7 ways writing by hand can save your brain It's time to put pen to paper. Our tech-dependent society has put keyboards at the tips of our fingers at all times, from our smartphones to our laptops. But when was the last time you wrote by hand? Science shows that handwriting can benefit our minds in a number of ways. We spoke to Dr. 1. Writing a calming sentence is a form of graphotherapy, Seifer says. "This actually calms the person down and retrains the brain," Seifer says. 2. Writing something in cursive, that beautiful archaic form, can coordinate the left brain and right brain. 3. For young children, writing by hand is an imperative tool in improving cognitive skills. 4. Taking pen to paper inspires more creative thought, because it is a slower process than just typing something on a keyboard, Seifer says. 5. Writing by hand is a great tool for baby boomers who want to keep their minds sharp as they get older. 6. Let's say you're taking notes in class. 7. "One key difference is movement. Have something to add to this story?
Writer: the internet typewriter Scene-Creation Workshop — Writing Scenes that Move Your Story Forward As the atom is the smallest discrete unit of matter, so the scene is the smallest discrete unit in fiction; it is the smallest bit of fiction that contains the essential elements of story. You don’t build a story or a book of words and sentences and paragraphs — you build it of scenes, one piled on top of the next, each changing something that came before, all of them moving the story inexorably and relentlessly forward. You can, of course, break the scene up into its component pieces — words, sentences, and paragraphs — but only the scene contains the vital wholeness that makes it, like an atom of gold, a building block of your fiction. It contains the single element that gives your story life, movement, and excitement. So what is this magical element that gives your scene its life and makes it the brick with which you build your fiction? Change. When is a scene a scene? We’re going to create some very short scenes here — I’ll do some demos, and then you’ll do some practice scenes.
How a Scene List Can Change Your Novel-Writing Life By the end of this post you will have a nagging urge to use an excel spreadsheet. Don’t make that face—I know you’re a writer and not a data analyst. Or if you are a data analyst—I get that you’re on this blog to get away from your day job. But guess what? Creating a scene list changed my novel-writing life, and doing the same will change yours too. Scene Lists Help You Plan I tried to write a novel once before without planning in advance. I used the Snowflake Method, which consists of several steps to designing a novel that we can discuss at a later date. Today we’re focusing on a particular step: the creation of a scene list. What is a scene list? It’s literally a list of the scenes in your novel in an excel spreadsheet. Column 1: POV. The particulars can be revised at your convenience, but that’s how I set it up. For me, this step was incredibly helpful. 3 Examples of Scene Lists from Famous Authors Want a better idea of what your scene list might look like? 1. 2. 3. What did I do?
Story Starters Gripping Story starters are essential. They grab the reader’s attention. Make them want to read more and keep them reading. Some of us are born with a unique talent and have a natural flair when it comes to connecting words, some of us don’t. Find below a selection of story starters from a variety of different sources. From A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way-in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. Recommended Links
Experimental Game Turns Players into Poets and Writers What do British Romantic Era poets and video games have in common? The answer is Elegy for a Dead World, an unlikely game that leaves the players with “no game to play,” but to explore three long-dead civilizations, observe, and make notes... or stories — or poems — or songs. The three lost worlds feature beautiful scenery, moving music, and are inspired by Percy Shelley's Ozymandias, Lord Byron's Darkness, and John Keats' When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be. The game began in 2013 as a collaboration between Dejobaan Games and Popcannibal. “The most important thing for us is that someone sits down and has a positive experience, doing something creative.” The game eases you into the writing process with challenges, prompts, and fill-in-the-blank sentences. “The most important thing for us is that someone sits down and has a positive experience, doing something creative. Photos: Elegy
