I want to write, but where do I start? As someone writing my first novel, many questions reared their heads.
Questions such as why write one? About what? How long does it need to be? Really! That long? In answer to that question, I carried out some research. First, there’s the quick method, how to write a book in three days. If you want to go your own way, there’s the SnowFlake method. There’s the write what you know method. There are a whole family of methods which come not from writing the whole thing, but from writing sections, be they chapter titles or chapter synopses, writing a short version of the entire story, or noting down a blow by blow account of the whole story. Write profiles for the characters in the story, and a high level sample of what happened to them. There are many more methods, but the one which I favour is JDI, Just Do It. So, does that mean that to me the other methods have no value? I guess the only question, is, which method works for you?
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Literary Agents: Listing of Literary Agents for Writers. How to Write a Movie Script. “Don’t You DARE Write Another Word Until You Have Read This Article!”
Now Scroll DOWN..! OK… so you thought you’d write a quick screenplay, sell it for big bucks, move to Hollywood, and spend the rest of your life hanging out in a guitar-shaped swimming pool with George Clooney and Megan Fox? Let me guess. Somehow it hasn’t quite worked out like that? Let me guess again. Maybe… You can’t, quite, think of that great idea? How to Write a Screenplay: Script & Screenwriting Tips. By Mario O.
Moreno and Kay Tuxford It's easy to feel intimidated by the thought of writing a screenplay. The rules! The formatting! What is Writer’s Voice? The Key to Writing a Good Story. How do you free your voice in your writing?
(image by howardlake, via flickr) Ask five writers what voice is in writing, you’ll get 15 different answers. Ultimately, a writer’s voice is the key to writing a good story. These tips will help free your writer’s voice – they apply to fiction and nonfiction, poetry and blogging. 5 Traits of Top Writers - What Makes Good Writers Good?
The best writers have to start somewhere… (image by Evelyn Saenz, flickr) What are the traits of top writers?
What makes good writers good – how and why do they rise to the top? The following traits are only one piece of the puzzle — but they’re an important piece. Before the tips, a quip: “Write straight into the emotional center of things,” writes Anne Lamott — a top writer — in Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. One of the most important traits of top writers is being real, authentic, and vulnerable.
And, here are a few things that make good writers good… 7 Great Online Research Resources for Writers. By Mark Nichol Doing research to strengthen a current story or article, or to get ideas for a new one?
You can google all you want and hope for a productive return, but to engage in a focused search, try one of these mediated experiences instead: 1. Infoplease From current events to reference-desk resources to features about history, this site puts a remarkable array of information within reach. Guides to the nations of the world, timelines of political, social, and cultural developments, special quantitative and qualitative features like “The World’s Most Corrupt Nations” and “Color Psychology,” and more cover just about anything you could think of. Research: A Writer's Best Friend and A Writer's Worst Enemy. My name is Joe, and I'm a research-aholic.
This should surprise no one who reads my books. In fact, I've taken some teasing about the length of the “acknowledgments” sections of my books, because so many people have been so generous about sharing their expertise with me. I have always considered “Write what you know” one of the most useless pieces of advice a beginning author gets. Write what I know? If I'd started out writing what I knew, I'd have come up with 10 or 12 pages about a kid in upstate New York who wanted to be a cartoonist (I did, actually; read this monthly newsletter for more about this).
No, for me, writing was all about having my characters do things I could only dream of, whether that was taking the Concorde to Paris, escaping assassins on the streets of Moscow, or wining and dining beautiful women in Boston's finest restaurants (which I am now able to do, thanks to my wife and daughter, but you know what I mean). And let's face it: research is the fun part. #54 – Writing Hacks, Part 1: Starting.
By Scott Berkun, Aug. 28 2006 (#54) Writing is easy, it’s quality that’s hard.
Any idiot who knows 5 words can write a sentence (e.g. “Dufus big much Scott is”). It might be without grammar, broken, or inaccurate but it is still writing. This means when people can’t start they’re likely imagining the polished precision of the finished work. 4 Warning Signs Your Novel Isn’t Working. By Jennifer Blanchard As writers, we tend to “fall in love” with the stuff we’re working on—whether that be our blog, a novel we’re writing, a short story, our poetry or any other number of things.
