25 Things Every Writer Should Know 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. Absorb them into your body. 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. 4. I have been writing professionally for a lucky-despite-the-number 13 years. 5. Luck matters. 6. Nobody becomes a writer overnight. 7. Your journey to becoming a writer is all your own. 8. 9. 10. Value is a tricky word. 11. 12.
A Simple Novel Outline – 9 questions for 25 chapters « H.E. Roulo Just as every tree is different but still recognizably a tree, every story is different but contains elements that make it a story. By defining those before you begin you clarify the scope of your work, identify your themes, and create the story you meant to write. At Norwescon 2011 I sat in on a session called Outline Your Novel in 90-minutes led by Mark Teppo. I’ll give you the brief, readable, synthesized version. Answer 9 questions and create 25 chapter titles and you’re there. Here are the 9 questions to create a novel: 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) 6.) 7.) 8.) 9.) Now, with those 9 questions answered to your satisfaction, try to fill in a 25 chapter, 75,000 word outline. Chapters 7-18 are the middle of your book. Chapters 19-25 depict the heroic act to victory. Wasn’t that easy? Okay, sure, the work isn’t done yet. Using the idea that there are 25 chapters, I outlined my current work in progress. I hope that was helpful. Tell me what works for you. Related 6 Steps to Masterful Writing Critiques
How To Write A Novel Using The Snowflake Method Writing a novel is easy. Writing a good novel is hard. That’s just life. If it were easy, we’d all be writing best-selling, prize-winning fiction. Frankly, there are a thousand different people out there who can tell you how to write a novel. In this article, I’d like to share with you what works for me. This page is the most popular one on my web site, and gets over a thousand page views per day, so you can guess that a lot of people find it useful. Good fiction doesn’t just happen, it is designed. For a number of years, I was a software architect designing large software projects. I claim that that’s how you design a novel — you start small, then build stuff up until it looks like a story. If you’re like most people, you spend a long time thinking about your novel before you ever start writing. But before you start writing, you need to get organized. Step 1) Take an hour and write a one-sentence summary of your novel. Some hints on what makes a good sentence: Shorter is better.
A story in three acts » Jordan McCollum The most basic story structure is the story in three acts. The three act structure has been used since . . . well, forever, but in recent history, the biggest proponent of this structure is Syd Field in his book Screenplay (although it’s been applied to all kinds of stories, not just movies). So what are the structures in the three-act story? Act I is the “setup,” where we lay our scene (and our characters). That isn’t to say there’s no conflict here, nor that there’s nothing happening. Act I is about 25% of the story, and ends in the first turning point. Act II is the “confrontation” or the “rising action.” In the second act, which lasts for about half of the book, the hero(ine) learns and acquires new skills through these confrontations, arming themselves for the big confrontation at the end of this act/the beginning of Act III: the climax or second turning point. Act III is the “resolution.” Sometimes this also includes the hero(ine) coping with his/her newfound strength.
CBG Wiki - The CBG Wiki News on the CBG Wiki New Updates - Minor updates to individual projects can be found on this page. May 23rd 2011 The wiki's image uploading problems are ongoing. February 8th 2011 The CBG is currently engaged in a game of Lexicon. 11 April 2009 This is a very important announcement. Yesterday, ten new accounts signed up to the wiki, none of which (as far as I can tell), are members of the CBG. 15 March 2009 Phoenix has created a new ranking system for the CBG for all our favorite books, games, movies, etcetera. 21 January 2009 Wow, first news in over half a year. 14 June 2008 After much discussion on the nature of whether or not to use a CCL on the site, and what type of license to use if we didn't choose a CCL, a decision has finally been made. 11 June 2008 I have implemented a new user welcome message. 29 May 2008 Please do not use the AuthorProtect extension - it has had to be temporarily enabled to fix some errors it caused, but it will not be staying on. 28 May 2008 26 May 2008 21 May 2008
10 More Websites That Help Cure Writer’s Block With Writing Prompts From jumping into the shower to using voice recognition software, these famous authors (some Booker Prize awardees) have their own idiosyncrasies. But all of them seem to agree on one hurdle: the dread of writer’s block. Most of us are nowhere near those heights, but we do our own form of writing, like blog posts or simple journaling. Even then, sometimes the words just refuse to come. That’s when writing prompts can help. Let’s look at ten unique websites that give a leg-up to the struggling writer with writing prompts and ideas. Creative Writing Prompts We start off with a popular site for writing prompts. Writing Fix WritingFix.com is an educator’s resource for writing lessons and language skills. Plinky A prompt each day should help you light the spark of creativity. Fifteen Minutes of Fiction The Story Starter How about 1,108,918,470 creative prompts to make you perk up and start to write? Daydreaming on Paper The site says that it can inspire you with its random prompts. Toasted Cheese
10 Tips for Writing Loglines Loglines are tricky things – distilling 120 pages of script into one sentence and imbuing it with the power to summarise, titillate and intrigue is a surprisingly difficult task. As a writer it can be hard to develop a good logline because you are invested equally in each part of your work – identifying the crucial story elements and leaving everything else out feels like you aren’t doing your script justice. But remember, a good logline is crucial to selling your script; in a covering letter, in a pitch, in the 30 second window you have with an executive when you accidentally meet on the Great Wall of China. The difference between a logline and a tagline A logline is a one (or occasionally two) sentence description that boils the script down to its essential dramatic narrative in as succinct a manner as possible. A tagline is a piece of marketing copy designed to go on posters to sell the film - In space no one can hear you scream (Alien) Not sure where to begin? 1. 2. - A sous-chef 3. 4.
