50 Books That Will Make You a Better Writer Literary genius — or at least competence — never blossoms in a vacuum. As much as many creative types like to pose as a mysterious lone wolves skulking through the fringes of society without ever becoming a cog in the machine, man, even their works have been shaped by their external experiences up to that point. Even a whole rejection of society still involves relation to it, albeit one defined by absence than presence. Obviously, one must not take this article’s title too literally. Classics The Elements of Style by William F. Composition and Rhetoric The Office of Assertion by Scott F. Genre and Medium Literary Criticism, Reading and Analysis Notable Writers
25 Things Every Writer Should Know - StumbleUpon An alternate title for this post might be, “Things I Think About Writing,” which is to say, these are random snidbits (snippets + tidbits) of beliefs I hold about what it takes to be a writer. I hesitate to say that any of this is exactly Zen (oh how often we as a culture misuse the term “Zen” — like, “Whoa, that tapestry is so cool, it’s really Zen“), but it certainly favors a sharper, shorter style than the blathering wordsplosions I tend to rely on in my day-to-day writing posts. Anyway. Peruse these. Feel free to disagree with any of these; these are not immutable laws. Buckle up. 1. The Internet is 55% porn, and 45% writers. 2. A lot of writers try to skip over the basics and leap fully-formed out of their own head-wombs. 3. Some writers do what they do and are who they are because they were born with some magical storytelling gland that they can flex like their pubococcygeus, ejaculating brilliant storytelling and powerful linguistic voodoo with but a twitch of their taint. 4. 5.
25 Things Writers Should Stop Doing I read this cool article last week — “30 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself” — and I thought, hey, heeeey, that’s interesting. Writers might could use their own version of that. So, I started to cobble one together. And, of course, as most of these writing-related posts become, it ended up that for the most part I’m sitting here in the blog yelling at myself first and foremost. That is, then, how you should read this: me, yelling at me. Then go forth and kick your writing year in the teeth. Onto the list. 1. Right here is your story. 2. Momentum is everything. 3. You have a voice. 4. Worry is some useless shit. 5. The rise of self-publishing has seen a comparative surge forward in quantity. 6. I said “stop hurrying,” not “stand still and fall asleep.” 7. It’s not going to get any easier, and why should it? 8. 9. The mind is the writer’s best weapon. 10. Complaining — like worry, like regret, like that little knob on the toaster that tells you it’ll make the toast darker — does nothing. 11.
101 of the Best Fiction Writing Tips, Part I What if someone went through the biggest and best blogs on the internet, and pulled out the very best-of-the best tips for fiction writers? That’s what I’ve attempted to do here. I can’t guarantee there aren’t some amazingly helpful writing tips that I haven’t included, but this is a good start. I’ve also tried to steer clear of really obvious tips like “show, don’t tell” or “make your characters unforgettable,” in favour of ones that are less often discussed. To learn more about the tips, click through to their original articles. Thanks to all these amazing bloggers for their valuable advice! Now, head over to: Poem Starters and Creative Writing Ideas Enter your e-mail to get the e-book for FREE. We'll also keep you informed about interesting website news. "I have searched the web and used different worksheets, but none have come close to your worksheets and descriptions of (what to do and what not to do). Both courses I have taken have with Creative Writing Now have been amazing. Each time I have learned something new. "As usual - I already love the course on Irresistible Fiction, rewriting a lot and improving greatly even after the first lesson. “Essentials of Fiction proved that I could indeed write and I wrote every day, much to my boyfriend's dismay (waa sniff).” - Jill Gardner "I am loving the course and the peer interaction on the blog is fantastic!!!" "I'm enjoying the weekly email course, Essentials of Poetry Writing. "Thank you for all the material in this course. "I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the lessons and feel they were very helpful in introducing new ideas and perspectives to my writing.
Prada launches creative writing contest Prada Prada is hosting a creative writing contest. Milan-based luxury brand Prada is teaming up with Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore for a new international writing contest called Prada Journal. "What are the realities that our eyes give back to us? And how are these realities filtered through lenses?" That's the question posed by Prada as the theme of this latest artistic endeavour: an international short story competition designed to uncover and promote promising new literary talent. Judged by Prada and Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, the contest's winner or winners will receive a €5,000 prize (about $6,500) and will see their winning story published as an online e-book, with a paper version distributed in Prada boutiques. The details of the competition are tucked away safely in the terms and conditions on the Prada Journal site. You're free to write about whatever you fancy, with a focus on "views of the world. This is far from Prada's first dip into the arts.
