Show, Don't (Just) Tell (Dennis G. Jerz, Seton Hill University) How to Make Readers Feel Emotion on January 30th, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill and last modified on February 8, 2011 I wrote an article on the importance of creating emotions in readers, but I’ve noticed that writers are looking for specifics on how to accomplish that. So, this article complements that first one, presents practical tips on how to stir the reader’s emotions. Readers like to be touched, moved, by story. Fiction, whether in book or film or games, allows people to not only step into other worlds, but to experience those worlds. Since readers want to immerse themselves in other worlds and other lives, what can writers do to make that experience authentic, to make the fictional world real for a few hours? One technique the writer can make use of to create reality out of fiction is to induce emotion in readers, make them feel something of what the characters are experiencing. But how can a writer accomplish this? 1. This is a major key for rousing reader emotions. 2. Help your readers know your characters.
No me gustan, prefiero No me gustan las mujeres que pasan el día exhibiendo sus ropitas en anaqueles. A mi me gustan las que se desvisten en moteles, las que beben, las que bailan en lencería, las gimnastas, aquellas que se ríen sin importar tu poca gracia. Esas mismas. Las que tienen maestría en provocar una erección y se saben todas las mañas necesarias para realizar una memorable felación. No tendría ningún inconveniente en pagar porque me dejen mentirosamente amarlas. Celebraríamos un acto de solemne intercambio comercial. En agradecimiento te regalaría indiferencia post-cópula, palabras bellas de burdel, o poesía romántica vulgar. Luego de esto, al marcharte a seguir tu andar, me estancaría en un estado pasajero de alegría adolescente, hasta que el doliente se acordara de ti otro día y tuviera en billetes lo suficiente para reclamar tu visita, para que de esta forma podamos nuevamente compartir mi soledad de camas vacías con tus soledades de humos, de hombres y cantinas. Mi gusto es mas simple:
How to Hook Your Readers on June 14th, 2010 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill and last modified on November 8, 2010 Remember the musical number from Gypsy, “Gotta Get a Gimmick”? The strippers advised Gypsy Rose Lee that to be successful, she’d need a gimmick, something eye-catching that would grab the attention of audience members. Writers likewise need attention-attracting elements to steer the focus of their readers to the story in their hands (and keep it there). Books compete with TV, computers, movies, hand-held devices and who-knows-what-else for attention. So, how do you entice your reader to stay with your book? You hook her, engage her with an incident from the life of your lead character. No, you don’t need to shoot someone or blow up a building and have your lead save someone from burning to death (even though those scenes work for action movies), but you do need to make the reader pay attention. Consider events from your own life. That’s the same kind of incident you want to start with to open your novel. Fun.
FaithWriters Magazine-Christian Magazine and e-zine The Domesday Book - Medieval Demographics Made Easy The Domesday Book Penned by Brandon Blackmoor, based on Medieval Demographics Made Easy by S. John Ross Here is subscribed the inquisition of lands as the barons of the king have made inquiry into them... <p>Forsooth, thy browser is truly antiquated! Land Mass The population density of , due to factors such as climate, geography, and political environment, is persons per km2 . occupies km2 ( hexes, each km across and roughly km2 in area). Population 's population is approximately persons. residents are isolated or itinerant. residents live in villages. residents live in towns. residents live in cities. residents live in big cities. The average distance between villages is km. supports Universities. supports head of livestock: fowl (e.g. chickens, geese, ducks). dairy and meat animals (e.g. cows, goats, pigs, sheep). Large population centers of any scale are the result of traffic. Castles and Fortifications The inhabitants of have been building castles for the last years. Towns and Cities
What to do after NaNoWriMo If you found a month madly dedicated to one project exhilarating amidst the exhaustion :-) there are more challenges throughout the year, some lasting a month, some a week, some 3 days, some 24 straight hours. :-) (The NaNoWriMo folks aren't affiliated with any of these except Script Frenzy.) From the I Wrote a Novel, Now What? page at the NaNoWriMo site which might have more challenges added throughout the year (plus a few free contests). (For readers in the future, if you've stumbled across this page during November, the link probably won't work. DecemberNaNoFiMo.org - National Novel Finishing Month (December). Varies or throughout the yearNaBloPoMo - National Blog Posting Month (Year-Round). JanuaryJanNoWriMo - Goal: Write either 50k or your own word-count goal in January. FebruaryFAWM - February Album Writing Month (February). MarchNaNoEdMo - National Novel Editing Month (March). AprilScript Frenzy - NaNoWriMo's sister challenge (April). September3-Day Novel Contest - (September).
