English 50 Exercises for Story Writers English 50 – Intro to Creative Writing: Exercises for Story Writers Basic Theory: What is a short story? As soon as someone delivers a definition, some good writer will write a story that proves the theory wrong. About the only thing we can say for sure is that short stories are short and that they are written in what we call prose. Some attributes, however, seem to show up more often than not. Short stories have a narrator; that is, someone tells the story; have at least one character in them; have some action occur (or perhaps fails to occur); take place somewhere; that is, there is a setting for the action; and someone either learns something or fails to learn something (theme).With these five characteristics in mind, we can create an almost endless supply of exercises to help sharpen our techniques of story telling. Narrative Voice Twenty or so years ago, voice was the "rite of passage" into a successful writing career. If you've written a story in third person, try it in first.
Story Wars - Writing stories together How “one weird trick” conquered the Internet: what happens when you click on those omnipresent ads Ad screengrab You’ve seen them. Peeking out from sidebars, jiggling and wiggling for your attention, popping up where you most expect them: those “One Weird Trick” ads. These crudely drawn Web advertisements promise easy tricks to reduce your belly fat, learn a new language, and boost your credit score by 217 points. They seem like obvious scams, but part of me has always wanted to follow the link. Thankfully, Slate has allowed me to slake my curiosity, and yours. Newly emboldened, I clicked on my first ad, which promised a cure for diabetes. Every time Lon seemed about to get to the spicy heart of the matter, he’d go off on a tangent. What is Lon up to? It’s doubtful, though, that Lon has much in the way of insider info. The Barton brain trust seemed surprisingly sincere, which I kept in mind as I turned to my next ad. In the interests of journalism, I also checked out the “1 Weird Secret That Pornstars Use to Get BIG DICKS.” What about all the weirdness?
Laptop policies: Getting beyond 'yes or no' This Blog Linked From Here Links for philosophy teachers Tuesday, March 6, 2012 Laptop policies: Getting beyond 'yes or no' Tomorrow's Prof blog has a nice post summarizing some recent research about student use of laptops (and like devices) in the classroom. an interactive suite of web-based tools designed to allow questioning practices in lecture that actively engage students and go beyond the multiple choice format typically supported by classroom response systems (clickers). Sounds cool, to say the least.But what caught my eye were some suggestions that go beyond thinking about student laptop use as a yes/no question. function best when they fulfill a clear instructional goal and when they are used in specific ways that support student learning. Posted by Michael Cholbi at 6:46 PM Email ThisBlogThis! Labels: Michael Cholbi's posts, Technology and Pedagogy 4 comments: Jan Priddy, OregonMarch 7, 2012 at 6:31 AMLectureTools allows student to pose questions anonymously? Load more...
Evernote, OneNote, and Beyond: The 12 Best Note-Taking Apps Where do you put your thoughts, your ideas, or the name of a movie someone recommended? If you write them down or otherwise capture them, you get an accurate record that you can always refer to rather than rely on a faulty memory. The place to put all this information and more is in a note taking app. Note taking apps are the digital equivalent of notebooks, and because they're digital, they can do more for you than paper ever could. For starters, note taking apps can store your notes in the cloud and sync them across multiple devices. Editor's Note: Originally published in October 2015 by author Jimmy Daly and then updated in April 2017, we've updated this post with new selections and app descriptions. What Makes a Great Note Taking App? To find the best note taking apps, we started with a list of about 35 contenders and whittled our way down to the 10 best based on a few criteria. All the apps chosen for this list met a standard for being easy to set up and use. The Best Note Taking Apps
LINKING WORDS in English English Grammar Linking words and phrases in English (also called 'connective' or 'transition' words) are used to combine two clauses or sentences presenting contrast, comparison, condition, supposition, purpose, etc. They enable us to establish clear connections between ideas. Most linking words can either connect clauses within a sentence, or start a sentence to form a link with the previous statement. *Note : A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb. Below you will find some examples of linking words and how to use them. Examples of linking words within one sentence: Examples of linking words that connect two separate sentences or two clauses: ♦Note : If linking words start a sentence, they are followed by a comma. Try these online exercises: back to grammar homepage English Grammar Most linking words can either connect clauses within a sentence, or start a sentence to form a link with the previous statement. Examples of linking words within one sentence:
“Can you recommend a good book on writing?” I am often asked to recommend a ‘good book on writing’. A simple enough question, but one that is surprisingly hard to answer. In my attempts to do so, I feel a bit like a sommelier, responding to the question with a few of my own: Are you having the fish or the lamb? Do you tend to like full-bodied reds? That is, it’s hard to recommend a book without knowing what sort of writing project you are doing and what sort of support you are likely to perceive as valuable. This list includes some of the books that I find helpful, allowing you to see what might be beneficial to you. Needless to say, some of you will gravitate more naturally to online resources for writing. Note: I’ve included U of T library links for those of you who are local. Jacques Barzun, Simple and Direct: A Rhetoric for Writers, Fourth Edition (New York: Quill, 2001). Howard S. Wayne C. Claire Kehrwald Cook, Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985). Patricia T. John M. Joseph M.
Unspeakable Conversations I have agreed to two speaking engagements. In the morning, I talk to 150 undergraduates on selective infanticide. In the evening, it is a convivial discussion, over dinner, of assisted suicide. I am the token cripple with an opposing view. I had several reasons for accepting Singer's invitation, some grounded in my involvement in the disability rights movement, others entirely personal. By now I've told it to family and friends and colleagues, over lunches and dinners, on long car trips, in scads of e-mail messages and a couple of formal speeches. Q: Was he totally grossed out by your physical appearance? A: He gave no sign of it. Q: How did he handle having to interact with someone like you? A: He behaved in every way appropriately, treated me as a respected professional acquaintance and was a gracious and accommodating host. Q: Was it emotionally difficult for you to take part in a public discussion of whether your life should have happened? A: It was very difficult. God bless you! So.