Seven Common Character Types
Seven Common Character Types by Terry W. Ervin II Fiction writers employ a variety of characters while weaving their tales.
Things Writers Should Know
Previous iterations of the “25 Things” series: 25 Things Every Writer Should Know 25 Things You Should Know About Storytelling And now… Here you’ll find the many things I believe — at this moment!
5 Ways to Give Yourself an Education That Kicks the Crap Out of the One You Got in School
5 Ways to Give Yourself an Education That Kicks the Crap Out of the One You Got in School One of the biggest reasons that people are denied the privilege of education is because they can’t afford it. However, today we live in a world where knowledge and information are at our finger tips like never before. Technology has leveled the playing field so that anybody with an interest and an internet connection can receive a world class education.
Five Open Source Apps For Writers and Authors
by Lisa Hoover - Jul. 17, 2009Comments (9) Even if you have the perfect idea for the next Great American Novel, getting it down on paper is never easy. While you could always use standard word processors like OpenOffice Write or AbiWord, they don't have the bells and whistles that make writing books, manuals, and theses as easy as possible. Fortunately, there are a few open source applications that help budding authors get stories out of their heads and into the hands of readers.
5 Freewriting Secrets for Being a "Genius"
You've heard of freewriting, certainly. At its most basic, it's about forcing your internal editor to stay away while you splash your most raw and unusual thoughts onto the page. In Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insights, and Content (2nd edition, revised & updated), Mark Levy tells how he uses freewriting, not only to loosen up his writing muscles, but to solve business problems of all kinds. Levy, author, writing teacher, and marketing strategist, shares a few "secrets" for making freewriting an indispensible tool:
10 Reading Exercises for Fiction Writers
I always find it exciting when I discover a book that in some way echoes whatever I happen to be writing at the time. It might share a similarity of style, story, or structure, or any combination of the three. Whatever the similarity, I find it helpful to delve into the writing to see what lessons I can glean. After reading several duds recently, I finally came across such a book–The China Garden by Kristina Olsson. While the story isn’t similar to my current work, the prose captured me from the very first page. All I could think was,”That is exactly what I imagine for my finished manuscript.”
Character meme fun!
This is how I was procrastinating during the exam period. "Post-processual theory? ...After I've cleared out my hard drive, I think... ... ooh! What's this?
Making Complex Selections in Photoshop - DesignFestival » For Web Design Trends
Making precise selections in Photoshop is an essential skill that every designer needs. As a print designer, you will find yourself using selections to remove objects from their background to place within ads. As a web designer, you might extract an image and place it on a website with no background. If you are a photographer, you might make a selection to remove blemishes or other unwanted features from an image. You can’t get around it; everyone uses selections, and if you make excellent selections, you’ll end up with excellent work. So, what do you do when you have something that is extremely difficult to select with normal selection tools?
100 Sites for Fiction Writers: #17 – Tor.com
This is an ongoing series looking at websites that can be of help to fiction writers with their craft and career. Tor.com Longtime fans of science fiction and fantasy reading will be familiar with Tor Books, the publishing company which has its online home at Tor.com.
7 steps to creativity - how to have ideas
A guest post by Simon Townley of WriteMindset As a writer, having ideas is one of the most important parts of your craft. But often it seems like one of the most difficult and challenging parts of the whole process. How do you keep ideas flowing?
36 Surprising Ways to Boost Creativity For Free
We already know being creative can make us happier and healthier. But while we may think of creativity in terms of penning or painting a masterpiece, experts say it can really mean anything from trying a new recipe to submitting an original idea during a meeting. Here we’ve got 36 ways to fire up that creative spark, from writing by hand to visiting a foreign country. Try (at least) one today!