I’m the first one to argue that love and passion are an extremely important part of being a writer. But when that love and passion is being spent on a writing project that just doesn’t seem to be working, it’s time to take a step back and evaluate things. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. In 2008, I finished my first novel. Then came step two, editing and rewriting the draft.
And two years later, step two is still in the half-way stages. I’ve followed all of the advice in Larry Brooks’ eBook, Story Structure—Demystified. But no matter how much time and effort I put into it. It’s now time for me to tell myself the one truth no writer wants to hear, let alone utter—The story isn’t working. Writer Wednesday: I Can’t Seem to Start My Novel!
I can’t seem to start my novel!
Yeah, that about says it all. I don’t believe in writer’s block, so let’s not call it that. Where To Begin Your Story « Courage 2 Create. Editor’s Note: the original version of this article was first posted on the C2C in 2010. A puzzling question for many authors, like myself, is this one: Where do I begin my story? Do I begin in the middle of the action? Do I begin with the backstory of the setting and characters? Or do I begin, unconventionally, at the end, and then proceed to explain everything that lead to this end? Beginnings are important and that’s why authors are always anxious about them. As I approach the climax of my novel’s first draft, I am reminded of my beginning. At this point the question no longer is “Where do I begin my story,” but rather, “Where did I begin my story?”
12Ways to Open Your Novel: The Story in Miniature. First lines. We all obsess over our novel’s first lines, and rightly so, because from it the rest of the story must flow naturally and without a pause. Here are 10 strategies to use on first lines for your novel. I’ve illustrated them with the “100 Best Lines from Novels,” as chosen by the editors of the American Book Review. The number at the beginning of each quoted line indicates its position in the Best 100 List. This was inspired by an article by Susan Lumenello, “The Promise of the First Line,” (The Writer’s Chronicle, Volume 38, Number 3, December 2005. 57-59). It was. . . Livia Blackburne: How to Make Your Reader Cry: Anatomy of a Death Scene. Spoiler warning: Major spoilers for Plain Kate in this entry. I recently fell in love with Plain Kate by Erin Bow. Every sentence is beautiful, and the story is impossible to forget.
Plain Kate is also a very, very sad book. A major character dies at the end, and Bow pulls no punches. How To Write a Death Scene. People often visit Creative Writing Corner searching for answers about how to write a death scene, so it’s about time that I gave my thoughts about it. Serious writing with iPad: What keyboard case fits your writing style? How I Plot A Novel in 5 Steps. By popular request (ok, 1 person, but they're populace, so that makes it popular, right?) I've put together a step by step process for how I go from "Hey I should write a novel" to "Ok, let's get writing! " Though I managed to get things grouped into steps, what I've really done is labeled and applied order to the phases I go through as I work toward the point where I feel I know enough about a book to start writing. Some parts of my process may seem a bit obsessive, but the most important part of writing fast is knowing as much as you can about what you're writing before you write it, and that means lots and lots of planning.
Planning a novel takes me anywhere from a few days to weeks. Usually I plan while I'm working on other things, like editing, but I've also had whole weeks where I did nothing but put a story together. Well, enough of that. Disclaimer: Unlike my other posts, which I think will work for anyone, parts of this method are personal and might not be right for your books. How to Write Fiction. How to Write a Great Novel: Junot Diaz, Anne Rice, Margaret Atwood and Other Authors Tell. This-n-That Thursday: How I Conquered My Fear of Research. W_S0801. The Definitive Guide to Overcoming Your Writing Fears. 0inShare by Ollin Morales.
Creative Writing and Fear - How to overcome the fear of writing. I am not the first writing teacher to see the relationship between the personal and spiritual journey and the journey of the writer. Natalie Goldberg and Gail Sher have both pointed out the similarity. Edgar Allan Poe: A Philosophy of Death. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: "Talent alone cannot make the writer. There must be a man behind the book. " There was a man behind "The Cask of Amontillado," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Black Cat," and poems like "Annabel Lee" and "The Raven. " That man--Edgar Allan Poe--was talented, but he was also eccentric and prone to alcoholism--having experienced more than his share of tragedies. But, what stands out even more prominently than the tragedy of Edgar Allan Poe's life is his philosophy of death. Authors, Why Death Scenes Often Suck! What is Plot - How to Write a Story from Beginning to End.
