10 Writing Tips from the Masters As the world becomes increasingly digital, writing becomes more important. This is especially true for non-writers. If you work in an office, the majority of your communications are made with text by email or IM.Whether you like it or not, your ability to exchange ideas, collaborate with others, and ultimately succeed, hinges on the ability to write effectively.Earlier this week, K. Stone laid out a process to help you write faster, better, and easier. To follow up, here are 10 timeless tips to help you improve style and substance, straight from the pens of humanity’s finest authors. 1. I try to leave out the parts that people skip. Unless you’re writing for personal reasons alone, you need to consider the attention of your readers. Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very;” your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. I used to feel that using words like “really”, “actually”, or “extremely” made writing more forceful. 9.
The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations is a descriptive list which was created by Georges Polti to categorize every dramatic situation that might occur in a story or performance. To do this Polti analyzed classical Greek texts, plus classical and contemporaneous French works. He also analyzed a handful of non-French authors. In his introduction, Polti claims to be continuing the work of Carlo Gozzi, who also identified 36 situations. Publication history[edit] “Gozzi maintained that there can be but thirty-six tragic situations. This list was published in a book of the same name, which contains extended explanations and examples. The list is popularized as an aid for writers, but it is also used by dramatists, storytellers and many others. The 36 situations[edit] Each situation is stated, then followed by the necessary elements for each situation and a brief description. See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]
201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity Arouse your creativity Electric flesh-arrows … traversing the body. A rainbow of color strikes the eyelids. A foam of music falls over the ears. 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
Plot Outlines and Templates: Why Your Novel Needs Them There are three levels of plot: outline level, scenes and pacing. The outline level is the most abstract level, or the skeleton level, where each section of a story is categorized in some general way. We do this by dividing stories into acts, for example. Some prefer 3 acts, some 4, doesn’t matter, as long as the division is helpful to the writer (as opposed to helpful to the critic). The level of scenes adds more details and becomes specific to your story as you choose which scenes will best tell your story. How Many Basic Plots? Two Stories. Either adventure and conflict come to you, or you go to it. 33 Plots. Plot Outlines are Cliches and That’s OK One result of the limited number of stories is that most outline level plots are cliches: Boy meets Girl; Boy offends Girl; Boy gets girl. Why bother with Plot Outlines? So, what good does it do the writer to know about these typical outlines or about dividing stories into acts? Give you a General Structure, a Backbone or Skeleton.
10 Steps to Finding Your Writing Voice Bonus: Need help finding your writing voice? Click here for free tips. I write only because / There is a voice within me / That will not be still. Awhile ago, I wrote an article called, “Finding Your Blog’s Unique Voice.” Photo credit: Dan Foy (Creative Commons) But here, I want to share a little bit more about how to find your overall writing voice. Spending some time deliberating over voice is worth your attention and focus. If you struggle with getting people to read your writing or with staying consistent in your craft, you need to stop chasing numbers and productivity and reboot. An exercise for finding your voice Not sure where to start? Describe yourself in three adjectives. Why do you need a writing voice? Finding your voice is the key to getting dedicated followers and fans and that it’s the only sustainable way to write. Once you’ve found your voice, make sure you continue to develop it. The bottom line is that there’s a lot of noise out there in the world.
Internet Resources - Writers Resources - Writing Links & Writers Links for Writers - Word Stuff 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. 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.
50 Awesome Open Source Resources for Writers and Writing Majors With the popularity of blogging and online journals, writers working in the online realm have a growing number of opportunities all the time to practice and refine their craft, and maybe even get paid for it. And if you’re a writing major, why not take advantage of all the opportunities to get great free and open source resources that can help you to write, edit and organize your work? Here’s a list of fifty open source tools that you can use to make your writing even better. Word Processors Why pay for expensive word processing programs when you can get high quality and open source alternatives for much less? yWriter: This word processor is designed especially for writers. Reference Everyone needs a little help with spelling and grammar now and again, and these programs can get you on the right track. JaLingo: This OS independent program allows users to easily look up words in a dictionary right from their desktop, whether they have an Internet connection or not. Organization Helpful Tools
Blank Novel Outline Working title: “Type” of novel best suited to this idea: ___Mainstream (Describe): ___Category (Genre): check one (or more, if the idea might cross genre lines). ___Romance ___Western ___Fantasy ___Action/Adventure ___Mystery ___Horror ___Science Fiction ___Other Feel free to type in a different genre if you feel yours is missing. Know what readers want to see in a genre before holding yourself down to it. (Describe): Main Characters (list only up to three major characters) Character #1—the protagonist (the hero or heroine of this story) Name: Primary Goal: Most notable personality trait(s): Character #2—the antagonist (the main “opposition” character) Relationship to protagonist: Character #3—a major supporting character Setting(s) (If your novel has multiple settings, list only the two main ones) Setting #1: Time frame: Reason for using this setting: Setting #2: What is the main complication of the story (the central problem that must be solved by the main character)? You have no excuse now.
10 Writing Rules You Can't Break...And How to Break Them A guest post by Eric Cummings of On Violence First, there was the “old school.” A bunch of stubborn grammarians got together and decided what defined “proper English.” Then came the “new school” in the sixties. Well, as part of the millennial generation, I’ve got some criticisms for the “new school”, “the old school” and other pieces of advice that I think hold writers back. 1. This advice is considered gospel for a reason: nothing is worse than confused, labyrinthine prose. At the same time, clear writing is different than simple writing. Also, feel free to write long sentences and paragraphs. 2. I see this advice all the time: write with confidence. This advice is intended to prevent writers from using wishy-washy verbs, adjectives or qualifiers. 3. This has become the new school mantra. That said, let big words come naturally. 4. Even amateur writers know not to use passive constructions like, “Jim was stung by a bee.” So one, learn what the passive voice is. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
The Muse: The Goddesses of Creativity and Fresh Ideas Tragedy is one of the Nine Muses Melpomene by Gustave Moreau What's a Muse? In Greek mythology, the muses were goddesses of artistic inspiration. Many writers speak of spending time with their muses while they're writing in a state of " flow ," or say that the muse has refused to visit when they have writer's block. Choose Your Muse We have several muses fluttering around to help you. Story Starters - One keeps a variety of story starters and idea generators on hand.
Resources Resources Since I started this blog in April 2009, there have been a number of resources that have played an integral role in the growth of my blog and all of my social media efforts at my day job running Flightster. Every product below is something I personally endorse and have used myself. Some are free, while others have small costs associated with them. If you have any questions about any of my recommendations, please feel free to shoot me an email and I’ll do my best to reply. First let me start by saying that every single blogger I’ve interviewed has participated in some sort of mentorship or coaching program. Blog Mastermind: This is the course that really kicked off my entry into blogging. One of the things that immediately impacts what people think about your blog is your design. Thesis: Thesis is probably the most popular premium theme and you’ll see Thesis used by across the blogosphere. All of the tools below are mostly free, with a few exceptions. Desktop Applications