page to complete the form for each main character you create. IMPORTANT: Note that all fields are optional and should be used simply as a guide; character charts should inspire you to think about your character in new ways, rather than constrain your writing.
Fill in only as much info as you choose. Have fun getting to know your character! If this character chart is helpful, please let us know! Looking for more character questionnaires / charts? Getting Started: Freewriting. Freewriting Many writing instructors use a freewriting exercise at the beginning of each class. It's a way of getting the brain in gear, and it's an exercise you can do on your own, safe to try in your own home. (We provide an interactive page for this exercise, see below.) Write down a topic at the top of that empty page. It can be either a one-word topic — like "Dentists," for example — or a brief statement of the topic you've chosen or been given to write about. Set the clock for five to ten minutes and put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and go at it. Write as fast as you can; the faster the better.
It's probably a good idea to read your freewriting out loud when you're done with it. Don't give up on freewriting after one exercise. Here's a five-minute example of free-writing on the subject of dentists written by an older student, Thruston Parry, who has given us permission to use his work: DENTISTS I hate going to the dentist. Inspiration for a Fulfilling, Creative Writing Life - Writer's Articles, Prompts, Questions, Answers. Home : Inspiration and How-to's for a Fulfilling, Creative Writing Life The Doorway into Creativity Portal's Inspiring and Helpful Writing Guide The art of writing takes on many forms.
Whether you're writing for business or for pleasure, Creativity Portal provides an abundance of inspiration and how-to's for a fulfilling creative writing life at every stage. Here you can explore a variety of writing topics and articles on calligraphy, poetry, journal writing and blogging, creative writing, copywriting, fiction writing, and collaborative writing.
Creativity Portal also features the Blogger.com recommended Imagination Prompt Generator, a push-button prompt tool and a growing cache of writing prompts and photo inspiration to spark your creative writing and blogging sessions. Creativity Portal's Writing Life Accolades Creativity Portal Featured in SARK's Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper! National Novel Writing Month.