5 Ways Your Brain Sabotages Your Writing... And What To Do About It When we sit at the keyboard, we rely on our brains to help us fill that vast white space with intriguing words, well-rounded characters, and watertight plot twists. Sometimes our brains oblige. But more often, our grey matter tells us that we should check Twitter (because what if our blog post got a retweet from someone important?), that we totally have time to catch up on TV while we eat lunch (because that’s just smart multitasking right there!) Psychologists have identified all sorts of cognitive biases and mental tomfoolery that turn your mind against you every day. Escalation of Commitment Your brain says: “You’ve put so much time and effort into writing this story, it’d be crazy not to finish.” Imagine you’re an eccentric millionaire—probably wearing a monocle—who has spent two years and close to $100,000 creating a desk featuring cool-water sprinklers for those working in hot climes. When the situation is more relatable, Escalation of Commitment kicks in. Solutions: Price: $18.02
Narrative and Referential Activity - The Referential Process Kristin Nelson Narrative is a discourse form used in all languages for retelling past episodes, whether recalled or imagined. It develops throughout childhood and is part of all adult language speakers’ unconscious linguistic competence. Universal Story Structure: Cross-linguistic and historical studies have found that spontaneous oral narratives, or stories, exhibit a discourse grammar distinct from that of “here-and-now” speech. Even the briefest account of the past qualifies as a story if it contains a Complicating Action section—at least two sentences in the simple past tense, spoken in chronological order, that is in order of remembered events (Labov, 1997). Story-now vs. As Fleischman (1990, p. 125) points out, stories “are intrinsically structured with two time frames: the time of the telling of the story and the time during which the events of the story are assumed to have taken place.” Narrative as a Defensive Indicator: Relationship between RA and Narrative: Bohbot, V. Chafe, W.
Writing Writing with a pen Writing is a medium of communication that represents language through the inscription of signs and symbols. In most languages, writing is a complement to speech or spoken language. Writing is not a language but a form of technology. Within a language system, writing relies on many of the same structures as speech, such as vocabulary, grammar and semantics, with the added dependency of a system of signs or symbols, usually in the form of a formal alphabet. As human societies emerged, the development of writing was driven by pragmatic exigencies such as exchanging information, maintaining financial accounts, codifying laws and recording history. Means for recording information[edit] H.G. Writing systems[edit] The major writing systems – methods of inscription – broadly fall into four categories: logographic, syllabic, alphabetic, and featural. Logographies[edit] A logogram is a written character which represents a word or morpheme. Syllabaries[edit] Alphabets[edit]
75 Books Every Writer Should Read Whether you want to make writing your career or just want to know how to improve your writing so that you can pass your college courses, there is plenty of reading material out there to help you get inspired and hone your skills. Here’s a collection of titles that will instruct you on just about every aspect of writing, from the basics of grammar to marketing your completed novel, with some incredibly helpful tips from well-known writers themselves as well. Writing Basics These books address things like structure, plot, descriptions and other basic elements of any story. The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers: You can improve the quality of your writing by adding a mythical quality to them with advice and insight from this book. Advice from Authors Who better to give advice on writing than those who have made a name for themselves doing it? On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King: This is widely regarded as one of the best books for any aspiring author to read.
How Using ARCHETYPES Can Transform Your Character Work « Creative Tips For Writers Many writers shy away from using or studying archetypes or “character types”. They fear they will be writing a stock character – one that lacks originality, depth and complexity. My argument is that there is a lot to be learned about from studying archetypes. And that quite a lot of depth can be learned from studying their purpose in a story. Here’s my argument in a nutshell: Every story has a hero. Q: How can learning about archetypes inform my own work with characters? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Q: How can I avoid writing stock types? A: Use the archetypes as a launching point, as inspiration. John Truby, storytelling guru and Author of The Anatomy of a Story states: “Using archetypes as a basis for your characters can give them the appearance of weight very quickly, because each type expresses a fundamental pattern that the audience recognizes, and this same pattern is reflected both within the character and through interaction in the larger society.” Archetypes by Jung 5 Major Archetypes 8) Lover
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.
