DarkCopy - Simple, full screen text editing 25 Ways To Fight Your Story’s Mushy Middle For me, the middle is the hardest part of writing. It’s easy to get the stallions moving in the beginning — a stun gun up their asses gets them stampeding right quick. I don’t have much of a problem with endings, either; you get to a certain point and the horses are worked up into a mighty lather and run wildly and ineluctably toward the cliff’s edge. But the middle, man, the motherfucking middle. It’s like being lost in a fog, wandering the wasteland tracts. Seems like it’s time for another “list of 25″ to the rescue, then. Hiyaa! 1. Fuck the three-act structure right in its crusty corn-cave. 2. Hey, when you fake an orgasm, you gotta commit. 3. The shape of a story — especially the shape of a story’s middle — is a lot of soft rises and doughy plateaus and zoftig falls. 4. When I was a kid, Christmas Eve was the most interminable time because, y’know, Christmas morning is everything. 5. Sometimes, a story needs a bit of new blood in the form of a new character — someone interesting.
List of English-language idioms This is a list of notable idioms in the English language. An idiom is a common word or phrase with a culturally understood meaning that differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest. For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context. Visit Wiktionary's Category for over eight thousand idioms. See also[edit] References[edit] Jump up ^ "A bitter pill". Notes[edit] Jump up ^ Originally a hunting term.Jump up ^ Originally a British slang term for a quadruple amputee during World War I.Jump up ^ Originating with the English writer Francis Quarles who wrote:"Wee spend our mid-day sweat, or mid-night oyle;Wee tyre the night in thought; the day in toyle."
The Publishing Process in GIF Form At first you're thinking of writing a novel and you're all... But then you have an idea! And you go... But then you hit page 50 and you're all.... And then you hit page 75 and you're all... But you power through!! And then you're finished!!! Only then find out you have to start querying agents. So you write your query letter... You obsess over it... And then you send it out to agents and you're all... Then a couple of days go by and you're all... And... And... But then you hear from your first agent!! And it's a rejection. Then you get a few more and it's more like... But then! But you don't want your agent to think you're crazy so instead you're like... And you love your agent! But instead you go... And then it's time to submit to publishers. Then the editors start saying.... And your inbox starts looking like... And you're all... But then your phone says your agent is calling. But instead it's more like... And it's an offer! And then you go celebrate with your friends and they're all...
Keeping a Writer's Journal: 21 Ideas to Keep You Writing Keeping a Writer's Journal: 21 Ideas to Keep You Writing by Sheila Bender Return to Creative Nonfiction · Print-Friendly Version Keeping a journal is one of the best tools to practice trusting your writing and to make sure you keep writing. You can keep a journal in a cheap or an expensive notebook, on scraps of paper dropped into a box, in computer files or in letter form. If you haven't been journaling or doing it as often as you wish, think about where you write and when you are likely to have time to write. It may seem intimidating to develop the journal-keeping habit, and you may be thinking defeatist thoughts already, such as "I can't do this regularly forever. Make a specific commitment for a month. Next, make a commitment to the same system or to a new journal-keeping system for an additional month. Here are 21 ideas to help make keeping your commitment effortless: Idea 1: A Travel Journal When you travel, write about your surroundings. Idea 2: Journal Your Journaling Idea 6: Poems
How to Become a Writer — The Harsh Reality 4inShareinShare Since starting this blog last year, I have regularly been asked about how to become a professional writer. Mary, one of my keener subscribers (see – I didn’t forget you), recently raised the topic again and prompted me to think some more on it. For many, the article that follows may seem negative and discouraging. Harsh Reality Number 1 – Writing is Like No Other Job I achieved the goal of professional writing last year, a few weeks before I started this blog to discuss my experiences and observations. Writing is definitely not a regular job. Finding work as a writer is more akin to launching a career as an artist. What is the lesson here? This leads to the next point. Harsh Reality Number 2 – Supply Far Outstrips Demand It is commonly said that 95% of professional actors are out of work at any one time. Even among those who have achieved the right to put their dream profession down on their passport application, the road isn’t smooth. The lesson? What is the lesson here?
How to use a semicolon Questionnaires for Writing Character Profiles - Creative Writing Help 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). Both courses I have taken have with Creative Writing Now have been amazing. Each time I have learned something new. The one thing I love, you take everything apart and give examples." - Katlen Skye "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. "Thanks very much for this course. "I'm learning so much. "Thank you so much!!
McSweeney&s Internet Tendency: 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. 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 so easy to hide in your little bubble, typing your little words with your little fingers on your little laptop from the comfort of your tiny chair in your miniature little house.