102 Resources for Fiction Writing « Here to Create UPDATE 1/10: Dead links removed, new links added, as well as Revision and Tools and Software sections. Are you still stuck for ideas for National Novel Writing Month? Or are you working on a novel at a more leisurely pace? Here are 102 resources on Character, Point of View, Dialogue, Plot, Conflict, Structure, Outlining, Setting, and World Building, plus some links to generate Ideas and Inspiration. Also, I recommend some resources for Revision and some online Tools and Software. Too many links? 10 Days of Character Building Name Generators Name Playground The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test Priming the idea pump (A character checklist shamlessly lifted from acting) How to Create a Character Seven Common Character Types Handling a Cast of Thousands – Part I: Getting to Know Your Characters It’s Not What They Say . . . Establishing the Right Point of View: How to Avoid “Stepping Out of Character” How to Start Writing in the Third Person Web Resources for Developing Characters Speaking of Dialogue
64 Online Writing Tools For Writers, Bloggers & Authors — The Writing Cooperative 64 Online Writing Tools For Writers, Bloggers & Authors Download a PDF of these online writing tools for your next writing project. Word Processing (More than just Word and Pages) AutoCrit: Manuscript editing software for fiction writers ($5-$12 per month)BlankPage: Geared towards novelists, it focuses on distraction-free writing, with motivators, prompts, outline help and moreByWord: Simple and efficient text editing for Mac, iPhone and iPad ($11.99)Calmly Writer: Distraction-free writing ($2.99)Focus Writer: Distraction-free writing with a hide-away interface. Mind Mapping & Brainstorming Bubbl.us: Brainstorming made simple with a graphic mind map to organize ideasMindmeister: Collaborative online mind mappingMind42: Shareable mind mapping and brainstormingMindMup: Open source and easy to use Distraction Blocker Session Timers Ebook Creation & Publishing Editing Notetaking PhotoEditing Photoshop: The industry standardGimp: Free photoediting softwareCanva: Quick and easy designs Prompts Journaling
10 Lessons I Learned While Writing My First Novel Within the last week, I’ve completed the final round of revisions on my first novel and started querying agents. Woo! Huzzah! It’s been a long road… I started this novel about four-and-a-half years ago. Here are the top ten lessons I learned while writing my first novel: 1. And that means everything. Art simply doesn’t play nicely with timelines. 2. You know what I’m talking about, right? Not the kind where it sparks and then deflates seconds later. 3. This simple question got me over every hump of writers block while writing my novel. 4. Yes, your plot needs to make sense. 5. I thought getting through my rough draft meant the hard part was over. But, somewhere, eventually, edits start getting easier again… and that’s called the light at the end of tunnel. 6. It’s just impossible to be an artist and view your own creation with an unbiased perspective. 7. Receiving critique can sting a little. The ones who give it to you do it because they care, and they believe in you. 8. 9. 10.
WRITING TOOLS Character Pyramid Tool (PDF) Visualize your character’s FLAWS & associated behaviors (for a deeper understanding of this tool, please reference The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws) Character Target Tool (PDF) Organize and group your character’s POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES by category: moral, achievement, interactive or identity (for a greater understanding of this tool, please reference The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes) Character Profile Questionnaire (PDF) Not your average character questionnaire! Reverse Backstory Tool (PDF) Work backwards to find your character’s wound, needs & lie (for a deeper understanding of this tool, please reference The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws) Weak Verb Converter Tool (PDF) Transform all those generic, boring verbs into power verbs Scene Revision/Critique Tool Level 1 & Level 2 (PDF) A ‘light’ and ‘in-depth’ revision checklist for creating compelling characters and scenes
30 tips to improve your writing now Writing is a fundamental part of communication, yet many people are poor writers. Part of becoming a great writer is practice. You become a better writer with every email, story or blog post you draft. There also are things you can do to improve your writing immediately. Here are 30 tips to improve your writing now from my friend, Carrie Coppernoll, a staff writer and columnist at The Oklahoman: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. What is this list missing? Writer Worksheet Wednesday: Things I Love | e.a. deverell: creative writing blog Creative Writer Worksheet – Things I Love About Writing (PDF) Here we are, the beginning of a brand new series: Writer Worksheet Wednesday! Having deja vu? I began my writing worksheet series with Things I Love and I still think the heart’s a good place to start (or restart). Interpret these prompts in any wild and willful way you like, just make sure you cover every centimetre of white space with your impassioned scribblings. What’s not to love? P.S.
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