Ten rules for writing fiction Elmore Leonard: Using adverbs is a mortal sin 1 Never open a book with weather. If it's only to create atmosphere, and not a character's reaction to the weather, you don't want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people. There are exceptions. 2 Avoid prologues: they can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword. 3 Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. 4 Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said" ... he admonished gravely. 5 Keep your exclamation points under control. 6 Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose". 7 Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. 8 Avoid detailed descriptions of characters, which Steinbeck covered. 9 Don't go into great detail describing places and things, unless you're Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language. 10 Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. Diana Athill Margaret Atwood 1 Take a pencil to write with on aeroplanes.
Literature Project - Free eBooks Online Writers forum - J K Rowlings Writing Process | authonomy writing community From this site Planning This is by far the most underrated of the steps in the writing process. It was 1990 and Jo Rowling was on a train between Manchester and London. But did she go home and immediately begin scribbling a story with these characters? Would you attempt to build a house without plans? When you are writing, you are just writing. JK Rowling planned the Harry Potter series for five years before she put pen to paper on the first book She wrote the entire first book, and felt as though she were “carving it out of this mass of notes”. This is the best possible place for you to be in when you are writing a novel. Jo Rowling said she felt she “had to do right by the book”. Jo Rowling rewrote the opening chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone a total of 15 times. Writing and rewriting are separate processes. Many successful authors say that you only write to rewrite. And who knows? Suzanne Harrison
Poetry Lesson 03 -- Poetry Lines Free Poetry Course from Cupiderosbooks.com Without structure you might as well write some random short sentences, one after another and call it a poem. That is incredibly easy to do. No one may understand your poem, but it is very easy to say those famous two words "I'm finished." Without structure, you might as well write out some prose sentences in a paragraph and then just break those sentences into shorter lengths at odd or unique places and call it a poem. Most true poets reading it will recognize it's not a poem though. Without structure, you skip having to think about your poem. So yeah, you need structure to make the poem shine, stick in the reader's mind, to make sense to someone other than yourself. LINE: A short complete or not complete sentence, sentence lengths. My love is blue unlike the rose. My love is blue, so blue STANZA: A group of sentences forming a complete movement/phase or meaning in the poem or even entire poem. Lines Stanza Name - The line is a unit of time. so forth. Syllables are beats Meter structure, Rhyme
Law of Attraction – Take Control of Your Life Warning: This article will sound like complete bullshit to the conservative mind. If you can go into the reading with an open mind and are willing to try the methods described with the intention of attracting good things to your life, please proceed. However, if you are already swaying towards skepticism, please save this article for a time when you are dying for a change or confident that this method could work for you. This might be the most important and eye-opening article you will read in your entire life so plan accordingly. Thank you Introduction to The Law Of Attraction: Many of you have probably heard of the Law of Attraction, The Secret, visualization, or some of the other popular manifestations of this technique, but most likely do not fully know what it is. Basics: Manifesting your ideal is not as hard as it sounds. 1. Other Tips: - Positive things come to positive people, so practice a good demeanor about life. 1. The New Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. 2. 3.
History - Viking Women Ink - Quotes about writing by writers presented by The Fontayne Group Writing "I put a piece of paper under my pillow, and when I could not sleep I wrote in the dark." Henry David Thoreau "Writing is an adventure." Winston Churchill "Know something, sugar? Stories only happen to people who can tell them." Allan Gurganus "... only he is an emancipated thinker who is not afraid to write foolish things." "Whether or not you write well, write bravely." "The first rule, indeed by itself virtually a sufficient condition for good style, is to have something to say."
