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How we read online.

How we read online.
You're probably going to read this. It's a short paragraph at the top of the page. It's surrounded by white space. To really get your attention, I should write like this: Bulleted listOccasional use of bold to prevent skimmingShort sentence fragmentsExplanatory subheadsNo punsDid I mention lists? What Is This Article About? It's a Jungle Out ThereThat's Jakob Nielsen's theory. Nielsen champions the idea of information foraging. Sorry about the long paragraph. Also, I'm probably forcing you to scroll at this point. Screens vs. When you look at early research, it's fascinating to see that even in the days of green phosphorus monitors, studies found that there wasn't a huge difference in speed and comprehension between reading on-screen and reading on paper. The studies are not definitive, however, given all the factors that can affect online reading, such as scrolling, font size, user expertise, etc. And it's not you who has to change. Nielsen often sounds like a cross between E.B. [Ed.

CALLIHOO Writing Helps--Feelings Table Character Feelings You can describe your character's feelings in more exact terms than just "happy" or "sad." Check these lists for the exact nuance to describe your character's intensity of feelings. SF Characters | SF Items | SF Descriptors | SF Places | SF EventsSF Jobs/Occupations | Random Emotions | Emotions List | Intensity of Feelings Top artists reveal how to find creative inspiration Guy Garvey, musician • For fear of making us sound like the Waltons, my band [Elbow] are a huge source of inspiration for me. They're my peers, my family; when they come up with something impressive, it inspires me to come up with something equally impressive. • Spending time in your own head is important. When I was a boy, I had to go to church every Sunday; the priest had an incomprehensible Irish accent, so I'd tune out for the whole hour, just spending time in my own thoughts. I still do that now; I'm often scribbling down fragments that later act like trigger-points for lyrics. • A blank canvas can be very intimidating, so set yourself limitations. • Just start scribbling. • The best songs often take two disparate ideas and make them fit together. • Don't be scared of failure. • If it's all getting too intense, remember it's only a song. • The best advice I've ever had came about 20 years ago from Mano McLaughlin, one of Britain's best songwriters. Polly Stenham, playwright • Ugliness.

How iBooks Author Stacks Up to the Competition [CHART] With the announcement of iBooks Author last week, the world of self-publishing seemed to open up a little wider, especially for authors looking for an easy way to format and distribute their own content. At the same time, people raised concerns about the content restrictions of the iBooks Author tool. According to the contract in iBooks Author, books that writers charge for through the iBooks 2 store are subject to fees, which isn't new — iTunes does the same thing with apps in the App Store. But the contract also stipulates books created with the Author tool may only be sold in the iBooks 2 store, and nowhere else. While some writers may deem the Apple iBooks store an adequate revenue stream, others may not welcome the regulations. Still, self-publishing holds potential for many authors, especially now that 29% of U.S. adults own some kind of tablet or ereader. Are you an ebook publisher using something that didn't make the list?

Creating Characters - Creating Characters That Are Believable Fleshing Out Your Characters Workshop Creating characters is easy but creating characters that are believable can make or break the success of your work. Do your short story and novel characters feel like cardboard cutouts? As real as your characters are to you, you've got to transfer that realism onto paper. Fleshing Out Your Characters helps you create characters that could step out of the pages of your novel or short story. From common character creation mistakes to digging deep into your character's personality, learn how to develop three-dimensional, living, breathing characters. Workshop Duration: 4 Weeks - 1 lesson delivered to your inbox each week with 5 creativity exercises at the end of each lesson. Cost: $20 If you have questions regarding the Email workshops, simply Email EmailWorkshops@FictionAddiction.NET.

Mary Sue In fan fiction, a Mary Sue is an idealized character, often but not necessarily an author insert.[1] Origin[edit] The term "Mary Sue" comes from the name of a character created by Paula Smith in 1973 for her parody story "A Trekkie's Tale"[2]:15 published in her fanzine Menagerie #2.[3] The story starred Lieutenant Mary Sue ("the youngest Lieutenant in the fleet — only fifteen and a half years old"), and satirized unrealistic Star Trek fan fiction.[4] Such characters were generally original female adolescents who had romantic liaisons with established canonical adult characters, or in some cases were the younger relatives or protégées of those characters. Mary Sue stories—the adventures of the youngest and smartest ever person to graduate from the academy and ever get a commission at such a tender age. Criticism[edit] The "Mary Sue" concept has drawn criticism from amateur and professional writers. Author, academic and radio host J.M. Variations[edit] See also[edit] References[edit]

Questionnaires for Writing Character Profiles - Creative Writing Help 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.

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