Wealthy Affiliate Review | My affiliate blog NOTICE: This domain name expired on 10/07/2012 and is pending renewal or deletion. Share this .COM deal with friends! Over 53 million domains registered. Copyright © 1999-2012 GoDaddy.com, LLC. *One FREE .COM, .CO, .NET or .ORG with purchase of a new 12-, 24- or 36-month website builder plan. + New .COMs $7.99/yr plus 18 cents/yr ICANN fee. Fundamentals of Fiction: Avoid Those Beginners' Blunders by Marg Gilks "Writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead." -- Gene Fowler You've written a great story, sent it out again and again, but it keeps being rejected. Why? What are some of the writing blunders you may be committing that set red "amateur" flags waving for agents and publishers -- and invariably earn your story a rejection slip? They're Only Empty Words Blonde bombshell, guns blazing, go the extra mile, passed with flying colors, under cover of darkness. Like cliches, empty modifiers like adjectives and adverbs are the sign of weak writing, produced by a writer without the imagination or the skill needed to create evocative descriptions that add depth to the story. Used in place of more vivid language, adverbs and adjectives are just as commonplace as cliches. "Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader -- not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon," said E.L.
Roleplaying Tips for game masters for all role-playing systems Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #467 Contents: This Week's Tips Summarized Long Story Arcs - 3 Tips On How To Finish Long Story Arcs - 3 Tips On How To Finish Getting Your Family to RPG Game Master Tips & Tricks Summarized New GM Advice @ CampaignMastery.com Johnn Four's GM Guide Books Zombie Murder Mystery - Just in time for Halloween Have the time of your life while PCs struggle to hold on to theirs. Zombie Murder Mystery is a party game of who-done-it with a zombie infestation twist. One player is the evil necromancer. Zombie Murder Mystery (Disclaimer: affiliate link) Return to Contents A Brief Word From Johnn A Bit Late This Issue I just returned last night from a visit with my parents in Comox, British Columbia. I took a flight to get there and back, and I always aim for a window seat. I was at airports for a few hours all told this weekend, and as always I had my notebook with me. Hopefully you enjoy the tips this issue. Back Up Your Game Data Just a quick callout to backup your game data.
201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity Arouse your creativity Electric flesh-arrows … traversing the body. A rainbow of color strikes the eyelids. A foam of music falls over the ears. It is the gong of the orgasm. ~ Anais Nin Creativity is like sex. I know, I know. The people I speak of are writers. Below, I’ve exposed some of their secret tips, methods, and techniques. Now, lie back, relax and take pleasure in these 201 provocative ways to arouse your creativity. Great hacks from Merlin Mann of 43 Folders
The New World of Publishing: Stop Submitting Manuscripts to Traditional Publishers | (Warning!!! I am talking about novels only here, NOT short fiction… The short fiction markets play under other rules and are fine. The top magazines and anthologies don’t buy all rights or hold your rights forever. For example, at Fiction River, we ask for only a two month exclusive from the time of publication. Some of the Dell magazines ask for six months up to a year. All fair. David Farland did a balanced post on the question of when to be an indie writer or when to sell to traditional publishing. Dave broke apart the idea that some genres are better than others for indie publishing. And if you are at the level of David Farland or any of the other writers he mentioned (all friends of mine as well), you have clout to negotiate a novel contract to get out of some of the horrid stuff publishers are putting in smaller-book contracts. But most writers these days don’t have that kind of clout. And almost no new writer does. Just to be clear… Stop.
Harry Potter - Chapter by Chapter & The Harry Potter Companion The following books are still to come; check our updates page for the scoop on what’s happening now! The Tales of Beedle the Bard Like this: Like Loading... Fundamentals of Fiction: Being Realistic by Marg Gilks "I am always interested in why young people become writers, and from talking with many I have concluded that most do not want to be writers working eight and ten hours a day and accomplishing little; they want to have been writers, garnering the rewards of having completed a best-seller. They aspire to the rewards of writing but not to the travail." -- James A. Michener I sent the first story I ever wrote for paid publication to Asimov's Science Fiction. For those outside the speculative fiction genre, Asimov's is one of the Big Four -- the "pro" magazines with the largest readership, the biggest-name authors, the best pay rates. I had a lot to learn. My story was rejected, of course. Be Humble I know this is a hard concept for a beginning fiction writer to grasp, because I was once a beginning fiction writer, and I thought my stories were just as good as the ones I read in the pro magazines, too. You will hear this, or something similar, from many professional writers.