- StumbleUpon Midnight in Paris Woody Allen’s latest places starving writer Owen Wilson in Paris with his fiancée, Rachel McAdams. Searching for inspiration for his incomplete novel, Owen begins taking strolls around the city at night where he discovers an unexpected group of people. I wish I could be more specific, but it would ruin the surprise. Know that it is brilliant, witty and full of mystique. 92% on Rotten Tomatoes (RT). Let the Right One In The best vampire movie ever made in my opinion. Watch Let the Right One In for FREE on Amazon Instant Video The Man From Earth Holy &#%@ this film’s plot is fascinating! Garden State This is my absolute favorite film. Waking Life It’s impossible for you to grasp Waking Life without actually watching it, but I’ll do my best to explain it. Watch Waking Life for FREE on Amazon Instant Video Closer This film is a rather dark, yet comedic story about the twisted relationships between Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. Sin Nombre Snatch The Descent
The Top 10 Relationship Words That Arent Translatable Into English | Marriage 3.0 Here are my top ten words, compiled from online collections, to describe love, desire and relationships that have no real English translation, but that capture subtle realities that even we English speakers have felt once or twice. As I came across these words I’d have the occasional epiphany: “Oh yeah! That’s what I was feeling...” Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan, an indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego): The wordless yet meaningful look shared by two people who desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to start. Oh yes, this is an exquisite word, compressing a thrilling and scary relationship moment. It’s that delicious, cusp-y moment of imminent seduction. Yuanfen (Chinese): A relationship by fate or destiny. From what I glean, in common usage yuanfen means the "binding force" that links two people together in any relationship. But interestingly, “fate” isn’t the same thing as “destiny.” Retrouvailles (French): The happiness of meeting again after a long time.
Self publishing costs nothing A number of people have asked me “How much does self-publishing cost?”, so this post will clear that up. It may be controversial! Please do post comments if you disagree or have questions. Answer 1: It costs nothing Write book: $0 (but lots of time)Edit book: $0 Friend who is an English teacherProof-read book: $0 Friends and colleagues found on TwitterCover design: $0 Royalty free or own photos and text only made into a .jpg on Microsoft PublisherTypeset book: $0 done by self on Microsoft WordPublish book: Published as an Ebook on Smashwords for free and up for sale for US$4.99. Or it costs $10 for the print version:Publish book on Amazon.com by loading onto Lulu.com for free, and choosing the Published by Lulu option (for free). With these options, you have no pile of books sitting in your garage, no distribution to physical bookshops. This basic model is the one I now follow and will be teaching all the tricks of the trade in the author 2.0 program. Answer 2: It costs under $5000
Top 40 Useful Sites To Learn New Skills The web is a powerful resource that can easily help you learn new skills. You just have to know where to look. Sure, you can use Google, Yahoo, or Bing to search for sites where you can learn new skills , but I figured I’d save you some time. Here are the top 40 sites I have personally used over the last few years when I want to learn something new. Hack a Day - Hack a Day serves up fresh hacks (short tutorials) every day from around the web and one in-depth ‘How-To hack’ guide each week.eHow - eHow is an online community dedicated to providing visitors the ability to research, share, and discuss solutions and tips for completing day-to-day tasks and projects.Wired How-To Wiki - Collaborate with Wired editors and help them build their extensive library of projects, hacks, tricks and tips.
20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Gets Wrong I’ve edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it’s a job that’s come with more frustration than reward. If there’s one thing I am grateful for — and it sure isn’t the pay — it’s that my work has allowed endless time to hone my craft to Louis Skolnick levels of grammar geekery. As someone who slings red ink for a living, let me tell you: grammar is an ultra-micro component in the larger picture; it lies somewhere in the final steps of the editing trail; and as such it’s an overrated quasi-irrelevancy in the creative process, perpetuated into importance primarily by bitter nerds who accumulate tweed jackets and crippling inferiority complexes. Below are 20 common grammar mistakes I see routinely, not only in editorial queries and submissions, but in print: in HR manuals, blogs, magazines, newspapers, trade journals, and even best selling novels. Who and Whom This one opens a big can of worms. Which and That Lay and Lie This is the crown jewel of all grammatical errors. Moot Nor
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