Funny-chart-synonyms-words-fear-anger.jpg (426×487) Six word stories. A list of books. Books of the decade. Anybody remember how anxious and thrilled we were in those last months of the 20th century?
When we weren't at war and we had a budget surplus and it looked like Al Gore would be president? The prospect of a 21st century filled with new technologies, new art and literature loomed large and bright. But now, as we look back at what was decidedly a shitty decade for an incredible variety of people in an equally incredible variety of ways (evictions/invasions/bombings/etc), it's surprisingly hard to be pessimistic about the books that assessed, satirized, dramatized and distracted us from the events of the past 10 years.
101 books to read. 30 books before 30. In various ways, these 30 books convey some of the philosophy of how Angel and I live our lives.
I honestly credit a fraction of who I am today to each title. Thus, they have indirectly influenced much of what I write about on this site. A medley of both fiction and nonfiction, these great reads challenged my internal status quo, opening my mind to new ideas and opportunities, and together they gave me a basic framework for living, loving, learning and working successfully. If you haven’t read these books yet, I highly recommend doing so. Funny books.
It's a dreary day, so I thought I'd indulge myself and come up with a list of my favorite comedies.
A caveat, however: this is not a fancy English-professor-y list of the finest, most exquisitely crafted, most erudite or intellectually sophisticated works on paper in the language. This is a list of the books that make me laugh until my mascara starts to run. Best 100 openings from books. Full books. Free e-books. Free online library. Full text archive. Shitload of ebooks. Common themes in literature. How to write fiction - hemingway.
Image by Lloyd Arnold via Wikimedia Commons Before he was a big game hunter, before he was a deep-sea fisherman, Ernest Hemingway was a craftsman who would rise very early in the morning and write.
22 rules of storytelling by pixar. How to write better. Writing is a muscle.
Smaller than a hamstring and slightly bigger than a bicep, and it needs to be exercised to get stronger. Think of your words as reps, your paragraphs as sets, your pages as daily workouts. Think of your laptop as a machine like the one at the gym where you open and close your inner thighs in front of everyone, exposing both your insecurities and your genitals. Because that is what writing is all about. Procrastination is an alluring siren taunting you to google the country where Balki from Perfect Strangers was from, and to arrange sticky notes on your dog in the shape of hilarious dog shorts. The blank white page. Mark Twain once said, “Show, don’t tell.” Finding a really good muse these days isn’t easy, so plan on going through quite a few before landing on a winner. There are two things more difficult than writing. Pixar's 22 rules of storytelling.
These rules were originally tweeted by Emma Coats, Pixar’s Story Artist.
Number 9 on the list – When you’re stuck, make a list of what wouldn’t happen next – is a great one and can apply to writers in all genres. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it.
Writing character profiles. Enter your e-mail to get the e-book for FREE.
We'll also keep you informed about interesting website news. Character chart. FAVORITES Color: Music: Food: Literature: Expressions: Book: Quote: Expletive(s) (swears): Mode of transportation:
7 habits of serious writers. Image credit: aless&ro With thanks to Michael Pollock for the article suggestion and title.
I’ve been writing, on and off, since my early teens – but it’s only in the last three years that I’ve really taken my writing seriously. 17th century english literature. Edgar allan poe. Personal tragedy was, unfortunately, a recurring theme throughout Edgar Allan Poe's life.
Born in Boston in 1809 to actor parents, he never knew his father David Poe, who left his mother and disappeared soon after Edgar was born, then died in Virginia in 1810. His mother, who suffered from tuberculosis (then called consumption), died in Richmond, Virginia in late 1811, orphaning Edgar, his older brother William Henry, and half-sister Rosalie. Frances Allan of Richmond convinced her wealthy merchant husband John to take the child Edgar into their home. It was here that Edgar was to be raised, with his early influences being the stories of house slaves and the tales told by skippers and sea merchants. Shakespeare stuff. William bloody shakespeare. Online shakespeare course. Marjorie Garber, PhD, William R. Kenan Jr.
Professor of English and American Literature and Language and of Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University This free online Shakespeare course focuses on Shakespeare’s later plays beginning with Measure for Measure and ending with The Tempest. Shakespeare insults. Shakespeare's Insults You can tell by the hundreds of imaginative biting quips in Shakespeare's plays that the man adored a good insult.
The following is small collection of the very best of Shakespeare's jabs and affronts. You are not worth another word, else I'd call you knave.All's Well that Ends Well (2.3.262) I do desire we may be better strangers.As You Like It (3.2.248)