List of Interactive Quizzes The quizzes with a magenta marble are also listed within the section or digital handout to which they apply. The twenty-one quizzes with a green marble and designated "Practice" have been adapted from the instructor's manual and other ancillary materials accompanying Sentence Sense: A Writer's Guide. The seventeen quizzes with a gold marble were written by the English faculty at an estimable midwestern university and are used here with the permission of that department. The ten quizzes with a red marble were prepared by students in Professor Karyn Hollis's Tutor Training course at Villanova University. Clicking on the NUMBER immediately before the quiz's name will take you to the section of the Guide pertaining to the grammatical issue(s) addressed in that quiz. Clicking on the Guide's logo at the top of a quiz-page will bring you back to this page.
Writing Prompts 101 By Simon Kewin Even if you are not a professional writer you probably already heard about writing prompts. They represent a very effective tool for any writing project, so it’s a good idea to know how to use them. What Is A Writing Prompt? If you’re a fiction writer, you may want to consider using writing prompts to kick-start your creativity. You may just come up with rough, disjointed notes or you may end up with something more polished and complete, a scene or even a complete story. Here are four good reasons for writing to prompts : Sometimes it’s hard to start writing when faced with a blank page. Examples of Writing Prompts The following are twenty writing prompts that you could use to spark your imagination. It was the first snowfall of the year. Where To Find Writing Prompts Online The internet is a wonderful source of writing prompts. There are also numerous blogs that offer a regular writing prompt to inspire you and where you can, if you wish, post what you’ve written.
Story Starters & Idea Generators One of the best ways to break through writer's block or stretch your writing skills is to pick a story starter and just start writing. Suggestions on how to use each generator are included with the generator. Caveat: There's always a temptation to keep looking for the "perfect" idea, but then you need to ask yourself...are you really just trying to avoid writing? Problem: You can't get a story started Solution: Archetype's Plot Scenario Generator What it is: This generator provides you with the event that gets the story rolling and a secondary conflict to keep you going! Problem: Your characters lack depth Solution: Archetype's Character Generator What it is: A quick character sketch filled with the kinds of little details that makes stories engaging: character gender, cardinal traits, weaknesses, and most prized possession. Problem: Your characters don't feel like "real" people Solution: Archetype's Everyday Problems Generator Looking for something you don't see? Getting Yourself Started
Tech Talk : Free Online Education and Organization Tools | The Contemplation Introducing Tech Talk. Think “Dear Abby” but instead of relationship advice the topic is technology. If you have any questions about software, hardware, internet, programming, web pages, blogs, video games, video consoles, cell phones, money saving technology, local tech resources, security, error messages, virus, spyware, or any other topic concerning technology that you would like answered write to Tech Talk. The questions and answers will be printed and available on “The Contemplation”. Evergreen Country ShopperAttention: Tech Talk P.O. Box 408 417 9th Ave. An autodidact is a person who is self-taught using books, podcasts or alternative resources available without a teacher or traditional classroom. Some of the most successful people in history (and in modern tech industries) taught themselves. I am a college graduate, but I have a strong appetite for knowledge. OpenCourseWare (OCW) Consortium – The OCW Consortium is a collaboration of more than 200 higher education institutions.
25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer When George Plimpton asked Ernest Hemingway what the best training for an aspiring writer would be in a 1954 interview, Hem replied, “Let’s say that he should go out and hang himself because he finds that writing well is impossibly difficult. Then he should be cut down without mercy and forced by his own self to write as well as he can for the rest of his life. At least he will have the story of the hanging to commence with.” Today, writing well is more important than ever. Far from being the province of a select few as it was in Hemingway’s day, writing is a daily occupation for all of us — in email, on blogs, and through social media. It is also a primary means for documenting, communicating, and refining our ideas. So what can we do to improve our writing short of hanging ourselves? 1. Don’t just plan to write—write. 2. [The] Resistance knows that the longer we noodle around “getting ready,” the more time and opportunity we’ll have to sabotage ourselves. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
The Publishing Process in GIF Form At first you're thinking of writing a novel and you're all... But then you have an idea! And you go... But then you hit page 50 and you're all.... And then you hit page 75 and you're all... But you power through!! And then you're finished!!! Only then find out you have to start querying agents. So you write your query letter... You obsess over it... And then you send it out to agents and you're all... Then a couple of days go by and you're all... And... And... But then you hear from your first agent!! And it's a rejection. Then you get a few more and it's more like... But then! But you don't want your agent to think you're crazy so instead you're like... And you love your agent! But instead you go... And then it's time to submit to publishers. Then the editors start saying.... And your inbox starts looking like... And you're all... But then your phone says your agent is calling. But instead it's more like... And it's an offer! And then you go celebrate with your friends and they're all...
The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do. 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. It’s no secret that great writers are great readers, and that if you can’t read, your writing will often suffer.
Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling | Aerogramme Writers' Studio 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. 100 Adventure Ideas (DnD Other Remember as you add ideas that you are writing a story. Things that make both quests and novels interesting are falsities, Imagery, and most importantly options. Players can't just play along to what you say they should do. If they don't want to go explore the castle they don't have to. Vistaru, Lord of the Mountain, is attacking small towns surrounded by his kingdom in hopes of expanding his army before his assault on the capital.
Character Chart a) If you could have two whole weeks for vacation and go and do anything you wanted, what and where would it be? b) If you had a weakness for one of the seven deadly sins, which one would it be and why? (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth) c) If you could bring one person back to life and spend a whole day with him or her, who would it be and why? d) If you won a three-million dollar lottery, what would you do with the money? e) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? f) What do you do to relax after a bad day? g) Where would you go to hang out if you wanted to feel comfortable? h) What do you do when you are angry? i) Do you have a secret passion? j) How do you feel in a crowd? k) If you were asked to describe yourself, what would you say about the kind of person you are? l) Where do you want to be in your life ten years from now? m) A tear jerker is on. n) Deep down, what does you really think of yourself? p) How important is money to you?