LitReactor Throughlines - and How to Use Them! Throughlines - and How to Use Them! By Melanie Anne Phillips Some time ago I described the difference between the two basic forms of story structure with the following phrase: You spin a tale, but you weave a story. The common expression "spinning a yarn" conjures up the image of a craftsperson pulling together a fluffy pile into a single unbroken thread. An appropriate analogy for the process of telling a tale. A tale is, perhaps, the simplest form of storytelling structure. Nonetheless, if one wants to make a point, you need to create a line that leads from one point to another. A story, on the other hand, is a more complex form of structure. In story structure, then, the sequence of events in each individual throughline cannot be random, but must be designed to do double-duty – both making sense as an unbroken progression and also as pieces of a greater purpose. You won’t find the word, "throughline" in the dictionary. Now that we know what a throughline is, how can we use it?
How to Become a Writing Rockstar: A Simple Guide Do you want to become a writing rockstar? Have you ever felt like you could be more? I’m talking about that feeling deep down that nudges you forward with your writing. That feeling that tells you that you are good enough, that you can become a real writing rockstar. But it’s not that easy. Something elusive that doesn’t seem to go away. Can you let it be and still go after your dreams? Let’s explore that question. What is a Writing Rockstar? Before we do anything, we have to define what a writing rockstar is. You see, you’re already a writing rockstar. If you want to do that, that’s fine. This is about doing what makes your heart sing. Society imposes standards on us, but they are irrelevant. Why Become a Writing Rockstar? Because it’s what you want. You don’t need a reason to go after your dreams. You just have to take action. When you embrace your dreams, and you start going after them without needing permission from anyone, your life will change. The 3 Fears Holding You Back 1. 2. 3.
Max Barry | Fifteen Ways to Write a Novel Every year I get asked what I think about NaNoWriMo, and I don’t know how to answer, because I don’t want to say, “I think it makes you write a bad novel.” This is kind of the point. You’re supposed to churn out 50,000 words in one month, and by the end you have a goddamn novel, one you wouldn’t have otherwise. I find it hard to write a goddamn novel. Some of these methods I use a lot, some only when I’m stuck. The Word TargetWhat: You don’t let yourself leave the keyboard each day until you’ve hit 2,000 words. 33 Ways to Write Stronger Characters — Well-Storied. 21. Find their identity. Understanding how your character defines themselves in life can help you better understand how they interact with and present themselves to the world. When defining your character's identity, consider elements such as their gender identity, race, sexuality, religion, ancestry, and interests. 22. Perspective is the lens through which we see the world. 23. Who does your character gravitate toward when seeking friendships, romance, or guidance? 24. Give your character a voice. 25. Is your character optimistic, pessimistic, or realistic? 26. Where is your character happiest? 27. Help your character weather your story's conflicts by giving them relationships with loved ones or mentors. 28. Your character's gut feelings can say a lot about who they are, while also add nail-biting tension to your story that foreshadows dangers to come. 29. Everyone has their breaking point. 30. When all seems lost, a safe haven can keep hope alive for your character. 31. 32. 33.
How to become a Successful Writer: Seth Godin in Conversation Are you ready for success?Art is the unique work of a human being, work that touches another. – Seth Godin, The Icarus Deception This is part 2 of Seth Godin in conversation with Mary Jaksch, the Chief Editor of Write to Done. Seth: If you’ve accepted that the rules of the game are that you are not willing to write unless everyone likes what you write, then you’ve just announced that you’re an amateur, not a professional, and that you’re probably doomed. Mary: I suppose that’s the real advantage of the internet as opposed to the writing industry: you can always find that small group of people who will be interested in what you write. Seth: Yes, that’s exactly right. Iceland teaches an important lesson. All you need to make a living is for four thousand to adore you. Mary: Coming back to art, you write in your book, ‘Art is the unique work of a human being, work that touches another.’ Seth: There’s a light switch on the wall across the desk from me. We do not connect with utility.