15 Kid’s Books You Need To Read With this list I’m counting only works I read before I, personally, hit puberty, which means that anything published after 1975 is automatically excluded! By “classic,” I mean for us old farts. This list also includes Young Readers, which I chose to interpret as having no true lower age limit, except that, obviously, very young Literature isn’t part of it — no Dr. Seuss. And no young-adult drama (Judy Bloom shall not appear). Next, you will note that many of the entries are for series (or at least books with sequels), to which I state only that even more than other genres, here we see that success breeds success. Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain Huckleberry Finn is too advanced in actual reading level to include here, but Tom Sawyer has entertained young readers for way more than a century. Asterix Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo Charlotte’s Web E.B. Who doesn’t know this one? Childhood of Famous Americans Various Authors Still going strong, with subjects as recent as Mr. Encyclopedia Brown
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.
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. But experience has also taught me that readers, for better or worse, will approach your work with a jaundiced eye and an itch to judge. Who and Whom This one opens a big can of worms. Which and That This is one of the most common mistakes out there, and understandably so. Lay and Lie This is the crown jewel of all grammatical errors. Moot
The 10 Free Resources Every Writer Needs Photo courtesy of DeclanTM By Maria Schneider of The Web is abundant with free guides, resources and, of course, advice for writers. The fact is, there’s so much out there that it’s difficult to sift through the clutter to find what might actually be helpful. So we’ve done the work for you. Here are the 10 essential online resources that you will bookmark and turn to again and again in your writing career. 1. This is the spot to quench your copyright concerns and even register your work for a copyright. 2. This is the most reliable online dictionary and it’s also the house standard for many magazines and publishers. Timely information on writers’ rights, including the quickly changing landscape of electronic rights courtesy of the American Association of Journalists and Authors. 4. If you’re a little fuzzy on passive tense or your commas are out of control, check out the OWL brought to you by Purdue. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. The (nearly) Ultimate Guide to Better Writing
20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes 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. But experience has also taught me that readers, for better or worse, will approach your work with a jaundiced eye and an itch to judge. Who and Whom This one opens a big can of worms. Which and That This is one of the most common mistakes out there, and understandably so. Lay and Lie This is the crown jewel of all grammatical errors. Moot
Most popular High or Child Posts, Pg. 1 Submitted on 30/10/11 60 Guesses Ate a whole large bag of spicy kettle chips You were High! | You were a Child! | This one sucks! Submitted on 28/10/11 61 Guesses I was playing guitar and wrote a song about my friend's cat You were High! Submitted on 31/10/11 109 Guesses I ended up climbing a tree with friends, had a good time, but got scared half way through and went to go skateboard. You were High! Submitted on 3/11/11 57 Guesses i kind of freaked out the other day when i went to open the door and saw a zombie standing there Submitted on 10/11/11 84 Guesses I decided to pull the box of cookie cutters out of the cabinet so I could look at all the cool shapes. You were High! 149 Guesses I filled up mom's old oriental antique Chinese teapot and filled it with water. You were High! 55 Guesses I mixed flowers, grass, and leaves in a glass of water and pretended it was soup. You were High! 64 Guesses when my mom asked me to do something i said " i don wanna" in a funny voice You were High!
DarkCopy - Simple, full screen text editing 25 Things You Should Know About Character 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! — about characters: 1. Without character, you have nothing. 2. A great character can be the line between narrative life and story death. 3. Don’t believe that all those other aspects are separate from the character. 4. The audience will do anything to spend time with a great character. 5. It is critical to know what a character wants from the start. 6. It doesn’t matter if we “like” your character, or in the parlance of junior high whether we even “like-like” your character. 7. It is critical to smack the audience in the crotchal region with an undeniable reason to give a fuck. 8. You must prove this thesis: “This character is worth the audience’s time.” 9. Don’t let the character be a dingleberry stuck to the ass of a toad as he floats downriver on a bumpy log. 10. 11. 12. 13. The law of threes.
201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity Arouse your creativity Electric flesh-arrows … traversing the body. A rainbow of color strikes the eyelids. Creativity is like sex. I know, I know. The people I speak of are writers. Below, I’ve exposed some of their secret tips, methods, and techniques. Now, lie back, relax and take pleasure in these 201 provocative ways to arouse your creativity. Great hacks from Merlin Mann of 43 Folders
Connect with Your Creative Writer Photo by Cindy Loughridge Do you have to complete a piece of writing but are putting it off? A report, a blog article, or a letter? Are you finding that the moment you sit down to write, your mind seems to go blank? Although, the term writers block is popular, this feeling of blockage and mind blanking is not specific to writing, but of any creative feats. Through practice and observation, I’ve gotten pretty good at getting past these blank moments, and this article shares some insights for unlocking your creativity. Creativity & Mental Blocks Before digging into how we can unlock these creative blocks, here are some observations on the subject of feeling mentally blocked. The more we Think about it, the worse it becomes. How to Overcome Writer’s Block From my experience as a writer, I’ve learned that unless I was exceptionally inspired to write about a particular topic, I will experience writer’s block every single time. How should I start the article? Can you relate?
Amazing Love Story - Bob Marley Quotes- Definition Of Love . Bob Marley Quotes- Definition Of Love "You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She's not perfect - you aren't either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break - her heart. Bob Marley's Love Story "Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. When something wonderful happens, you can't wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Comments October 8, 2011
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.
25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer :: Tips :: The 99 Percent When George Plimpton asked Ernest Hemingway what the best training for an aspiring writer would be in a 1954 interview, Hem replied, “Let’s say that he should go out and hang himself because he finds that writing well is impossibly difficult. Then he should be cut down without mercy and forced by his own self to write as well as he can for the rest of his life. At least he will have the story of the hanging to commence with.” Today, writing well is more important than ever. So what can we do to improve our writing short of hanging ourselves? 1. Don’t just plan to write—write. 2. [The] Resistance knows that the longer we noodle around “getting ready,” the more time and opportunity we’ll have to sabotage ourselves. 3. Find your best time of the day for writing and write. 4. Work on a computer that is disconnected from the internet. 5. Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. 6. 7. Hone your outline and then cling to it as a lifeline. 8. 9.