The Not-So-Grand List of Overused Fantasy Clichés Like the Fantasy Novelists Exam and Grand list of overused science fiction clichés and The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliches here is: The Not-So-Grand List of Overused Fantasy Clichés by Teresa Dietzinger (and contributors) “Inspired by John Van Sickle’s Grand list of Overused Science Fiction Clichés , which is a writer’s guide to ideas and plot devices in Science Fiction which might have been a good idea at one point but, to quote Van Sickle, “have become hackneyed from overuse by the unimaginative,” unquote. I have sought to create a similar list for ideas and plot devices pertaining specifically to the Fantasy genre, (although I have decided I will not rate the cliches or try to categorize them. Suffice to say, this is simply a list of characterizations, ideas, and plot elements which have a tendency to crop up in Fantasy Fiction on a continual basis.)” Overused Settings and Storylines Overused Characterizations Story Events and Plot Devices
Twilight: A Follow-Up, and a Promise rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); ts=String.fromCharCode(60); if (window.self != window.top) {nf=”} else {nf=’NF/’}; document.write(ts+’script src=” After sound rebukes from those who commented on my previous article (Twilight Sucks… And Not In A Good Way), like ‘Sydnie’ and ‘Kalo’, who wrote, “All of your opinions are completely FALSE!” and “YOU JUST THINK TOO MUCH JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE !” respectively, I decided to listen to those like ‘Melissa’ who demanded that I “write a bookseries[sic] that is that popular and, in [their] opinion, genious[sic]” before earning the privilege to criticize Stephenie Meyer’s dismal oeuvre. You know what? And what about all of those who agree with me? How to Write a Bestseller Just Like Twilight: 1. He lay perfectly still in the grass, his shirt open over his sculpted, incandescent chest, his scintillating arms bare. 2. 3.
Carl Hose - Writer's Inkwell Power Writer Based on Power Structure's award-winning development tools, Power Writer focuses more heavily on the actual manuscript, allowing you to write anything from a short story all the way up to a full novel in one powerful, easy-to-use program. And its integrated Story Development & Outline Tools finally lets your writing proceed as one continuous act of creation from first idea through to final manuscript. Outlines, notes, ideas, character arcs, and much more are always in synch with the actual text regardless as to how much you edit or rewrite . . . and they're right at your fingertips with a simple click of the mouse, or can just as easily be hidden so you can focus purely on your prose. . . . Power Writer is the word processor I've searched over a decade to find. You won't find tables or spreadsheets in Power Writer. Let me clarify something. If you're a writer who structures before you write, you no longer need separate software for each process.
50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Writing Skills - Smashing Magazine Advertisement Today, too many websites are still inaccessible. In our new book Inclusive Design Patterns, we explore how to craft flexible front-end design patterns and make future-proof and accessible interfaces without extra effort. Hardcover, 312 pages. Effective writing skills are to a writer what petrol is to a car. Of course, effective writing requires a good command of the language in which you write or want to write. Further Reading on SmashingMag: Link We collected over 50 useful and practical tools and resources that will help you to improve your writing skills. 1. Use English Punctuation Correctly6 A quick and useful crash course in English punctuation. HyperGrammar7 An extensive electronic grammar course at the University of Ottawa’s Writing Centre. Grammar Girl8 Mignon Fogarty’s quick and dirty tips for better writing. English Style Guide – Economist16 This guide is based on the style book which is given to all journalists at The Economist. 2. Dr. 3. 4. Practical tips Link 5.
2011 We Like to Write - Social Networking for Writers & Bloggers Writing and Publishing News, Marketing, E-Books—Authorlink.com 101 of the Best Fiction Writing Tips, Part I What if someone went through the biggest and best blogs on the internet, and pulled out the very best-of-the best tips for fiction writers? That’s what I’ve attempted to do here. I can’t guarantee there aren’t some amazingly helpful writing tips that I haven’t included, but this is a good start. I’ve also tried to steer clear of really obvious tips like “show, don’t tell” or “make your characters unforgettable,” in favour of ones that are less often discussed. To learn more about the tips, click through to their original articles. Thanks to all these amazing bloggers for their valuable advice! Now, head over to:
The Easiest, Cheapest, Fastest Way to Self-Publish Your Book You are excited to self-publish, but sorting through the sheer quantity of offerings, claims, and technologies is overwhelming. I spend a good part of each week researching the topic and, for authors of trade paperback books with no or few illustrations, my answer is to use these two services for creating your e-book and print book: Smashwords and CreateSpace. Create Your Smashwords E-Book Smashwords, which I’ve written about before, continues to be a very popular e-book publishing service. Hire Out Smashwords Formatting, Cover Design Formatting the Smashwords .doc file is simple but tedious and can be a little frustrating to non-geeks, so they’ve compiled a list of people who will do that for you who charge from $25 an hour and up. Create Your Amazon Kindle E-Book Unfortunately, Smashwords does not distribute to Amazon Kindle, though a deal seems perpetually pending. Buy Your Own ISBNs and Control Your Metadata Create Your Print Book with CreateSpace Create Your Amazon Kindle E-Book Related
5 editor’s secrets to help you write like a pro I do a lot of copyediting, both of books and advertising collateral. I’ll let you in on a secret that still surprises me, although I’ve seen it hundreds of times now. If you looked at the raw work of most professional writers, you’d be pretty underwhelmed. Professional writers get work because they hit their deadlines, they stay on message, and they don’t throw too many tantrums. Some pros have a great writing voice or a superb style, but as often as not, that gets in the way. When you know that the best word is “prescient,” it’s hard to swallow when an account manager tells you the client won’t know what it means. Professional writers rely on editors to fix their clunks. Editing, like writing, takes time to learn. 1. Have you ever heard a four-year-old run out of breath before she can finish her thought? Sentences are building blocks, not bungee cords; they’re not meant to be stretched to the limit. 2. A paragraph supports a single idea. 3. Nouns ending in -ing are fine. 4. 5.
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. 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.