How To Bullshit Your Way Through Any Essay If there is one thing college kids neglect the most, besides basic diet and hygiene, it’s the homework assignment essay. Hastily written and utterly unedited the night before it’s due, the modern essay has become something of a nightmare for lackadaisical college students. But writing an essay that seems like it was written by someone with more than a double-digit IQ is not nearly as difficult as it seems, I assure you. Even the laziest Guitar Hero II god can whiz through an essay that reads like it was written by F. Scott Motherfucking Fitzgerald. What seems difficult and scary is actually as simple and accessible as you can want. 1)The introductory paragraph. 2)The thesis. 3)Topic sentences. 4)In-text quotes and citations. 5)The conclusion. Slap some page numbers on that bitch and load a bowl—your essay is done.
Book-A-Minute Classics Got another book report to do? English teachers have the inconsiderate habit of assigning mammoth-sized works of literature to read and then actually expecting you to do it. This wouldn't be so bad except that invariably the requisite reading is as boring as fly fishing in an empty lake. Half of those books don't even have discernible plots. And let's face it -- the Cliff's Notes are pretty time-consuming too. "That's nice," you say, "but I don't believe you." Latest additions: 4/6/12 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. And, on Book-A-Minute SF/F... If you liked Book-A-Minute Classics, try our other Book-A-Minute pages: And try our companion site: RinkWorks Book-A-Minute Classics is a RinkWorks production. Talk Back Talk to us! Legalese Titles and trademarks are the property of their owners.
Seven Tips From Ernest Hemingway on How to Write Fiction Image by Lloyd Arnold via Wikimedia Commons Before he was a big game hunter, before he was a deep-sea fisherman, Ernest Hemingway was a craftsman who would rise very early in the morning and write. His best stories are masterpieces of the modern era, and his prose style is one of the most influential of the 20th century. Hemingway never wrote a treatise on the art of writing fiction. He did, however, leave behind a great many passages in letters, articles and books with opinions and advice on writing. 1: To get started, write one true sentence. Hemingway had a simple trick for overcoming writer's block. Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it going, I would sit in front of the fire and squeeze the peel of the little oranges into the edge of the flame and watch the sputter of blue that they made. 2: Always stop for the day while you still know what will happen next. There is a difference between stopping and foundering. 5: Don't describe an emotion--make it.
Writing Tips by Henry Miller, Elmore Leonard, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman & George Orwell Image by Austin Kleon Here's one way to become a better writer. Listen to the advice of writers who earn their daily bread with their pens. During the past week, lists of writing commandments by Henry Miller, Elmore Leonard (above) and William Safire have buzzed around Twitter. (Find our Twitter stream here.) So we decided to collect them and add tips from a few other veterans -- namely, George Orwell, Margaret Atwood, and Neil Gaiman. Henry Miller (from Henry Miller on Writing) 1. George Orwell (From Why I Write) 1. Margaret Atwood (originally appeared in The Guardian) 1. Neil Gaiman (read his free short stories here) 1. William Safire (the author of the New York Times Magazine column "On Language") 1. Related Content: Ray Bradbury Gives 12 Pieces of Writing Advice to Young Authors (2001) John Steinbeck’s Six Tips for the Aspiring Writer and His Nobel Prize Speech Elmore Leonard’s Ultimate Guide for Would-Be Writers
John Steinbeck’s Six Tips for the Aspiring Writer and His Nobel Prize Speech Today is the 110th birthday of writer John Steinbeck, whose great novel of the 1930s, The Grapes of Wrath, gives an eloquent and sympathetic voice to the dispossessed. In 1962, Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception." You can watch him deliver his Nobel speech above. And for insights into how Steinbeck reached that pinnacle, you can read a collection of his observations on the art of fiction from the Fall, 1975 edition of The Paris Review, including six writing tips jotted down in a letter to a friend the same year he won the Nobel Prize. “The following," Steinbeck writes, "are some of the things I have had to do to keep from going nuts." 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. "As you write," Steinbeck says, "trust the disconnections and the gaps. Related content: Writing Tips by Henry Miller, Elmore Leonard, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman & George Orwell
Tension Hook Your Readers With Tension By Laura Backes, Write4Kids.com Tension. Without it, life would be—let's face it—boring. So would fiction. "Tension" is a loaded word, and can be misleading. Tension is what hooks readers of any age and keeps them turning the pages. * The ticking clock. * Dialogue. * Pacing. * Sentence structure. Each story requires a different kind of tension. Laura Backes is the author of Best Books for Kids Who (Think They) Hate to Read from Prima/Random House. Copyright © 2002, Children's Book Insider, LLC Questionnaires for Writing Character Profiles 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). "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. "Thanks very much for this course. "I'm learning so much. "Thank you so much!! "The Irresistible Fiction course is going well.
Internet Resources - Writers Resources - Writing Links & Writers Links for Writers Unsorted [/writers] James Patrick Kelly - Murder Your Darlings - "When time comes to make that final revision, however, you must harden your heart, sharpen the ax and murder your darlings." Greda Vaso - Determining the Readability of a Book - includes formulas for Gunning's Fog Index, Flesch Formula, Powers Sumner Kearl L. Kip Wheeler - Literary Terms and Definitions L. Kip Wheeler - Comp - Lit - Poetry - Links - more Style - Grammar - Errors in English [/writers]American Heritage - Book of English Usage - free download Band-Aid AP StylebookPaul Brians - Common Errors in EnglishCJ Cherryh - Writerisms and other Sins The Chicago Manual of Style FAQ Gary N. Curtis - The Fallacy Files - Logical fallacies and bad arguments Prof.
Naomi Rose can help you with: how to write a book, writing a book, short story writing, writing child book, tips on writing a book, steps to writing a book, writing your own book, writing a non fiction book, Book coaching, Book-writing guidance, Help writ by Naomi Rose Reprinted from Massage Magazine, Issue 104, Sept. – Oct. 2003 Most people don’t think of massage and writing as having anything to do with each other. After all, one is nonverbal, the other verbal. Touching writing touches the reader’s heart and being, as well as the reader’s mind. To write in a touching way, you cannot set about to do it with your intellect. Happily, people who heal through touch are the perfect ones to write "touching writing." And now, a paradox comes in. This is where touching healers have an edge. Let the body ease you into it. Your body is your ally, your capable vehicle, even when it comes to writing. Get clear on your intention and/or what you wish to explore. In this relaxed state, any intention you have or question you ask yourself relative to writing will reveal itself with clarity, and begin to draw from you what you need to fulfill it. Examples of intentions include: "I want to write about my work so readers understand and are attracted to it."
The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do. Writing is a muscle. Smaller than a hamstring and slightly bigger than a bicep, and it needs to be exercised to get stronger. Think of your words as reps, your paragraphs as sets, your pages as daily workouts. Think of your laptop as a machine like the one at the gym where you open and close your inner thighs in front of everyone, exposing both your insecurities and your genitals. Because that is what writing is all about. Procrastination is an alluring siren taunting you to google the country where Balki from Perfect Strangers was from, and to arrange sticky notes on your dog in the shape of hilarious dog shorts. The blank white page. Mark Twain once said, “Show, don’t tell.” Finding a really good muse these days isn’t easy, so plan on going through quite a few before landing on a winner. There are two things more difficult than writing. It’s no secret that great writers are great readers, and that if you can’t read, your writing will often suffer.