*Chaotic Shiny - RPG-Related Generators Writing helps and prompts Where Should a Second Chapter Start? on October 12th, 2010 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill and last modified on October 12, 2010 We’ve all read advice about the first chapter—how and where to begin a story; what makes for strong openings, depending on the genre; what not to include in the first paragraph or page of chapter one; what to include in a novel’s opening. We understand that a good opening chapter sets the tone and introduces lead characters and gets the plot rolling. We know almost as much about the final chapter, the final paragraph, and the final words. About how to finish a story so that it’s complete and satisfying and induces the reader to want more. Yet, where’s the advice for chapter two? What do we do to move from that compelling first chapter—the one that’s seen more rewrites than all other pages combined and multiplied by 10—and into the meat of the story? We certainly want to continue the tone we’ve established. Sure there are. Where should a second chapter start? 1. 2.
Creative Writing Exercises -- Creative Writing Exercises for Craft No matter what stage you're at with your writing, it's always beneficial to work on craft and technique. These creative writing exercises target common problems and weaknesses. Switch Point of View Both first person and third person have their strengths and weaknesses; what works for one story may not work for another. This creative writing exercise will help you observe the effect of writing in the point of view that's less familiar to you. A Day Without Modifiers While modifiers -- adjectives and adverbs -- can add to a story, too many, or the wrong ones, can bog down your prose and lead to weaker nouns and verbs. Avoid Back Story Unlike the other creative writing exercises on this list, this one asks you to work in another genre. Listening for Dialogue Not everyone starts out with an ear for dialogue, but fortunately it can be developed, like any other skill. Description Creative Writing Exercise Who's the most memorable person you've ever met?
How to Write a Good Story Beginning on August 11th, 2010 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill and last modified on April 11, 2012 Your first chapter, your opening scene, your very first words are an invitation to readers. Have you made your invitation inviting? That is, is it tempting or attractive or irresistible? Once a reader has glanced at your opening, will he or she find the story impossible to put down? That’s one aim of your story opening, to issue a hard-to-resist invitation to your fictional world. Books compete with movies and other books and games and the Internet and families and lovers—why wouldn’t you give your opening the strongest chance to snare a reader’s attention? What can be found in a compelling opening? MurderBetrayalConflictJealousyDeathGuiltThe unexpectedConfusionA new worldFearSurpriseUpheavalThe unusual What isn’t compelling? RoutineBlissPointless talkBack storyCliched characters Consider your first scene and first words your invitation to readers. Give them a reason to begin your story. Leave a Reply
25 Awesome Virtual Learning Experiences Online - Virtual Education Websites Just because you’re online doesn’t mean that you can’t experience the world first-hand — or as close to first-hand as possible. Here are websites that feature virtual learning experiences, exposing online visitors to everything from history to geography, astronomy to anatomy, literature to government. 7 Wonders Panoramas – 360-degree views of the Seven Wonders of the World. Arounder Virtual Tour of the Moon – 360-degree panoramic views of the moon, courtesy of the Apollo 11, 12 and 17 missions. (Many other Earth locations also available on arounder.com.) Frissiras Museum – A virtual art gallery from Athens, Greece that allows you to explore paintings by clicking through their entire collection. Google Earth – Explore the geography of both land and sea (free download). Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Vital Signs: Understanding Cardiovascular Diseases – A virtual gallery teaching about heart disease. Louvre Virtual Tour – Virtual tour of the world-famous Louvre museum in Paris. Mount St.
How to Flesh out a Country or Region in Your Fantasy RPG World Edit Article Edited by Zach Haffey, Maluniu, Glutted, Nicole Willson and 5 others Hello game master/fantasy author. This is a guide to organizing and sorting out the finer details and aspects of a specific country or region of your world: a format for the living details that help you and your players delve in to the role-playing aspect of your game. Ad Steps 1Short Introductory Summary - Give a one or two paragraph overview of the region or country, highlighting something unique or unusual about it and where it is geographically in your world.Ad 2Life, Society and Culture - This section should detail the culture(s) of the people who populate the region. Tips And for other topics, your providing these details will inspire ideas for larger, overarching plot-lines and the workings of still other regions of your land. Warnings