On this page, we answer the question, "What is plot? " Overcome The Fear of Writing Your First eBook. Show of hands. Fear of Writing - Home Page. Say What You Mean. You want to talk about fear? This is where the process of writing comes right down to sweat under the armpits, racing pulse, dry mouth, and the urge to get up and go to the bathroom, or to switch over from the word processor to Maxis “Space Cadet” for five or ten quick games of pinball, or where the dust on the ceiling suddenly becomes an unbearable affront that you have to get rid of Right Now. This is where facing anything else becomes preferable to facing the words on the page, because the words on the page are about to get up and bite you on the nose. You are faced with uncomfortable truth and the urge to pussyfoot around an issue, and you have to decide which way you want to go—be honest, or whitewash. 4 Ways to Write a Book.
How to Describe a Smell: 10 steps (with pictures) Henry Miller's 11 Commandments of Writing & Daily Creative Routine. How To Evaluate a Website. Is Your Writing Any Good? 10 Things Teenage Writers Should Know About Writing. How to Know if You Should Write a Book: 7 steps. Write What You Know, But What If You Don’t Know Enough?
How to Write Science Fiction: 8 steps. HOW TO CALL ON YOUR MUSE: WRITER'S INTUITION ON DEMAND. New Literary Agents: 5 Questions To Ask Before Sending Your Book Query. How to write sex and violence - tastefully. What makes a good writer? The 5 Best Writing Apps for the iPad. 10 Writing "Rules" We Wish More Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Would Break. SellingYourScreenplay.com — Practical tips and advice about how to sell your screenplay.
How I Wrote a Book: Step by Step to Kindle Store. 25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer. First, Second, and Third Person. iPad 2 as a serious writing machine (how-to) 8 iPad Apps for Brilliant Writing. Resources for Science Fiction Writers. First Draft Secrets: Five Simple Steps. How to Write the First Draft of a Novel in a Month: 6 steps. How do you find your writing muse, AGAIN? What Muse Are You? Writing Contests, Creative Writing Competitions 2012. WRITING CONTESTS, Screenwriting Contests, Poetry Contests, Journalism Competitions. “Writers’ Bout” – a Sportskeeda competition! Writing Inspiration: How to Find Your Muse and Develop a Story. Narrative Writing technique: Should I write in the First-person or Third-person perspective? « An Educationist's Weblog. 5 Steps to creating a System of Magic - for Muggles.
How I write the first draft of a novel. AfterTheFirstDraft. Twelve Things You Can Do Fit Writing into Your Schedule - InCredible Messages with Bonnie Budzowski. Writing Magic in Fantasy Fiction. How I Went From Writing 2,000 Words a Day to 10,000 Words a Day. 5 editor’s secrets to help you write like a pro. How to Schedule Your Writing Like a Professional Writer. Definition of Third Person Omniscient. Thoughts on Creating Magic Systems at SF Novelists. Tips on Writing Action Scenes. 11 Mistakes Writers Make When Approaching Literary Agents. Building a Magical System: A Questionnaire. Choosing vocabulary to describe a place. Pacing Dialogue and Action Scenes — Your Story at Your Speed. Edit Your Novel In Three Steps. How to Create a Unique Magic System for Your Book: 6 steps. Fight Scene Acting Tips.
Writing The Perfect Scene. How to Write Two Novels a Year. How to edit a novel manuscript. Barry Kirwan Blog: Creating SciFi Battle Scenes. Fight Scenes 101. R.A. Salvatore on How to Write a Damn Good Fight Scene. How to Edit a Novel Manuscript - by Janet Blaylock. Seven Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing - Perspectives - Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick. The Other Side of the Story: How Much Do You Need to Describe Your Characters? How to Write a Screenplay in 21 Days. How to Write a Terrific Author Bio. How to Write a Script Outline. Five Ways to Write Intense Fight Scenes (Superhero and Fantasy) How to Write Battle Scenes « This Business of Writing. How to write a great fantasy combat scene. My Advice on what makes a good writer. Writing: What is Good Writing? Six Traits Assessment Quality. Writing Advice: How to Write a big Battle Scene for you Fantasy Novel.
How to Find Your Writing Muse. Find Your Voice in Writing With These Tips From How to Be A Writer. Tips to Find Your Writer’s Voice « This Business of Writing.