Read These Seven Books, and You'll be a Better Writer | Donald... - StumbleUpon Donald Miller I used to play golf but I wasn’t very good. I rented a DVD, though, that taught me a better way to swing, and after watching it a few times and spending an hour or so practicing, I knocked ten strokes off my game. I can’t believe how much time I wasted when a simple DVD saved me years of frustration. I’d say something similar is true in my writing career. • The War of Art by Steven Pressfield: This book is aimed at writers, but it’s also applicable to anybody who does creative work. Pressfield leaves out all the mushy romantic talk about the writing life, talk I don’t find helpful. • On Writing Well by William Zinsser: Zinsser may be the best practical writing coach out there. • Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott: Before becoming a literary superstar, Anne Lamott taught writing, and Bird by Bird is the best of her advice, broken up into chapters. Save the Cat by Blake Snyder: Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell: On Writing, by Stephen King: Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury:
DarkCopy - Simple, full screen text editing 10 Laws of Productivity You might think that creatives as diverse as Internet entrepreneur Jack Dorsey, industrial design firm Studio 7.5, and bestselling Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami would have little in common. In fact, the tenets that guide how they – and exceptionally productive creatives across the board – make ideas happen are incredibly similar. Here are 10 laws of productivity we’ve consistently observed among serial idea executors: 1. Break the seal of hesitation. A bias toward action is the most common trait we’ve found across the hundreds of creative professionals and entrepreneurs we’ve interviewed. 2. When our ideas are still in our head, we tend to think big, blue sky concepts. 3. Trial and error is an essential part of any creative’s life. To avoid ‘blue sky paralysis,’ pare your idea down to a small, immediately executable concept. 4. When working on in-depth projects, we generate lots of new ideas along the way. 5. 6. 7. 8. Few activities are more of a productivity drain than meetings. 9.
The 7 narrator types: and you thought there were only two! « BeKindRewrite Photo by Charles Hutchins There are all kinds of narrators–going way beyond simple first or third person. Here’s a little study of the different types. First Person 1. Relatively straightforward, this is a story the hero narrates. …I take up my pen in the year of grace 17–, and go back to the time when my father kept the “Admiral Benbow” inn, and the brown old seaman, with the saber cut, first took up his lodging under our roof. 2. Someone close to the protagonist, but not the main hero. “Dr. Third Person Third person omniscient This type knows all, peeking into the lives of major and minor characters, reading everyone’s thoughts. Third person limited This type knows only what the main character, or characters, know. The following types can fall into either omniscient or limited: 3. A detached third person narrator sticks to telling the story, and never inserts his own opinions—never slips in an “I” or a “me” except in direct dialogue. 4. Somewhere in Between 5. 6. “Lemony?” 7. Example:
74 Books to Read if You Love the Hunger Games If you haven't read the Hunger Games you really should! They're pretty awesome. Check them out: If you're already a fan of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins... You should add these books to your to be read pile! (The recommendations are in no particular order.) Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie In a world where Officials pick your perfect mate, what happens when you’ve two choices? Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner A boy wakes up in a Glade with other boys knowing only his name, not how he got there, or how to escape the enclosed walls. Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry A young boy is given the job to retain the Community’s memories and to advise them using that knowledge, but he doesn’t like what he sees when he knows the past. Books of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau A city of light amidst the darkness begins to go black and survival means finding a way out by going through the unknown. Uglies Quartet by Scott Westerfeld Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass UPDATE: Novellas added to series: The Prince , The Guard
Questionnaires for Writing Character Profiles - Creative Writing Help - StumbleUpon Enter your e-mail to get the e-book for FREE. We'll also keep you informed about interesting website news. "I have searched the web and used different worksheets, but none have come close to your worksheets and descriptions of (what to do and what not to do). Both courses I have taken have with Creative Writing Now have been amazing. Each time I have learned something new. "As usual - I already love the course on Irresistible Fiction, rewriting a lot and improving greatly even after the first lesson. “Essentials of Fiction proved that I could indeed write and I wrote every day, much to my boyfriend's dismay (waa sniff).” - Jill Gardner "I am loving the course and the peer interaction on the blog is fantastic!!!" "I'm enjoying the weekly email course, Essentials of Poetry Writing. "Thank you for all the material in this course. "I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the lessons and feel they were very helpful in introducing new ideas and perspectives to my writing.